Let's remove the Conserve Mode stigma

[WorldComposting]

I haven't had a chance to try conserve mode yet as being on the East Coast all the highways I travel on are pretty crowded.

I don't think conserve is bad but unlike the dual motor which can activate and deactivate the rear wheels quickly the quad conserve is an on/off switch that shouldn't be changing frequently. It is really meant for those situations where you are on an empty stretch of road where you can put on the driver+ mode and hardly change speed. I also think conserve mode should turn regen off to even out tire wear when slowing down.

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[LevelHeaded]

I thought that guidance from Rivian on using conserve mode sparingly had to do with more than just tire wear (undue stress on the front motor & related components)

I suspect that, like my old Ioniq 5 in Eco mode, the dual motor uses both motors for traction e.g. when accelerating from a stop to spread the demand for pushing the massive weight of the vehicle across both axles, whereas conserve does not?

 

[SteveInBend]

"I suspect that, like my old Ioniq 5 in Eco"

Huh?

 

[mikehmb]

No stigma here. If I’m going somewhere that, upon my arrival, there is no charging infrastructure available or the return trip is starting to look dicey because of lack of chargers, then I’m absolutely using Conserve.

I use AP in all local driving, and 90% of the time on commute since it’s got hills and often stop-go.

Also - if I feel like using less energy (say on a flat drive at fairly consistent speed so I’m not melting tires), why not? It’s objectively better in every way - financially and environmentally.

 

[jlstan]

Drove from DC to NW Arkansas. Made it there without using Conserve, but Tennessee is loooong. Using conserve on the way back, highways and cruising only, really cured some of the white-knuckling I'd had to do between WalMarts (EA) on I40.

But you can definitely tell the difference, and of course it's hard on those front tires. Save it for highway cruising and don't use lowest, and it's perfectly fine.

 

[zefram47]

Maybe Rivian will one day update conserve mode to use the rear motors at low speed

It would have to be a hardware change since the rear motors are the only ones with mechanical disconnects. For various reasons Rivian geared the front motors taller than the rear, so running the fronts at speed is more efficient. They continued that with the dual motor even though the design of the Enduro drive unit allows more seamless engagement, so I don't see them changing this in the future. So we're stuck with FWD.

That all said, OP's point of using Conserve on the highway at Standard height is relevant. But you again don't have 4WD when engaged regardless of how much you push the skinny pedal. It's still probably best used if you think you might not reach the next charger...but then you can just slow down a bit too. The aero impact of speed will still have more of an effect on range than dropping out two motors. According to Munro, it's probably no more than 6%, which tracks with Rivian claiming just over 300 miles for a Quad+Large with 20s in Conserve mode vs 284 EPA in All-Purpose. As someone else said, with DCFC being 150-220 kW (and 300-400+ mi per hour of charging), you're better off driving the speed you want and arriving at low state of charge because you'll always be able to charge faster than you can drive.

 

[Kunzene]

I’ve got 32k miles on my original 20” ATs and have used conserve a ton, on most every road trip I’ve taken. Automatic adjustment of ride height caused more noticeable uneven wear than conserve mode, and for on-road driving I switched to exclusively standard ride height months ago.

 

[supernu8]

It would have to be a hardware change since the rear motors are the only ones with mechanical disconnects.

FWD for conserve makes sense for many reasons. I meant that the rears should be reactivated at low speeds; basically making the quad conserve more like the dual all-purpose.

 

[zefram47]

FWD for conserve makes sense for many reasons. I meant that the rears should be reactivated at low speeds; basically making the quad conserve more like the dual all-purpose.

Still not sure you'll see that because of the differences in the clutch mechanism. You can watch the comparison video that Munro did, but the dual uses a ring gear and electromagnet where the quad uses a dog clutch setup with electromagnet to flip the dogs. I'm not a mechanical engineer, but the dog clutch setup doesn't seem like it was designed for a ton of engagement cycles like the setup on the dual was.

