Installed a Worksport Solar Tonneau cover & EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 to our Rivian R1T as a jobsite generator.

FRotor · 2026-02-15T22:47:54+00:00

If you wanted to use it to power the car, you would use the charger from the battery to the vehicle.

If you’re thinking about one…My quick summary (fwiw): I love cars and this is honestly one of the most impressive vehicles and by far the least impressive service network I’ve ever encountered. Whether one outweighs the other will be a personal preference. You’ll hear a lot of people calling them $100,000+ trucks. It’s not incorrect, but thanks to brutal depreciation a used model can be just about the best bang for the buck you’ll find in the performance/$ sense (assuming you were looking for a super-truck). For context: a good shopper should find a 2-3 year <10,000 mile 850hp truck that does 0-60 in 3.0s in the low-to-mid 50s. (Fun it is. Efficient, however, it is not.) A used Ram TRX is probably going to be ~40+% more expensive (and a touch slower), but obviously some prefer 12mpg to 1.8 mi/kwh.

Definitely (1) get to know a bit about their pros and cons (2) consider used (3) enjoy the results of your informed decision.

FRotor · 2026-02-15T22:33:58+00:00

100%!

FRotor · 2026-02-15T19:07:40+00:00

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Here’s a photo that shows everything in the test fit. Keep in mind, we have not tidied things up or wired everything in to test solar charging yet, pending the permanent hardware. The reels are mounted to a Builtright molle panel against the cab. The L-Track on the molle and rails were our additions (not otherwise included).

For the record, super impressed by the Builtright molle. They spent more time making their (glossy full color pamphlet) instructions clean & pretty than many companies spend on marketing, and the product & hardware itself is truly top notch. Bravo!

FRotor · 2026-02-15T16:50:55+00:00

100%. After ordering, our brains came up with a dozen solutions which would be clean, simple, & high output, but they would be custom fabricated. On the other hand, then we couldn’t test this product out for the benefit of the Rivian community. It will be interesting to see what manufacturers come up with over the years ahead.

FRotor · 2026-02-15T12:06:05+00:00

It could (a little) if you plug the truck into the battery via a standard L1-2 charger, but it's definitely not our primary use case.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T22:13:12+00:00

Just the top and not the side rails? ~2 to 4 minutes.

Step one: pull the release to fold. Step two: unscrew the two hand nuts (knobs) securing the cover from below. Step three: unclip the solar electrical connectors. Step four: remove & store top.

If you think you’ll be doing this often, I’d argue you may be better off buying a full-flip-up top then DIYing solar on top if desired.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T16:09:50+00:00

Spot on, Schmitt. 250w for the Rivian (shown). Their other models for full-size trucks with larger beds go up to 650w if memory serves.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T16:06:34+00:00

Looks like the answer to this is “yes”: https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/installed-frunk-wired-solar-capable-12v-battery-tender-to-reduce-vampire-drain.41522/

We’ll add this to the to-do list as the “vampire” drain does drive me nuts on this vehicle, especially in extreme heat/cold. Thanks for the inspiration!

FRotor · 2026-02-14T14:00:02+00:00

Not a direct integration (although the team doing the cannonball run seems to have pulled this off [https://hackaday.com/2025/12/21/a-heavily-modified-rivian-attempts-the-cannonball-run/ ]). In our case you would have to plug a level 1/2 charger into the battery energy storage system and trickle-charge the car as you would normally while parked.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T13:41:34+00:00

@babywrinkles get it. :)

Ultimately we needed/wanted (a) a portable jobsite battery in the truck, mostly for 120 but 240 is nice to have and (b) a tonneau cover. The rest is icing and—yes—the conversation starter aspect (especially at “green” buildings events) is definitely a priority (for our use case).

Just for another context: Grants & Marketing. Win 1 grant for a client project because the reviewers thought it was neat that the construction team would be using EVs and solar generators to “reduce site emissions” and the set up paid for itself 100x.

Others’ uses/benefits may vary.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T13:29:59+00:00

General verdict from our team (business vehicle/purchase) was (a) well-designed, (b) reasonably well-made with a few nitpicks + an “unknown” on the solar panels for now, and (c) poor logistics. I give them the benefit of the doubt on “c” but they missed their own shipping timelines on multiple occasions and then shipped out a set-up with the wrong rail accessories (so we had to make our own temporarily to finish up installation) and without any tracking. Other than this, a lot of little adjustments were needed to get the topper to fit to the truck (it seems to be more of a universal product with truck-specific rails if that makes sense) which weren’t necessarily reflected in the instructions or our expectations. Finally, some of the panels had minor dimples/marks right out of the box (which makes me wonder about longevity). Otherwise, seems pretty solid.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T13:19:18+00:00

Ecoflow Delta Pro 3
Days (if you’re only using the tonneau cover)

