Rivian offers a new dynamic roof option for its second-generation R1S and R1T vehicles. It’s a fantastic option for those who want a little extra privacy or are looking to add a little wow factor to their vehicles.
The Dynamic Glass Roof delivers the ultimate flexibility, allowing you to switch seamlessly between privacy mode and panoramic views of the world above your Rivian — all at the touch of a button.
Price
The Dynamic Glass Roof is an option for both the R1S and the R1T and costs the same on both vehicles. In the United States, it is $1,500 USD, while in Canada it goes for $2,200 CAD. In turn, you receive an electro-chromatic glass roof which can change between tinted and clear at the press of a button. In the future, Rivian can even switch it automatically based on whether the vehicle is locked, the outside temperature, or the time of day.
Electro-Chromatic Glass
The electro-chromatic glass takes about 10 seconds to dim, and 5 seconds to brighten up. The shading is lighter on the inside than on the outside. When you look from above, with the roof dimmed, it is almost completely black, with little to no light leakage.
When the roof is brightened up, it is fairly transparent, but slightly less so than a regular glass roof. It’s comparable to a roof with a very light tint when in transparent mode.
How It Works
If you’re curious about how it works, the glass roof has an electro-chromic film sandwiched between glass layers. This film is best used in flat applications, and when it is energized, the particles in the film change direction, allowing the transparency of the glass to change alongside it. It’s a very cool application of physics, and Rivian has done an excellent job integrating it into their vehicles.
Heat Rejection
If you were hoping to pick up the roof for its heat rejection properties, you’ll find this data helpful. While the dynamic glass roof does offer some heat rejection when in privacy mode, it’s minimal. Most of the light and heat that enters a Rivian instead comes through the windshield and the driver and front passenger windows – which are not tinted heavily due to laws around North America.
For jurisdictions where tinting the windshield and front windows is legal, and you’re looking to keep your vehicle considerably cooler, you’re better off tinting those two versus picking up Rivian’s Dynamic Glass Roof.
The Dynamic Glass Roof, when shaded, lets in about 1/3rd of the light as regular glass, but that’s insignificant compared to the amount the windshield and front windows let in. This table, summarized by @Hook_K, provides additional details.
Surface
Watt/m2
Dynamic Glass Roof (Opaque)
10.9
Dynamic Glass Roof (Transparent)
14.0
Panoramic Roof
28.7
Windshield
506.3
Front Side Windows
400.3
Rear Side Windows
116.0
While the Dynamic Glass Roof does indeed provide slight benefits over the standard panoramic roof for heat rejection, it's not a whole lot when you compare it to the heat that comes in through the windshield or front windows.
We’d consider the glass roof an excellent option to keep a bit more of the sun out of your passenger’s eyes and provide you with a bit of privacy if you drive in a city regularly, where there are many places to see inside from above. We’d also recommend it if you love seeing that electro-chromatic glass change from dim to transparent, which is a cool experience.
While Rivian’s dynamic glass roof is a great option, it should be looked at more as a privacy-focused, fun feature rather than a way to keep heat out of your vehicle.
Rivian has laid out a highly aggressive roadmap for the next chapter of its business. Presenting at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Thursday, Rivian’s executives detailed their strategic vision moving forward, focusing on the R2 platform, autonomous driving, and the financial runway provided by the Volkswagen Joint Venture.
While Rivian acknowledged the ongoing challenges of managing production costs and scaling internationally, the tone of the presentation was overwhelmingly focused on leveraging software and technology to reach profitability by the end of 2026.
R2 for Next-Gen
The R2 platform is the linchpin of Rivian's growth strategy. Designed to tackle a much larger, more affordable addressable market than the flagship R1 lineup, executives noted that capturing even a fraction of the market share they achieved with the R1 in this new segment would be a "home run beyond our wildest dreams.”
However, the R2 is more than just a smaller vehicle entering the lineup. Rivian described the new platform as a vessel for its advanced technology. It represents the company's next-generation electrical architecture and software stack, which is critical for the scale and profitability they’re looking for. This mid-size platform will also be the focus of Rivian's new plant in Georgia, which is intended to facilitate future exports to the European market.
