Rivian will offer its R1T and R1S with an electrochromic glass roof
In addition to the electrochromic option, buyers can spec a standard glass roof, a multipanel composite removable roof or just a plain old metal roof.
Electrochromic glass -- glass that can change its level of tint based on the amount of electric current running through it -- has been around for a while, but it hasn't gotten too much play in the automotive space, beyond Mercedes-Benz using it for the "Magic Sky Control" roof on some of its vehicles, and McLaren offering it as an option in the McLaren 720S.
Well, now another car company is jumping on electrochromic glass for its vehicles and that company is Rivian, according to the company's announcement via Twitter on Tuesday. In addition to the electrochromic option, Rivian plans to offer a standard roof, a fixed glass roof and a two-piece removable composite roof -- we'd expect this to work like the removable roof panels on the Jeep Wrangler.
Hi Steven! We will offer multiple roof styles including electrochromic glass (which turns from opaque to transparent on demand), a fixed glass panel, a two-piece removable composite roof and a standard fixed roof.
— Rivian (@Rivian) August 13, 2019
Rivian said that it plans to offer these options on both its R1T truck and R1S SUV models, though there's no telling how much they'd cost or which version would be standard equipment. The vehicles that Rivian has been displaying to the public were both equipped with the fixed glass roof option, which we liked.
While we're still not totally sure when we'll see a production version of either Rivian model, we're betting that it'll be sooner rather than later, thanks to massive investments from the likes of Ford and Amazon.
Rivian didn't immediately respond to Roadshow's request for comment.
