Efficiency secrets?

[EVnewb]

How are people getting over 2 kWh per mile?? We got our R1T right before Christmas and we had fun with the truck for the first couple weeks but otherwise drive like civilized people. In mostly AP/low mode (20% Sport, 80% AP), we averaged 1.68 over the first 1,800 miles. The last 100 miles have been in Conserve/low and average 1.7. The climate in the truck is set to 68 usually and we charge to 70% every night. Last night I actually turned climate off and made every effort on the 4 miles each way to the store and back to try and get the highest efficiency I could and only averaged 1.98 over the 8 mile round trip.

I know there are a ton of variables from driver to driver, but should I ask service to run a diagnostics or something? I’m just happy to see some people getting much better efficiency so I know it’s atleast possible! What’s the secret??

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[Dark-Fx]

No heat
Conserve mode
Drive slow
Lowest suspension setting
Proper tire pressure

 

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

No heat
Conserve mode
Drive slow
Lowest suspension setting
Proper tire pressure

 

[EVnewb]

No heat
Conserve mode
Drive slow
Lowest suspension setting
Proper tire pressure

That’s what I tried last night, but didn’t get as high as some of the averages I’ve been seeing. I was really doing my best, but like I said, it might just be user error haha.

 

[PastyPilgrim]

You've only had your truck in the winter. Some of the data that you're seeing from others is from people in warm climates like LA.

You're in MD so just wait until spring/summer. Also, if you're only doing short drives in cold weather you'll never hit high efficiency because the battery needs to warm up. You can use the left thumb buttons (hold down left/right buttons on the left side of the steering wheel) to pull up the live performance info. In cold weather, I tend to find that it takes ~60 minutes of driving before the battery is actually up to temperature (depending on starting temp).

 

[EVnewb]

You've only had your truck in the winter. Some of the data that you're seeing from others is from people in warm climates like LA.

You're in MD so just wait until spring/summer. Also, if you're only doing short drives in cold weather you'll never hit high efficiency because the battery needs to warm up. You can use the left thumb buttons (hold down left/right buttons on the left side of the steering wheel) to pull up the live performance info. In cold weather, I tend to find that it takes ~60 minutes of driving before the battery is actually up to temperature (depending on starting temp).

Very true. I was thinking the same thing about the warmer weather factoring in over long term averages. Guess we’ll wait for late spring or early summer to see the difference it makes before we contact service.

 

[Dark-Fx]

That’s what I tried last night, but didn’t get as high as some of the averages I’ve been seeing. I was really doing my best, but like I said, it might just be user error haha.

You'll still get reduced range in the cold if you start off with a cold battery. They just aren't as chemically efficient at cold temps. There's a lot of variables that you can't control for very well. Even a tailwind that's ~30 degrees from the rear of the vehicle can still hurt range. I can get nearly 3 mi/kWh for my commute in my truck if it's in the 40s outside, but below zero, blasting heat, and not trying to be efficient at all and it's more like 1.1-1.3.

 

[SlaterGS]

FWIW
If I precondition my Leaf battery and I am at 100%, I end up going to work (round trip 5.2mi) and back and driving in my garage with 100%. That's even when it is 10 degrees out (1-2mi loss on range)
Not preconditioning in the cold temps and I end up driving back in with about 92-93%. (10-15mi loss on range)
Agreed with what @PastyPilgrim said, it takes a lot to warm up the truck and battery in colder temps on short trips.

 

[emoore]

Very true. I was thinking the same thing about the warmer weather factoring in over long term averages. Guess we’ll wait for late spring or early summer to see the difference it makes before we contact service.

I have about 1300 miles on my truck and lifetime average is about 1.7 mi/kWh. I'm in Colorado and it's been unusally cold since I've owned the truck.

 

[EVnewb]

You'll still get reduced range in the cold if you start off with a cold battery. They just aren't as chemically efficient at cold temps. There's a lot of variables that you can't control for very well. Even a tailwind that's ~30 degrees from the rear of the vehicle can still hurt range. I can get nearly 3 mi/kWh for my commute in my truck if it's in the 40s outside, but below zero, blasting heat, and not trying to be efficient at all and it's more like 1.1-1.3.

Ahh yeah that’s a heck of a drop in efficiency. Our truck was in a warm (~60 degrees) garage so I didn’t think it would be the battery warmup. It’s mid 60’s here today so maybe I’ll take it for a drive in a bit and see if the warmer outside ambient temperature makes a difference. Thanks!

 

[EVnewb]

FWIW
If I precondition my Leaf battery and I am at 100%, I end up going to work (round trip 5.2mi) and back and driving in my garage with 100%. That's even when it is 10 degrees out (1-2mi loss on range)
Not preconditioning in the cold temps and I end up driving back in with about 92-93%. (10-15mi loss on range)
Agreed with what @PastyPilgrim said, it takes a lot to warm up the truck and battery in colder temps on short trips.

That’s a big drop too! Is there a way to precondition the Rivian? I turn the climate on about 10 mins before leaving while it’s plugged in sometimes, but I don’t think that does anything with the battery correct?

 

[EVnewb]

I have about 1300 miles on my truck and lifetime average is about 1.7 mi/kWh. I'm in Colorado and it's been unusally cold since I've owned the truck.

That makes me feel a little better!

 

[PastyPilgrim]

That’s a big drop too! Is there a way to precondition the Rivian? I turn the climate on about 10 mins before leaving while it’s plugged in sometimes, but I don’t think that does anything with the battery correct?

You can kind of precondition the Rivian by having it charging before you go, since charging warms the battery up. If you have enough notice before going somewhere (and you actually need to be a bit efficient), you could change your charger setting (e.g. 70% -> 85%) like an hour before you leave and that will warm the battery a bit.

You could also configure your charging settings to only charge in the hours leading up to going places (e.g. only charge from 5am to 9am or something so that it's freshly charged by 9am).

This is only really relevant if you need to go far though.

 

[EVnewb]

You can kind of precondition the Rivian by having it charging before you go, since charging warms the battery up. If you have enough notice before going somewhere (and you actually need to be a bit efficient), you could change your charger setting (e.g. 70% -> 85%) like an hour before you leave and that will warm the battery a bit.

You could also configure your charging settings to only charge in the hours leading up to going places (e.g. only charge from 5am to 9am or something so that it's freshly charged by 9am).

This is only really relevant if you need to go far though.

That’s actually a really good idea! I’m going to set the charging start time to a few hours before the morning commute. Thank you!

 

[SlaterGS]

That’s a big drop too! Is there a way to precondition the Rivian? I turn the climate on about 10 mins before leaving while it’s plugged in sometimes, but I don’t think that does anything with the battery correct?

Others can answer that better for sure since I don't have mine yet.
The thing that confuses me a bit about my situation is I have 2.6mi to go to work. The car sets for 9 hours in freezing temperatures, then I come home 2.6mi.
I'm only preconditioning one direction, yet it really seems to drop very little efficiency for the round trip.
My theory (smarter people weigh in) is that I only charge like 1 time a week and when I do it is to 100% with preconditioning and the whole battery pack warms up. Outside of those charges, many of the trips are so short the battery never warms up much. Preconditioning that one time in the morning still must have some warmth in the battery pack to garner good efficiency.

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