R1T Instrument Panel Analysis - Sandy Munro Live

Curious about the foam air ducts. Wonder what type of foam? Just looking at it, I'd wonder/worry if it's a foam that's going to embrittle or crack with age.

koersontap said:

Curious about the foam air ducts. Wonder what type of foam? Just looking at it, I'd wonder/worry if it's a foam that's going to embrittle or crack with age.

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I haven’t watched the video yet, but if it’s the same type of foam that Tesla uses; then it’s problematic.

On one of my Teslas l, I had HVAC issues diagnosed to melted foam due to high heat. It was replaced and I was assured the new formula would resolve it…twice. The new formula did not resolve it.

On another one, I ended up getting to mildew smell, which led me to rip apart the entire back interior of the car. It turned out the foam ducts weren’t sealed correctly as they didn’t snap in place since both pieces were flexible. This led to pumping air between the body and the interior and causing condensation.

I ended up having to gut my interior trim, trace all the ducting which was a combo of hard and soft pieces, and using foil tape to resolve the issue.

I really hope this is not the same…

I am not familiar with these guys or their previous work. I had just begun watching when, at 1:55, the guy in the black shirt begins to lecture us about "Tableclothing" and points to the wood trim at left and right side of the driver front display. He complains that the design is bad because there are two visible seams in front of the driver. The problem is they are not really visible. The seam is mostly covered by the "leather" material that wraps the top of the dash. Also, when seated in the driver's seat, the steering wheel blocks your view of these areas. The disassembled dashboard they are critiquing has had this "leather" top noticeably separated from the wood. They either weren't paying attention to the dash when it was still in the vehicle or they are intentionally being misleading.

I just watched the video. It seems like the same type of foam but idk the composition of it.

If you pause the video at 17:43, you’ll see how the foam is connected to the rigid. You can see a foam pad inside the duct that acts as a friction catch to secure the flex foam to the rigid duct.

There is also a very small gap that allows air to escape, small enough to not be a huge concern. Those were the seams I ended up foil taping as my foam pieces had rattled loose (I assume) and were no longer connected to the rigid pieces. The Rivian seems to be a bit better designed with rigid on all 4 sides to hold it into place. So hopefully that won’t happen

Also, given the position of the ducts, right below the windshield, I am a little concerned about it heating and melting….time will tell.

I watched the entire video. They made it clear the molded foam ducts are not uncommon in the industry and one of their biggest benefits is weight saving. They also said it’s different from the Model S plaid they also recently tore apart.

Overall they were fairly complimentary of the IP. The big guy continues to not like the wood, but he complains about a lot of things.

Paradigm_Shift said:

I am not familiar with these guys or their previous work. I had just begun watching when, at 1:55, the guy in the black shirt begins to lecture us about "Tableclothing" and points to the wood trim at left and right side of the driver front display. He complains that the design is bad because there are two visible seams in front of the driver. The problem is they are not really visible. The seam is mostly covered by the "leather" material that wraps the top of the dash. Also, when seated in the driver's seat, the steering wheel blocks your view of these areas. The disassembled dashboard they are critiquing has had this "leather" top noticeably separated from the wood. They either weren't paying attention to the dash when it was still in the vehicle or they are intentionally being misleading.

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I can barely see the spots they are so concerned about. You really have to look for them. It's wood...some minor variations are expected. The other thing I don't hear them ever mentioning is what changes have been made due to supply chain constraints. Maybe in some cases, an ideal solution had been found, and that supplier can't deliver, so a secondary, but acceptable solution was found, versus not producing any vehicles waiting for the ideal solution. Just surprised I haven't noticed that they have said that in any of these videos, but maybe I missed it....

A lot of their complaints seem very nit-picky but I guess that's what these guys literally are paid to do: nickel and dime.

Meanwhile, I am concerned that these cost experts can't seem to figure out how RIVIAN is making money on this thing.

I see a major price increase in RIVIAN's future...

I've seen enough of the teardown to fully agree each unit is going out the door at a loss. As one of the Munro guys observed, it looked like the vehicle was engineered by conventional auto industry people that had been given the latitude to design freely for function without too much concern for cost. Add in the third party 4 motor drive with exotic suspension and it’s clear this is not a cheap car to build!

This was probably deemed necessary so the launch vehicle would receive positive reviews based on its superior capabilities and build quality, thus providing a strong springboard for future models.

The real work starts now, with a cost reduced flagship model (2 motor in-house design) to keep some revenue coming in and the real high volume money maker, the R2. Tesla essentially took the same approach, MS flagship followed by M3/MY volume products, followed by innovative cost reductions like the huge single castings.

Success is entirely dependent on whether the $18b in the bank will be enough to take Rivian to production of a high volume R2 product with the right cost structure. It’s still a big risk because although the R1 is a fantastic vehicle, Rivian has not yet demonstrated the unique innovations that will be needed to get to a high volume low cost product that can compete with Tesla, Ford, GM, VW, ….

Regardless, it‘s all good news for R1 owners because there’s enough money in the bank to ensure a large quantity will definitely be built and shipped, so worst case it will become a highly coveted cult vehicle with incredible capabilities and independent aftermarket support.

Exciting times!…….