New Battery Pack Design (not Standard Pack) & Architecture Coming in 2024 confirms Rivian CFO

[AYAYRON]

https://kvgo.com/barclays/rivian-automotive-inc-nov-2023

In the recent Barclays Conference, Claire McDonough (Rivian CFO) mentions that Rivian will be introducing a new battery pack in 2024. (I watched this a number of times and it’s not in reference to the Standard Pack.)

Besides the cost savings, I wonder what performance improvements it’ll bring.

Here’s the relevant clip.

Watching the tech info about the cybertruck makes me wonder if they are going to larger cells......and 800v would be nice, but I think that would potentially coincide with the 2025 switch to NACS

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[zefram47]

Watching the tech info about the cybertruck makes me wonder if they are going to larger cells.

I would hope not. While it does simplify the pack from a component count perspective, the 4680 Model Y charges like shit. The energy density claims of 4680 also haven't really played out.

 

[AYAYRON]

I would hope not. While it does simplify the pack from a component count perspective, the 4680 Model Y charges like shit. The energy density claims of 4680 also haven't really played out.

Think the cybetruck uses diff cells than model Y from the videos I watched.

 

[DuoRivians]

Think the cybetruck uses diff cells than model Y from the videos I watched.

They’re Gen2 4680 but still poorer than 2170s and the charging curves posted by early owners doesn’t look promising

 

[DuoRivians]

This is my bet as well. Makes way too much sense. I'm fairly confident they let slip in 2021 that they were working on a heat pump but it wasn't ready yet. Then they later denied it.

The 800v architecture is an absolute no brainier.

Hopefully they can do this without increasing prices, regardless of interest rates mid next year. I'm personally going to wait and see. If they don't do it, then they don't do it and I can make a choice at that point.

I thought the 800v implementation was part of project peregrine, which seems like a bit longer term than by mid 2024

 

[jebinc]

https://kvgo.com/barclays/rivian-automotive-inc-nov-2023

In the recent Barclays Conference, Claire McDonough (Rivian CFO) mentions that Rivian will be introducing a new battery pack in 2024. (I watched this a number of times and it’s not in reference to the Standard Pack.)

Besides the cost savings, I wonder what performance improvements it’ll bring.

Here’s the relevant clip.

Here's a summary posted by @usofrob

I'm watching the video as well, here are some interesting notes related to the factory update in 2024 Q2:

1. Confirmed going to zonal based network architecture
2. 60% less electronics
3. 25% less harness
4. The shutdown will be bringing in the Standard Pack
5. Updated battery pack (I agree, not related to just Standard pack), simplifies battery pack end module structure (I don't know what that means yet), takes thousands of dollars of cost out and additional mass
6. Several week shutdown in Q2
7. They're planning on doing a stepped approach to ramping R1 production after the shutdown for each combination of battery pack and motor module to work out the bugs and ensure quality.
8., Run rate capacity isn't likely to get to 85k/year until 2025

Interesting. Many "cheapening Sandy Munro" suggestions I'm sure. I wonder how many, if any, will benefit the paying customer? Time will tell, I suppose.

 

[DuoRivians]

Interesting. Many "cheapening Sandy Munro" suggestions I'm sure. I wonder how many, if any, will benefit the paying customer? Time will tell, I suppose.

If simplification + cost savings also helps with thermals, I’m all for it.

 

[Dark-Fx]

I thought the 800v implementation was part of project peregrine, which seems like a bit longer term than by mid 2024

I imagine the switch to 800v is going to be sudden instead of part of some other announcement, prior to being ready to ship them. I also somewhat expect the 800v charging to not be better out of the gate intentionally, so it doesn't make their inventory 400v vehicles difficult to sell. I expect there to be a lot of moaning on the forums about being tricked into buying an inferior vehicle (even though it was good enough for them to purchase in the first place)

 

[DuoRivians]

I imagine the switch to 800v is going to be sudden instead of part of some other announcement, prior to being ready to ship them. I also somewhat expect the 800v charging to not be better out of the gate intentionally, so it doesn't make their inventory 400v vehicles difficult to sell. I expect there to be a lot of moaning on the forums about being tricked into buying an inferior vehicle (even though it was good enough for them to purchase in the first place)

Yeah agree about the non-announcement factor. There will definitely be a lot of moaning, “this is bullsh*t” posts. ?

I’m not sure if this will be mid 2024. 800v architecture would involve a lot more than just a battery pack swap. Could happen by then, but I’d be surprised

 

[iansriv]

Solid state.

 

[Twitter Fingers]

I have listened to that interview several times to try to parse whether or not she's referring to the new standard LFP pack, and i agree she's not. What confirmed that for me is actually the next question - where she talks about the cadence of next year, she says that coming out of the shutdown they will be ramping up production with "three new battery packs".

 

[NC-Rivian]

400v would be just fine if maximum charge rate could be maintained longer instead of being limited by thermals. I think a change to the 48-volt system is just as big an upgrade from a cost/complexity factor. Don’t get me wrong: 800v would be very nice but so would maintaining a 205Kw rate for a longer time on the current 400v R.

 

[mkhuffman]

400v would be just fine if maximum charge rate could be maintained longer instead of being limited by thermals. I think a change to the 48-volt system is just as big an upgrade from a cost/complexity factor. Don’t get me wrong: 800v would be very nice but so would maintaining a 205Kw rate for a longer time on the current 400v R.

I prefer better thermals and sustaining 200 kW for a longer period of time, at least until there are more 800V capable chargers.

There are still quite a few chargers that cannot provide 800V, including most Tesla Superchargers. So if they put in a 800V system, they will need to do something like Tesla (and GM) did and be able to switch the pack from series to parallel, so with half the pack in series it can charge at 800V, and in parallel charge at 400V. Otherwise they have to convert the voltage up to 800V, which is what Lucid does, making the 400V charge speed very, very slow.

 

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

I have listened to that interview several times to try to parse whether or not she's referring to the new standard LFP pack, and i agree she's not. What confirmed that for me is actually the next question - where she talks about the cadence of next year, she says that coming out of the shutdown they will be ramping up production with "three new battery packs".

Wouldn’t that be Max, Large, and Standard?

 

[usofrob]

Wouldn’t that be Max, Large, and Standard?

Yes, that was the three packs she was referring to. But, I suspect the LFP Standard Pack will likely have the same updated pack design as the new Large and Max. It seems like the only real mechanical difference is the cell being used, but I haven't heard anything specific to the LFP about that yet.

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