The Rivian R1T's Brilliant "Seamless Tailgate" Design Feature

Pickup trucks are supremely useful for hauling stuff. But all pickups with conventional tailgates have the same UX hassle: Lowering the tailgate reveals a crevice between the tailgate and the bed. If you're unloading something heavy that has a flange on the bottom, like an air conditioner, it will catch in this crevice. If you're unloading something fine, like wood chips, mulch, gravel or dirt, scooping it out will fill this crevice, making it impossible to close. Worse, with modern trucks, when you clear this crevice out with a screwdriver, you have to take care not to mess up the wiring harness running through that gap.Rivian's R1T pickup truck is designed for the "adventure" market, not landscapers and contractors. But Rivian's designers have added a brilliant feature to the bed that the latter market would greatly appreciate. When you lower the R1T's tailgate, it pulls with it a sliding panel that covers the crevice. If you're wondering why there are so many panels, the large one in the center is actually a lid that reveals the spare tire. All of the panels in the bed are imbricated; that fancy word means they're laid in the manner of roofing tiles, overlapping in the same direction. So as you unload, nothing snags. I desperately wish my own truck had this feature. When loading it with fine stuff like wood chips, I always have to lay down a tarp first and bungie it into place to cover the crevice. It's extra work, extra stuff to carry and generally a pain in the neck.

May 12, 2025 - 17:06

The Rivian R1T's Brilliant "Seamless Tailgate" Design Feature

Pickup trucks are supremely useful for hauling stuff. But all pickups with conventional tailgates have the same UX hassle: Lowering the tailgate reveals a crevice between the tailgate and the bed. If you're unloading something heavy that has a flange on the bottom, like an air conditioner, it will catch in this crevice. If you're unloading something fine, like wood chips, mulch, gravel or dirt, scooping it out will fill this crevice, making it impossible to close. Worse, with modern trucks, when you clear this crevice out with a screwdriver, you have to take care not to mess up the wiring harness running through that gap.

Rivian's R1T pickup truck is designed for the "adventure" market, not landscapers and contractors. But Rivian's designers have added a brilliant feature to the bed that the latter market would greatly appreciate. When you lower the R1T's tailgate, it pulls with it a sliding panel that covers the crevice.

If you're wondering why there are so many panels, the large one in the center is actually a lid that reveals the spare tire.

All of the panels in the bed are imbricated; that fancy word means they're laid in the manner of roofing tiles, overlapping in the same direction. So as you unload, nothing snags.

I desperately wish my own truck had this feature. When loading it with fine stuff like wood chips, I always have to lay down a tarp first and bungie it into place to cover the crevice. It's extra work, extra stuff to carry and generally a pain in the neck.