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Offroading an EV

SeaGeo

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I'm mostly here communicate some envy for the environment there, that looks amazing, and to second everyone else saying it sounds great for your uses @StuartR. The battery usage AJ was mentioning isn't a time issue. It's just the added energy required to traverse a rocky environment (for example) vs smooth pavement. Which will vary widely, but I'm sure we'll get an idea of relatively quickly.
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SoCal Rob

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Not sure how the regulations work out here, but it would be very cool if this could be disabled in software for off-road use (even if location-gated, similar to Tank Turn).

Otherwise, it's fairly likely that you can trivially silence the PWS - a number of aftermarket companies already make cable terminators for the Model 3/Y to disable the PWS speaker without throwing any errors in the vehicle.

I haven't done this (too much of a goody two shoes ?, and the Model Y's PWS sound is benign and virtually inaudible from inside the vehicle) but I could see how it would be appealing if the PWS sound is obnoxious and you're gently crunching along offroad...
I think it would be cool if the sound emitted when not on paved roads was selectable from natural choices: tires on gravel, crunching of twigs and dry leaves, or similar. It would vary with speed so you’d still have an audible indication of vehicle movement but it would seem a little more appropriate for a natural setting. This probably wouldn’t meet some technical specification but I think it would be nice if possible and I think it would be very on-brand for Rivian.
 

kylealden

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I think it would be cool if the sound emitted when not on paved roads was selectable from natural choices: tires on gravel, crunching of twigs and dry leaves, or similar. It would vary with speed so you’d still have an audible indication of vehicle movement but it would seem a little more appropriate for a natural setting. This probably wouldn’t meet some technical specification but I think it would be nice if possible and I think it would be very on-brand for Rivian.
Tesla offers a bunch of (juvenile) sound choices for the PWS speaker, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility!
 

godfodder0901

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Tesla offers a bunch of (juvenile) sound choices for the PWS speaker, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility!
I think much of that was supported before the requirements were instituted. There have been grumblings on this forum that indicates the sounds have some VERY specific requirements. So I'm sure Rivian and us owners will be quite restricted.
 

irish26

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Every indication is that the shielding will far surpass anything offered on a stock ICE. Given that Rivian is willing to warranty the vehicles and accessories during off-road use, I am confident they've done all the testing required to validate that nothing can risk puncturing the battery pack.
Has Rivian stated that punctures through the battery pack will be covered under warranty? I have read several stories of this on Tesla forums and Tesla does not cover it under warranty. The owners have had to file insurance claims to cover the replacement.
 

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crashmtb

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Has Rivian stated that punctures through the battery pack will be covered under warranty? I have read several stories of this on Tesla forums and Tesla does not cover it under warranty. The owners have had to file insurance claims to cover the replacement.
Why would they be? If I punch a hole in my car’s oil pan
no warranty.
 

kylealden

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Has Rivian stated that punctures through the battery pack will be covered under warranty? I have read several stories of this on Tesla forums and Tesla does not cover it under warranty. The owners have had to file insurance claims to cover the replacement.
Damage from hitting an obstacle is pretty much never covered. If something fails due to a manufacturing defect during normal use, you're probably OK. If it demonstrably cracked under a light load (a thrown rock or something), you're probably OK.

If you slam the truck down on a boulder and it splits the pack in half, "I saw them off-roading on the website" is not going to get you a free pack any more than it would get you a new Hummer if you busted it the same way.
 

crashmtb

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That's kind of my thought too. It would make me nervous to rock crawl, that we have much of that in Florida anyways.
Sounds like one would have to be doing something exceptionally stupid, as the underbody is rated to hold the vehicle’s gross weight on a 2” square, at any point.
 

irish26

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Sounds like one would have to be doing something exceptionally stupid, as the underbody is rated to hold the vehicle’s gross weight on a 2” square, at any point.
Yeah that sounds good on a brochure and all but in reality it’s very misleading. Pick up a static 40 pound weight. It’s not that difficult. Now try to catch that same weight that has fallen from 12 inches. There is a significant difference in the level of force exerted.
 

