CarPlay discussion with Rivian CS: company is working with Apple and it's a priority

[zipzag]

Apple has less than 1/3 of the worldwide smartphone market. They would serve more customers by including Android Auto, or how about playing music from a USB stick like my Infiniti, Lexus and Audi do?

20% of the worlds population cooks and heats with dung. Those two billion people own perhaps a couple hundred million smartphones.

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[Yellow Buddy]

20% of the worlds population cooks and heats with dung. Those two billion people own perhaps a couple hundred million smartphones.

I know what you actually mean, but I'm going to take a hard left.

Did you know you can turn dung into electricity?!?! (oversimplified) I didn't until about a month ago and have been trying to get someone to install such a system into my house - unfortunately my local government hasn't been a fan of it so far.

I tried explaining this to my kids and all they heard was blah blah blah, the truck can run on poop power. Followed by both of them in unison "POOP POWER!"

My wife may also be a little upset that my kids now chant "Poop Power" whenever they hop into the truck....

 

[moosehead]

I know what you actually mean, but I'm going to take a hard left.

Did you know you can turn dung into electricity?!?! (oversimplified) I didn't until about a month ago and have been trying to get someone to install such a system into my house - unfortunately my local government hasn't been a fan of it so far.

I tried explaining this to my kids and all they heard was blah blah blah, the truck can run on poop power. Followed by both of them in unison "POOP POWER!"

My wife may also be a little upset that my kids now chant "Poop Power" whenever they hop into the truck....

Perhaps you should change your handle to Brown Buddy?

 

[COdogman]

I know what you actually mean, but I'm going to take a hard left.

Did you know you can turn dung into electricity?!?! (oversimplified) I didn't until about a month ago and have been trying to get someone to install such a system into my house - unfortunately my local government hasn't been a fan of it so far.

I tried explaining this to my kids and all they heard was blah blah blah, the truck can run on poop power. Followed by both of them in unison "POOP POWER!"

My wife may also be a little upset that my kids now chant "Poop Power" whenever they hop into the truck....

If I had more time and the brains/ tools to do it I have always wanted to experiment with this at our dog daycare. Those productive pups leave us with about 20 gallons (four 5 gal buckets) of poo each day. The county says throw it in the dumpster, but that’s hard when I know it could be put to use. I know it couldn’t power our 10,000sf building but it could probably power our 3 parking lot lights just as proof of concept.

POOP POWER!

 

[zipzag]

I suspect poop power plans are fun until the real world usable watts collected is compared to the alternative of a couple of solar panels.

 

[astonius]

Well this thread really went to shit

 

[usofrob]

I'm assuming wired CP is slightly easier from a resource perspective then? Obviously wireless is preferred these days, but on longer trips I still plug my phone in. For short trips wireless from the pocket is nice so you don't have to keep pulling out your phone, etc.

Hah, yes, I was focused on wireless. Wired is a lot easier. Access over USB is likely just a security problem. USB is very capable and it takes moderate effort to ensure that's locked down appropriately. I would think that's easier than solving the wireless problems I described above.

Does Rivian even have any user accessible USB ports hooked up to the infotainment system? Charge ports can just be independent. Right now, they don't even have USB music files available right?

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

Does Rivian even have any user accessible USB ports hooked up to the infotainment system?

Yes, both USB-C ports in the center console have data connectivity to the infotainment system. You can transfer GearGuard videos to USB-C thumb drives.

 

[zefram47]

Hah, yes, I was focused on wireless. Wired is a lot easier. Access over USB is likely just a security problem. USB is very capable and it takes moderate effort to ensure that's locked down appropriately. I would think that's easier than solving the wireless problems I described above.

Does Rivian even have any user accessible USB ports hooked up to the infotainment system? Charge ports can just be independent. Right now, they don't even have USB music files available right?

Already answered, but yes, the 2 in the center console are supposed to be data-capable. It's mind blowing that Rivian hasn't enabled USB audio yet given how much they claim the Meridian system is supposed to be so good...then kneecap it with Bluetooth or cell-streaming. One more reason why CP would be nice since wired would be high quality and if they implemented wireless the wifi link is nearly as good as a wired connection for audio quality.

 

[fotoflux]

Already answered, but yes, the 2 in the center console are supposed to be data-capable. It's mind blowing that Rivian hasn't enabled USB audio yet given how much they claim the Meridian system is supposed to be so good...then kneecap it with Bluetooth or cell-streaming. One more reason why CP would be nice since wired would be high quality and if they implemented wireless the wifi link is nearly as good as a wired connection for audio quality.

Well, every single car manufacturer since the beginning of time has claimed their "upgraded" audio system was amazing. It's just a sales pitch. However, I agree, it's baffling that they don't support audio over USB. I figure it's just another of their conscious decisions made to force people to use their ecosystem and LTE connectivity (and pay a monthly service fee).

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I suspect poop power plans are fun until the real world usable watts collected is compared to the alternative of a couple of solar panels.

It’s incremental at best. It’s not so much a solution as much as an into part of a larger design.

I looked into it because I needed a septic replacement and was hoping to harvest some subsidies.

Plus if I ever had a power outage, nearest Taco Bell is 2 miles away.

 

[gingerjet]

Apple has less than 1/3 of the worldwide smartphone market. They would serve more customers by including Android Auto, or how about playing music from a USB stick like my Infiniti, Lexus and Audi do?

Demographics matter and iPhone users spend money (like dropping $90k on a moving vehicle). So it makes business sense to address that market first.

 

[Atlrivian]

Demographics matter and iPhone users spend money (like dropping $90k on a moving vehicle). So it makes business sense to address that market first.

I had a conversation with a CS representative about how crappy the PAAK is for Androids and he said (I'm paraphrasing) that they had put much less time into the Android app than the Apple app.

I think it was something to the tune of "I've noticed a lot of customers lately with Android PAAK issues. I think our resources have become misaligned" ... or something similar.

Rivian clearly thinks rich people (their customer base) only use iPhones, so why should they bother with Android functionality?

 

[SpaceCase]

In my other EV’s I’ve never seen the draw to CarPlay but in the Rivian I think it would be amazing. Fingers crossed something comes of this. Would like to have Waze full screen too.

 

[CrazyOne]

I had a conversation with a CS representative about how crappy the PAAK is for Androids and he said (I'm paraphrasing) that they had put much less time into the Android app than the Apple app.

I think it was something to the tune of "I've noticed a lot of customers lately with Android PAAK issues. I think our resources have become misaligned" ... or something similar.

Rivian clearly thinks rich people (their customer base) only use iPhones, so why should they bother with Android functionality?

I use android and when someone asks, I tell them that PAAK is crap and rest of car is mostly good. Worse still, there is no passive key, like my 14 year old car.

They don't ask what phone I have. If Rivian wanted to support only IOS, they should have. Putting out half assed implementation isn't going to help them or the customers.

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