Rivian Develops Stowable Bed And Roof Rack System

Rivian Develops Stowable Bed And Roof Rack System

This product can easily be stowed when not in use.

Rivian has filed a patent for a stowable bed and roof rack system for pickup trucks and SUVs. The patent application – spotted by Motor Authority – was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on December 27, 2022, and was published on January 11, 2024, under the name Folding Vehicle Rack system.

How it works is simple: two vertical bars clip into the bedsides (one on each side), and to the tops of these, a hinged horizontal bar is attached, connecting the two sides of the bed. The process is repeated, and between the two new U-shaped structures, another horizontal bar is affixed perpendicularly. Again, one appears on each side of the bed.

With the top vertical bars hinged, all one needs to do when dismantling is to disconnect the cross braces on either side, and each U-shaped rack will fold into itself within its own length.

Rivian says that its design, depicted below, would keep grit and grime and dust and dirt out of the hinges, which is essential for a brand whose image is based on living adventurously. Once folded, the racks could be stowed in the Gear Tunnel of an R1T, for example, or take up a few inches of space in a corner of the garage. As we touched on at the outset, its application could easily be expanded to suit a roof rack, which means it could also be used on an R1S.

Interestingly, Ford is exploring roof racks similar to these for its future products.

Elsewhere, Rivian recently filed a patent for a roof-mounted departure light that can provide extra light when the off-roading fundi needs it most. Therein, it may have leaked the design of the imminent R2 small SUV.

Why is this folding roof rack important? The R2 platform is intended to be more affordable and accessible while retaining the same sort of off-road adventure-minded cred that is core to Rivian’s existing creations. To do that, Rivian needs to develop more ideas like these, ideas that are cheap to produce once their design is perfected.

Rivian arguably bit off more than it could chew with some of its promises, including the wonderfully complex Camp Kitchen and Gear Tunnel. It also let customers down with its powered tonneau cover, but simpler ideas like these could make both the expensive R1 and the cheaper R2 more practical, as well as other new Rivian EVs waiting in the wings.