Battery Range Loss (Vampire Drain) in Garage

[MainLineRiv]

New 2023 R1T (and EV) owner here, bought it used with 19k miles. I charged to 89% and 260 mile range in All-purpose (? - not conserve or sport or snow) mode 7 days ago, no charging since. All-terrain tires. Drove locally 4 of 7 days, 55 miles total. Sat in garage 3 days. Gear guard and proximity mode active. it’s been 20-40 degrees most days low -high, so colder than normal. But in garage it’s warmer, interior temp 50 degrees. Anyway, battery currently at 39% with only 120 miles of range. Seems like a big loss of range for only 4/7 days driving, and ~14 mile/driving day on suburban roads. Does this seem abnormal or not?

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[COdogman]

It doesn't seem abnormal to me. I keep mine charged to 80% in all purpose and that is typically 233 miles. Add another 10% and you are at the same range you get at 89%. The colder temps will definitely have an impact on your range, although it also depends on how cold and how you drive (speed, accelerations, etc). Typically that will be anything under 50 degrees. It's something every EV has to deal with, so just plan for it during winter. IMO it's not that much different than the wasted energy of warming up an ICE engine every morning in the cold.

I would recommend keeping it plugged in while in your garage, even if it's just L1 charging. That's all I have access to at home but it keeps the 12v battery healthy and I work from home most days so it works for me. That will add around 2-3 miles per hour while plugged in....

 

[MainLineRiv]

It doesn't seem abnormal to me. I keep mine charged to 80% in all purpose and that is typically 233 miles. Add another 10% and you are at the same range you get at 89%. The colder temps will definitely have an impact on your range, although it also depends on how cold and how you drive (speed, accelerations, etc). Typically that will be anything under 50 degrees. It's something every EV has to deal with, so just plan for it during winter. IMO it's not that much different than the wasted energy of warming up an ICE engine every morning in the cold.

I would recommend keeping it plugged in while in your garage, even if it's just L1 charging. That's all I have access to at home but it keeps the 12v battery healthy and I work from home most days so it works for me. That will add around 2-3 miles per hour while plugged in....

Thanks Brian, the dealer I bought it from didn’t have 120V adapter for home charging cord, so I haven’t been able to charge at home yet, that is arriving tomorrow. Also couldn’t set charging limit until Rivian transferred ownership to me on Friday, will set to 70% now. so is it better for battery life to constantly charge to the limit, or do so every 3-4 days? I guess you are saying constantly

 

[JoMo]

I suspect setting a limit of 70% charges to 70.1 rather than 70.9 so I always use 71% as my limit to see the -70- on the screen at bit longer. ?

 

[COdogman]

Thanks Brian, the dealer I bought it from didn’t have 120V adapter for home charging cord, so I haven’t been able to charge at home yet, that is arriving tomorrow. Also couldn’t set charging limit until Rivian transferred ownership to me on Friday, will set to 70% now. so is it better for battery life to constantly charge to the limit, or do so every 3-4 days? I guess you are saying constantly

There are different lines of thought on battery care. Some like to always take theirs down to 10-20% before charging back up to 70-80%. I have always been of the opinion that as long as I'm staying at at the 70-80% limit most days (road trips excluded), the battery will be fine. Charging to 100% all the time can harm the battery but I feel like the battery will still probably outlast the vehicle in the end. The big battery has a 175k mile warranty, so they must be pretty confident they will last under normal conditions.

I also kinda need to charge all the time since at home I'm limited to L1 charging. There is an EA fast charging station close to my place when I need it, but the L1 is free!

 

[MainLineRiv]

There are different lines of thought on battery care. Some like to always take theirs down to 10-20% before charging back up to 70-80%. I have always been of the opinion that as long as I'm staying at at the 70-80% limit most days (road trips excluded), the battery will be fine. Charging to 100% all the time can harm the battery but I feel like the battery will still probably outlast the vehicle in the end. The big battery has a 175k mile warranty, so they must be pretty confident they will last under normal conditions.

I also kinda need to charge all the time since at home I'm limited to L1 charging. There is an EA fast charging station close to my place when I need it, but the L1 is free!

You’ll have to tell me how you get free electricity, solar? Anyway, on my original point, I’m losing 12 miles/day just sitting. That sounds right in cold wweather? are gear guard and proximity sensors a material drain? I could easily turn them off at home

 

[COdogman]

You’ll have to tell me how you get free electricity, solar? Anyway, on my original point, I’m losing 12 miles/day just sitting. That sounds right in cold wweather? are gear guard and proximity sensors a material drain? I could easily turn them off at home

Others can probably give better input on what "normal" vampire drain is since I have mine plugged in nearly all the time, but 12% sounds high, even in the cold. I think it should realistically be in the 2-3% range if I recall. Gear Guard, etc do add a little, but I don't think those would account for all of that.

There are quite a few threads on the topic, so you aren't the only one with that question. The search function here is a little weird, but if you search for threads with "vampire" in the title you should be able to get more info, tips on how to lower it.

 

[Cycliste]

I suspect setting a limit of 70% charges to 70.1 rather than 70.9 so I always use 71% as my limit to see the -70- on the screen at bit longer. ?

