Why is battery heater overheating the motors

[tplociniak]

It seems to favor that front passenger motor, when my truck is parked and preheating it uses that front passenger side motor to warm things up and get ready for the drive. Just providing that for others that are concerned about a single motor showing those warmer temps, if no high temp alarms are showing there is no reason for concern.

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[MountainBikeDude]

Given how many times this topic has been touched on, here, on facebook groups, reddit and the like, it blows my mind that this is still a question.

If battery temps are sub optimal for charging or driving, the motors will run hotter as a way for the truck to efficiently warm the drive train and battery pack. If you are navigating to a charger, the same thing will happen, a message will come up stating "Preconditioning for fast charging" and your motors will start to heat up in preparation

Further, if you don't fully complete the preconditioning cycle before arriving at a charger, the truck will charge at around 27-35kW, motors will start to heat up, then after a short period once pack temps satisfy the BMS requirements, it will start charging at full rate, and motor temps will drop dramatically back to roughly 30-35c

It's cool that we have access to the information, and like a kid in a candy store, I want more! But yes, Rivian could have included a little information icon on the motor temp tile that when tapped, would bring up detailed information about what to expect, and why certain things happen.

PS
Work fired me up this morning, so I'll go grab a coffee and chill out now ?

 

[AYAYRON]

It's pretty cold today at 21F so I set the charger as destination and I immediately noticed that the front motors (conserve mode) were warming up as I was driving.
I was noticeable because if I canceled the trip then they would cool down
Then I arrived at Superchager and after 5 minutes (time it to to fully warm up the battery) I got crazy temperatures on front motors; see attached
After the battery was warm and I started getting full rate of charge the motors temperature came back down

I know tesla M3 in the past used to use the back motors to warm up the battery but I would not expect this in a Rivian.

Can you change the subject of the thread to "Rivian owners freak out over seeing their temps without actually knowing that it's totally fine and normal"

 

[jeeden]

Can you change the subject of the thread to "Rivian owners freak out over seeing their temps without actually knowing that it's totally fine and normal"

ChatGPT's got you "Give me an onion article on Rivian owners freaking out about their motor temperatures!"


In an unforeseen twist, Rivian owners across the nation are experiencing a peculiar frenzy as reports emerge of their electric vehicle's motors running hotter than usual during winter. However, this unusual spike in motor temperatures isn't a cause for concern but rather a sophisticated mechanism employed by Rivian to optimize battery performance in colder climates. Dubbed the "Heat While Parked" feature, the system ingeniously repurposes excess motor heat to warm the battery, ensuring peak efficiency during chilly weather. Despite Rivian's reassurances and expert endorsements citing the brilliance of this innovation, some owners are seen pacing nervously around their parked vehicles, mistaking the warmth as a sign of imminent meltdown. One enthusiast was overheard exclaiming, "I bought an electric car, not a furnace on wheels!" as forums buzz with speculations ranging from conspiracy theories to demands for a more "chill" temperature display. Rivian remains steadfast, assuring owners that their vehicles are not on the verge of spontaneous combustion but are simply embracing a new form of electric coziness.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

You answered your question with 3rd word in your post. Cold. Everything has optimal operating temp range. It’s warming them up to be within that range, for optimal performance. Unless you actually see excessive tempt warnings, nothing to be alarmed over. It is working as designed.

 

[jerseyff]

Your graphic shows only 1 out of 4 motors getting hot. I find that weird. Every other graphic I've seen shows the the motors acting symmetrically. If you have it in Conserve, then I would expect only the two fronts to get hot, but I would expect BOTH of them to get hot. If you have it in AWD, then I would expect all 4 to warm up.

So, I don't think it would hurt to contact service about just this ONE motor heating up - stress that your concern is that's it's just ONE motor. This might be an early sign of a stuck valve on the cooling system that might lead to drive system failure down the road.

Since the gauge cluster showed up, I have repeatedly seen my front passenger motor temp slightly higher temp than the others. Could it be fluid path based?

 

[Diddy123]

Why is battery heater overheating the motors

It isn't.

