Those looking to pick up the keys to a new Rivian R1T will soon be able to order it with the carmaker’s redesigned powered tonneau cover, an option that was removed almost one year ago.
When the R1T first hit the market, it came standard with an electric tonneau cover. While a cool feature, owners quickly started reporting issues with it. Rivian tried to repair and replace defective tonneau covers but soon decided that the best course of action was to completely redesign them. In the meantime, it was selling the R1T with a simpler manual cover or no cover at all.
Read: Rivian’s New R1T Dual Motor Performance Might Be A Bit Too Good
Rivian had initially hoped to start sales of the redesigned electric tonneau cover earlier this year but it didn’t meet that target. However, there appears to have been movement with the redesign as a member of the Rivian Forum recently discovered an area on the R1T’s configuration page that confirms the new powered cover will be available through the Gear Shop in early 2024. The text adds that the manual tonneau will also be available through the Gear Shop later this year.
It is unclear what changes Rivian has made to the new electric tonneau cover but customers will be hopeful that it is more reliable and less prone to failure than the old one.
While the R1T has been routinely praised since hitting the market, it isn’t perfect. In August, it was revealed that many Rivian owners claim the tires on their new EVs are wearing out in as little as 6,000 miles (9,659 km). It is understood that the issue arises when either the R1T or R1S is driven in ‘Conserve’ mode which disables the two rear motors and relies solely on the front motors. These motors produce 418 hp, a huge figure for a vehicle operating in front-wheel drive. Further adding to the force placed on the front tires is the fact that these Rivians weigh around 3.5 tonnes.
