Learned more Rivian Gen 2 tech updates / differences to Gen 1

[SoCal Rob]

I'm not expert service repair technician, but I am still not understanding the rationale for the 12V battery being under the passenger seat. The whole video is talking about making the repair process easier, but seems like that is a lot more difficult to physically remove a seat when the battery dies.

Maybe I'm old fashioned and just want to replace the battery myself by popping the hood, loosening some nuts, and swapping the battery in a few minutes. This new design seems like it forces you to go to a service center.

The video mostly talks about Gen2, but with all the cost efficiencies being developed I'm guessing these design choices will be consistent with R2/R3/R3X?

I wonder if being in the climate-controlled cabin means a longer MTBF and/or fewer sudden failures. That would justify locating it there.

Sponsored

 

[R1Tom]

Yeah, they explain it fairly well in the video. Sounds like it is just as "convenient" as it was before with the post in the frunk area.

Except how do you get to it if it has a catastrophic short and the truck is locked? Jump process won't work. Break window?

 

[COdogman]

Except how do you get to it if it has a catastrophic short and the truck is locked? Jump process won't work. Break window?

That’s a fair question. I don’t know how often that comes up or what they would do whether it’s located in under the frunk hood or under the seat

 

[R1Tom]

That’s a fair question. I don’t know how often that comes up or what they would do whether it’s located in under the frunk hood or under the seat

With the G1 frunk you can get at the battery, in a failure event, by accessing the manual frunk release cord located under fender lining in driver front.

With it in G2 under seat....with no physical key provision....my best guess....break a window?

As far as frequency...not sure...but it seems we have seen a fair number of people who have had 12v brick failures.

I guess it just seems so odd to me that these aren't super easy to get at....in a vehicle that is an 'adventure vehicle".

 

[COdogman]

With the G1 frunk you can get at the battery, in a failure event, by accessing the manual frunk release cord located under fender lining in driver front.

With it in G2 under seat....with no physical key provision....my best guess....break a window?

As far as frequency...not sure...but it seems we have seen a fair number of people who have had 12v brick failures.

Ah I forgot about that hood release under the fender. I wonder if they have a new way of unlocking if the 12v is dead and they just don’t want to announce that to the world. Otherwise the seat location seems like a very odd choice.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Ah I forgot about that hood release under the fender. I wonder if they have a new way of unlocking if the 12v is dead and they just don’t want to announce that to the world. Otherwise the seat location seems like a very odd choice.

I'm sure they do. With the new door actuators, I'm willing to bet they can power them in case of a battery failure. Like Rob said, I bet putting them in the climate-controlled cabin will also reduce spontaneous battery failure.

 

[SoCal Rob]

Except how do you get to it if it has a catastrophic short and the truck is locked? Jump process won't work. Break window?

I think (hope?) they have a provision for this to prevent high in-warranty repair costs involving window replacement and vehicle cleanup.

If, as I suspect, putting it in the cabin means a longer life and hopefully fewer sudden failures then this makes sense from Rivian’s perspective. If the battery is less likely to need in-warranty replacement then the higher cost of seat removal to replace the battery isn’t coming out of Rivian’s pocket.

 

[SoCal Rob]

I'm sure they do. With the new door actuators, I'm willing to bet they can power them in case of a battery failure. Like Rob said, I bet putting them in the climate-controlled cabin will also reduce spontaneous battery failure.

A special tool to power an electric door actuator makes a lot of sense.

 

[mkhuffman]

We don't have to guess. We have an owner's manual:

A 12 V system jump start provides power to:

l Open the doors and front trunk to remove your belongings.​

l Open the charge port door if you need to charge the high-voltage battery.​

l Release the electronic park brake from the center display if you need to transport the vehicle.​

On model year 2025 vehicles, a 12 V system jump start also provides power to:

l Adjust the front seats.​

l Open or close the front windows.​

l Access all storage areas.​

Looks really easy, in fact. Much easier than my Mach-e. This is a huge plus.

The manual does not appear to include the process for replacing the 12V battery. Taking the seat out to do it will be a PIA. The 12V battery is under the passenger seat in my Jeep GC as well, but videos show it can be removed by moving the seat all the way forward. Rivian should have done it that way also.

 

[SoCal Rob]

We don't have to guess. We have an owner's manual:

A 12 V system jump start provides power to:

l Open the doors and front trunk to remove your belongings.​

l Open the charge port door if you need to charge the high-voltage battery.​

l Release the electronic park brake from the center display if you need to transport the vehicle.​

On model year 2025 vehicles, a 12 V system jump start also provides power to:

l Adjust the front seats.​

l Open or close the front windows.​

l Access all storage areas.​

Looks really easy, in fact. Much easier than my Mach-e. This is a huge plus.

The manual does not appear to include the process for replacing the 12V battery. Taking the seat out to do it will be a PIA. The 12V battery is under the passenger seat in my Jeep GC as well, but videos show it can be removed by moving the seat all the way forward. Rivian should have done it that way also.

That wouldn’t address this, though:

Except how do you get to it if it has a catastrophic short and the truck is locked? Jump process won't work.

 

[mkhuffman]

That wouldn’t address this, though:

How common is a catastrophic short? Personally I am concerned about the battery wearing out and then needing to get into the truck to take care of it.

 

[mpshizzle]

How common is a catastrophic short? Personally I am concerned about the battery wearing out and then needing to get into the truck to take care of it.

^^^this

If the jump process doesn't work then you've got much bigger issues to worry about than a broken window.

Seems like a lot of discussion hung up on a pretty severe, extreme, rare case.

 

[hammick]

Doesn't a dead 12v often prevent access to the vehicle? At least in Gen 1 you can still attempt to "jump" it to unlock and get your stuff out.

I'm guessing there are jump leads in the frunk somewhere and a manual way to open the frunk if the 12v is dead.

 

[mpshizzle]

I'm guessing there are jump leads in the frunk somewhere and a manual way to open the frunk if the 12v is dead.

They confirmed that there are jump points both in the back bumper, where they were in gen 1, as well as another set of jump points in the frunk where the battery used to be

 

[hammick]

I'm not expert service repair technician, but I am still not understanding the rationale for the 12V battery being under the passenger seat. The whole video is talking about making the repair process easier, but seems like that is a lot more difficult to physically remove a seat when the battery dies.

Maybe I'm old fashioned and just want to replace the battery myself by popping the hood, loosening some nuts, and swapping the battery in a few minutes. This new design seems like it forces you to go to a service center.

The video mostly talks about Gen2, but with all the cost efficiencies being developed I'm guessing these design choices will be consistent with R2/R3/R3X?

Our '16 Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel has its AGM battery under the passenger seat. It can be changed by putting the seat fully up and forward. I keep a battery tender on it and I don't think it will be that hard to replace when the time comes.

Sponsored