- The first bolt-on aftermarket winch bumper for the Rivian R1S and R1T is fin
- Sold by EV Sportline, the aluminum bumper doesn’t require any cutting or drilling.
- It’s also compatible with all of Rivian’s safety systems.
Rivian describes the R1T pickup and R1S SUV as adventure vehicles, and they’re certainly capable machines, both on- and off-road. But ever since the R1T went into production four years ago, neither Rivian nor any other company has offered a clever way to mount a winch on the two EVs. There was a hidden winch prototype a few years ago, but that never made it to production.
Now, though, EV Sportline just launched the RMaxx aftermarket front bumper, which can accommodate a winch. However, it will cost you, as neither Rivian EV has a powerful enough auxiliary output, so a separate high-output power system is also required to feed a winch.
EV Sportline aluminum bumper for the Rivian R1T and R1S
Photo by: EV Sportline
Thankfully, the aftermarket parts supplier has a ready-to-go kit that fits inside the front trunk of the R1S and R1T. It uses the car’s built-in power outlets to charge a battery pack, which, in turn, powers the winch.
The bumper was designed to seamlessly integrate on the Rivian’s front end, retaining the factory recovery points and adding a removable skid plate. The bumper is made from an aluminum alloy and doesn’t require any drilling or cutting to mount. What’s more, all of the car’s safety features work as intended, and the original crash structure that sits beneath the bumper is left untouched.
EV Sportline says the aftermarket bumper is triple-coated to increase scratch resistance, but even if the paint is affected, the company says rust will never be an issue, thanks to the use of aluminum.
The standard kit, which only includes the bumper and skid plate, is $1,995. Several lighting options are available, with prices starting at roughly $400, while the winch receiver and frame will set you back another $450. If money is no object, a fully kitted-out RMaxx bumper with all the lights and the fanciest winch on offer will come with a $6,300 invoice.
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Source: EV Sportline
That doesn’t include the high-output auxiliary power unit, though. The base version costs $595; it’s a 100 amp-hours setup with AGM batteries, which weighs 63 pounds and offers approximately 15 minutes of winch draw. The fancier version, which costs $1,295, comes with 120 Ah lithium-ion cells that weigh 30 lbs and offer approximately 20 minutes of winch draw.
The best thing about all of this is that everything is reversible and doesn’t affect the vehicle’s warranty. Moreover, the product is compatible with Gen1 and Gen2 vehicles. Pre-orders for the front bumper are open now, with deliveries expected to begin by the end of the year. An optional bush bar and a rear bumper are also in the works, but we’ll have to wait until later this year to see them.
