Confirmed: Newer production R1 only have a single 12v battery, but...

[Arky]

Has anyone worked out when they 'switched' to the single battery setup on the R1T? I'd assume past a certain point all vins would have the new setup, but I'd rather not tear mine open to look if someone already knows.

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[PeterSK]

Update: Wednesday afternoon the mobile service tech arrived at the detailer and spent at least an hour on the car. I’ve been told he had trouble waking up both sides of the car, and he eventually decided it needs to go to the Chelsea Service Center. They got it in neutral and pushed it outside.

Yesterday midday a flatbed picked it up, and I got a call from Chelsea when it arrived. I spoke to someone earlier today and was told they weren’t able to work on it yet. I have since learned that they ordered a new capacitor (referred to as a BIB, battery interface box). They hope to have things fixed by eod Monday - frustrating to not have my new car for the weekend. But at least they’ve acknowledged it is likely a warranty claim and not the result of leaving a seatbelt buckled

Further update which contradicts several things in the last update:

1) Because my car was initially logged in as a mobile service visit, it was accidentally overlooked and didn’t actually get into the queue of cars being worked on until late today.
2) This change was prompted by my calling three times today, around 10:30am, 12:30 and then 4:30. Each time the phone service people were unable to get someone at Chelsea to answer the phone so requested a callback, which finally came after 5.
3) We spoke for nearly 15 minutes during which he told me a) that he thinks/assumes the fix is just changing the 12v; b) that my car has two 12vs, one of which was reading 12v and the other 19v - an issue to be addressed; c) that my R1S (117xx VIN) couldn’t have a capacitor because they didn’t start using them until the 14000s; and finally d) that he is not convinced that it should be a warranty claim - maybe the detailer did something funny in which case I should claim the charge from them.
4) He expects my car to be ready end of day tomorrow. I certainly hope so as it’ll be nearly two weeks without it.

I’ve had some communications challenges with Tesla over my ten years of ownership of four different cars, but Rivian is next level.

note - edited for readability.

 

[Aroohoo]

that my R1S (117xx VIN) couldn’t have a capacitor because they didn’t start using them until the 14000s;

If accurate, that is good info to have. I'm picking up a 14000 VIN tomorrow, wonder if the jumping procedure will be different, i.e. don't try it via the rear cables.

that my car has two 12vs, one of which was reading 12v and the other 19v - an issue to be addressed;

that he is not convinced that it should be a warranty claim - maybe the detailer did something funny in which case I should claim the charge from them.

What could a detailer possibly do to cause a battery to be reading 19V? Sounds like most mechanics, just blowing smoke.

 

[Craigins]

If accurate, that is good info to have. I'm picking up a 14000 VIN tomorrow, wonder if the jumping procedure will be different, i.e. don't try it via the rear cables.




What could a detailer possibly do to cause a battery to be reading 19V? Sounds like most mechanics, just blowing smoke.

Probably 9v.

This is the problem i assumed. The 12v battery will keep the 12v system reading high voltage, not allowing the charge, but the second battery is pretty much drained.

When a large draw item turns on, without both batteries being healthy the voltage will drop and cause issues (hopefully just turns off before damage occurs).

Even though dark says there are 2 separate hv dcdc converters, it still looks like some part of the truck is treating it like one 12v system.

 

[docwhiz]

What could a detailer possibly do to cause a battery to be reading 19V? Sounds like most mechanics, just blowing smoke.

Overcharge it.

 

[Aroohoo]

Overcharge it.

And...why would a detailer be Fing with the 12 volt battery?

 

[docwhiz]

And...why would a detailer be Fing with the 12 volt battery?

PeterSK said:
Thanks, but they did jump start the 12v several times. That’s how they discovered the capacitor. But even once the car has come back to life, it is not fully there. It won’t drive, it won’t take a charge, and he said while it released the rear hatch, the hatch wouldn’t lift and open. Perhaps the 12v is just too far gone?

 

[PeterSK]

If accurate, that is good info to have. I'm picking up a 14000 VIN tomorrow, wonder if the jumping procedure will be different, i.e. don't try it via the rear cables.

My understanding is The rear tow area cables jump the battery, the second battery (which is now being replaced with a capacitor) needed to be jumped from inside the frunk area.

 

[Aroohoo]

My understanding is The rear tow area cables jump the battery, the second battery (which is now being replaced with a capacitor) needed to be jumped from inside the frunk area.

Thank you for the insight.

I was planning on moving my ditch lights over to the R1S when I pick it up, but if there isn't a battery in the front anymore, going to have to figure out what to do.

 

[PeterSK]

Final update - I hope!

I got a call around noon today that my car was ready. Used some Lyft credits they sent me to get to Chelsea, and drove it home. It was still at 61% charge when I picked it up. The 12v didn’t need to be replaced. The problem was described on the invoice as below, and covered under warranty. So it was a manufacturing defect - someone didn’t torque a screw properly or something. I’m still not sure if I have a second 12v battery or a capacitor, having received conflicting information. But happy to have the car back.

Cause:
- Found that a main body ground cable was loose which prevented many systems on the vehicle to not operate properly.