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StuartR

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Thank you all for the advice and the encouragement. I have driven on the mountain roads and highland trails on a regular basis for about 15 years, and in that time I have not once come down hard on a rock. This is a bit of luck, but really just judgement and caution. I have had situations where I have had a light scrape, generally as I slowly rolled forward to see if I could clear it, but I think if your goal is exploring rather than purposely rock crawling, it is not much of an issue with a car that has this much clearance. If it is close enough to be worrisome it is generally best to get out and look at how much clearance you have, move the rock if you can, or even turn around in a worst case scenario. I think the front protection plate is probably the most helpful in this sense. Even if you do hit a rock, it is not likely to be at speed...if you do, you would be having a very bad day no matter whether your car had batteries or an internal combustion engine. I think the completely flat bottom of the Rivian will be a lot easier and less frightening to have a minor scrape on, vs. the complicated undercarriage of an ICE truck.

In any case, I am interested to see how these fare, as well as how long the battery lasts off road. The Rivian will not have enough range to do the trip I tend to make in one day (I generally drive from one side of the country to the other to a friend's farm, which is about 700km away and takes 8-9 hours without stopping on our roads), but otherwise I think it will handle most of my trips without much of a problem. The biggest challenge the Rivian will have here is in charging in remote locations. Nearly all the towns have EV charging by now, but so much of the country is without infrastructure that I think plug in hybrids and or ICE cars will dominate the true highland expeditions for a long time to come, though I think I can get away with the Rivian in nearly all my usage cases.
 

Inkedsphynx

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It'd be pretty inane for Rivian to say:

"Yea, so, since you were offroading we won't cover the rock puncture to the battery pack that we attested could sustain the entire truck being dropped on a square inch worth of shielding. We will, however, replace the broken spoon from your Snow Peak kitchen set, since we're willing to cover all your random accessories, but not actual required components for vehicle functionality."

I really can't see that happening. Maybe I'm an idiot. I guess we'll see, because I'm definitely taking mine rock crawling.. probably the day I get it.
 

ajdelange

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Battery use was another thing I was curious about. I tend not to use a ton of fuel off road, but I am not sure what the relationship between passive run time and driving time is. In other words, if I am in the car for three hours but only travel 10km, how does that affect battery life?
Effectively you will use 10 km worth of electricity. When the motors are not turning the vehicle uses a little power but not much. The exceptions are if you have the airconditioning (not likely in Iceland I wouldn't think) or heat (more likely) turned on. The heater might, in 3 hrs, pull as much as 6 kWh (probably more like 2 or 3). There is also "vampire" or "phantom" drain which is the power necessary to keep the vehicle alive (ready to respond to your commands). This is relatively small.
 
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EVnewb

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Is it even legal to have an EV in ICEland? ??

You live in a very beautiful country! My wife and I went there for Christmas one year. Stayed in Akureyri for a few days and then drove up to Siglufjörður in a blizzard. We spent Christmas morning snowed in at the hotel up there! We are planning to come back in summer because a lot of friendly locals recommended it.

How is the charge station network over there? Aren’t utility costs practically nonexistent? I think I remember folks saying geothermal energy is used for heating and electricity generation.

Love the commuter rigs people drive over there too!

Rivian R1T R1S Offroading an EV CA2D62B6-3B30-440E-8326-6EFD65E42B55
 

C.R. Rivian

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Curious how people feel about taking these trucks off road. I've been holding out on replacing my 4runner until I could get an electric off-road capable vehicle, and here it is. But I'll admit I'm a little nervous about a battery pack being the first line of defense when we are on rocky trails. The rivians have more clearance than my 4runner, but if I look at the bottom of my vehicle there are definitely some battle wounds.
The shielding definitely seems legit, I think I've seen some quotes about holding the weight of the vehicle on like 2 square inches or something. But there's a difference in holding the weight and hitting a rock at higher speeds...

Realistically Im thinking I'll just take it slow and not push it. Have some more caution when I'm not sure I can easily clear an obstacle. But it will be interesting to see these in the field.
See The 2022 Rivian R1T Is the Most Remarkable Pickup We’ve Ever Driven (motortrend.com) for a great look at off-roading advantages.
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