Long Term Storage

[moosetags]

We are about to set out on a cross country Airstream Adventure. Our Silverado Duramax will be doing the towing on this trip. We will be heading up to New England and then out to Wyoming and Nevada. We may be gone as long as 60 days or more.

Our question is what to do with Opal (our R1T) while we are away. We plan to put her inside the garage while we are gone. We are somewhat concerned about what is the best course to take about battery maintenance. We had about decided to run her up to 80% SOC and leave her unplugged. Then we are reading here on the Forums that this may not be the best course of action. Some are saying that Rivian suggests that she should be plugged-in while not being used.

We have several options. We have a Rivian Wall Charger. We also have close access to a 50 amp 14-50 outlet, and, of course, we have a 120 volt 20 amp outlet nearby. We are currently thinking that the safest option is to use her Portable Charger and leave her plugged into the 20 amp 120 volt outlet with her charge set at 50%. We are a little concerned of fire risk with using the 240 volt options.

We would appreciate input on this issue knowledgeable members here on the forums. Thank you for your assistance.

Brian

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[COdogman]

If it were me I would leave it plugged in and set to 50-60%.

My main concern would be the 12v batteries dying.

 

[tjmsquared]

Although I think that your strategy is probably the best way to go, another option is to put it into shipping mode which should be able to preserve the charge for that long without any issues.

You could also try calling Rivian support and see if they have a recommendation. I'm curious what they would say.

 

[SilverII]

set charge limit at 50% and leave plugged in

 

[godfodder0901]

We are about to set out on a cross country Airstream Adventure. Our Silverado Duramax will be doing the towing on this trip. We will be heading up to New England and then out to Wyoming and Nevada. We may be gone as long as 60 days or more.

Our question is what to do with Opal (our R1T) while we are away. We plan to put her inside the garage while we are gone. We are somewhat concerned about what is the best course to take about battery maintenance. We had about decided to run her up to 80% SOC and leave her unplugged. Then we are reading here on the Forums that this may not be the best course of action. Some are saying that Rivian suggests that she should be plugged-in while not being used.

We have several options. We have a Rivian Wall Charger. We also have close access to a 50 amp 14-50 outlet, and, of course, we have a 120 volt 20 amp outlet nearby. We are currently thinking that the safest option is to use her Portable Charger and leave her plugged into the 20 amp 120 volt outlet with her charge set at 50%. We are a little concerned of fire risk with using the 240 volt options.

We would appreciate input on this issue knowledgeable members here on the forums. Thank you for your assistance.

Brian

As others have said, definitely keep it plugged in. I would use the wall charger and set to 50%. There have been some that get intermittent charging errors in the heat, and have had good luck avoiding these errors by dialing back the charging amperage to 32 amps or below. Since you are in Florida, this may be something to consider if you aren't already on 2023.26.0, which was supposed to (partially) address this situation.

 

[SSteveEV]

For that long of a time you definitely need to be plugged in, also agree a low rate trickle is your best option unless service tells you otherwise. I had mixed responses when I asked them how to store for 2 weeks 6 months ago.
Also please clear out a trip meter when you park it and report back on the drain over that period of time when you return. Would love to see how much is used in a 60 day sit either in shipping or normal.


Most of all, safe travels and have a blast! Wave when you pass Michigan

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Keep it on the charger for that long. I wouldn't worry about fire risk.

 

[PowerBugs]

We are about to set out on a cross country Airstream Adventure. Our Silverado Duramax will be doing the towing on this trip. We will be heading up to New England and then out to Wyoming and Nevada. We may be gone as long as 60 days or more.

Our question is what to do with Opal (our R1T) while we are away. We plan to put her inside the garage while we are gone. We are somewhat concerned about what is the best course to take about battery maintenance. We had about decided to run her up to 80% SOC and leave her unplugged. Then we are reading here on the Forums that this may not be the best course of action. Some are saying that Rivian suggests that she should be plugged-in while not being used.

We have several options. We have a Rivian Wall Charger. We also have close access to a 50 amp 14-50 outlet, and, of course, we have a 120 volt 20 amp outlet nearby. We are currently thinking that the safest option is to use her Portable Charger and leave her plugged into the 20 amp 120 volt outlet with her charge set at 50%. We are a little concerned of fire risk with using the 240 volt options.

