Rivian turned to brick

[West Ridge]

This morning the R1T was in total brick mode, not responding to any keys and no response from screens, security, etc. No hint of power. Had about 50% power yesterday at 7PM. Disconcerting to say the least. “Lucky” this happened in my driveway and not at remote location. Has this happened to any of you? What could be the problem. Towed to service center and waiting for response.

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[SANZC02]

This morning the R1T was in total brick mode, not responding to any keys and no response from screens, security, etc. No hint of power. Had about 50% power yesterday at 7PM. Disconcerting to say the least. “Lucky” this happened in my driveway and not at remote location. Has this happened to any of you? What could be the problem. Towed to service center and waiting for response.

It has not happened to me but sounds like the 12 volt battery died. It has been reported a few times on the forums.

 

[West Ridge]

Makes sense. But is there no warning or way to check health of 12 Volt battery?

 

[PaythePiper]

Makes sense. But is there no warning or way to check health of 12 Volt battery?

Teslas have this same problem. Your only warning is a dead car. With all the tech these things have, it’s kind of unacceptable IMO

 

[SANZC02]

Makes sense. But is there no warning or way to check health of 12 Volt battery?

There is supposed to be a warning but if it is an instant failure it may not have triggered the warning.

 

[godfodder0901]

Makes sense. But is there no warning or way to check health of 12 Volt battery?

There is built-in logic to test the 12-volt and alert you if you have an issue. It doesn't work 100% of the time though. Others, like myself, have Home Assistant integrations that will show the 12-volt battery health.

 

[ndmiller]

I wonder if a battery tracker I've been using on all my ICE vehicles would work.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NSTQCM8

 

[VSG]

It's also important to figure out if you did anything to contribute to the battery failure. In an ICE vehicle, if you leave your headlights on when you park you will come back to a "brick". Similarly, in a Rivian, if you leave one of the front seat belts fastened, your vehicle won't shut down - it will think someone is still in the vehicle. Same result from similar reasons - if something is left running it will drain your 12V.

But in most cases, at least in the early vehicles, 12V failure could be because the electronics failed to manage the charging of the 12V battery properly. I believe those electronics issues were mostly fixed, so they shouldn't be a big problem anymore in Gen 2. Which incidentally is a huge cost savings for Rivian, because one of the parts that failed and caused a dead 12V was embedded in the HV battery pack, so to fix it they had to replace the pack. I think this was a big thing that was changed when they redesigned the battery packs over the past year.

 

[VSG]

Oh, and also you can probably jump start it to get in - instructions in the user's manual. There are battery leads accessible in the rear by the hitch receiver. If you can jump successfully you might be able to plug in and charge and get the 12V back working. Sill want to find out if this is failing electronics or something you did, but there's potentially a way to get back up and running quickly.

 

[iBang]

Thinking this will happen to my R1T one day scares me. I mean 12V battery will go out sooner or later won't it?

 

[Wispitgood]

It has not happened to me but sounds like the 12 volt battery died. It has been reported a few times on the forums.

Curious, is the Rivian 12 volt battery unique or same as some other truck batteries? I.would think it would be unique, even a smart battery.

 

[ATL_R1S]

Curious, is the Rivian 12 volt battery unique or same as some other truck batteries? I.would think it would be unique, even a smart battery.

No, it's a very typical AGM lead-acid 12v battery found in the majority of vehicles. It's just smaller in size and capacity than most gas vehicles of comparable size. Early builds had two 12v batteries, each powering separate sides of the vehicle (left and right), and newer builds have one 12v and one capacitor.

The aftermarket (Ohmmu) offers Lithium (LiFePO4) replacement options that are "lighter, more efficient, eco-friendly, have a higher usable capacity, and last 4x longer than traditional sealed lead acid batteries." They're also bluetooth enabled with an app to monitor their health.

 

[PappaBolt]

Others, like myself, have Home Assistant integrations that will show the 12-volt battery health.

Details?

 

[godfodder0901]

Details?

GitHub - bretterer/home-assistant-rivian: Rivian (Unofficial) Integration for Home Assistant

 

[Wispitgood]

No, it's a very typical AGM lead-acid 12v battery found in the majority of vehicles. It's just smaller in size and capacity than most gas vehicles of comparable size. Early builds had two 12v batteries, each powering separate sides of the vehicle (left and right), and newer builds have one 12v and one capacitor.

The aftermarket (Ohmmu) offers Lithium (LiFePO4) replacement options that are "lighter, more efficient, eco-friendly, have a higher usable capacity, and last 4x longer than traditional sealed lead acid batteries." They're also bluetooth enabled with an app to monitor their health.

Great to know, and should be on all Rivian groups! I also wonder if a second battery would be wise in parallel like my deisel?

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