Rivian hints at factory fitted wraps for EV customization

One of the most exciting parts of buying a new car is configuring it to your specification. Choosing the interior, wheels, add-on features, and of course, the color.

Cars have been, and probably always will be, extensions of our identity. Like jewelry that we climb inside, the cars we drive have the power to say a lot about who we are.

Sadly, most carmakers these days have a fairly limited color palette, unless you’re willing to pay big bucks and wait for a custom spray. Thankfully, manufacturers are recognizing that customers favor affordable ways of making their vehicles unique.

[Read: Meet the 4 scale-ups using data to save the planet]

Rivian, the electric vehicle maker backed by Amazon, looks like it could be one such manufacturer. Whilst its cars aren’t finished yet, they are in final stages of testing and the first deliveries are expected to happen this year.

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For those putting orders in, through the Rivian car configurator, there is a choice of nine colors. Which is pretty normal.

But it looks like Rivian could offer a host more colors and patterns by using vinyl wraps, which would be applied to the vehicle at the factory.

According to a tweet, spotted by eagle-eyed users of the Rivian forum, the company is working on a factory wrap that pays homage to big rock, El Capitan.

We agree, so we created a color for our vehicles to pay tribute to El Capitan! This R1T is featured in a factory wrap that’s not available quite yet but keep an eye out for more ways to customize the R1 in the future!

— Rivian (@Rivian) December 29, 2020

The company suggested that the wrap isn’t quite ready yet, but will come as part of a host of other customization options for its upcoming R1S and R1T electric adventure trucks. So it seems we may have only just scratched the surface with how much customization Rivian will offer in future.

Check out the wrap in the images below.

Getting in a few last adventures before the New Year. pic.twitter.com/RnbFrnywRo

— Rivian (@Rivian) December 29, 2020

There are no other details right now, but expectations are that the wraps could cost somewhere around $1,000, which sounds about right. A good wrap can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000 depending on the materials and vehicle size.

Last year, Tesla China began offering buyers the option of having a factory wrap installed on their car before delivery.

HT – InsideEVs