We would appreciate input on this issue knowledgeable members here on the forums. Thank you for your assistance.

Brian

As mentioned above by @COdogman, it is best to plug it in while away for extended period of time.
I thought about this before my recent trip and had also inquired to CS and they all suggest to plug it in and have scheduled charging.
This was a challenged for me since my truck doesn't fit in the garage so what I end up doing is getting an extension and use my portable charger and ran the cable under the garage door.
If you that that option, there is no reason why not to keep it plug in. You can always turn off or on your charging schedule over the app.

 

[zefram47]

If it were me I would leave it plugged in and set to 50-60%.

My main concern would be the 12v batteries dying.

+1 for this

 

[swflor]

@moosetags I have a T in NC and one in FL. Either one can sit for 1-2 months at a time depending on where I am. In both cases, I set them to 70% and leave plugged into the Rivian Wall Charger. I set the charging time from 12a - 3a. So far, never an issue.

 

[mikehmb]

We are about to set out on a cross country Airstream Adventure. Our Silverado Duramax will be doing the towing on this trip. We will be heading up to New England and then out to Wyoming and Nevada. We may be gone as long as 60 days or more.

Our question is what to do with Opal (our R1T) while we are away. We plan to put her inside the garage while we are gone. We are somewhat concerned about what is the best course to take about battery maintenance. We had about decided to run her up to 80% SOC and leave her unplugged. Then we are reading here on the Forums that this may not be the best course of action. Some are saying that Rivian suggests that she should be plugged-in while not being used.

We have several options. We have a Rivian Wall Charger. We also have close access to a 50 amp 14-50 outlet, and, of course, we have a 120 volt 20 amp outlet nearby. We are currently thinking that the safest option is to use her Portable Charger and leave her plugged into the 20 amp 120 volt outlet with her charge set at 50%. We are a little concerned of fire risk with using the 240 volt options.

We would appreciate input on this issue knowledgeable members here on the forums. Thank you for your assistance.

Brian

EDIT: The Owner’s Guide says you can basically lock in the amperage limit by setting a charge schedule. Maybe go that route instead.

We’ll need to double check this, but if your primary concern is safety, then you can set the current limit pretty low (say, 20A) and plug into the 14-50, leaving the charge set point at 50% (or thereabouts). It won’t even come close to warming the lines or socket. I’m assuming you have the Rivian charger hardwired.

The only reasons I suggesting testing is because after a full charge cycle, and you either unplug or tap “stop charging”, the current limit resets to the highest available amperage. But if you’re leaving it plugged in, not interrupting the cycle by manually turning charging off, it should maintain the same current rating over the course of the charge, which in your case would be 60 days.

Worth a quick-ish test. Plug in your truck, set the current draw to something really low, then set your charge limit to something very close to what the truck is already at. Check the app periodically to see what the charge rate is. If you’re at 20A, and 240V, you should be showing 4-5kW on the app during times when it’s replenishing charges.

This might be an overnight/multi-day test …

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Plugged in. 50%. Shipping mode for good measure.

 

[NY_Rob]

I'd also set it to 50% SOC limit, place it in Shipping Mode and keep the 120V EVSE plugged in as there haven't been reports of the 120V EVSE tripping the thermal sensor in the charge inlet port.

Also, leave a key card or fob with a trusted neighbor or near-by relative in case things go south and access to the vehicle is needed.

Enjoy your trip too!!

 

[moosetags]

I'd also set it to 50% SOC limit, place it in Shipping Mode and keep the 120V EVSE plugged in as there haven't been reports of the 120V EVSE tripping the thermal sensor in the charge inlet port.

Also, leave a key card or fob with a trusted neighbor or near-by relative in case things go south and access to the vehicle is needed.

Enjoy your trip too!!

That sounds good to us. I think that We will feel more comfortable with 120 volt charge going on and limiting the charge to 50%.

We have three sons who live nearby. We plan to leave a key card and the FOB here at the house in case they need to get access.

Brian

 

[CrazyOne]

I would plug in with Rivian wall charger and a lower SOC, say 50%. If there is a fire or the vehicle dies, you know who screwed up.

Also, I would be more worried about outlets overheating and catching fire, than the car or Rivian charger catching fire. Issues with EVs and outlets are well documented.

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