Parking Light Activation

[hinxster]

2026 R1S Tri Motor. Besides using the Show and Tell feature which is inconvenient, is there any way to turn on the parking lights and leave them on when no one is in the vehicle?

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[hinxster]

Wow, I for sure thought that I was missing something, but clearly there isn’t a simple way to leave the parking lights on. It’s amazing that NHTSA allows this from a vehicle manufacturer.

 

[VandalSibs]

There are "guide lights" that activate when you open the doors after parking, and can be set to stay on for up to two minutes (I believe) after the doors lock. They should also turn on when you unlock the vehicle, either with a button press from the fob or app, or via proximity unlock.

Unless you are talking about something else?

 

[SANZC02]

Wow, I for sure thought that I was missing something, but clearly there isn’t a simple way to leave the parking lights on. It’s amazing that NHTSA allows this from a vehicle manufacturer.

Usually a good idea to check the manual, there are parking lights, they are controlled by the stalk on the left of the steering column.

 

[hinxster]

There are "guide lights" that activate when you open the doors after parking, and can be set to stay on for up to two minutes (I believe) after the doors lock. They should also turn on when you unlock the vehicle, either with a button press from the fob or app, or via proximity unlock.

Unless you are talking about something else?

 

[hinxster]

Usually a good idea to check the manual, there are parking lights, they are controlled by the stalk on the left of the steering column.

Usually a good idea to check the manual, there are parking lights, they are controlled by the stalk on the left of the steering column.

Nice assumption…I did check the manual and am very familiar with the controls (which DO NOT leave the parking lights on for an extended time after you leave the driver’s seat)

 

[endress14]

out of curiosity, why would you want to leave the parking lights on for an extended period when you aren’t in the vehicle?

 

[Dark-Fx]

Wow, I for sure thought that I was missing something, but clearly there isn’t a simple way to leave the parking lights on. It’s amazing that NHTSA allows this from a vehicle manufacturer.

Hazard lights work fine. Rivian follows FMVSS pretty strictly, if you are aware of a deviation you should report it to NHTSA.

 

[hinxster]

out of curiosity, why would you want to leave the parking lights on for an extended period when you aren’t in the vehicle?

Too many reasons to list, and this is the first car I’ve ever owned that doesn’t allow this

 

[TTedP]

Too many reasons to list, and this is the first car I’ve ever owned that doesn’t allow this

What's your top 3?
How long are we talking unoccupied?
Is this your first EV or car with touchscreen controls vs manual switches?

Post seems a bit disingenuous. Personally, I’ve never had a reason for a car to sit unoccupied for an extended amount of time with lights on. Even in an ICE that was a cause for a dead battery.

I did recently see a R1 with guide lights left on - were on when I went in the gym and still on when I came out. Not sure if thats a setting somewhere or a glitch.

 

[1stPlace]

Nice assumption…I did check the manual and am very familiar with the controls (which DO NOT leave the parking lights on for an extended time after you leave the driver’s seat)

Did you try to enable “stay on” in the camping menu? I would assume the parking lights would stay on with the car

 

[mkg3]

Too many reasons to list, and this is the first car I’ve ever owned that doesn’t allow this

Have you owned another EV?

The primary reason is the leaving the 12V based parking lights on will drain the 12V battery and brick the vehicle. Unlike ICE vehicle, where you can simply jump and start the vehicle, EVs have too many safeguards to simply jump start the vehicle. The HV battery is supposed to charge the 12V but its inconsistent and often the battery is drained too far for the HV charging to work properly.

Additional consideration is that if the 12V is dead, the doors will not unlock since there is no physical key. While the card is RFID, the lock release mechanism is electrical. Perhaps if you leave your vehicle unlocked or in car wash mode, this may not be an issue.

Since the 12V battery on EVs are there to just run the accessories (windows, locks horns and so on), typically is undersized compared to ICE based 12V battery where deep cranking cycle is required to start the engine in the cold.

 

[savethemanual]

Have you owned another EV?

The primary reason is the leaving the 12V based parking lights on will drain the 12V battery and brick the vehicle. Unlike ICE vehicle, where you can simply jump and start the vehicle, EVs have too many safeguards to simply jump start the vehicle. The HV battery is supposed to charge the 12V but its inconsistent and often the battery is drained too far for the HV charging to work properly.

Additional consideration is that if the 12V is dead, the doors will not unlock since there is no physical key. While the card is RFID, the lock release mechanism is electrical. Perhaps if you leave your vehicle unlocked or in car wash mode, this may not be an issue.

Since the 12V battery on EVs are there to just run the accessories (windows, locks horns and so on), typically is undersized compared to ICE based 12V battery where deep cranking cycle is required to start the engine in the cold.

This. Yes nearly all ICE vehicles you can leave parking lights on, leave and lock the vehicle. But it's never an intentional design, a good way to drain the battery if one is not paying attention.

 

[hinxster]

Hazard lights work fine. Rivian follows FMVSS pretty strictly, if you are aware of a deviation you should report it to NHTSA.

 

[hinxster]

I appreciate everyone's feedback!

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