Rivian swappable components come to life in new renderings

The new (and patient) Rivian community has taken a recently published company patent one step further from its concept drawings by creating beautifully colored “digital previews” to bring its described “swappable” modules to life. In five renderings, the team running RivianForums imagined a basic flatbed, two recreational caps/toppers, a side rail module (with and without dirtbikes), and a cargo box utility module.

The patent in question presented a customizable, modular concept for its cars: As imagined, cargo bed components can be swapped out per driver preference, and the cars automatically adjust to whatever is installed. Whether the driver needs a set up for delivery, recreation, etc., there’s a modular component specially designed to provide a solution.

It certainly seems that the Michigan-based company’s portrayal of its vehicles as part of an “electric adventure” lifestyle has been happily taken up by its fast-growing fan base; a narrative wherein nature beckons the thrill-seeking traveler to muddy the wheels of their battery-powered Rivian R1T truck or R1S SUV.

Last week, the company’s official Twitter account shared a personality-filled photo of an R1T sitting inside their Plymouth location with a caption stating it was “smiling for the camera”. The subsequent responses to the image further demonstrated an audience excited for Rivian’s future.

A sign above the overhead door behind the happy R1T tweet-pic read, “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few are dirt”, which is of course very much in line with the feeling Rivian has been promoting. The EV startup recently posted a mood-inspiring series of cinematic videos chock-full of snow, mountain, and trail imagery. It seems that after nine years in stealth mode, this up-and-coming auto maker really wants everyone to keep the idea of an outdoors + EV lifestyle fresh in their minds with Rivian at the helm. They’ve even adopted the #electricadventure hashtag to go with it, and a quick search for the tag generates results full of impressive and exciting images of Rivian’s vehicle lineup that’s set to begin production next year.

The Rivian R1T and R1S have been designed with “megapack” batteries to provide up to 400 miles per charge, and their high-powered quad-motors have been touted to give a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 3 seconds. To support the flexible, adventurous lifestyle of its target market, Rivian has also been developing longer range power solutions for its vehicles, as seen by another recent patent application. For a starting price of $69,000 for the R1T pickup and $72,500 for the R1S SUV before incentives, Rivian’s customers will be treated to both innovative new electric vehicles and a company committed to supporting their travel-centered lifestyle.

As with Tesla orders, a $1000 deposit via Rivian’s official website will secure a prospective buyer’s place in line for one of the company’s outdoor-focused vehicles. Also keeping in line with what customers have somewhat come to expect during the vehicle pre-order process, Rivian has also begun offering perks as a reward for buyers’ vote of confidence. An invite went out to their “preorder community” this week to attend a private vehicle viewing and celebration in a run-up to the company’s appearance at the 2019 New York International Auto Show. Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a greeting by the company’s CEO and founder, RJ Scaringe, were promised to be part of the event.

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