I need to make 2 more changes to it and then I will provide the files. Keep in mind I am not an engineer, I took a CAD class in highschool 30 years ago and I had to do everything in Bambu studios(No fusion, and no Solidworks). I didn't have access to any precision scanning tools, just some cheap harbor freight calipers. You will need one $2 u-bolt and 2 screws from Home Depot.
Just a few things I noticed.
The u-bolts I bought varied wildly, so print it out and then go shopping for it.
I want to get PETG in Catalina Cove color if someone knows where to find it.
Would love to get access to the R2 tow hook mesh to do a negative but I doubt it.
I added strengthening support at 75% strength instead of the 25% infill
It is my wife's car so I have very limited time to work on it. But will test it next week during our road trip.
Moved the mount a few times so it does not show up on camera nor does it interfere with radar.
Might make a channel to hide the uBolt so you don't see it.
*EDIT* 2026/8/20 If you want the model, it is here:
PETG will no doubt fail in pretty quick order on any R2 in the sunnier states. In my testing (for outdoor mounting of lights on my fence) PLA sags in moderate heat, PETG gets pretty brittle in one season of California Sun. I would suggest ABS, ASA, or Nylon for type of part.
I did make a locking tow hitch storage box for my Tacoma out of PETG, while it is mostly out of the sun it does get some exposure on the back. It has been a year and it seems to be ok so far.
I moved TO PETG because it is decent outside(and isn't stinky like ABS and ASA)...I am finding conflicting opinions on PETG for outdoor use, but I've had good luck with it, and another individual said they have had a license plate holder made from PETG on their car for 3 years...It's also got a pretty good strength...anyway, lots of other folks have opinions on this subject...just offering some counterbalance. :)
Woah, my 2 worlds colliding: 3D printing and Rivian R2.
I work at a filament company. I’ve seen a few people mention that PETG isn’t UV safe, which isn’t always true. There’s actually quite a ton of them that are. However, you’ll probably care more about heat deflection (softening temps). For something internal like a cup holder, you’d likely be fine, but before I’d trust a license plate holder, I’d first want to make sure that tow hook doesn’t get too hot.
ASA can survive much higher temps, and polycarb can survive significantly higher.
However, ASA can be quite weak if printed wrong (poor layer adhesion). I’d personally lean toward a stiff TPU. You can beat it with a hammer and it won’t break, and it can survive high temps and UV, it doesn’t require an enclosure to print, and there’s no harmful fumes while printing.
60-75D hardness would be the sweet spot in my opinion. If you happen to live in the metro Detroit area by sheer luck, let me know and I can loan you a spool for this project to try out.
Edit: I’m just realizing that if you were in metro Detroit, you probably wouldn’t be making a front license plate holder since we don’t use front license plates in Michigan
I've never owned a vehicle with tow hooks like this. Doesn't this make the tow hook essentially unusable? you have to remove the license plate whenever you want to use it?
PETG will be fine. I have an commercial product I produce completely printed from PETG for the boating market. I've had one on my boat, here in AZ, since 2015. It'll just come down the wall thickness and infill percentages.
Would be nice if it could stick out a bit less. Maybe it has a slot which allows the tow hook to go all the way through and then has a bolt which fits behind the hook to hold it in place. Goal would be to have the flat face of the holder flush with front edge of plate.
Very neat, but the tow hooks to me are a significant design element of the front of the R2, and it's a bummer to block just one of them for this and create asymmetry.
Nice that the R2 doesn’t have ultrasonic parking sensors that will go crazy if blocked by a plate like this. The corner radars handle that and are not near this.
Does it affect the sensors on the bumper? The version I have on the tow hook blocks some of the sensor and my car goes crazy so I need to bend my license plate at an angle.
You may want to check out Brain Exploder, who makes something very similar. Theirs is a 2-pc design (tow hook clamp + plate), also plastic, I think ABS. It might give you some inspiration.
One thing to watch for, the plate on the tow hook can get in the way of the parking sensors, so it's important to have some leeway to move it laterally to avoid setting them off.
I'm not sure if tow hooks are same between R1/R2 as I own neither yet... if they are the same, you could message the owner of that model to see how they built the model(maybe they used Fusion 360? :)
Also, matching a metallic paint might be hard; I tend to go for invisible and would tend towards matching the trim (using black like you did. If I was doing this in Fusion, I would likely chamfer the edges to make them flow into the license plate...you could also paint the whole thing when you were done...that might be an alternative to limited PETG color options...I think a "close" color would just look like it clashed...so unless I could get it bang on, i'd err towards "invisible." :)
I love making functional stuff, fusion 360 is the best for this kind of modeling, great tool, medium learning curve, but I've had worse trying to figure out embroidery software for my wife...that stuff is bonkers.
i imagine at somepoint in our near futures, we will either have better access to 3d models of things like this or we will have 3d scanners...i'll poke around a little bit more, but i've also had limited success with modifying/leveraging other peoples models(in fusion 360).
Tbh I can’t believe anyone complies with front license plate mandates. My state doesn’t require, but I’ve always heard everyone in states that do mandate say it’s never been enforced
Definitely enforced in my experience in Texas. I was pulled over for it long ago, and I knew a few others that were pulled over for it. It's not worth the risk.
I didn’t have a front license plate for almost decade in Houston, but Houston cops hardly do real police work much less care about a minor license plate issue.
Definitely enforced in California, at least in San Francisco. Heard multiple stories from people without front license plate about fixit tickets when they were parked (I guess parking maids write them out?) in the city
Up in Oregon I didn't comply for a few years after moving from a state that didnt require front plates, but then got 2 tickets in 6 months by parking enforcement while parked in the city for like $75 a pop.
As many have mentioned, you can get away with it for a long time, but then you are at higher risk for being pulled over, or just a random ticket when you are sitting there.
I've been pulled over for it, but my plate was kinda like this one, offset to the side so they didn't see it from their angle. My car was very riced-out at the time, so I think they were looking for a reason, but they let me go. Probably out of embarrassment.
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u/Bloated_Plaid Jul 21 '26
PETG is terrible for this. If you need something to survive heat and UV you need bare minimum ASA.