Rants and Raves after 2 months of Rivian R1T ownership [DISCLAIMER: Unauthorized feedback from non-owner]

[Tim-in-CA]

1500w max combined for the 120v plugs, if memory serves. Dunno how that compares to a level 1 charge though.

Level 1 is simply using a standard 120V outlet. Seems like its achievable assuming you can back the charge rate down to 12A.

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[SeaGeo]

an update From LeeksnotLeaks on Reddit:

Thanks for linking! Just to respond to a few things:
Service personnel (as well as everyone on the phone and our guide) have been incredibly quick, friendly, and responsive. It's actually getting service to get out to me that's been slow.
2021.45 really stepped up the snappiness of the UI. I've experienced a couple of screen freezes (but only after driving for 7 hours), but a display reset seems to fix them.
Hard reset + firmware repush = update installed
Damn, that trip odometer is really hidden! Didn't make it intuitive at all.
The mobile app does not have the ability to precondition the truck - not sure if @Iwantatesla has a different app version. You can preset interior cabin temp, but you can't precondition the truck's battery from the app.
Phantom drain: even without Gear Guard, phantom drain was still pretty bad. See "elsewhere" in OP.
I find it odd that @Iwantatesla hasn't experienced phantom braking at all. It's been so prevalent for us that we've had to just drive manually the past month. I do agree that it's better than most legacy OEM's systems though (even if not by a lot).
Ok, maybe our air compressor is just busted. We can't get the compressor's display to turn on (and just pressing the play/pause button doesn't do anything).
Also, was told not to mess with the tonneau cover right now by Rivian Service. Supposedly it gets jammed really easily. SW fix incoming "soon".

So sounds like some learning experiences for the owner, and then some differences between individual vehicles as far as I can tell.

Overall both owners seem happy with their trucks, minus some software/bms issues to clean up and the extremely early deliver QC issues leeks had with his truck that will get fixed.

 

[r1t_kev]

Level 1 is simply using a standard 120V outlet. Seems like its achievable assuming you can back the charge rate down to 12A.

This makes it look theoretically possible, no?

 

[twinprice]

@Iwantatesla , I also want to thank you for your comments and detailed responses to all of our questions! They are awesome and help partially satiate my need for more input!

My one question for you is in regards to your earlier response:

Range - I've been getting 240-250 miles per charge, I know it hasn't been much yet but this is what I'm seeing. 20" All Terrain, drive it like a stole it, Regen on HIGH

How high are you charging your battery when getting 240-250 miles?

Hope you are feeling better and better from your bout with Covid!

 

[Iwantatesla]

@Iwantatesla , I also want to thank you for your comments and detailed responses to all of our questions! They are awesome and help partially satiate my need for more input!

My one question for you is in regards to your earlier response:


How high are you charging your battery when getting 240-250 miles?

Hope you are feeling better and better from your bout with Covid!

I always goes 100% and then I run down the 10% down as quickly as humanely possible…

 

[Iwantatesla]

an update From LeeksnotLeaks on Reddit:

Thanks for linking! Just to respond to a few things:
Service personnel (as well as everyone on the phone and our guide) have been incredibly quick, friendly, and responsive. It's actually getting service to get out to me that's been slow.
2021.45 really stepped up the snappiness of the UI. I've experienced a couple of screen freezes (but only after driving for 7 hours), but a display reset seems to fix them.
Hard reset + firmware repush = update installed
Damn, that trip odometer is really hidden! Didn't make it intuitive at all.
The mobile app does not have the ability to precondition the truck - not sure if @Iwantatesla has a different app version. You can preset interior cabin temp, but you can't precondition the truck's battery from the app.
Phantom drain: even without Gear Guard, phantom drain was still pretty bad. See "elsewhere" in OP.
I find it odd that @Iwantatesla hasn't experienced phantom braking at all. It's been so prevalent for us that we've had to just drive manually the past month. I do agree that it's better than most legacy OEM's systems though (even if not by a lot).
Ok, maybe our air compressor is just busted. We can't get the compressor's display to turn on (and just pressing the play/pause button doesn't do anything).
Also, was told not to mess with the tonneau cover right now by Rivian Service. Supposedly it gets jammed really easily. SW fix incoming "soon".

So sounds like some learning experiences for the owner, and then some differences between individual vehicles as far as I can tell.

Overall both owners seem happy with their trucks, minus some software/bms issues to clean up and the extremely early deliver QC issues leeks had with his truck that will get fixed.

When you turn the heat on I’m pretty sure it preconditions the battery. It’s manually prompted.

Phantom braking can also be related to the kinds of overpasses and heights of signs. It’s hard to say without seeing what the car sees.

 

[Dbeglor]

The mobile app does not have the ability to precondition the truck - not sure if @Iwantatesla has a different app version. You can preset interior cabin temp, but you can't precondition the truck's battery from the app.

For those following along here, these are effectively the same thing. I'm not aware of any other vehicle having a specific "battery precondition" button in the app or in-car, or any more detailed type of application such as "set battery temp to XX degrees". Preconditioning is essentially just about creating heat in the system, however you go about it, and the BMS does the rest.

