Rivian has filed two patent functions for built-in lighting within the roof rails in its electrical pickup vans and SUVs.

The 2 functions present barely completely different variations of a lighting system that will be a part of the roof cross bars sometimes used to safe cargo. Accompanying drawings present pickup vans and SUVs resembling the present Rivian R1T and R1S, respectively.

Rivian roof rail lighting system patent picture (model one)

The primary software—printed by america Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) on Jan. 11, and filed on Sep. 12, 2022—have pretty typical wanting cross bars with lights that may undertaking in entrance of, alongside, and behind the automobile. Cross bars would have a built-in electrical connection that permits the automobile’s battery pack to energy the lights.

These lights can be utilized for quite a lot of functions, in line with Rivian. Lights on the again of the rearmost cross bar may function further brake lights, and lights on the ends of entrance or rear cross bars may very well be used as flip indicators. Lights is also keyed to a automobile’s unlock sequence, just like the way in which headlights and taillights briefly illuminate on some automobiles after they’re unlocked.

Rivian roof rail lighting system patent picture (model two)

The second software, which has the identical publication and submitting dates as the primary, exhibits a distinct configuration for the lights. Right here, they take the type of spotlights that particularly illuminate the world on the backside of an incline. Lights would activate routinely when the automobile reaches a sure downhill angle, serving to to offer higher visibility forward.

It is unclear if we’ll see both type of Rivian’s roof rail lighting system on a manufacturing automobile, but it surely would not be shocking to see a function like this on a future replace of Rivian’s R1 fashions. The automaker additionally plans to unveil the extra reasonably priced R2 sequence this yr, though manufacturing is not scheduled to start out till 2026.