Vampire drain vs Lightning (& EV6)

[AdamUCF]

Hey all, just wanted to let you know about a test we're currently doing and the preliminary results.

We charged our Lightning and R1T up to 100% SOC then left for 13 days. While done we checked the battery level with the app (climate off on both) every 3 days. Gear guard was off on the R1T.

Daytime temps peaked at 80 degrees, at night the low during the 2 weeks was 58. When I got back the Lightning was still at a claimed 100% (but the range estimate dropped by 5 miles indicating about 2kWh of actual consumption), and the Rivian had eaten a whopping 27% of its battery (34.7 kWh). As a comparison, the Kia EV6 was idle for the same period of time and lost 2% of its battery, but because the battery is smaller than the Ford, the actual loss is lower, about 1.5 kWh.

The R1T was *NOT* running the latest (2022.27.02) software which claims to improve the loss, however the loss was still pretty extreme. As a result of this software update we're topping the R1T back to full and then we'll leave it for 2 days to see if the daily consumption drops.

As we see in Tesla's vehicles, it seems the Rivian doesn't go into as deep a sleep as EVs made by traditional car companies. The Ford completely shutdown the infotainment system and had to fully reboot after 13 days (took about 2 minutes) and the cell modem goes into a deep sleep state where it doesn't update the app until you send a lock/unlock command over the network. The vehicle polls about every 10 minutes for that and then goes into a shallower sleep to respond to data queries but doesn't boot up the infotainment system. The Kia EV6, like all Hyundai/Kia EVs goes into an even deeper sleep mode where the cell modem turns off completely and no remote access is possible until you start the car.

Great video. Really appreciate the testing. I've noticed a good bit of drain but haven't tested. Doing the math I would be lighting $130/yr on fire. Not a huge amount in comparison to the cost of the vehicle but not great for something of little to no value to the user.

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[kylealden]

WTF, that is ridiculous. What a terrible decision for an "Adventure" vehicle. So basically if I go camping and want to run a fridge or charge a laptop, I have to waste a ton of energy with the Rivian doing nothing and the 120v outlet on...

The Rivian is looking less and less like an acceptable option for an overland vehicle.

Realistically the drain from leaving the 120v running is not bad for a couple nights of camping. It's only an issue if you are leaving it long term.

FWIW you can charge a laptop over the USB-Cs in the cabin, or just remember to turn off your 120v. But I do understand the complaint and would love to see Rivian tame the battery drain here, even if incrementally.

I have a small EcoFlow battery in the frunk to act as a buffer and run my fridge while the vehicle is powered off, which then charges off the 12v while the vehicle is running. Easily enough to cover overnight unless it's super hot out (in which case the EcoFlow overheats), and recharges in a couple hours of driving.

On the positive side, my drain has been a lot lower (even with Gear Guard enabled) since the latest software update. I am losing less than 1% per night.

 

[williescout]

On the positive side, my drain has been a lot lower (even with Gear Guard enabled) since the latest software update. I am losing less than 1% per night.

Same here! Down from 3-6% before the update.

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