The app and vehicle also allow for scheduled charging by departure time, so this will also "precondition" the battery when departing from home, either from the heat created by charging and also cabin preconditioning. This preconditioning is for energy efficiency purposes, not charging purposes, and is the same thing as an ICE engine getting better MPG when it's warm vs. a cold start.

So, I think the only mystery is whether, when routing to a DCFC, the vehicle does any fine tuning of battery temps to prepare for the charging, which would all be done in the background most likely (if needed at all).

 

[DaveA]

an update From LeeksnotLeaks on Reddit:

Thanks for linking! Just to respond to a few things:
Service personnel (as well as everyone on the phone and our guide) have been incredibly quick, friendly, and responsive. It's actually getting service to get out to me that's been slow.
2021.45 really stepped up the snappiness of the UI. I've experienced a couple of screen freezes (but only after driving for 7 hours), but a display reset seems to fix them.
Hard reset + firmware repush = update installed
Damn, that trip odometer is really hidden! Didn't make it intuitive at all.
The mobile app does not have the ability to precondition the truck - not sure if @Iwantatesla has a different app version. You can preset interior cabin temp, but you can't precondition the truck's battery from the app.
Phantom drain: even without Gear Guard, phantom drain was still pretty bad. See "elsewhere" in OP.
I find it odd that @Iwantatesla hasn't experienced phantom braking at all. It's been so prevalent for us that we've had to just drive manually the past month. I do agree that it's better than most legacy OEM's systems though (even if not by a lot).
Ok, maybe our air compressor is just busted. We can't get the compressor's display to turn on (and just pressing the play/pause button doesn't do anything).
Also, was told not to mess with the tonneau cover right now by Rivian Service. Supposedly it gets jammed really easily. SW fix incoming "soon".

So sounds like some learning experiences for the owner, and then some differences between individual vehicles as far as I can tell.

Overall both owners seem happy with their trucks, minus some software/bms issues to clean up and the extremely early deliver QC issues leeks had with his truck that will get fixed.

Interesting...SW fix for tonneau? Maybe there is a motor syncing issue?

 

[SeaGeo]

When you turn the heat on I’m pretty sure it preconditions the battery. It’s manually prompted

I've submitted a question to customer support about this too. There are enough EVs that don't precondition for DC charging when cold (or cool when hot) that I want to get clarification on it. fast charging my ID.4 sucks right now.

 

[SeaGeo]

So, I think the only mystery is whether, when routing to a DCFC, the vehicle does any fine tuning of battery temps to prepare for the charging, which would all be done in the background most likely (if needed at all).

exactly. I chatted with CS about it and asked them to pass the question along. If I get a response I'll share it. I kind of doubt it will though, and suspect someone with a truck will have to get clarification eventually.

I also suggested they add a battery temp to the drivers display to help people understand what the truck/SUV is doing and whether to send EA hate mail when they pull up and get 50kW charging speeds when it's chilly out.

 

[_evtrk]

I dont understand peoples obsession with homelink, I have been using google assistant/alexa for years to do what home link does plus much much more. all voice controlled or at the press of a button on my phone. and at a cost of just $30.

carplay/AA another one i dont understand why people are going crazy over this. yes the current navigation probably isnt where it needs to be, who knows why they aren't offering carplay/AA integration at this point in time, could be the software architecture they are using, who knows. is it the end of the world, no. have people always had carplay/AA integration in all the vehicles they have had ? no. did they manage before it , yes. if you're someone that takes a lot of road trips, it may be a pain, for the most though you really dont need navigation that much for the most part. i for one find that stock one are a pain to use, but that has to do with input, if the vehicle has a decent input method the stock maps will be pretty usable.

QC and gaps, not good to read about those issues, now with that said, Chicago auto pros went over an R1T in their recent youtube videos, they did say there were some gaps and some slight things, but overall these gaps and mis alignments seemed pretty acceptable, not highly visible unless you're up close and looking for them. they also did mention how the paint was pretty good.

phantom breaking , these kinds of things are to be expected for the first few months, maybe even years as they work out bugs and improve the driver+ stuff. look at tesla, they are probably the best in self driving, and they are still improving the software, this should be something that's expected especially being a new company.

phantom drain, same as above, this could be a result of some settings the owner isn't aware of, some is to be expected, and improvements should come via OTA over time. shouldn't be too worried about this.

auto high beams are standard, but also not something that people should be making such a big deal about, i mean come one, how hard is it to turn on when needed and off when you dont. i for one hate when i see someone with them on as i am always blinded before the vehicles auto them off.

pre-conditioning is something that can be adjusted, added or removed OTA. as more data comes in simulations can be run and tried in real world to see if they work and improve things.

