It did alright at -31F!

[Brian99]

Matt, a question for you.
Would you drive it to Harding Lake and back on a day like today? (Friday the 15th)

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[mattgray600]

Matt, a question for you.
Would you drive it to Harding Lake and back on a day like today? (Friday the 15th)

I would have no hesitancy as long as I prepared like I would for any trip in the winter up here.

Meaning that I would leave from warm garage fully charged with emergency kit.

Emergency kit for the Rivian if I HAD to go for a distance would include my generators, parallel kit, and gas.

As long as I left fully charged and warm, I dont think it would have an issue.

That’s only 85 miles round trip.

 

[Brian99]

I would have no hesitancy as long as I prepared like I would for any trip in the winter up here.

Meaning that I would leave from warm garage fully charged with emergency kit.

Emergency kit for the Rivian if I HAD to go for a distance would include my generators, parallel kit, and gas.

As long as I left fully charged and warm, I dont think it would have an issue.

That’s only 85 miles round trip.

Thanks Matt,
I live in Fairbanks as well and have been following the development of EV's for a while. Its nice to get some real feedback versus all the FUD and hate you get when posting on Social Media about anything EV related. Haven't seen your Rivian yet, but now that I know there is one in town I'll keep my eyes open.

 

[gwatts]

I love it @mattgray600
So good to hear how it performs up there.
Ultimate goal is to retrace my route to the Arctic Ocean via the Dempster to Tuk in a R1S in winter like I did with a Land Cruiser. Epic trip. It'll be awhile for that happens in any EV.

 

[mkhuffman]

I would have no hesitancy as long as I prepared like I would for any trip in the winter up here.

Meaning that I would leave from warm garage fully charged with emergency kit.

Emergency kit for the Rivian if I HAD to go for a distance would include my generators, parallel kit, and gas.

As long as I left fully charged and warm, I dont think it would have an issue.

That’s only 85 miles round trip.

How did the cabin heater do? Did it blow out warm air, or was the heater primarily being used to warm the battery?

 

[iansriv]

Well, I'm going to have to rethink that idea of going to AK to see the Northern lights. Love how great the R1 is performing for you though. -32 is unreal!

 

[zgStevieD]

I would agree, but school not in the best area of town, and a pretty expensive portable charger might be too tempting for some.

We did the nice drive from Colorado Springs, and ferried it in the summer! Was a great trip! Only keeping it in Alaska for 2 years before we head out for good. I thought it would be a great test of its fortitude. It has impressed me immensely.

Did you get the same efficiency as Rivian app showed me yesterday?!? ?

 

[Helios]

It was the coldest day yet for our Rivian in Fairbanks, AK!

Truck spent 12+ hours outside sitting yesterday (and did not get above -20!). Only drove two short distances after sitting for several hours. First was to go home and eat some dinner before a Christmas concert at the school, so the truck only got 1 hour in a 55 degree garage as a respite!

Had no problem warming up the cabin (and did it pretty quick too) for that drive home.

Now, efficiency? Not so great, but nothing does great at these temps! For the final drive home (less than 10 miles) I saw under 1 (.08 miles per KWH!).

I was actually pretty happy with the way it performed.

Got home, and tucked it in the garage and set charger to not kick in until midnight to give vehicle time to thaw!

Apparently Rivian does extensive testing and design at temps down to -40F. See https://electrek.co/2021/02/27/rivian-tests-r1t-electric-pickup-in-sub-zero-temperatures/

Also, where is the battery temperature shown in the UI?

 

[mattgray600]

How did the cabin heater do? Did it blow out warm air, or was the heater primarily being used to warm the battery?

I set temp at 68 to auto and ran seat heat and steering wheel heat. Pre-heated cabin about 20 minutes before heading home. It started at 1 degree in cabin, and by the time I departed it showed 65'ish.

Felt comfortable enough to take off coat, and not need gloves. That is NOT usually the case in my ICE vehicles heading out.

 

[mattgray600]

Apparently Rivian does extensive testing and design at temps down to -40F. See https://electrek.co/2021/02/27/rivian-tests-r1t-electric-pickup-in-sub-zero-temperatures/

Also, where is the battery temperature shown in the UI?

Lots of newer info in a recent update in the vehicle settings, including battery and motor temps.

Image is my starting temps in the garage!

 

[Chewy734]

Thanks for sharing your experiences in chilly weather!

How’s the weather sealing capabilities? Don’t feel a cold draft anywhere on the freeways?

 

[Chiefhawk]

It was the coldest day yet for our Rivian in Fairbanks, AK!

Truck spent 12+ hours outside sitting yesterday (and did not get above -20!). Only drove two short distances after sitting for several hours. First was to go home and eat some dinner before a Christmas concert at the school, so the truck only got 1 hour in a 55 degree garage as a respite!

Had no problem warming up the cabin (and did it pretty quick too) for that drive home.

Now, efficiency? Not so great, but nothing does great at these temps! For the final drive home (less than 10 miles) I saw under 1 (.08 miles per KWH!).

I was actually pretty happy with the way it performed.

Got home, and tucked it in the garage and set charger to not kick in until midnight to give vehicle time to thaw!

What charger do you have that it lets you set the time to start?

 

[mattgray600]

Rivian charger. In Rivian app, you can set a schedule. Knowing it was cold I set it to start at midnight, to give it a couple of hours to thaw after 13 hours in sub -25+ temps.

Thus was at 70% the next morning, ready to go.

 

[White Shadow]

I set temp at 68 to auto and ran seat heat and steering wheel heat. Pre-heated cabin about 20 minutes before heading home. It started at 1 degree in cabin, and by the time I departed it showed 65'ish.

Felt comfortable enough to take off coat, and not need gloves. That is NOT usually the case in my ICE vehicles heading out.

Come on now.... ICE vehicles make waste heat like crazy. Last winter I drove for weeks in below zero ambient temps and couldn't ever run full heat. Even driving in a t-shirt, I'd be a sweaty mess driving with the heat on max. That's what makes ICE so inefficient....so much of the energy is wasted in heat. There's simply no shortage of it in an ICE vehicle.

Unless you're specifically talking about the first few minutes of driving before you get full heat.

 

[usofrob]

Not all ICE vehicles. My Lotus Elise is so well cooled that when driving on the freeway in the winter the coolant barely gets to operating temperature.
Also, I think the point is that when the vehicle sits idle it doesn't generate a lot of heat either (compared to when it's under load). I've had another vehicle with a more insulated V8 that would overheat much more quickly and burn gas when idling.

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