Rivian is looking to patent heated headlight lenses to help increase lighting performance on its electric pickup trucks and SUVs in snow, ice and rain.
LED headlights that have become the standard in the automotive industry don’t emit as much waste heat all the time as HID or earlier halogen bulbs, which can often melt any built-up moisture themselves. That’s what Rivian is trying to address with this patent, which was filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on June 21, 2023, but was only published by that office on December 26, 2024.
Patent image for Rivian heated headlights
In that document, Rivian discusses adding a layer of carbon nanotube material to the outer lens of a headlight. This would be surrounded by a silver heating element, which would transfer heat to the nanotube layer, heating it up and thus allowing it to melt anything that builds up on the headlight lens.
Carbon nanotube material consists of tube-shaped networks of carbon atoms less than one nanometer in diameter, hence the name. Carbon nanotubes are known to provide good thermal conductivity, which may explain Rivian’s choice of material here.
Patent image for Rivian heated headlights
There’s been a lot of talk about the importance of heated seats, and even heated seat belts, in electric vehicles as a more efficient way to combat cold temperatures with minimal additional power draw. But it has more to do with lighting technology than powertrain technology, specifically the need to clean LED lighting elements of accumulated rain that might partially obscure them.
Not all patented ideas make it to production, and it’s not clear how much of a priority heated headlights are for Rivian at the moment. The automaker is preparing to begin production of its affordable R2 electric SUV in 2026 and open a new factory in Georgia by 2028, the latter expected to receive a boost from a $6.6 billion federal loan.
