Do you charge the R1T every night?

[EVTrucking]

I just finished chatting with CS and they confirmed that either way is acceptable. Limit to 70% for general use and do not let the charge get below 10% for general use. Otherwise charge as needed or charge every day to 70%.

This guidance is not for long distance travel but only intended for daily general purpose use.

Sponsored

 

[shrink]

I've been driving EV's since 2011. I always plug-in nightly and charge to 70%. Will charge to higher SOC's when needed or for occasional battery balancing. I actually need to do much more of the latter.

I'm no engineer, but another reason I'd suggest plugging in nightly is for thermal management of the battery - especially if it's hot outside. I imagine the Rivian's thermal management will run on its own to keep the battery cool when needed if not plugged in, but keeping in plugged in will surely help with temperature management.

I do have homes in warm climates so I realize this is much more of an issue for my areas. It might not matter that much in milder climates.

 

[R1Sky Business]

I interpreted that to mean you should use Level 2 charging whenever possible, as opposed to Level 3.

It is better for battery health

 

[R1Sky Business]

I've been driving EV's since 2011. I always plug-in nightly and charge to 70%. Will charge to higher SOC's when needed or for occasional battery balancing. I actually need to do much more of the latter.

I'm no engineer, but another reason I'd suggest plugging in nightly is for thermal management of the battery - especially if it's hot outside. I imagine the Rivian's thermal management will run on its own to keep the battery cool when needed if not plugged in, but keeping in plugged in will surely help with temperature management.

I do have homes in warm climates so I realize this is much more of an issue for my areas. It might not matter that much in milder climates.

What's your history with battery degradation during your yrs as ev owner

 

[shrink]

What's your history with battery degradation during your yrs as ev owner

Good question.

- In short, 2011 LEAF was absolute POS that should have never been sold in a warm climate.
- Had a 2012 Volt for a year before buying a Model S and it held its capacity quite well. That's probably because it has such a huge buffer in the usable battery.
- 2010 Tesla Roadster battery did not do well in the Phoenix heat, but that was a very early technology and essentially laptop batteries.
- Have owned a 2013 Model S 85, which was sold; and still own a 2012 Model S P85 with only 37,000 miles. My rated range on the early Model S's have dropped more than I like, but I think it's severely out of balance. Charge to 70% most of the time and my RT daily commute is 4-1/2 miles on city streets. Only occasionally drive farther. Currently, I'm only getting about 157 rated miles at 70% charge. But like I said, I think it needs a balance. Last time I charge to 100%, the computer was clearly confused. It kept saying 5 minutes left in charging, but 40 minutes later it finally stopped and added more miles than the computer anticipated. I should have driven it down to a low SOC, but had neither the time nor desire to do so.
- 2020 Model 3 Performance sits at 70% most of the time. My wife was driving it to work but now permanently works from home since the pandemic, so that car is only occasionally driven. Haven't noticed any loss in range and it's about 2-1/2 years old, but only 8800 miles on the odometer.

I'm personally wanting the Max pack because range is king with EV's. Practically, while my daily commute would rarely need such range, my main concern is getting from Phoenix to Flagstaff. It's a 120-mile drive, but elevation goes from 1100 ft to roughly 7000 ft in that distance. I remember taking the Model 3 up there when pretty new. I think we had 90% charge to start and ended up in Flagstaff with about 70 miles of rated range. Not a huge deal with Superchargers, but I always keep that in mind. I plan to keep the R1T for a long time and I want to be able to make it from Phoenix to Flag in one shot - even with battery degradation. No way my 2012 Model S can made it there on a fully charge anymore.

 

[GEON]

After owning a Tesla Model S for 6 years, I *always* keep my vehicle plugged in when it is home. This allows cooling (if needed) and OTA updates to happen without any issues. I charge every evening after 9 to get the lowest energy costs.

FYI!

 

[atebit]

I still have the Tesla mindset that a plugged-in EV is a happy EV. Plus, it’s just muscle memory now: park in garage, plug in cable. Done.

 

[cbuckley]

After owning a Tesla Model S for 6 years, I *always* keep my vehicle plugged in when it is home. This allows cooling (if needed) and OTA updates to happen without any issues. I charge every evening after 9 to get the lowest energy costs.

FYI!

I find it strange that Rivian won’t allow OTA update installation while vehicle is plugged in.

 

[GEON]

I find it strange that Rivian won’t allow OTA update installation while vehicle is plugged in.

They will, its still early...

 

[Runs_4_beer]

I find it strange that Rivian won’t allow OTA update installation while vehicle is plugged in.

Mine updated last time while plugged in. It says not plugged in to DC fast charge.

 

[Rousie13]

We have always plugged our EVs in whenever they are in the garage and we will continue to do so. We just have gotten in the habit of plugging them in whenever we pull into the garage. It’s just become habit now for my wife and myself.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

I'm personally wanting the Max pack because range is king with EV's. Practically, while my daily commute would rarely need such range, my main concern is getting from Phoenix to Flagstaff. It's a 120-mile drive, but elevation goes from 1100 ft to roughly 7000 ft in that distance. I remember taking the Model 3 up there when pretty new. I think we had 90% charge to start and ended up in Flagstaff with about 70 miles of rated range. Not a huge deal with Superchargers, but I always keep that in mind. I plan to keep the R1T for a long time and I want to be able to make it from Phoenix to Flag in one shot

I drove from Gilbert (100% SOC) with gear, external bike rack and bike 111 miles (up past Payson 6100 ft) and had 148 miles remaining when we arrived. Two nights stay. Arrived back home with 71 miles of range. Downhill efficiency was incredible.....YMMV

* I charge to 70% as needed, not always plugged in *

 

[IHScout]

I drove from Gilbert (100% SOC) with gear, external bike rack and bike 111 miles (up past Payson 6100 ft) and had 148 miles remaining when we arrived. Two nights stay. Arrived back home with 71 miles of range. Downhill efficiency was incredible.....YMMV

* I charge to 70% as needed, not always plugged in *

Curious if you have had a chance tow a trailer up to Payson yet?

 

[KiloV]

I plug in every day to allow the R1T to top itself up. One thing that no one has mentioned yet is that you can set up a charging schedule. So, for example, you can plug the truck in when you pull into your garage but tell it not to start charging till after 10pm, when your power might be cheaper. Personally, I have my R1T charge during daylight hours because I have solar panels on the roof.

 

[EVTrucking]

I plug in every day to allow the R1T to top itself up. One thing that no one has mentioned yet is that you can set up a charging schedule. So, for example, you can plug the truck in when you pull into your garage but tell it not to start charging till after 10pm, when your power might be cheaper. Personally, I have my R1T charge during daylight hours because I have solar panels on the roof.

My solar panels are hooked to the grid so charging in daylight or night does not matter(net metering). Now that we have 2 EVs our 10.3kW system is challenged to deliver more power than we consume. Hence we charge at night during off peak hours.

Sponsored