R2 Roof Sun Shade

[Mos Eisley]

I would just like to point out the R2 roof does have an aluminum coating that reflects UV and IR. I would not tint the roof knowing that fact. Ceramic absorbs heat, not good with the laminated aluminum roof already.

19:05 minute mark

Note he says to reject "the UV" and does not mention IR. Cued to that moment here:

I've yet to see any mention that it is coated to reject IR.

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[Husky]

I thought it went very well. I was going in with high expectations and I was not disappointed. The Rivian rep gave me the key card and sent me on my way. I went mid-day so there was quite a bit of traffic Chicago area traffic so, I didn't go on the highway, but I took it on a few different types of roads and the ride was very comfortable (even in firm), yet responsive. The steering felt well weighted, but kind of numb. I left the Regen in low and thought it was good, but my friend drove one earlier in the day and he preferred high regen. Power was more than adequate and I drove 90% of the demo drive in all purpose.

There was more than enough room inside and it was easy to get a good seating position. I guess if I had a complaint it would be lack of lower thigh support, but being tall I'm okay with that. Visibility is good, although I felt the blind spot camera fees was a little small on the driver's display. The vertical was decent, but maybe they can expand the horizontal in a future OTA. The ventilated seats were amazing, and the climate inside was good even in the sun. The roof tint is pretty dark (I believe Rivian stated it blocks 99.5 0r 99.9% on the UV light coming in . I never felt like it was going to be an issue, and I found myself looking up a few times during the drive to see if it was cloudy (it wasn't).

To sum it up, I thought it was amazing and now I'm even more impatient than I was before!!!

Except that the sun's radiant heat isn't UV, it's IR.

 

[Jeremy3292]

Note he says to reject "the UV" and does not mention IR. Cued to that moment here:

I've yet to see any mention that it is coated to reject IR.

Aluminum coating rejects IR. It was rapid fire questions so he simply omitted IR and said UV and not both IMO. But he did say aluminum coating which definitely rejects IR. Physics would dictate that with the "aluminum coating". Not saying it's the best thing in the world, just saying it must reflect IR in some amount.

 

[Husky]

Living in Phx, I have no need for a glass roof on a vehicle. When I order an R2, I will mount a sun shade inside the lip of the sunroof just like I have on my MS. About 50% of the time, I work at a site that does not have covered parking, so my car sits in the sun all day. The sunroof sunshade makes a significant difference.

Alternatively, I will put a wrap on the sunroof to keep out the sun. This might be the best choice for me. It will be 110°F here in Phx tomorrow, and daytime temps may not drop below 100°F until October. If you live where it's cool, probably not necessary.

With all the efforts made to cut costs, I'm a little surprised the giant glass roof made the cut. It has to cost more (and weigh more) than sheetmetal. I like the open-air feel off the glass roof, but not if there's no shade.
The coatings/tints are for UV, but I'm not sure there's anything to block the IR.

 

[Husky]

Aluminum coating rejects IR. It was rapid fire questions so he simply omitted IR and said UV and not both. But he did say aluminum coating which definitely rejects IR.

Glad to hear it, but it sure didn't feel that way on my demo drive on a sunny 90 degree day.

 

[Thebandit]

Aluminum coating rejects IR. It was rapid fire questions so he simply omitted IR and said UV and not both IMO. But he did say aluminum coating which definitely rejects IR. Physics would dictate that with the "aluminum coating"

There's an aluminum oxide power that's coated. It rejects some IR. Not a lot. A fraction of what is blocked by a ceramic.

 

[Jeremy3292]

There's an aluminum oxide power that's coated. It rejects some IR. Not a lot. A fraction of what is blocked by a ceramic.

Yes, agreed but just trying to point out it's not just some privacy glass. It does have aluminum in it to reject UV and some level of IR.

 

[Mos Eisley]

Aluminum coating rejects IR. It was rapid fire questions so he simply omitted IR and said UV and not both IMO. But he did say aluminum coating which definitely rejects IR. Physics would dictate that with the "aluminum coating". Not saying it's the best thing in the world, just saying it must reflect IR in some amount.