 

[BigSkies]

I would love some real communication from Rivian on this. Right now there's a large subset of users that are avoiding Conserve based on several anecdotal data points from the internet.

I recall reading the second-hand report from a Rivian tech that switching Conserve on/off while driving was a bad idea. Given the inconsistent nature of communication from random Rivian employees, it would be great to know whether this should be a real concern or if it's just one person's unfounded opinion. Or maybe there's other communications I'm not aware of.

I've also seen the reports on here about excessive tire wear using Conserve. But it's a pretty small sample size of users. Maybe it's using Conserve, maybe it's driving style, maybe it's ride height, or maybe it's bad alignment. Or maybe it's a combination of factors. I don't claim to know much about alignment or tire wear, but a lot of people are operating their vehicles based on a small number of anecdotal accounts. I feel it's reasonable for Rivian to provide some guidance on what conditions are appropriate for Conserve, and what conditions might worsen tire wear. Otherwise we're just left guessing based on incomplete information.

 

[Batman]

I use Conserve mode anytime I hop on the hwy

 

[GHuff]

Something to consider is battery cycles. If you do a large number of long trips, you are accumulating additional battery wear and additional charging costs, which cumulatively does add up

https://rivian.com/support/article/what-is-the-warranty-coverage-on-a-new-rivian

• Battery pack system and drivetrain system limited warranty based on configuration:
  • 8-year or 175,000-mile (whichever occurs first) for Large pack battery with Quad-Motor.
  • 8-year or 150,000-mile (whichever occurs first) for Large pack battery with Dual-Motor.

 

[R1TS]

Rivian said that the dual motor will switch to one motor automatically on highway. From testing others have done on this forum is a large part of the difference between dual and quad EPA numbers.

Therefore for everybody who is avoiding use of conserve because of tire wear, I don't see why there would be any difference between a dual motor automatically disengaging the rears versus a quad motor in conserve **if** set at standard right height.

I've started using conserve on hwy trips over 20 mi once the car is up to speed but have conserve set for standard ride height. Anyone else doing the same?

Maybe the dual motor Rivians will have accelerated west of the front tires. Just because they do something doesn’t mean there are no downsides to their decision.
By end of next year, we’ll see whether it does or does not make a difference. Until then, it’s just all speculation.

 

[R1Tom]

Rivian said that the dual motor will switch to one motor automatically on highway. From testing others have done on this forum is a large part of the difference between dual and quad EPA numbers.

Therefore for everybody who is avoiding use of conserve because of tire wear, I don't see why there would be any difference between a dual motor automatically disengaging the rears versus a quad motor in conserve **if** set at standard right height.

I've started using conserve on hwy trips over 20 mi once the car is up to speed but have conserve set for standard ride height. Anyone else doing the same?

I do exactly this. As soon as up to speed I go conserve standard ride height. Then when down to slower speed on off ramp, back to all purpose at same ride height.

 

[SANZC02]

When using the board guess-o-meter, I haven't found the gains from using conserve mode to be very significant. If you're on a straight flat piece of highway it does seem to help, but as soon as you add hills in the mix conserve can actually give you less range. I assume that's less regen?

That and the early rumors of switching to conserve at speed causing drive unit failure* plus tire wear and other long term wear and tear just don't make it worth the slight gain in mileage.

* Is this still a thing?

I have not had issues switching I usually just try to limit the load when I switch in and out. I used it quite a bit on a 5100 mile trip and had no odd tire wear. I would switch into conserve once on the highway and up to speed and switch out just before exiting the highway.

I do have a 120 mile drive I do a couple of times a month. I have tested with and without conserve on that trip and it does seem to make a small difference. I do not bother with it unless it is open highway with no traffic, just prefer the handling of all purpose when driving in traffic.

I have 10k on my R1S now and the tires all seem good, looks like I’m on track for 30k which is what I expected based on tire life in my Tesla Model S.

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