Photo: Jsidell via Rivian Forums, Rivian / USPTO
Three years ago, Rivian hinted at offering an integrated winch for the R1T, and the option appeared a year later in the Rivian app but never on a Rivian truck. A recently published patent filing shows that the EV startup has not abandoned the idea. However, it might take a while before you can buy your Rivian with a hidden winch.
In 2021, Rivian launched the R1T as the first electric pickup in the US, and its adventurous DNA seduced EV fans and pickup truck owners alike. The R1T introduced many innovative features to the pickup truck segment, including the Gear Tunnel, which was both a storage space and an accessory bay. Even before the first trucks were delivered to customers, the picture of a Rivian R1T prototype with a hidden winch caused uproar on social media.
The winch was integrated beneath the front bumper, leaving only the hooked cord on the outside. This is an important accessory for off-road fans, allowing vehicle recovery when no other vehicles are around when you get stuck. However, the R1T launched without a winch, and nobody at Rivian talked about it for another year. However, in 2022, the Rivian app appeared to confirm that the hidden winch was back on the menu.
At the time, Rivian guides told customers that the winch should start shipping by the end of 2022, both as a factory install and a retrofit. The best part was that the winch could be controlled from the Rivian app, a nice perk of having a software-defined vehicle over a classic truck. However impressive the hidden winch design was, it never materialized, making many Rivian owners sad.
Based on a discussion in the Rivian Forums, Rivian has abandoned the development of an off-road bumper with winch integration. Crash safety was one of the most important facts considered when abandoning the winch idea. Considering that the resources needed for the winch integration were better spent elsewhere, I think Rivian made the right decision. However, it's important to know that the EV startup hasn't completely abandoned the idea.
A recently published patent application shows that Rivian filed to patent the hidden winch in August 2022. That was shortly after the winch appeared in the Rivian app and before the company halted development. The patent application also offers a rare insight into the design choices Rivian made with the hidden winch. The design sketches in the patent application match the pictures of the prototype snapped with the hidden winch in 2021.
As imagined, the integrated winch would be installed behind the vehicle's bumper, with the winch line fed through an opening in the fascia. This design allows Rivian to preserve the vehicle's aerodynamics and aesthetics. The design also has a drawback, which Rivian acknowledged in the patent filing: sacrificing the visibility of the winch line from outside the vehicle. To address this, a removable panel is also part of the design, allowing owners to access the winch.
Just because Rivian filed this patent doesn't necessarily mean that it will offer an integrated winch on its vehicles anytime soon. Hopefully, the EV startup will offer such a winch (or any winch for that matter), at least as a retrofit for people who need one. Many are trying to find a solution that just works, looks decent, and doesn't affect efficiency.
The winch was integrated beneath the front bumper, leaving only the hooked cord on the outside. This is an important accessory for off-road fans, allowing vehicle recovery when no other vehicles are around when you get stuck. However, the R1T launched without a winch, and nobody at Rivian talked about it for another year. However, in 2022, the Rivian app appeared to confirm that the hidden winch was back on the menu.
At the time, Rivian guides told customers that the winch should start shipping by the end of 2022, both as a factory install and a retrofit. The best part was that the winch could be controlled from the Rivian app, a nice perk of having a software-defined vehicle over a classic truck. However impressive the hidden winch design was, it never materialized, making many Rivian owners sad.
Based on a discussion in the Rivian Forums, Rivian has abandoned the development of an off-road bumper with winch integration. Crash safety was one of the most important facts considered when abandoning the winch idea. Considering that the resources needed for the winch integration were better spent elsewhere, I think Rivian made the right decision. However, it's important to know that the EV startup hasn't completely abandoned the idea.
A recently published patent application shows that Rivian filed to patent the hidden winch in August 2022. That was shortly after the winch appeared in the Rivian app and before the company halted development. The patent application also offers a rare insight into the design choices Rivian made with the hidden winch. The design sketches in the patent application match the pictures of the prototype snapped with the hidden winch in 2021.
As imagined, the integrated winch would be installed behind the vehicle's bumper, with the winch line fed through an opening in the fascia. This design allows Rivian to preserve the vehicle's aerodynamics and aesthetics. The design also has a drawback, which Rivian acknowledged in the patent filing: sacrificing the visibility of the winch line from outside the vehicle. To address this, a removable panel is also part of the design, allowing owners to access the winch.
Just because Rivian filed this patent doesn't necessarily mean that it will offer an integrated winch on its vehicles anytime soon. Hopefully, the EV startup will offer such a winch (or any winch for that matter), at least as a retrofit for people who need one. Many are trying to find a solution that just works, looks decent, and doesn't affect efficiency.
Google News