Correction/Remedy:
- 12V Battery General Diagnostic
- 12V Harnesses and Connectors Other Labor (1 hour)

 

[PeterSK]

And...why would a detailer be Fing with the 12 volt battery?

they needed to open doors and frunk/tailgate to do the wrap, but midway through the work they arrived one morning and found the car bricked and unresponsive so they jumped it from the rear cables. They had to do so with another Rivian in the past, but said mine looked different = capacitor?

edit - fixed autocorrect typo

 

[docwhiz]

Final update - I hope!

I got a call around noon today that my car was ready. Used some Lyft credits they sent me to get to Chelsea, and drove it home. It was still at 61% charge when I picked it up. The 12v didn’t need to be replaced. The problem was described on the invoice as below, and covered under warranty. So it was a manufacturing defect - someone didn’t torque a screw properly or something. I’m still not sure if I have a second 12v battery or a capacitor, having received conflicting information. But happy to have the car back.

Cause:
- Found that a main body ground cable was loose which prevented many systems on the vehicle to not operate properly.

Correction/Remedy:
- 12V Battery General Diagnostic
- 12V Harnesses and Connectors Other Labor (1 hour)

So all of that and it was just a loose screw.

 

[JamesJP]

Two days ago, I approached my R1S, but it didn't unlock because the 12v battery was dead.

Important note: this was entirely my fault and not Rivian's. This is not the same bug from a few months ago. This is not an issue you will have with your vehicle.

I followed the procedures in the tow guide to recover, and gained access to the front trunk area, so that I could attach a battery charger directly to each 12v battery. I was able to charge the primary (driver's side), but the secondary refused to take a charge. I spent a good amount of time trying to get it to work, but the vehicle was actually functioning normally. I put in a request for a second battery and indicated some urgency, as I thought I might end up killing the primary again if the secondary battery was completely dead.

Rivian service was very helpful over the phone and I actually got a call back from a tech in the local service center. They asked me some questions and then asked if I had been trying to charge the left side and had removed the red lead. I had. The tech then informed me that the left side, which is the same form factor as a battery, is actually a capacitor in the new builds.

So, it is confirmed that Rivian has moved to a single battery up front. The vehicle is working fine after being charged up. My only note to rivian would be a suggestion that they update their towing guide to reflect this change. It specifically says that the rear (hitch area) leads are for the primary battery, and to charge the secondary battery directly. There is no longer a second battery, so the leads near the hitch receiver can actually be used to fully charge a dead 12v system, without ever opening the front trunk.

Hope this is useful to someone. I like that Rivian is making changes on the fly to refine the platform in real time. Optimizations like this are important for their long term success, and I commend them for working toward lower costs, especially in cases like this, where the customer impact is nil.

P.s. - someone should let ohmmu and the like know that their aftermarket battery solution should be reevaluated on newer vehicles.

Hello! Thanks for the information. I had the something happen to me and I bought the Dewalt battery charger you suggested and tried to charge the battery but it doesn't seem to work. I would attach it to the leads at the back of the truck and it wouldn't do anything. In your thread you said you did it directly to the battery. I located the battery but the clips are too big to fit. Did you happen to remove the battery completely or did you remove anything besides the red cover. Appreciate any guidance you can give here as a bricked Rivian is a bummer. Wife is killing me on why did I buy this expensive paper weight

 

[zefram47]

Not sure if anyone else had chimed in, but my 199xx VIN R1T built in Feb 2023 still has two batteries. No capacitor here. Finally got around to looking the other day.

 

[PeterSK]

Final update - I hope!

I got a call around noon today that my car was ready. Used some Lyft credits they sent me to get to Chelsea, and drove it home. It was still at 61% charge when I picked it up. The 12v didn’t need to be replaced. The problem was described on the invoice as below, and covered under warranty. So it was a manufacturing defect - someone didn’t torque a screw properly or something. I’m still not sure if I have a second 12v battery or a capacitor, having received conflicting information. But happy to have the car back.

Cause:
- Found that a main body ground cable was loose which prevented many systems on the vehicle to not operate properly.

Correction/Remedy:
- 12V Battery General Diagnostic
- 12V Harnesses and Connectors Other Labor (1 hour)

Unfortunately this wasn’t the final update. I picked up the car last Tuesday and all seemed fine. As I was planning a weekend road trip (250 miles each way), the next day I drove to the closest fast charger to try out DC charging beforehand. It was a 150kW EA station that delivered about 60-70kW without issues. I left after 15 minutes and drove home to charge overnight.

Each time I plugged in the mobile charger, the port would turn green and the light bar would pulse green twice then the charger would click and the port turn red. The charger light remained green. This happened on both 240v and 120v outlets, and when I drove to a local ChargePoint level 2 as well. After a series of chats and calls with Service, and various steps like rebooting, nothing changed. I took my old car for the weekend instead and dropped the R1S at Chelsea Service Monday. They diagnosed AC charger issues and have ordered parts that are at least two days late arriving, so the earliest I can get it back is late next Monday.

This is extremely frustrating, because it charged fine on the mobile charger before the whole saga began. I have since suggested multiple times that Rivian needs to test charging before they release a car from Service - at least if the work touched the electrical system. An EV that can’t charge on Level 1/2, even if fast charging works, is practically useless. There is no way I could have taken it for the weekend trip. And I am now another week without my car.

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