Not necessarily. Metallic coatings on the surface often reduce reflectivity or aid in passthrough reduction. In some auto glass with true IR reduction, it's in one of the laminated interlayers. Dunno what the reality is with the R2 roof, but I haven't seen it it explicitly claimed to reduce IR.

 

[r2fb]

As one of the people who appreciates a sunroof that actually opens, I'm disappointed in the trend that's been removing them. BMW doesn't have it anymore, neither does the new GLC EV.
Audi/Porsche are the only premium EV's that still have them. I've even looked at Blazer SS because it has that feature. Much more important than a sunshade in my opinion. I also had cars for 20 years with opening sunroofs and not a single one of them leaked.

 

[tivoboy]

Living in Phx, I have no need for a glass roof on a vehicle. When I order an R2, I will mount a sun shade inside the lip of the sunroof just like I have on my MS. About 50% of the time, I work at a site that does not have covered parking, so my car sits in the sun all day. The sunroof sunshade makes a significant difference.

Alternatively, I will put a wrap on the sunroof to keep out the sun. This might be the best choice for me. It will be 110°F here in Phx tomorrow, and daytime temps may not drop below 100°F until October. If you live where it's cool, probably not necessary.

during my demo drive last week I checked around the inside of the roof liner and glass and there is PLENTY of space there for clips to hold a heat shield for the roof glass. It was at least 1” deep as well,

 

[Cactus]

With all the efforts made to cut costs, I'm a little surprised the giant glass roof made the cut. It has to cost more (and weigh more) than sheetmetal. I like the open-air feel off the glass roof, but not if there's no shade.
The coatings/tints are for UV, but I'm not sure there's anything to block the IR.

Plenty of aftermarket tint films reject IR. I've always put Spectra Photosync tint on my MS windows and it dramatically reduces IR heat. We don't know if or how much IR the R2 glass roof rejects.

From AI:
Infrared (IR) rejecting window tint—commonly known as nano-ceramic tint—uses advanced microscopic particles to block the sun's invisible IR rays, which are responsible for the intense burning heat you feel through glass. It keeps interiors dramatically cooler without requiring a dark, privacy-style shade. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Top IR-Rejecting Tint Technologies

• Nano-Ceramic Films: The industry gold standard. These non-metallic films typically reject 90% to 96% of infrared rays (IRR). Because they do not use metal, they will not interfere with your cell service, GPS, or satellite radio.

 

[Husky]

I wonder what they look like, and if you can see through them - I would imagine so if it's designed to primarily block IR.
When the time comes, I'll have to decide between that and some sort of shade.

 

[HighDesertCoug]

As a bald guy who lives in a very sunny part of the country, I'm keenly aware of sunshine hitting the top of my head and I try to limit it whenever possible.

I'd love to see some actual data/metrics on the levels of UVA/B/C that are blocked by this roof. The manual mentions 99.9% of UV but doesn't specify what flavor of UV is included in that phrasing.

 

[Thebandit]

I wonder what they look like, and if you can see through them - I would imagine so if it's designed to primarily block IR.
When the time comes, I'll have to decide between that and some sort of shade.

Ceramic films are just regular tints. You can get them as mostly clear if you want. But I have 70% on all my car windows and it's great at blocking heat.

The problem is that they work by absorbing heat. And by putting it on structural glass pointing straight up at the sun, the glass can get too hot and shatter. This has happened to multiple people. So ceramic tints are not really appropriate for roof glass.

 

[Cactus]

Ceramic films are just regular tints. You can get them as mostly clear if you want. But I have 70% on all my car windows and it's great at blocking heat.

The problem is that they work by absorbing heat. And by putting it on structural glass pointing straight up at the sun, the glass can get too hot and shatter. This has happened to multiple people. So ceramic tints are not really appropriate for roof glass.

That's why I put Spectra Photosync non-ceramic on my cars in Phx. I don't know if it heats up the glass. I hope not. No, I do not work for, or get somehow compensated by IRD Photosync.

https://photosyncfilms.com/ird.html

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