Dear Rivian Engineers who worked on the Air Conditioning

[Cactus]

You don't say anything about pre-cooling your vehicle, so 15-20 minutes doesn't surprise me. Tint will not help with temperature if your vehicle is sitting for hours on end, it will only help to slow the inevitable heating of the cabin.

You need to be pre-cooling for at least 15 minutes IMO before getting in your vehicle after work.

@branky3- You might be correct about pre-cooling for 15-20 mins, but my point is that other vehicles manage to cool in extreme heat without needing to pre-condition and without all the racket. I think Rivian engineers could have/should have done better with the AC in the R1 vehicles.

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[Cactus]

Don't do that. Set the temp to low if you want it to blow cold air. The temperature set point is really garbage and i wouldn't trust it.

Also, after the compressor ramps up and starts blowing cold air, turn the ac off, let it sit for like 30 seconds, and then turn it back on. Typically that solves the compressor running at max.

These "work-arounds" validate my request that Rivian engineers find a solution to the air conditioning problem because other vehicle manufacturers have solved this problem. But in the meantime, I will try these tricks to see if they help.

 

[Craigins]

These "work-arounds" validate my request that Rivian engineers find a solution to the air conditioning problem because other vehicle manufacturers have solved this problem. But in the meantime, I will try these tricks to see if they help.

Personally i hate the concept of a temperature set point for vehicle climate controls. I want to good old days where I control the temperature of the air coming out of the system.

Instead I get air from the depths of hell or air from the frozen tundra, no in between. And what makes it worse is the arbitrary minimum point. In the winter, 60 is too warm so it is basically non-functional for me.

The compressor thing I've always had, since last summer. It seems like more people are noticing it now with the temperatures rising. The worst part for me is when it gets stuck on max and I'm driving on the highway and can't hear it. The efficiency just tanks.

 

[sub]

It's my understanding the R1S has a second A/C unit near the right rear quarter panel to cool the third row? Can anyone confirm? I was also told that it only functions when 3rd row passengers are detected? This was told to me while looking at one of the old zebra wrapped testers in late 2021 or early 2022, but not sure of this made I to production.

R1S does not cool the 3rd row. It does have fans for the 3rd row but they just blow cabin air without any cooling.

 

[redantpile]

It's my understanding the R1S has a second A/C unit near the right rear quarter panel to cool the third row? Can anyone confirm? I was also told that it only functions when 3rd row passengers are detected? This was told to me while looking at one of the old zebra wrapped testers in late 2021 or early 2022, but not sure of this made I to production.

There is an evaporator coil and blower back there, but I did not see a second compressor. It has refrigerant lines running back to that corner. Or if there is a second compressor, it's underneath, next to the two air compressors, between the bumper and spare tire tub(or I guess it could be anywhere). You manually turn it on from the menu.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...rious-wiring-pinnouts-compressor-panel.16854/

 

[Cactus]

Echoing @Craigins the temperature setpoints are not accurate particularly when ambient temps are much higher or lower than setpoint. Try setting to 60 vs. 72.
My unscientific take on the noise is that it may not be much louder than some other compressors but is higher pitch. I believe mounting the compressor on better isolators and connecting the lines with more flexible connections could reduce the decibels and or pitch so it doesn't sound like a "weed-whacker".

I get that the temp setpoints may not be accurate, but if the interior temp is 105F (for example), the AC unit works just as hard to satisfy the thermostat set for 72 (until it gets to what the thermostat believes is 72) as it does when the temp is set to 60F (until it gets to what the thermostat believes is 60).

Or is there some fuzzy logic/AI in AC compressors and thermostats now?

None-the-less, I will try setting the temp to 65F or 60F to see if it cools better.

 

[Cactus]

Personally i hate the concept of a temperature set point for vehicle climate controls. I want to good old days where I control the temperature of the air coming out of the system.

Instead I get air from the depths of hell or air from the frozen tundra, no in between. And what makes it worse is the arbitrary minimum point. In the winter, 60 is too warm so it is basically non-functional for me.

The compressor thing I've always had, since last summer. It seems like more people are noticing it now with the temperatures rising. The worst part for me is when it gets stuck on max and I'm driving on the highway and can't hear it. The efficiency just tanks.

When you say "efficiency just tanks" do you mean miles/kwh? I notice that despite driving between 25 and 65 mph in all purpose mode (no launches), my efficiency is not great in the R1S: 1.89 mi/kwh. I don't tow anything.
Sigh. Another item to add to service ticket which is still a month away.

 

[Myricky]

Disclaimer- I live in Phoenix where it’s pretty warm right now.
However, the 5 other cars in my household: 2014 Jeep grand Cherokee, 2017Jeep wrangler, 2014 Ford Escape, 2017 Porsche Cayman and 2014 Tesla model S blow COLD air within 3-5 mins of driving-even in 110+ heat.

