Work In Progress - Auxiliary Cup Holders (Removable - Collapsible - Adjustable)

[RWerksman]

Hello my dudes!

Last week my family and I took a trip from Pittsburgh PA to Duck NC using the Rivian. Overall, the travel process was everything I hoped it would be. Truck perfomed flawlessly, EA and Chargepoint stations that we stopped at all worked first time with no fuss, and the quietness and Driver+ systems were great.

My wife however had one complaint - cupholders. There were a few times we just needed one more, either for a water in addition to her fancy coffee or for a random cup of curly fries that we shared. It's not that big of a deal, but it got me thinking and I think I have a bead on an engineered solution.

The Holder
I knew right from the get-go that I didn't want to engineer a cup holder due as I had a bunch of requirements for it that made that process unfeasible. Specifically, here is what I wanted:

• Foldable so that it collapses when not in use.
• Adjustable so that I can put in a range of items from a 1L bottle to a 12oz can.
• Removable so I can just store it away when I know I wont need it.
• Durable and ideally made in the USA.

With all that said - I think I found it in the JR Products Adjustable Cup holder. It's made in the USA, rated to 44oz (1.3L), and it feels surprisingly great for what it is. It's about $15 on Amazon.

The Mount
This was the easy part, until it wasn't. The concept is simple - a hanger that goes over something which the cup holder hangs on. Realistically though, it has to be both strong AND thin as we don't the cup holder sticking out tremendously far from whatever we hang it off of. I also want it to be easy to print for whomever wants to. This is the current design:

It's very not right currently. The top is rounded and it shouldn't be in addition to it being on the wrong side. The dimensions need a bit of validation too. The back has indentations for a very shallow T bolt that spreads the load. You would need two of these per cup holder.


Mock Up
There are two locations that I believe this can mount easily and functionally while still being out of the way. First is on the door pocket, front or back. Here is what it would look like:

Ignoring that fact that it's held up by some Compass Yellow electrical tape, I think it actually looks great. The hard construction of the pocket would seemingly work well too. When not needed, it could be lifted off and tossed in the pocket itself.

The other locations is off of the big open area in front of the center console:

The next steps for this are to finish up engineering and printing of the prototype. I'm hoping to be able to do that this week. I have hardware on the way into me now in a variety of sizes, so I think I'm good there. After crafting a functional prototype, I'll need to test it using an array of bottles while driving.

Finally, I intend both post the STL publicly AND make this a batch-produced product. If all goes as expected, you will be able to buy one, ideally for under $20. If you are interested, please let me know by posting in this thread. To make it viable at under $20, I'll need to produce 100 of them.

Feedback, as always, is very welcome!

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[SeaGeo]

Interested

 

[ATL_R1S]

Interested!

More cupholders and pull down/up sunshades for the rear windows have been my wife's top requests for our R1S we have on order.

 

[RWerksman]

Initial prototype complete. Photos:

 

[ATL_R1S]

Looks great! I foresee many of these being adapted to Rivians in the future. I’m certainly going to get a pair next year if available by then.

 

[RWerksman]

Update:

I believe I have a production-intent version of the Aux Cupholder complete. There will be two options in this initial version - one that installs on either of the front door pockets, and a second version that installs on passenger side of the center console storage area rail.

Pictures in the prior post are accurate for the door version. Here is what the center console rail looks like:

When not in use, they basically just sit there, folded up, blended into the truck like they aren't even there. When in use, here is what they look like with someone sitting in the seat:

 

[Prime]

This is clever. I like the passenger side next to the central tray area.

 

[RWerksman]

Also - I think I'm going to batch produce these. As identified earlier though, the barrier to entry is fairly high. I've been in touch with the JR Products, and I can get better pricing than MSRP, but I'll need to purchase 100 to qualify.

Assuming I do so, pricing will likely be $19 for one, $37.50 for two. The mounts will also be available for $9.50 should you want them.

With all that said, is anyone down for this? If I launch a pre-order, would you be in?

 

[Careychastain]

Might suggest cork or other absorbent material for condensation. Had something similar on an old Mercedes pre-cup holder days

 

[Big_Ike]

I'd buy four of the mounts.

 

[jpal]

Interested!

 

[FrankieJ]

Also - I think I'm going to batch produce these. As identified earlier though, the barrier to entry is fairly high. I've been in touch with the JR Products, and I can get better pricing than MSRP, but I'll need to purchase 100 to qualify.

Assuming I do so, pricing will likely be $19 for one, $37.50 for two. The mounts will also be available for $9.50 should you want them.

With all that said, is anyone down for this? If I launch a pre-order, would you be in?

Count me In!

 

[Mikeadamsvt]

Very interested in both mount types

 

[Taco Corp]

This brings back some memories, I had installed a couple of those exact same cup holders in my old Saab 900. They worked great in that case and I'd definitely be interested in the mounts when available. Have been getting by in the R1 just laying water bottles down in the storage tray but they're a pain to get to while driving.

 

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

Also - I think I'm going to batch produce these. As identified earlier though, the barrier to entry is fairly high. I've been in touch with the JR Products, and I can get better pricing than MSRP, but I'll need to purchase 100 to qualify.

Assuming I do so, pricing will likely be $19 for one, $37.50 for two. The mounts will also be available for $9.50 should you want them.

With all that said, is anyone down for this? If I launch a pre-order, would you be in?

If the cup holder is available on Amazon, perhaps the mounts are the most valuable part. Sell them for $10 or perhaps sell the design to one of the companies selling Rivian gear — like the people doing the vinyl for the tires or the folks printing the phone holders.

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