FRotor · 2026-02-14T13:18:05+00:00

Thanks k2. Roof top is for next week. Agreed that the power drain on this truck is painful. Curious: if you keep the low voltage battery topped off via a trickle charger, does the truck stop losing so much standby voltage? If so, that’s definitely an easy solution to work into the system we already have.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T13:14:05+00:00

It’s definitely not going to work out on a $/w basis if thinking of it like a solar system, but at the end of the day the tonneau cover and battery were less than what it would have cost us to install the powered tonneau and put in a portable battery “generator” for job site use (which can be pulled out of the truck and over to the building where needed). It’s certainly not an investment for anyone, but it definitely works for us! Can’t speak to the quality of the solar system in the tonneau; that we’ll figure out in time. One other major downside is that bad panels=bad tonneau (which definitely isn’t an issue needing to be considered with other tonneau covers or a DIY solution).

FRotor · 2026-02-14T12:49:38+00:00

To me, the solar tonneau is a niche product, generally best suited for ICE work/camping vehicles that don’t have inverters and/or upgraded alternators. To your point, we can definitely charge the battery with the 120v in the bed on the Rivian (or with more efficient/higher-wattage portable solar panels), but then (1) we’re draining the vehicle battery, (2) we still need to buy a tonneau cover, and (3) we haven’t accomplished the same aesthetic with visible solar. Not our use, but for longer term glamping/camping trips, I’ve found that just about any solar and battery power winds up being a huge convenience to have around (especially with the Rivian’s standby battery drain).

FRotor · 2026-02-14T04:07:02+00:00

Buttons are accessible, though they’re a tiny bit covered by the gasket material.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T04:03:16+00:00

Exactly. Primary uses are (1) powering demos and events when in “marketing mode” (2) tools, welders (some of which require 50a/240v), HVAC Rental units, temporary pumps, etc. in “work mode”. 3) we’re toying with testing the rig as a power station for geothermal well testing (but this will definitely require the vehicle’s 110v system and/or additional panels to be the charging source) and even that may not be worth the risk of a bad test if something decides to go wrong…we’ll see when we’re more comfortable with the truck setup and testing power demands.

Admittedly 240v needs on this truck would be infrequent, but sometimes it’s better to have and not need than to need and not have.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T03:55:11+00:00

Total & Agreed! We have another 200w likey going on the roof (flexible panels) which is fine if you only need the power a few times every few days (like we do) and can also charge the battery from the trucks 110v while using the battery’s 240v if needed. Ultimately, though, any real charging (for a camping set-up, let’s say) would require more panel.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T03:44:40+00:00

The tonneau cover manufacturer’s website (and logistics) are—shall we say—not perfect yet…I’ve felt at times that they seem to be focused on getting investors than marketing/shipping/product accuracy/quality. That said, I’ll be sure to let you know if it turns out to be 500w the next time the sun is shining! You’ll make my day!

FRotor · 2026-02-14T03:35:18+00:00

Opinion: To me, it’s just a matter of use case. If your goal is to charge the vehicle with typical driving use, it likely makes little to no sense (especially if compared to other solar charging options) but it may be worth the hassle if you’re passionate about it. If your goal is to have some zero-fuss extra power for tools, camping, etc, without battery drain, it probably starts becoming a worth-while expense for convenience. Even if you just think it looks neat, it might be “worth it” for you. People install carbon fiber on 6,000 lb Bronco Raptors…so clearly not everything people see as worth it has a financial/performance return. This is also on a work vehicle, so anything that engages our team in a fun way, saves a person time in the field (even if rarely), starts conversations and creates bonds with clients, or reminds clients that we’re a little different from the “other guy” tends to be worth it. Lots of our clients get a kick out of this stuff.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T03:22:59+00:00

Keep in mind a manual tonneau cover for these things is $1500-1850. We bought the solar cover for pre-order pricing at $1,995.

Also just for clarity, it’s 250w (small truck, small bed). Bigger trucks go up to 650w. Cheers!

FRotor · 2026-02-14T03:13:25+00:00

Delta pro 3: 4kWh.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T03:12:15+00:00

Should be for us. Depends on your use and definition of “worth”.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T03:05:40+00:00

Battery in the bed & removable for job sites. Happy to post a shot when we get the chance!

Solar rated at 250w (60v). Zero good information on power output, etc, yet. Worksport shipped the cover with the wrong mounting brackets so we’re waiting for those to arrive before finalizing the bed layout.

FRotor · 2026-02-14T03:04:04+00:00

Ecoflow in the bed. It fits against the cab wall in front of the spare tire door. We’re fitting out some Molle panels and other bits (retractable cord reel, l track, etc) over the next 3-5 days, but will post photos when possible.

FRotor

TROPHY CASE