Best practices for driving in extreme cold

[Billofaustin2]

Hello all.
I will be driving 500 miles from New Mexico to Telluride Colorado this Saturday. Temperatures are going to be pretty extremely cold. I have an R1 T with a max pack so I basically get 400 miles on the charge. Is there any advice for driving in the cold and performance hits on the battery. I will have my family with me and can’t risk failure. My wife would kill me…
I have my charger stops planned out. It gets a little spotty when I get to Durango because I only have two super chargers.
Any advice appreciated. Thank you.

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[Jnz]

Range drops precipitously in extreme cold (below 10 degree F). Keep an eye on your consumption and make sure you drive economically. Don't let it get too low. But honestly, above zero degrees, range will be less but not dramatically less.

Precondition the cabin while plugged in before you leave to get the battery to the best temp prior to departure (there's a selection in the app to use the grid to power the preconditioning process).

 

[Billofaustin2]

Thank you. Great tips!

 

[mikehmb]

Pre-heat the cabin while it is plugged in (use departure time if you'd like), and keep it plugged in all night before you depart. Keep it in the garage if possible to keep battery temps up above 60 degrees. Use seat heaters and keep the cabin temps at a reasonable level.

You're going to take a hit from using the cabin heater, but the above should help mitigate the worst of it. Enjoy the trip!

 

[Billofaustin2]

Thank you!

 

[SteveInBend]

How does your family feel about wearing hats, gloves, and jackets in the car?

 

[Billofaustin2]

Lol. Good point. We will have blankets.

 

[mudito]

(there's a selection in the app to use the grid to power the preconditioning process).

There is a specific setting in the app for this? Do you mind sharing how I should activate this? Thanks!

 

[Jnz]

Yes, when you set up a new scheduled preconditioning time, there is a toggle at the bottom of the configuration page:

 

[COdogman]

In that kind of cold your truck will charge slower and you won’t get the type of range you would get above 50 degrees. It’s expected- just something to be aware of. I was a little disappointed in the heater performance during last winter’s super cold weather. It was ok, but I would wear warmer socks this year

You’ll be fine if you have your charging stops planned. Enjoy your CO trip!

 

[Billofaustin2]

Thank you!

 

[PaythePiper]

If you are also dealing with elevation climbs, in addition to the cold, you will get nowhere near your estimated range. I drove 160 mile drive with about 5k elevation gains in 30-40 degrees and it took 270 miles of range to get to my destination

 

[CrazyOne]

Use rivian nav to estimate range. It was very accurate for me, taking weather and elevation into account.

 

[Riviot]

Been there, done that... Headwind is your true enemy. Be comfortable and run the heater. Also keep the battery warm via frequent fast charging stops. You're better doing frequent top offs than trying to slow charge the night before or really long stops.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...w-much-of-a-riviot-can-i-be.12892/post-289361

 

[SANZC02]

Hello all.
I will be driving 500 miles from New Mexico to Telluride Colorado this Saturday. Temperatures are going to be pretty extremely cold. I have an R1 T with a max pack so I basically get 400 miles on the charge. Is there any advice for driving in the cold and performance hits on the battery. I will have my family with me and can’t risk failure. My wife would kill me…
I have my charger stops planned out. It gets a little spotty when I get to Durango because I only have two super chargers.
Any advice appreciated. Thank you.

I did a long trip last January in my Tesla, had a long stretch where 400 miles was between -8 and 4 degrees and was under 15 degrees for almost 1200 miles. I found the first stretch starting at -8 degrees was a pretty good hit on range but after that first charge the rest of the stretches was pretty close to normal, like 90%.

I would say if you can start with the vehicle warm and stop every 150ish miles to charge up the stops will be short and trip would be pretty easy.

I had a similar experience the prior year in my R1S but the cold temps were only in the mid 20s for that trip.

Would love to hear your experience once the trip is over.

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