Free LTE Connectivity to end this month

[dleepnw]

As Rivian noted in an email at the beginning of this year, the free LTE connectivity we have in our R1 is supposed to end at the end of 2023. Has anyone heard what the cost is going to be or exactly when were supposed to start paying or how the contract will work?

And there's been zero update, afaik, on Membership and what the "unbundled", a la carte services they offer are going to be, costs, benefits, etc. Anyone have any insight on this either?

The Terms and Conditions they published with the email hasn't changed since Jan either. https://rivian.com/legal/beta

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[Dark-Fx]

No info has been shared at all about specifics. Membership is not a thing anymore.

 

[dleepnw]

No info has been shared at all about specifics. Membership is not a thing anymore.

not so sure its not a thing. seems to me its just below the fold for them right now.

 

[Dark-Fx]

not so sure its not a thing. seems to me its just below the fold for them right now.

It was supposed to bundle in charging at RAN and that's already been broken out for a while.

 

[Ecupip]

This is why it's important to have Carplay or AA. Unless you pay for data, you lose the voice assistant and music, except for FM and Bluetooth. Plus, I'm sure more things are dependant on the connection.

 

[SANZC02]

This is why it's important to have Carplay or AA. Unless you pay for data, you lose the voice assistant and music, except for FM and Bluetooth. Plus, I'm sure more things are dependant on the connection.

I would not worry about it until they provide details. They will maintain some connectivity, what that ends up being remains to be seen, probably advanced functions like the hotspot will be on the pay list.

Here as an example from the Tesla premium connectivity plan

Standard Connectivity:

• Tesla Over-the-air (OTA) Updates
• Bluetooth Capability
• Navigation (WiFi + LTE)

Premium Connectivity (includes everything in Standard, plus the following):

• Live Traffic Visualization
• Satellite-View Maps
• Video Streaming (WiFi + LTE)
• Music Streaming (WiFi + LTE)
• Internet Browser (WiFi + LTE)

 

[portdirect]

The timing of the ATT announcement re trialing the RCV and R1's in their service fleet is unlikely to be a coincidence - I suspect things are just starting to settle down, and in the next week we'll find out the news re how much it will cost us each month... The biggest thing in the PR for me was confirmation that ATT will continue to be the *exclusive* telco providing connectivity in USA and Canada(presumably some internal roaming agreement there?) Note that the ATT SVP (Hardmon Williams, Connected Solutions) seems more aligned with selling wireless to verticals like automotive rather than fleet management, and was also in this PR from last month: https://about.att.com/story/2023/in-car-wi-fi.html

 

[Ladiver]

I am going to be watching this very closely. I have said that I will not buy into a VAAS (vehicle as a service) subscription model. My Rivian must have all of the expected features of any vehicle, fee-free.

1. Music
2. Navigation
3. Phone connectivity

If I need LTE to access these features, then I better be able to use my cell phone to tether. If not, then the R1T will be replaced by a new truck.

 

[NY_Rob]

I am going to be watching this very closely. I have said that I will not buy into a VAAS (vehicle as a service) subscription model. My Rivian must have all of the expected features of any vehicle, fee-free.

1. Music
2. Navigation
3. Phone connectivity

If I need LTE to access these features, then I better be able to use my cell phone to tether. If not, then the R1T will be replaced by a new truck.

Like Tesla, there's a good chance Rivian will charge the same $99/year for the LTE service.

You would get rid of your $90K Rivian due to $99/year LTE service? And if so.. what vehicle would you purchase that includes free LTE service?

 

[FrankieJ]

I am going to be watching this very closely. I have said that I will not buy into a VAAS (vehicle as a service) subscription model. My Rivian must have all of the expected features of any vehicle, fee-free.

1. Music
2. Navigation
3. Phone connectivity

If I need LTE to access these features, then I better be able to use my cell phone to tether. If not, then the R1T will be replaced by a new truck.

That seems a bit extreme. So you would get rid of your Rivian if they charged you a fee of $100 a year or perhaps a bit more?

 

[Ladiver]

I’d get a new 1-ton diesel. No need to rely on another subscription.

 

[brancky3]

Like Tesla, there's a good chance Rivian will charge the same $99/year for the LTE service.

You would get rid of your Rivian due to $99/year LTE service? And if so.. what vehicle would you purchase that includes free LTE service?

It makes sense, take a $10K+ loss on a vehicle change instead of paying less than $10 a month.

 

[COdogman]

I’d get a new 1-ton diesel. No need to rely on another subscription.

Except you would pay way more than $100 per year in increased fuel and maintenance plus the loss on the Rivian for selling that soon. ??‍

You do you!

 

[dleepnw]

I’d get a new 1-ton diesel. No need to rely on another subscription.

i get it. everyone has something that's a deal breaker for them. i will not be happy about paying $100 for LTE connectivity for navigation. i can do OTAs at home over wifi so i dont need it for that or really anything else, but if i have to pay in order to be able to use navigation, that wont be cool.

 

[sub]

i get it. everyone has something that's a deal breaker for them. i will not be happy about paying $100 for LTE connectivity for navigation. i can do OTAs at home over wifi so i dont need it for that or really anything else, but if i have to pay in order to be able to use navigation, that wont be cool.

They just need to time the change with an OTA update that lets the vehicle keep wifi on while in motion so you can use your phone as a hotspot for the vehicle. It is a feature they should add anyway for times when your phone has better reception than the car's.

It is totally fair for Rivian to not want to cover the data cost forever, but they should let drivers choose if they want to use Rivian's data plan or their own.

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