Winter battery drain…should i trickle charge?

[iceman12578]

Every day i watch my % SOC go down as it gets near freezing at night here in sierra foothills. i was watching youtube and they said leave your EV plugged in, not charging and it will take from the grid to heat the battery - i didn’t know if our rivians did that?

Otherwise, i was just thinking of plugging in every night on trickle charge rate (8A/1.7kw) in order to keep the battery “warm”? maybe i don’t need a charge per say, but this way i maybe i wouldn’t LOSE charge?

Any other strategies out there?

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[beatle]

No need to overthink it. Plug in and leave it unless you don't want to. The battery is not going to be harmed by the cold, nor will it benefit from wasting the energy it takes to warm it up. I sometimes leave my truck unplugged because I have to drag my trash can by it or if I need to cut the grass since the cord gets in the way. Otherwise just leave it plugged in and let it take care of itself. Cold batteries have more resistance, but heat is what kills them. If it's plugged in, it'll pull energy through the charge port to power the vehicle as needed, such as heating or cooling the cabin.