In a recent letter to current R1T reservation holders, Rivian said it will stop production and installation of the motorized tonneau cover on all future deliveries. Those reservation holders can now choose between a manual tonneau cover or no cover at all, while Rivian is “upgrading” the motorized version. Here are the details.
Rivian ($RIVN) is a relatively young American automaker that started delivering its flagship electric vehicle – the R1T pickup – about a year ago. The growing pains that coincide with any startup working to ramp up large-scale production hit Rivian early and hard, in addition to global supply chain constraints for vital electric vehicle components.
To combat these issues, the company briefly raised prices in late 2021, but backtracked after a mass exodus of reservation holders and widespread backlash from the Rivian community.
The company reported a $1.5 billion loss in the first quarter of 2022, but continued to show large-scale progress in R1T and R1S production throughout the year. The third quarter saw its strongest production growth to date, successfully building more than 7,300 electric vehicles.
As Rivian continues to grow by restructuring its business and assembly practices, it looks like it’s added a redesign of its motorized tonneau cover to its to-do list.
Letter from Rivian to customers regarding electric tonneau cover
Hats off to Rivian Forums MountainBikeDude member for sharing the letter received from Rivian regarding their complete shutdown of motorized tonneau cover production. The message is supported by several other forum members who send their own version of the same digital letter, inferring that this notice was likely sent to all current R1T reservation holders. Here is the full text:
We recently shared with R1T owners that we are improving the motorized tonneau cover. As we go through the process, we are removing the motorized tonneau cover from production. We plan to reintroduce this feature later, but no date has been set. For the foreseeable future, all R1Ts will come with either a manual tonneau cover or no tonneau cover.
Since you selected a powered tonneau cover, your setup will need to be updated to a manual tonneau cover or no tonneau cover. It is important to note that this choice will not affect your estimate of the delivery time coming later this month.
Our manual tonneau cover is comprised of four interlocking panels constructed of durable aluminum composite that slide in and out of the bed’s built-in side rails. When not in use, the panels pack into a carry bag and store easily in the Gear Tunnel. The manual tonneau cover is fully lockable and provides weather protection. If you take delivery soon, your panels will be shipped later. Our current estimate is early 2023. Photos and a full demonstration of the manual tonneau cover will be shared by then.
If you don’t choose a tonneau cover, vehicles delivered in the next few months will include side rails built into the bed. At the beginning of 2023, we will switch to a design without the integrated side rails. It should be noted that when riding an R1T without a tonneau cover, there is little to no impact on range when the bed is empty.
If you have any questions about this update, our team is here to help. Do not hesitate to contact us.
Tony Caravano
Rivian Customer Engagement Manager
Rivian did not share the reason for the motorized tonneau cover update. We’ve reached out to Rivian for comment, but haven’t heard back yet, so we’ll update this story and learn more.
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