Update 2022.27.02 Released - Automatic Ride Height, Direct Current Fast Charging & More

[pc500]

It's impossible to change the level 1/2 charge rate via software, because that's simply what the circuit you are on is providing. What DID happen, is related to the work on vampire drain, and they reduced the drain of non charging related sources, which improved the net amount of energy that is going into the battery per unit of time. So yes, the rate at which the battery fills has gone up, but not because of a change in the power being delivered to the vehicle.

For example, at the full 48 amps and after the normal 7%-10% of typical charging losses, the Rivian was only about 93% efficient in getting that remaining energy into the battery on a net basis (so around 86% efficient overall). It is now 96%. But that is somewhat of a fixed drain in terms of energy, so the efficiency improvement at lower rates is massive. Level 1 was less than 50% efficient before the update for example.

It's actually very possible to change it by software, but only in a downward direction

My main ask is to make sure the display is correct. Measure 10kwh at the EVSE delivered at a rate of 1kw/hour. At the end of 10 hours, do you have 9.6kwh in your pack added?

Don't trust the R1T display.

That seems overly good at only 40 watt/hour fixed efficiency loss. Leaf is even 250. Rivian was 500-600 watt/hour efficiency loss prior, and at 1,200 that was nearly 50% loss. That's why I don't trust it. This and there was absolutely nothing about it in the release notes.

Sponsored

 

[DJG]

Has anyone else noticed a tremendous increase in trickle charge rate since the last update? Originally, plugging in on 110V would give me about 10 miles of charge during my 9 hour work shift with about 50-60% of the charge being lost to "Low Voltage Accesories" It was basically worthless and stopped wasting time plugging in. But now I'm getting about 30 miles of range with only about 3-5% of power being lost to "Low Voltage Accesories" No mention of this in the update notes, but definite change. More than covers my commute now, which is great as I wait for an electrician to miraculously show up and install a 240V plug here.

I added a comment already, but technically it is in the release notes, but not related to charging (L 1/2). It's basically related to the note on reducing vampire drain - reducing energy draw when it's not needed.

 

[DaveA]

ew, rest stops. Most of those don't have charging.

For sure…I was imagining all signs changing from miles to %ages.

 

[frostbit3]

FYI, Wassym on Reddit said next update is dropping next week and resolve the security issue and has new features, but hasn’t detailed what those new features are.

 

[Dark-Fx]

FYI, Wassym on Reddit said next update is dropping next week and resolve the security issue and has new features, but hasn’t detailed what those new features are.

I appreciate that Rivian is being so proactive about updates, but I'd still absolutely love to see a public roadmap for big updates and fixes.

 

[frostbit3]

I appreciate that Rivian is being so proactive about updates, but I'd still absolutely love to see a public roadmap for big updates and fixes.

Agreed. That’s been one of my complaints and I’ve given rivian this feedback too, that they act like it’s some massive secret as to the details of what they’re working. I want to know if they have an Apple Music integration on the road map, or SiriusXM App. Not just “more music integrations is coming”. If I knew that something that was important to me was on the road map then it’d allow me to be much more patient and understanding, vs right now just hoping that one of the “more integrations” contains something I personally think is important

 

[DJG]

Agreed. That’s been one of my complaints and I’ve given rivian this feedback too, that they act like it’s some massive secret as to the details of what they’re working. I want to know if they have an Apple Music integration on the road map, or SiriusXM App. Not just “more music integrations is coming”. If I knew that something that was important to me was on the road map then it’d allow me to be much more patient and understanding, vs right now just hoping that one of the “more integrations” contains something I personally think is important

Not that easy, especially when talking about third party app integrations. The last thing they want to do is say "Apple Music integration coming in December 2022", and then find out they can't agree on a license, or make it work reliably, or whatever the case may be. They've been consistent in that approach/philosophy to keep things close to the vest until they get close enough to promise something with confidence. It's also possible with things like more music apps, we're in the stage of them testing/negotiating with a few, to only pick the one that works best (for them and us). These are all the things that can be going on behind the scenes and we just have to be patient about.

As for more vague teasers, they are exploring/working on off road mapping app integrations (OnX was mentioned, but not necessarily what they may end up with).

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

we're in the stage of them testing/negotiating with a few, to only pick the one that works best (for them and us).

That can't possibly be true. They chose Alexa and Spotify, so "best for us" is definitely not being considered.

 

[DJG]

That can't possibly be true. They chose Alexa and Spotify, so "best for us" is definitely not being considered.

"Them and us" is meant to be intertwined, and that's in their sole determination and not for any single or group of customers to determine.

