The sliding roof of the Rivian R1T camp kitchen is a smart accessory for electric vehicles that could soon see a new version.
A patent application published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on July 18, after being filed by Rivian in 2023, shows an alternative camp kitchen design. The cooking appliance still slides out of the gear tunnel located behind the cabin, but now includes a grill.
Patent image of a Rivian camp stove with grill
The grill appears to be a scaled-down version of the standard outdoor cooking element, designed to fit into the gear tunnel and connect to the same carrying mechanism used for the original version of the camp stove. Like that version, it is also powered by the R1T's battery.
Rivian began showcasing its original camp kitchen in 2019 and promoting it at $5,000, but kept delaying the launch before removing the camp kitchen entirely from its online configurator in 2023. So the usual caveat that patented ideas do not equate to production plans deserves special emphasis here.
Patent image of a Rivian camp stove with grill
However, this isn't the only potential camp kitchen redesign that Rivian has attempted to patent. Another patent application showing a Camp kitchen for the R1S The SUV appeared in October 2023. Because the R1S lacks a gear tunnel, the camp kitchen was deployed from the SUV's tailgate.
Rivian has plenty of complete models to finish plus new accessories. $45,000 R2 All-Terrain SUV Production is scheduled to begin in 2026, followed by the R3X and R3 hatchback. And Rivian just Five additional electric vehicles were brought forward in its announcement of an alliance with the Volkswagen Group.