 

[Rivianready]

I noticed this on a long drive as well. As soon as I told it I was going to stop at a DC charger, I saw the temp in the front motors spike up to almost 300 degrees. I switch to AP mode to divert some of the heat/power, and I was right, it did raise the back motor temps and lower the fronts.

With temps now dropping in the north east, I saw a snowflake symbol for the first time and a notice saying “acceleration and regen will be limited until battery is warmed up” (something like that). So my question is: is there a way to warm up the battery remotely so it’s ready when you get to the vehicle like you can to the interior?

Thank you all again.

Yes, I would like to know if there is a way to manually warm up the batteries as well. I don’t always tell the car that I am navigating to a fast charger, so I would like to warm them up manually before I get there.

 

[kozak79]

What's interesting is that Differentials can heat past 300F with normal driving.

*Differential on an ICE truck while towing.

 

[kylealden]

It's not the information at fault...it's the presentation.

I think this is true to some extent - but the counterargument is that giving customers information they can't usefully interpret is just adding noise with no signal. It invites misinterpretation. I agree the presentation (with "hazard orange" colors on something in normal operating parameters) is actively misleading, but even without that we'd have people losing their minds over Number Get Big.

 

[R1Tom]

I think this is true to some extent - but the counterargument is that giving customers information they can't usefully interpret is just adding noise with no signal. It invites misinterpretation. I agree the presentation (with "hazard orange" colors on something in normal operating parameters is actively misleading, but even without that we'd have people losing their minds over Number Get Big.

Since the system has extensive capabilities, they could put up a message that explains why those temps are normal in some circumstances(and not make the orange/red, etc...in those circumstances).

I always figured the extra gauges on vehicles in the more sporting/off road trims was to help sell the upper sportier trims. But maybe this is part of reason other vehicles, like say Jeep Wrnaglers, often offer more info to enthusiasts. Off Road pages, more gauges, etc... Maybe half the equation is people who buy commuter cars and not interested in this stuff don't get the stuff both because it costs more but also because if anything it might confuse them.

Since I consider (and I am authority on all things...haha)the Rivian an enthusiast vehicle I say keep the info...just clean up approach a bit.

 

[rso544]

Given how many times this topic has been touched on, here, on facebook groups, reddit and the like, it blows my mind that this is still a question.

If battery temps are sub optimal for charging or driving, the motors will run hotter as a way for the truck to efficiently warm the drive train and battery pack. If you are navigating to a charger, the same thing will happen, a message will come up stating "Preconditioning for fast charging" and your motors will start to heat up in preparation

Further, if you don't fully complete the preconditioning cycle before arriving at a charger, the truck will charge at around 27-35kW, motors will start to heat up, then after a short period once pack temps satisfy the BMS requirements, it will start charging at full rate, and motor temps will drop dramatically back to roughly 30-35c

It's cool that we have access to the information, and like a kid in a candy store, I want more! But yes, Rivian could have included a little information icon on the motor temp tile that when tapped, would bring up detailed information about what to expect, and why certain things happen.

PS
Work fired me up this morning, so I'll go grab a coffee and chill out now ?

Totally correct! Exactly how it played out for me I did switch to AP from conserve since I didn’t know what it meant and I was on a remote stretch of I-84 on my way to a tiny charging station. But never saw it turn orange again.

 

[maddave12]

I experienced this for the first time yesterday, as 25 minutes into my drive all my motors were in the orange range. Since I hadn't noticed discussions of this before, it was quite disconcerting. I agree with the poster who recommended a different color, or a single sentence of explanation, would reduce driver anxiety. As soon as I pulled over, the temps dropped like hot rocks, and all was normal from then on.

 

[vandy1981]

I think this is true to some extent - but the counterargument is that giving customers information they can't usefully interpret is just adding noise with no signal. It invites misinterpretation. I agree the presentation (with "hazard orange" colors on something in normal operating parameters) is actively misleading, but even without that we'd have people losing their minds over Number Get Big.

I saw a hysterical post elsewhere this morning that was complaining about the motors overheating based on the gauge colors (can't find it now). They actually parked on the side of the road and called someone to pick them up because they were worried about the truck exploding.

 

[iansriv]

Sometime too much information can be harmful. Not sure why Rivian put that infomration there other than to cause anxiety in a group of people that easily get anxious.

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