My experience shows setting the charge level to 70% shows Charging Complete at 69.9% on electraFi. The vehicle display and app shows 70% state of charge which stays that way a few hours before rounding to 69. As my children say, nice.

 

[mpshizzle]

so is it better for battery life to constantly charge to the limit, or do so every 3-4 days?

If you wanna go down the rabbit hole this is a great video on maintaining battery health:

TL;DR - These batteries have extremely robust management and protection systems, so they will last far longer than the average lifesapn of a car. If you REALLY wanna maximize battery care, many short charging sessions (ie topping up daily) are better than less frequent longer charging sessions. But that's just going to make your already long lasting battery last REALLLLLYYYY long

As for range estimates, don't rely on that. What it shows on the dash is a highly optimistic, EPA based rating. Just look at percentage when assessing how much the battery has drained. If you need a more accurate prediction in miles, look at the estimated arrival range on the navigation system when you have a destination set.

My experience shows setting the charge level to 70% shows Charging Complete at 69.9% on electraFi. The vehicle display and app shows 70% state of charge which stays that way a few hours before rounding to 69. As my children say, nice.

Interesting. Mine always stops at 70.1%

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

New 2023 R1T (and EV) owner here, bought it used with 19k miles. I charged to 89% and 260 mile range in All-purpose (? - not conserve or sport or snow) mode 7 days ago, no charging since. All-terrain tires. Drove locally 4 of 7 days, 55 miles total. Sat in garage 3 days. Gear guard and proximity mode active. it’s been 20-40 degrees most days low -high, so colder than normal. But in garage it’s warmer, interior temp 50 degrees. Anyway, battery currently at 39% with only 120 miles of range. Seems like a big loss of range for only 4/7 days driving, and ~14 mile/driving day on suburban roads. Does this seem abnormal or not?

50% battery loss to go 55 miles on local roads seems odd. Even if it is cold. Something is kicking up the vampire drain it seems. Have you checked the threads for the usual culprits? You have a new 12V battery?

 

[MainLineRiv]

50% battery loss to go 55 miles on local roads seems odd. Even if it is cold. Something is kicking up the vampire drain it seems. Have you checked the threads for the usual culprits? You have a new 12V battery?

I have to imagine it’s the original 12V battery since it’s less than 18 months old, and I’m checking the threads. I did make Rivian aware of this today, and noticed the sleep icon on the app a lot more since.

 

[NY_Rob]

I have to imagine it’s the original 12V battery since it’s less than 18 months old, and I’m checking the threads. I did make Rivian aware of this today, and noticed the sleep icon on the app a lot more since.

Dramatically increased VD is indicative of a failing 12V battery(s). At 18 months, you may be at that point in time when you're due for battery replacement (under warranty of course).

 

[MainLineRiv]

Good news is overnight I only went from 35% to 34% VD. Left gear guard on. I really think Rivian did some update to the software yesterday when I complained. I see the sleep icon on my phone a lot more. Nonetheless, appreciate all the advice

 

[evlavista]

You’ll have to tell me how you get free electricity, solar? Anyway, on my original point, I’m losing 12 miles/day just sitting. That sounds right in cold wweather? are gear guard and proximity sensors a material drain? I could easily turn them off at home

I have my gear guard set to "off at home". It is inside a garage so no need. I still lose about 1 percent per day. Not good but I'm getting used to it. We have 2 other BEV's and I've never noticed them losing anything.

 

[bigsky]

New 2023 R1T (and EV) owner here, bought it used with 19k miles. I charged to 89% and 260 mile range in All-purpose (? - not conserve or sport or snow) mode 7 days ago, no charging since. All-terrain tires. Drove locally 4 of 7 days, 55 miles total. Sat in garage 3 days. Gear guard and proximity mode active. it’s been 20-40 degrees most days low -high, so colder than normal. But in garage it’s warmer, interior temp 50 degrees. Anyway, battery currently at 39% with only 120 miles of range. Seems like a big loss of range for only 4/7 days driving, and ~14 mile/driving day on suburban roads. Does this seem abnormal or not?

Hello, perhaps others have posted about potential solutions to your question.
May I ask why you have Gear Guard on? Do you need it in your garage?
Gear guard is an energy hog (same with my Teslas).
My garage environment is very similar to yours. It's been in the 20s and 30s; the temperature inside my garage is 47 right now (have heat in it turned off). My R1S is sitting unused in my garage and will remain so for a long while.

This is what i have done to my R1S while it sits in my garage:
Went into settings, camp mode, selected turn off power, then locked the vehicle. I unlock it with my phone if I need to. Bluetooth and app are active during the say (I shut off my phone overnight). Gear guard has never been on in my garage.

Daily energy losses I see are as follows: checked every AM and compared to previous day AM
12/5: -3 miles, -1%
12/6: 0 miles 0%
12/7: -7 miles -3%
12/8: -4 miles -1%
12/9: -4 miles -1%
12/10: -4 miles -1%

If only I could find a way to permanently disable the Rivian app on my cell. No matter what I do, it turns itself back on.

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