Dear Rivian Engineers who worked on the Air Conditioning

[JohnB R1T]

Ever seen two or more people standing beside a car swinging the doors back and forth from wide open to almost closed? This works as well to fan the superheated air out of the cabin. The problem in South Texas is that you need to put your gloves on in order to leave your hand on the door handle that long.

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[Ioman]

My only fear of this is some well-meaning busybody walking past, seeing the screen (and no pet) and assuming that a dog or cat or gerbil is dead or dying on the floor under the seat...then breaking a window. I'm considering "draping" something over the screen for times when I use pet mode with no pet.

hah I’ve thought about that. No issues yet, knock on wood. I suppose I could just use the app, but that pet button is too darn easy.

 

[SoCal Rob]

Definitely does. Driving N/S for a while and then turning into the sun almost immediately kicks up the fan speed in auto.

I wonder where it is; have you found it? It’s been easily identifiable on every other brand I’ve owned with climate control, even if hiding under a speaker grill: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, and Volvo. Maybe Rivian is using the camera feed rather than a dedicated sensor.

 

[Trandall]

My 2012 tahoe AC is freaking awesome !!

I think we all need to keep in mind that the newest automotive refrigerant (R1234YF) is required to replace R134a by 2021. I think the earliest use of R1234yf was in 2019. the newer crap while less harmful to the environment does not perform as well (is my understanding) so the compressors have to work harder to get the same amount of cooling in new vehicles. The old equipment from the 60's and 70's that used copious amounts of "the good stuff" lasted forever and cooled like a champ.

 

[Tonicart]

Did you press the cool / heat button? In the R1's, changing the temperature does nothing until you press that button. I didn't realize this my first few weeks of ownership, trying to turn on the heat on a few cold mornings.

 

[NY_Rob]

I think we all need to keep in mind that the newest automotive refrigerant (R1234YF) is required to replace R134a by 2021. I think the earliest use of R1234yf was in 2019. the newer crap while less harmful to the environment does not perform as well (is my understanding) so the compressors have to work harder to get the same amount of cooling in new vehicles. The old equipment from the 60's and 70's that used copious amounts of "the good stuff" lasted forever and cooled like a champ.

If the system was designed to use R1234YF from day one... it should cool just as effectively as a properly designed R134A system. Where R1234YF somewhat fails is as a drop-in replacement for older systems that were designed to use R134A. The poor drop-in performance of R1234YF in that case due to the two refrigerants requiring different pressure drops and different heat exchanger sizes to get similar results.

Certainly the Rivian HVAC system was designed from the ground up to use R1234YF and should be effective if the system operating correctly and is filled with the correct amount of refrigerant.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...usg=AOvVaw13zfuIr17gfSAmQGaXXceH&opi=89978449

 

[Trandall]

If the system was designed to use R1234YF from day one... it should cool just as effectively as a properly designed R134A system. Where R1234YF somewhat fails is as a drop-in replacement for older systems that were designed to use R134A. The poor drop-in performance of R1234YF in that case due to the two refrigerants requiring different pressure drops and different heat exchanger sizes to get similar results.

Certainly the Rivian HVAC system was designed from the ground up to use R1234YF and should be effective if the system operating correctly and is filled with the correct amount of refrigerant.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjQxarssqCAAxXTD1kFHa1gAvIQFnoECBIQAw&url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/4955575.pdf&usg=AOvVaw13zfuIr17gfSAmQGaXXceH&opi=89978449

Agreed that was my understanding is the pressure differential with the R1234YF was higher meaning a more powerful compressor which might be noisier. Performance should be there.

 

[AllInev]

Will have it checked. SC appt in a month.

If SC discovers a problem with your AC, please come back to this thread and let us know.

 

[Cactus]

Did you press the cool / heat button? In the R1's, changing the temperature does nothing until you press that button. I didn't realize this my first few weeks of ownership, trying to turn on the heat on a few cold mornings.

Yes, I know to press the cool/heat icon. thanks.

 

[LL75]

I noticed this for the first time yesterday. Preconditioned my truck for 15 minutes before leaving work for home. 105 was the dash reading, weather app says closer to 95.

Anyway, with the AC set to LO the truck would output ‘cool’ air, but not ‘cold’ air. I’m taking my IR thermometer with me next time. I think the air exiting on LO was closer to 70-75 degrees than <60 degrees, and that was only after driving for 20 minutes (>35 minutes of system conditioning).

If i understand you correctly, are you suggest not to put it on "Low" and maybe in the low 60 temp? if you want cold air?

 

[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.

I tried an experiment today. My efficiency on the way to work was terrible at about 1.75 mi/kwh (25-65 mph, no launches and driving very conservatively in all purpose mode), so I turned off the cool/heat icon so that neither heat nor AC was on (fan remained on, however). After 2-3 mins, I turned on the AC again and the efficiency dramatically improved to 2.1 mi/kwh for another 3-4 miles and by then I was at work. WTF?

I have no idea why this would work, but clearly something is not right with the AC such that it sucks power so badly it dramatically affects efficiency. The biggest drain on miles/kwh should be drag (wind resistance).

 

[Cactus]

Without wanting to teach you to suck eggs, you can help cool your car quicker by leaving the windows vented, then when you get in, drive for the first minute or two with all the windows wide open to blow out all the warm stale air that was trapped (whilst the a/c is on lo). Then close up and don't use recirc until the cabin is much cooler.

Sounds like you're going to get your A/C checked anyway. FWIW, my car cools no prob from the app in the CA. midday sun. The noise, well that's another issue ...!

Thanks. Having lived in Phx for 16 years, I usually vent windows when I enter the vehicle and drive for a block with windows open to replace the super-hot air (125+) with ambient air (110+). I'm not surprised your car cools no problem in the midday CA sun. Phx has a very different climate than the Bay Area. We both agree on the AC noise: It's too LOUD.

 

[txtravwill]

Mine works fine on a 100+ day if I'm starting from cooler garage. Once I park in a hot lot for an hour or two, and say the temp on truck says 115 or so (even though it's cooler) then I also experience the AC cooling a bit, then closing pretty warm air for first few minutes. It's horrible and our other F150 blows cold fast and stays cold.

So far this Rivian AC is the worst I've ever had in a couple decades or so.

 

[Cactus]

Mine works fine on a 100+ day if I'm starting from cooler garage. Once I park in a hot lot for an hour or two, and say the temp on truck says 115 or so (even though it's cooler) then I also experience the AC cooling a bit, then closing pretty warm air for first few minutes. It's horrible and our other F150 blows cold fast and stays cold.

So far this Rivian AC is the worst I've ever had in a couple decades or so.

YES! This is exactly my experience. Blows cool air from a 95 degree garage in the morning. But the AC just can't cool the vehicle after it sits in the parking lot in the sun even if I park in partial shade of a tree.
My other cars–even the 2014 Model S–don't have a cooling problem.

 

[CharonPDX]

...when the car is not vey warm (95F)

Thank you for reminding me why I left Arizona, where 95F is "not very warm"

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