Engineers: Please redesign the AC so that it:
1. Cools the cabin properly within 5 mins (yes, recirculate is on and temp is set to 72F, but air is barely cool). Even after driving for 15 mins Air from vents is not particularly cool.
2. Doesn‘t make a loud weed trimmer noise. It’s embarrassing to drive what should be a “cool” vehicle that makes the weed trimmer noise. It’s pretty clear the compressor is trying unsuccessfully to cool the cabin, but can’t.
3. Please test the AC in extreme temps to evaluate performance of the system.


That’s it! That’s all I am asking. Otherwise, I am reasonably happy with my R1S.

Perhaps your AC system is overcharged. I live in Tucson and took delivery of an r1t that had symptoms like yours and the problem was the system was overcharged.

 

[Dark-Fx]

No issues in Michigan in either vehicle, but we don't get much over 90 F. Going to agree with other posters that there's a good chance something isn't right with your system anyway.

 

[Craigins]

When you say "efficiency just tanks" do you mean miles/kwh? I notice that despite driving between 25 and 65 mph in all purpose mode (no launches), my efficiency is not great in the R1S: 1.89 mi/kwh. I don't tow anything.
Sigh. Another item to add to service ticket which is still a month away.

yes when i was driving 65 and the compressor was running at max for no reason, my efficiency dropped to about 1.8 as you are seeing. Typically it is around 2.1-2.2.

now i get in the habit of toggling the system on and off a few times when driving on the highway and i want to turn it off.

 

[COdogman]

I think there has to be something wrong with yours.

Last week we had several days in CO in the upper 90s - low 100s and I have to park outside at work as well. The app said it was 130 degrees one day when I was getting ready to leave. I happily use the app to precondition and after 15 minutes it is usually down to 80 degrees or so.

I’m not sure why you would look at the ability to do that as anything other than a great feature. It’s one of my favorite things about my truck.

Definitely have service check yours. I know Phoenix is a different level of hot, but it still sounds like your system isn’t cooling properly.

 

[SoCal Rob]

Personally i hate the concept of a temperature set point for vehicle climate controls. I want to good old days where I control the temperature of the air coming out of the system.

Instead I get air from the depths of hell or air from the frozen tundra, no in between. And what makes it worse is the arbitrary minimum point. In the winter, 60 is too warm so it is basically non-functional for me.

I’ve had 10 vehicles with climate control prior to the Rivian where I could set the temperature (1, 2, or 4 zones) starting with a used 1975 Cadillac and they’ve all worked very well: basically set it and forget it. They’ve all done a good job delivering the right temperature of air to the right location with the right fan speed, or close to it. Rivian? Not so much. It seems to do a very poor job of delivering the right temperature of air to the right location. I’m hoping that an OTA update can fix this.

I don’t know what the hardware limitations are on Rivian’s system but even my 2017 Ford Fusion Energi’s dual zone climate control did a better job than the Rivian with similar hardware: variable speed electric a/c compressor and electric resistance heat. The Ford didn’t suffer from, “…air from the depths of hell or air from the frozen tundra, no in between.”

If Rivian would show the cabin temperature on the main display when driving it would help us understand what the system is reacting to. Also, I don’t know if the Rivian has a sun load sensor or not. If I have the temperature set to 72° and pull the Rivian out of a 70° garage in the morning but it’s 75° and sunny outside the Rivian starts heating aggressively, even through the face vents. It’s trying to get the cabin temp up 2° while I’m being blasted by sun and already too warm. None of my other vehicles have reacted this way to this type of scenario.

 

[Airbuswillie]

Have you tried setting it to something less than 72°? You’ve got about 12° more to go before getting to Low. Try that. Mine works fine but I don’t live in Phoenix.

 

[EVTrukHog]

I suggest you create a service ticket and get the SC to check the refrigerant level. There have been several cases (me included) of a pinched O-ring that allowed refrigerant to leak. This prevented AC from blowing cold air on hot days. We've been in 100F weather with 70-80% humidity for the last month and my R1T A/C has kept up fine. They need to fix your system. Good luck!

 

[runwithscissors]

It's my understanding the R1S has a second A/C unit near the right rear quarter panel to cool the third row? Can anyone confirm? I was also told that it only functions when 3rd row passengers are detected? This was told to me while looking at one of the old zebra wrapped testers in late 2021 or early 2022, but not sure of this made I to production.

I crank the 3rd row for my dog and it's freezing back there when I open up the trunk. Much better than my Volvo XC90 vents. Now I just need a better cover for the speakers back there that become a drool container.

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