In any case, Spotify was not the final choice, only the choice for the music app at launch. That could have been for any number of reasons and that's their business. It's the best in car music app I've ever used, including CP/AA options, so it's illogical to make such an absolute and conclusive statement such as that.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

In any case, Spotify was not the final choice, only the choice for the music app at launch. That could have been for any number of reasons and that's their business. It's the best in car music app I've ever used, including CP/AA options, so it's illogical to make such an absolute and conclusive statement such as that.

What are your reasons to believe Spotify is "the best in car music app"?

I'll give you some reasons I think it is not the best:

• Sound quality is not good. Probably worst of the major streaming services.
• Music selection is not great. Definitely less availability than what I'm used to (Apple Music).

Maybe I've missed it, but is there an easy way to add songs to playlists in the R1T? Or flag a song I don't want to hear again?

There are other problems, but these may be Rivian or Amazon/Alexa issues that may affect other streaming apps, so I won't hold these against Spotify, specifically:

• App is slow
• Voice search is terrible (doesn't work 95% of the time, the remaining 5% it plays the wrong thing. When it does work I actually get surprised and think "holy shit, really?")
• UI is not intuitive and cumbersome (back button, for example)
• Keyboard is not safe. It remembers whatever you last typed, which is never what I want (I opened the keyboard to search for something else) and there is no "X" button to clear the input so you have to find the backspace button and tap it repeatedly. Extremely unsafe while driving. Why is there not a "voice" option to dictate text in the search, either?

 

[astonius]

What are your reasons to believe Spotify is "the best in car music app"?

I'll give you some reasons I think it is not the best:

• Sound quality is not good. Probably worst of the major streaming services.
• Music selection is not great. Definitely less availability than what I'm used to (Apple Music).

Maybe I've missed it, but is there an easy way to add songs to playlists in the R1T? Or flag a song I don't want to hear again?

There are other problems, but these may be Rivian or Amazon/Alexa issues that may affect other streaming apps, so I won't hold these against Spotify, specifically:

• App is slow
• Voice search is terrible (doesn't work 95% of the time, the remaining 5% it plays the wrong thing. When it does work I actually get surprised and think "holy shit, really?")
• UI is not intuitive and cumbersome (back button, for example)
• Keyboard is not safe. It remembers whatever you last typed, which is never what I want (I opened the keyboard to search for something else) and there is no "X" button to clear the input so you have to find the backspace button and tap it repeatedly. Extremely unsafe while driving. Why is there not a "voice" option to dictate text in the search, either?

Lots of folks equate "looks nice and is fast!" with "better"

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

Lots of folks equate "looks nice and is fast!" with "better"

The R1T Spotify app looks decent. I'll give them that.

I wouldn't say it's fast. The opposite, for me. On WiFi it's reasonable, but on LTE it really struggles. I wish they'd cache more data. For example, if I switch to the Spotify page in the screen, the whole "Home" section tries to load and it can take a minute or longer, sometimes. Why not just always have that data cached?

 

[DJG]

What are your reasons to believe Spotify is "the best in car music app"?

I'll give you some reasons I think it is not the best:

• Sound quality is not good. Probably worst of the major streaming services.
• Music selection is not great. Definitely less availability than what I'm used to (Apple Music).

Maybe I've missed it, but is there an easy way to add songs to playlists in the R1T? Or flag a song I don't want to hear again?

There are other problems, but these may be Rivian or Amazon/Alexa issues that may affect other streaming apps, so I won't hold these against Spotify, specifically:

• App is slow
• Voice search is terrible (doesn't work 95% of the time, the remaining 5% it plays the wrong thing. When it does work I actually get surprised and think "holy shit, really?")
• UI is not intuitive and cumbersome (back button, for example)
• Keyboard is not safe. It remembers whatever you last typed, which is never what I want (I opened the keyboard to search for something else) and there is no "X" button to clear the input so you have to find the backspace button and tap it repeatedly. Extremely unsafe while driving. Why is there not a "voice" option to dictate text in the search, either?

So to clarify, what I said was it was the best in car music app I have ever used. I couldn't make that determination on a grand scale for everyone, because everyone has different needs/priorities. To set the stage, these are mine:

• Audio Quality is important, up to a point. Spotify Premium comfortably meets that threshold, as does any of the others. Above that point, it drops to the lowest priority. I use Premium, and also subscribe to Amazon Unlimited. I use AU from time to time through Alexa, mostly because I know on paper it's higher quality by a large margin. However, if I'm being honest I can't tell a huge difference and would be hard pressed to distinguish them in a true blind test. For others, their ears are more tuned and they couldn't fathom that. If AU is indexed at 100, then Spotify Premium is in the high 90's and splitting hairs for me.
• I don't own any music, so I don't come into this with any horse in the race. I only listen to what music is presented to me by the interface/medium I am using. I rarely even request specific music. I don't create or use playlists. I actually really like the curated playlists Spotify provides, and the fact that you can see what is on them coming up and the layout it's presented. The one gripe I have is that it won't "auto scroll" down once you get past the first 10-12 songs, you have to manually do that.
• Path of least resistance and ease of use is important to me. It goes without saying, but that wasn't a threshold that was met even in my eTron, which technically had Amazon Music "integrated", but it was decades behind the Spotify app in the Rivian by comparison.

