Nearly a year after informing reservation holders it would be halting all production of its electric tonneau cover to complete a redesign, Rivian’s R1T configurator is hinting at its imminent return. There are certainly some conditions to consider, but it appears that the powered tonneau cover will be returning (relatively) soon. Here’s what we know.
The R1T remains the first of Rivian’s two flagship models and also the first from the young automaker to begin deliveries when the first customer received their pickup in September of 2021. From the beginning, one of many cool features of the R1T was its electric-powered tonneau cover, which could cover the truck bed with ease at the push of a button.
Easier said than done.
Early R1T owners reported several problems with the powered version, which led Rivian to share plans to find a better solution. The company initially tried repairing and replacing the defective tonneau covers, but by October 2022, it began informing R1T reservation holders that the powered cover was no longer available as Rivian sought a complete redesign.
Instead, reservation holders were told they would need to switch to either a manual cover or none at all as it worked to reintroduce the powered version in the future, although it did share a set date at the time.
During the initial announcement recognizing the issue, Rivian said it had hoped to provide a solution by early 2023. That didn’t happen. However, new details on the R1T page of Rivian’s Gear Shop hint at a return of the powered tonneau cover in early 2024. Here’s what we know.
Powered tonneau cover to return to Rivian R1Ts in 2024
Shoutout to member Stevetom84 on RivianForums.com for pointing out the re-mentioning of the electric-powered tonneau cover on Rivian’s website and for offering instructions on how to find it.
After configuring your own R1T pickup on the Rivian site, there is a link to Rivian’s shop in which you can once again select the R1T. Depending on where you live, the powered tonneau cover may or may not pop up as an available option.
As you can see from the pop-up image above, Rivian shares that those R1T reservation holders who are in a qualifying area will be able to add the powered tonneau in “early 2024.” Given that Rivian is finally scaling R1T production in Normal, Illinois, and delivery times are down to a matter of weeks, depending on the configuration, the powered tonneau will most definitely be a post-delivery add-on at this point.
Rivian has confirmed a return of the powered tonneau cover is in the works for the R1T, but we will need to stay tuned for more pertinent details. Check back with Electrek soon for the latest.
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