Is Rivian's Powered Tonneau Cover Making A Quiet Comeback?

EV manufacturer Rivian Automotive Inc RIVN is reportedly considering a relaunch of its powered tonneau cover after discontinuing it for an upgrade.

What Happened: The R1T model is designed to be compatible with both Rivian’s powered and manual tonneau covers, as stated on the company’s website.

While the manual tonneau cover will be available for purchase from Rivian’s Gear Shop later this year, the powered tonneau cover is expected to become available in early 2024, according to a notification on the site. This hints that it may be retrofitted.

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The Discontinuation: Rivian initially introduced the powered tonneau cover, allowing users to cover the truck bed with a simple button press. However, in October 2022, the company ceased production of this feature after encountering issues flagged by several users. Configuration options were then limited to the manual tonneau cover or none at all.

“We plan to re-introduce this feature later, but a date has not been set. For the foreseeable future, all R1Ts will be built with either a manual tonneau cover or no tonneau cover,” Rivian informed its customers.

In May of the same year, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe mentioned on X (formerly Twitter) that both the manual and updated powered tonneau covers would be available in mid-summer. Despite the anticipation, summer has now passed.

The improved powered tonneau cover is expected to be quieter and more robust, as stated by Clare Frigo, Rivian’s Manufacturing Operations Chief of Staff.

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