Building Its Own Hardware
Perhaps the most significant change discussed during the conference was Rivian's dedication to developing its autonomous driving platform entirely in-house. Rather than relying on external suppliers or off-the-shelf software as it has done so far, Rivian is aggressively building its own autonomy stack to differentiate itself from other automakers.
Unlike Tesla, Rivian’s vehicles will be boasting a robust sensor suite, with Gen 2 vehicles equipped with 11 cameras, five radars, and upcoming LiDAR hardware in later revisions. By pulling driving data from these highly equipped customer vehicles, Rivian believes it has created a fleet capable of effectively gathering ground truth data in the real world.
Following the launch of hands-free RAP+ early last year, Rivian confirmed plans to introduce a highly advanced point-to-point autonomous system later this year.
Licensing Autonomy
This massive investment in electrical architecture and autonomy is not just for Rivian's own vehicles. Rivian is instead looking to be viewed as a modern technology provider for the automotive industry.
This strategy was validated by the $5.8 billion joint venture with the Volkswagen Group. Rivian sees a major opportunity to potentially license its autonomous hardware and software capabilities, in addition to its zonal electrical architecture, to other automakers that are struggling to keep pace with the transition to software-defined vehicles.
Financial Runway
To fund these ambitious technological leaps, Rivian appears to be on a stable financial footing. The company ended 2025 with $6.1 billion in cash reserves and anticipates an additional $2 billion infusion from Volkswagen during 2026. With the upcoming R2 launch, expanding tech partnerships, and a strict focus on cost reductions, Rivian executives reaffirmed their goal to achieve positive gross profit margins by the end of 2026.
This contrasts with recent analyst expectations from Bank of America, which has noted that Rivian is running on a tight financial leash to meet all its capital expenditures around the R2 and autonomy.
Rivian is making steady progress in its mission to unify the electric vehicle charging experience across North America. The company is actively retrofitting its proprietary DC fast-charging infrastructure, known as the Rivian Adventure Network (RAN), to replace aging CCS connectors with Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS).
As pointed out by @AlejandroEV66, recent data shows that at least 23 Rivian Adventure Network sites — roughly 16% of the entire network — have now been retrofitted with NACS connectors. This means EV drivers with NACS ports can simply plug in without needing a bulky adapter. You can even track the progress yourself through a live list of NACS-equipped RAN sites to see which locations have made the switch.
The Shift to the North American Charging Standard
Rivian’s journey toward NACS began back in 2023 when the company officially joined the growing list of automakers adopting Tesla’s connector. At the time, Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said, "We’re excited to work with Tesla and to see collaborations like this help advance the world toward carbon neutrality. The adoption of the North American Charging Standard will enable our existing and future customers to leverage Tesla’s expansive Supercharger network while we continue to build out our Rivian Adventure Network."
As part of this commitment, Rivian announced that all R1 vehicles from 2025 onwards would be equipped with native NACS ports. This transition also paved the way for the long-awaited R2 midsize SUV, which is built on a completely new platform and will feature a built-in NACS port when it launches later this month. The R2 is also expected to be a tech powerhouse, utilizing next-generation eSIM technology for constant connectivity.
Converting the Adventure Network
While Rivian owners have already gained access to Tesla’s massive Supercharger network, the company is still focused on its own branded charging experience. Reports from the field, such as those from @RivianUpdates, show that stations are being converted overnight. In one instance, a station that was entirely CCS1 one day had four of its fourteen stalls converted to NACS by the next.
@RivianUpdates
This retrofitting process is crucial for the company's future. By equipping its own stations with NACS, Rivian ensures that its newest vehicles — and those from other manufacturers like Ford or GM — can charge seamlessly. While the company is also exploring wireless charging to potentially eliminate ports altogether in the future, the immediate focus is clearly on standardizing the plug-in experience.
A More Convenient Future
Standardizing on NACS is a win for everyone. It reduces the "range anxiety" often felt by new EV owners and simplifies the hardware needed in the vehicle. As more RAN sites come online with the new connectors, the distinction between "Tesla charging" and "everyone else" will continue to fade.
Rivian is positioning itself as a leader in this transition, ensuring that whether you’re driving an original R1T or the upcoming R2, finding a fast, reliable charge is easier than ever.
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