Rivian’s powered tonneau cover for the R1T pickup truck is making a comeback. This unexpected return comes after the option was abruptly discontinued last year following quality complaints from owners.
News of the powered tonneau cover’s resurgence wasn’t actually announced by Rivian, but it was added back to the website and spotted by an observant user on the Rivian Forums. According to information tucked away within the R1T configurator, the power tonneau cover is set to make a comeback in Rivian’s Gear Shop starting early 2024.
This information isn’t exactly easy to find, but thanks to forum user Stevetom84, here’s what you need to do:
Go to Rivian’s website and configure a R1T, at the end there will be a link to the shop, select a R1T, down towards the bottom there is a blurb about it being compatible with tonneau covers, click on that and the window pops up talking about gear shop availability.
The return of the powered tonneau cover comes after Rivian had informed its customers in October of last year that all R1T deliveries would come with a manual tonneau cover or no cover at all for the “foreseeable future.” The primary reason cited for the initial discontinuation was a design change that eliminated integrated side rails, presumably after they were identified as the major cause of the issues reported by owners.
However, it appears the automaker has found a solution to that problem, but it is unclear if the new powered tonneau cover will be compatible with older R1T models. Some forum users who inquired about retrofitting the power tonneau cover with their Rivian Guides received mixed responses. While one customer reported their guide having “no new information,” another was told that the powered tonneau must be factory-installed at the time of the truck’s production.
Wwe have reached out to Rivian for further clarification and will update this article as soon as we receive a response.
