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Rivian patent reveals tailgate cargo system with trailer attachment

(Credit: Rivian)

Published

4 years ago

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Rivian published a few patents that revealed inventions related to its vehicles’ tailgate. One of the patents, called the Integrated Tailgate Cargo System for Automotive Vehicle(s), showed Rivian’s way of gaining access to the cargo space while a trailer is attached to the vehicle. 

According to the Rivian patent, some cargo-carrying devices or systems such as bike racks can interfere and block access to a vehicle’s cargo space. 

“A variety of cargo-securing devices or systems are commercially available for automotive vehicles, including cargo bed strap or rail systems, roof-mounted systems, and racks such as bike racks which attach to a trailer hitch or to a trunk of an automotive vehicle. However, existing cargo-carrying devices or systems can interfere with other features of an automotive vehicle, such as occupying or interfering with a trailer hitch or interfering with access to cargo space,” Rivian patent said.

Rivian invented a tailgate cargo system with elongated grooves running along the inner panel. Contraptions can be secured to the grooves, enabling the tailgate to hold specific items. Figure 1 in the patent’s illustrations shows the grooves hold the contraptions. It shows a device holding a bike, similar to a bike rack. The second figure in Rivian’s patents shows how the tailgate cargo system does not interfere with the trailer hitch beneath it. 

Rivian’s Integrated Tailgate Cargo System highlights the company’s efforts to make all its vehicles’ parts useful to owners. Meanwhile, another Rivian patent, called Automotive Vehicle with Telescoping Tailgate, shows the company’s aim to make cars easy to use. 

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For instance, a telescoping tailgate makes the tailgate easier to open and close, particularly with an integrated bed cover. 

“A traditional tailgate may act as an obstacle to access the bed when closed (as presenting a wall obstacle) and when open (as protruding outward from the bed and further separating a user from an inner portion of the bed). The problem may be exacerbated when a bed has an integrated bed cover. When a bed cover is present, a user typically must open the cover before opening the tailgate,” Rivian noted in the patent.

Rivian has a big year ahead. The company’s CEO, RJ Scaringe, reached out to R1 preorder holders in December 2021, providing some details about deliveries. He informed preorder holders that Rivian was prioritizing R1 orders with the Adventure Package and Large battery pack configuration.

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, reach out to me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.

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Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Tesla lands regulatory green light for Robotaxi testing in new state

This will be the third state in total where Tesla is operating Robotaxi, following Austin and California.

Published

11 hours ago

on

September 11, 2025

By

Credit: Tesla

Tesla has landed a regulatory green light to test its Robotaxi platform in a new state, less than three months after the ride-hailing service launched in Texas.

Tesla first launched its driverless Robotaxi suite in Austin, Texas, back on June 22. Initially offering rides to a small group of people, Tesla kept things limited, but this was not to be the mentality for very long.

It continued to expand the rider population, the service area, and the vehicle fleet in Austin.

The company also launched rides in the Bay Area, but it does use a person in the driver’s seat to maintain safety. In Austin, the “Safety Monitor” is present in the passenger’s seat during local rides, and in the driver’s seat for routes that involve highway driving.

Tesla is currently testing the Robotaxi platform in other states. We reported that it was testing in Tempe, Arizona, as validation vehicles are traveling around the city in preparation for Robotaxi.

Tesla looks to make a big splash with Robotaxi in a new market

Tesla is also hoping to launch in Florida and New York, as job postings have shown the company’s intention to operate there.

However, it appears it will launch in Nevada before those states, as the company submitted its application to obtain a Testing Registry certification on September 3. It was processed by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles Office of Business Licensing on September 10.

It will then need to self-certify for operations, essentially meaning they will need to comply with various state requirements.

This will be the third state in total where Tesla is operating Robotaxi, following Austin and California.

CEO Elon Musk has stated that he believes Robotaxi will be available to at least half of the U.S. population by the end of the year. Geographically, Tesla will need to make incredible strides over the final four months of the year to achieve this.

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Tesla is improving this critical feature in older vehicles

Published

13 hours ago

on

September 11, 2025

By

Credit: Tesla

Tesla is set to improve a critical feature that has not been present in older vehicles with a new update.

Tesla vehicles feature a comprehensive suite of driver assistance features, some of which aid in driving itself, while others support the vehicle’s surroundings.

One of those features is that of Driver Visualization, and with the rollout of a new update, owners of Intel-based Tesla vehicles are receiving an upgrade that will come with a simple software update.

Tesla plans to use Unreal Engine for driver visualization with crazy upgrade

The update will provide new visualizations while Intel-based vehicles are in reverse, a feature that was not previously available, but will be with Software Update 2025.32.2.

The improvement was spotted by Not a Tesla App via TheBeatYT_evil:

Previously, vehicles Tesla built were equipped with Intel-based processors, but newer cars feature the AMD chip, which is capable of rendering these visualizations as they happen. They were capable of visualizations when driving forward, but not in reverse, which is what this change resolves.

It is a good sign for those with Intel-based vehicles, as Tesla seems to be paying attention to what those cars are not capable of and improving them.

This was an undocumented improvement associated with this particular update, so you will not find any mention of it in the release notes that Tesla distributes with each update.

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Tesla looks to make a big splash with Robotaxi in a new market

Tesla has been transparent that it is prioritizing safety, but it believes it can expand to basically any geographical location within the United States and find success with its Robotaxi suite. CEO Elon Musk said it could be available to half of the U.S. population by the end of the year.

Published

15 hours ago

on

September 11, 2025

By

Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | X

Tesla is looking to make a big splash with Robotaxi in a new market, as the company was spotted testing validation vehicles in one region where it has not yet launched its ride-hailing service.

After launching Robotaxi in Austin in late June, Tesla followed up with a relatively quick expansion to the Bay Area of California. Both service areas are operating with a geofence that is expansive: In Texas, it is 173 square miles, while in the Bay Area, it is roughly 400 square miles.

Tesla has been transparent that it is prioritizing safety, but it believes it can expand to basically any geographical location within the United States and find success with its Robotaxi suite. CEO Elon Musk said it could be available to half of the U.S. population by the end of the year.

There have been plenty of reports out there that have speculated as to where Tesla would land next to test Robotaxi, and Nevada, Florida, Arizona, and New York have all been in the realm of possibility. These regions will need to approve Tesla for regulatory purposes before Robotaxi can officially operate.

Tesla is still testing and performing validation in several regions, and in Tempe, Arizona, things are moving forward as a Model Y with a LiDAR rig was spotted performing ground truth for the platform:

With the LiDAR unit, many followers of the self-driving and autonomy space might wonder why Tesla uses these apparatuses during validation, especially considering the company’s stance and vision-based approach.

LiDAR is used for “ground truth,” which is basically a solidification or confirmation of what the cameras on the car are seeing. It is a great way to essentially confirm the accuracy of the vision-based suite, and will not be used on Robotaxi units used within the ride-hailing suite.

The Robotaxi platform was made available to the public earlier this month, as Tesla launched its app for iOS users.

Tesla Robotaxi app download rate demolishes Uber, Waymo all-time highs

Downloading the app allows you to join a waitlist, giving you the opportunity to utilize and test the Robotaxi platform in either Austin or the Bay Area.

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