800V Architecture Not Coming Until Next Gen Vehicles + Other Updates From Weekly Rivian Roundup 8/12/23

[SASSquatch]

Not a whole lot here except Heartbreak Hotel for anyone who was expecting to have 800v compatible architecture in their current R1 vehicle and the tailgate pad is coming s00n.

Also, Rivian asks - you've got AC issues? We'll investigate...

via Reddit

Weekly Rivian Responds + Roundup: Q2 Earnings, AC Power, and 800v [8/12/2023]

Hello hello Rivialets,

It's been an exciting week for vehicles! San Francisco just approved autonomous vehicles for fared rides 24/7. I think that's pretty neat and wanted you all to know. This week we also saw the gigantic EV Escalade which is shockingly not as garish as it could have been. Beyond that, the Cybertruck appears to actually be... happening? Personally, I look forward to the rush of content when this happens.

Alright, let's jump into it.

• Some Rivian owners have noticed that the AC strength of the vented front seats feels a lot lower as of a few updates ago. Was this intentional? Or is a fix to bring back the vent's AC power?
  • There haven’t been any software updates to our vehicles that would impact performance of the front seat ventilation but thank you for flagging – we’ll analyze any customer feedback to troubleshoot and diagnose potential reasons an owner may be experiencing this.
• Any updates on the R1T tailgate pad?
  • Keep an eye out! We're receiving inventory now and will make the Rivian Tailgate Pad purchasable in Gear Shop very soon.
• Is Rivian considered a memory setting for the rear gate? If it opens all the way, it hits my garage door and needs to be manually stopped.
  • We’re exploring liftgate memory functionality and will keep you posted if it becomes part of our software roadmap.
• Will Rivian consider any more AMAs with the team in the subreddit? I really liked the design talk at the Venice Hub and would love to have someone like Jeff in the sub.
  • We plan on it! The mods will fill you in on the details as we schedule future AMAs with the team.
  • Mod Note: hehe
• Can you provide an update on the 800v charging capacity? Will existing trucks be able to utilize 800v architecture or, if not, be upgradeable?
  • We’re deep into the development of our proprietary 800-volt architecture. It’ll include an integrated on-board charger, DC to DC converter, and DC to AC converter, where the power stages of the DC-AC and AC-DC are bi-directional and share semiconductors, magnetics, and the controller. Our 800V architecture will be introduced in our next-generation vehicle platforms – we do not plan for any R1 vehicles built today with 400V architecture to be upgradable to 800V.

Roundup

• Red Canyon is underrated? Strong agree.
• Support queue times can be a little out of control. Thankfully, as many users pointed out, the wait for chat is rarely what's quoted.
• A rear ended R1S makes us sad.
• The manual tonneau cover isn't hitting the mark with everyone, with some complaints that it's flimsy or fragile.
• People are still being asked for tours of their trucks and obliging. I know I do still.
• We love you too u/WassymRivian. Thanks for the shout out on the earnings call!
• Compass Yellow looking fine.
• Oh shit. The oh shit handle!
• Work on the Georgia plant, which will produce the R2, is well underway.

Sponsored

 

[shrink]

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I wasn't counting on it being a retrofit to these vehicles anyways.

 

[DuoRivians]

This isn’t surprising. Refresh of R1 in 2025 might have it

 

[R1Tom]

I 99.9% charge at home so don't even care.

 

[brancky3]

I 99.9% charge at home so don't even care.

Even if you charge on the road the (current) infrastructure we have won’t really give much of a benefit anyway.

 

[SANZC02]

The real benefit to the 800 volt charging is they can use smaller gauge wiring saving weight and money. It also charges with less heat buildup so on those hotter days the curve should stay higher longer.

 

[evhelphub]

RJ mentioned on the last earnings call that they were shutting down the lines mid next year for upgrades in tech. Mentioned less wiring and a couple of other things.

It should be stated that initially RJ said this would be early next year so it's already being pushed back. Knowing how things go it wouldn't be surprising if this update was closer to 2025.

This sounds like a good time to implement 800v and a heat pump. Pure speculation other than confirmed reduction of wiring and new tech as stated.

 

[SeaGeo]

The real benefit to the 800 volt charging is they can use smaller gauge wiring saving weight and money. It also charges with less heat buildup so on those hotter days the curve should stay higher longer.

And maximize all those silly chargers that are "125kw" but the cable is only spec'd to provide that for 800v vehicles.

 

[emoore]

RJ mentioned on the last earnings call that they were shutting down the lines mid next year for upgrades in tech. Mentioned less wiring and a couple of other things.

It should be stated that initially RJ said this would be early next year so it's already being pushed back. Knowing how things go it wouldn't be surprising if this update was closer to 2025.

This sounds like a good time to implement 800v and a heat pump. Pure speculation other than confirmed reduction of wiring and new tech as stated.

Doubt either of those happen on current R1 vehicles.

 

[Sgt Beavis]

At best, there was a 0% chance that existing R1s would be upgradable to 800v. There are no surprises here.

 

[evhelphub]

Doubt either of those happen on current R1 vehicles.

When you say current R1 vehicles, what do you mean? I think there's a zero percent chance at least one doesn't get implemented in the next 18 months.

 

[emoore]

When you say current R1 vehicles, what do you mean? I think there's a zero percent chance at least one doesn't get implemented in the next 18 months.

I’d say until there is a new model R1. So probably 3-4 years.

 

[evhelphub]

I’d say until there is a new model R1. So probably 3-4 years.

We shall see! I think the lack of a heat pump is a huge miss for an electric adventure vehicle. There used to be rumors swirling about development until Rivian said that there weren't current plans for one, which was last year at some point. I'm not sure who believes that but I certainly don't. It makes too much since just like the 800V. However the 800V system is far more complicated to develop, test and implement than a heat pump.

 

[emoore]

We shall see! I think the lack of a heat pump is a huge miss for an electric adventure vehicle. There used to be rumors swirling about development until Rivian said that there weren't current plans for one, which was last year at some point. I'm not sure who believes that but I certainly don't. It makes too much since just like the 800V. However the 800V system is far more complicated to develop, test and implement.

I’m sure it will eventually happen but I wouldn’t be surprised if the R2 is 400v and without a heat pump.

Sponsored