To address your specific issues with the Spotify app, I think it needs to be said that I'm pretty sure you have a far different experience than I do with basic functionality, which I can't speak to. Below is a video of how it works for me, and this has been consistent throughout ownership (with exception of Alexa which was known to be broken in July and fixed in August):




No other integrated music app I have used in either an owned, rented or tested/driven/rode in car is as good of an experience as that. OEM options don't come anywhere close (haven't used Tesla), so the only thing left that would be close is CP/AA. However, I've found the reliability and usability of the Spotify app to be greater than what I even had in CP in the Audi. Even with the hiccups with Alexa in July, it works better than CP music apps of any kind ever did in the Audi for me. For one, they are stripped down versions that lack the same functionality nor provide the same user experience (partly hindered by smaller screen size, admittedly). Also, as a data point for reference, in the Audi I primarily used Sirius, because it was the preferred choice of the options I had based on the qualifications I have (it's quality still meets my minimum threshold of diminishing returns). I had access through CP and subscribed to Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music, but still used Sirius as the best choice in that vehicle. In the Rivian, while I don't have to choice to use Sirius, I'm firmly confident I would never use it over what Spotify provides.

All of that is not to say that an integrated Apple or Amazon app in the Rivian wouldn't be the same or better in some ways (it surely would for things like audio quality), but that remains to be seen and it sounds like they are working on it. If having them all at launch would have meant the experience in my Audi, I'm glad they are taking their time to make sure it's not just offered, but offered well.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

EDIT: can't figure out how to upload video (over a minute long might be reason) but rest assured it shows the following

• app is as quick/responsive as the rest of the Rivian UI
• Alexa can play specific playlists, general artist music and specific albums quickly

YouTube is probably your best bet for sharing videos.

The app is reasonably quick if I'm on WiFi. Over LTE it's dog slow. The rest of the R1T UI is also reasonably quick... With the exception of calculating navigation routes... That sometimes comes back in only a few seconds, but other times it takes several minutes. I've been surprised not to get a "timeout" error and instead it seems to spin for 5+ minutes, sometimes. I think this is all related to a poor networking stack, poor async/timeout handling, lack of non-cloud fallback for voice processing, and an over-reliance on a network resource that will always be unreliable.

FWIW, I've had lengthy discussions with Rivian Service, and they've acknowledged the network stack issues, including abysmal Alexa performance. They've suggested when it happens I should turn Bluetooth off (in the R1T) and then turn it back on. Surprisingly, this does bring Alexa back, temporarily. Apparently this recycles something in the networking stack, even though Alexa doesn't use bluetooth, itself.

I still maintain that Rivian needs to bring some voice processing into the R1T and off of the cloud. Apple did this with Siri, and it was a huge improvement in automotive use cases.

 

[Brewbud]

What are your reasons to believe Spotify is "the best in car music app"?

I'll give you some reasons I think it is not the best:

• Sound quality is not good. Probably worst of the major streaming services.
• Music selection is not great. Definitely less availability than what I'm used to (Apple Music).

Maybe I've missed it, but is there an easy way to add songs to playlists in the R1T? Or flag a song I don't want to hear again?

There are other problems, but these may be Rivian or Amazon/Alexa issues that may affect other streaming apps, so I won't hold these against Spotify, specifically:

• App is slow
• Voice search is terrible (doesn't work 95% of the time, the remaining 5% it plays the wrong thing. When it does work I actually get surprised and think "holy shit, really?")
• UI is not intuitive and cumbersome (back button, for example)
• Keyboard is not safe. It remembers whatever you last typed, which is never what I want (I opened the keyboard to search for something else) and there is no "X" button to clear the input so you have to find the backspace button and tap it repeatedly. Extremely unsafe while driving. Why is there not a "voice" option to dictate text in the search, either?

Apple music has 90 million songs. Spotify is the next largest at 82 million. So I wouldn't say selection is not great. I like that Spotify allows me unlimited downloads to store on my devices for use away from cell coverage.

Sound quality is good with Spotify but could be better. They don't have lossless Hi-Fi yet, but it is coming this year according to their press.

Sponsored