DCFC issue is a weird one as i have never heard about this, even with some of the info given to us from the rebelle rally ladies they never mentions issued after 10 charges, same with some of the cross country trips that some have documented and shared this never came up. some of those did 19+ stops with DCFC.

overall i dont think there are too many issues with what most people have said, yes some things need some fixing but those things seem to be software related and thats easy fix with OTA. I hope the camera quality is also just an OTA fix, and i think it is, i wouldnt use low quality cameras if i was making a vehicle with any type of level 2+ self driving.

now you always need to remember too, there are always going to some people that are just looking for anything to complain about, not saying this is the case here, but some people arent happy with anything. even when theres nothing to complain about they will make sure to come up with something. i call these people phantom complainers.

 

[crashmtb]

Wonder if you could Level 1 charge another vehicle from the 120V outlets ... you'd get measly charge (~3mi/hr), but would be something in a pinch.

could, probably. But you wouldnt be able to run the camp kitchen’s stove to make the food needed to make the wait tolerable

You can also retro fit a Gentex mirror with HL as well ... I'm with you and hope this gets resolved by the time I get my 1H23 R1S!!

I really don't want to use MyQ to open/close the door due to delays and the CRAZY beeping the door does when closed remotely (I know it is for safety, but its super annoying).

I’d change the mirror for one with homelink if I cared enough. I just use a keychain one or one clipped to visor though. Which I put in the glovebox if street parking.

 

[electruck]

I dont understand peoples obsession with homelink, I have been using google assistant/alexa for years to do what home link does plus much much more. all voice controlled or at the press of a button on my phone. and at a cost of just $30.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact we've been successfully opening/closing garage doors for decades with the simple push of a button - no battery operated remotes, no fumbling with phones while driving, no interruptions to passenger conversations to ask Alexa for a favor, and in less time than it takes to utter your chosen Alexa wake word. Frankly, it just works and is compatible with a far wider range of devices and without any special adapters. Or perhaps we're all just nuts for appreciating such a simple yet highly functional convenience.

 

[brianmartin]

I dont understand peoples obsession with homelink, I have been using google assistant/alexa for years to do what home link does plus much much more. all voice controlled or at the press of a button on my phone. and at a cost of just $30.

carplay/AA another one i dont understand why people are going crazy over this. yes the current navigation probably isnt where it needs to be, who knows why they aren't offering carplay/AA integration at this point in time, could be the software architecture they are using, who knows. is it the end of the world, no. have people always had carplay/AA integration in all the vehicles they have had ? no. did they manage before it , yes. if you're someone that takes a lot of road trips, it may be a pain, for the most though you really dont need navigation that much for the most part. i for one find that stock one are a pain to use, but that has to do with input, if the vehicle has a decent input method the stock maps will be pretty usable.

QC and gaps, not good to read about those issues, now with that said, Chicago auto pros went over an R1T in their recent youtube videos, they did say there were some gaps and some slight things, but overall these gaps and mis alignments seemed pretty acceptable, not highly visible unless you're up close and looking for them. they also did mention how the paint was pretty good.

phantom breaking , these kinds of things are to be expected for the first few months, maybe even years as they work out bugs and improve the driver+ stuff. look at tesla, they are probably the best in self driving, and they are still improving the software, this should be something that's expected especially being a new company.

phantom drain, same as above, this could be a result of some settings the owner isn't aware of, some is to be expected, and improvements should come via OTA over time. shouldn't be too worried about this.

auto high beams are standard, but also not something that people should be making such a big deal about, i mean come one, how hard is it to turn on when needed and off when you dont. i for one hate when i see someone with them on as i am always blinded before the vehicles auto them off.

pre-conditioning is something that can be adjusted, added or removed OTA. as more data comes in simulations can be run and tried in real world to see if they work and improve things.

DCFC issue is a weird one as i have never heard about this, even with some of the info given to us from the rebelle rally ladies they never mentions issued after 10 charges, same with some of the cross country trips that some have documented and shared this never came up. some of those did 19+ stops with DCFC.

overall i dont think there are too many issues with what most people have said, yes some things need some fixing but those things seem to be software related and thats easy fix with OTA. I hope the camera quality is also just an OTA fix, and i think it is, i wouldnt use low quality cameras if i was making a vehicle with any type of level 2+ self driving.

now you always need to remember too, there are always going to some people that are just looking for anything to complain about, not saying this is the case here, but some people arent happy with anything. even when theres nothing to complain about they will make sure to come up with something. i call these people phantom complainers.

all of these are legitimate issues.... you don't need to defend Rivian. if they charge full price for a vehicle it should work as advertised and if it doesn't it needs to be called out. saying "they fix it later OTA"... sure that's true, but no one wants a vehicle with issues. It's okay to call out issues.

 

[kanundrum]

@Iwantatesla and @Diddy123 during any future conversations you have with your guides/service etc can you look into what upcoming charging hardware/updates could potentially come with the vehicle? We have heard multiple sources state 250kw+ 300kw+ etc could be available on the vehicle in the future but also multiple sources saying charging is limited to 210kw.

The patent Rivian has filed a while back suggests battery packs can be reconfigured on the fly to implement parallel pack charging where you would have 2x 150kw streams going essentially giving a faux 300kw charging or something very similar based off of thermal management.

Any future clarification would be greatly appreciated by a LOT of people including @SeaGeo and my self lol.

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