Student conducting research project on AI implementation in Rivian (OWNERS' THOUGHTS NEEDED)

[Scooter732]

Hi everyone, I am an undergrad college student conducting market research on Rivian, and specifically how they can best use Artificial Intelligence in their company operations and products. Here is a brief overview of the 3 ideas my group and I have generated so far:

Project 1: Using AI to decrease battery degradation and increase efficiency to save on battery life as well as daily charge capacities.

Project 2: Using AI to learn driving habits, routines, and daily schedules to set destinations and routes without human intervention. Coupled with Rivian's developing FSD software. Think of just sitting in the car on a Monday morning, and the car automatically takes you to your child's school for dropoff, then to Starbucks for your usual order, and then to your workplace.

Project 3: Optimizing operations and supply chain using AI. Making battery production, vehicle testing, assembly, etc. more efficient by using proprietary tech to ensure quality, satisfaction, and performance.

The help I am seeking from this forum is to find owners who are willing to comment their thoughts on Rivian's products. Specifically, what specific criteria did you use to choose Rivian over other competitors (Tesla, Lucid, etc.)? How important are each of these criteria to you when making your purchase decision on a scale from 1-5? And finally, how well do you think your Rivian performs at these criteria (on a scale from 1-5) now that you have owned the vehicles for some time?

I appreciate your help with this, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please let me know if you have any questions.

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[Gurule92]

I can speak to what led me to Rivian.

I have owned 3 Teslas, 3YX in that order. I look at an ev purchase with this criteria
Price > quality > range > warranty > use case.

The price is the big one. I wish I would've scooped a launch edition with preorder but I was silly and holding out for Cybertruck so I missed it. This led me to eventually being turned off by CT and the price increases (foundation series). Now that the non-foundation series is on sale, I had to re-evaluate options. So I looked at used Rivian prices compared to new CT prices and did a spec for spec battle. Rivian won and here I am.

The R1T had a lower price tag, same tow rating, about the same range (real world), more power (quad motor vs dual CT), a more luxurious interior, plenty of comprehensive, battery and drivetrain warranty left and since they both fit my use case of, primarily family hauling with occasional overlanding family trips, the Rivian was the clear choice.

Since owning it, in comparison with my previous Teslas, the truck has a better ride quality, is quieter inside, still feels more luxury and has more quirks and features.

The only thing I REALLY miss about Tesla is using autopilot/FSD on any road and summon out of my garage. I don't do a lot of highway driving, so highway assist is basically not used.

Price 5 (for used)
Quality 3.8 (for gen 1). Would be higher if my tonneau cover didnt stick lol
Range 4.5 (It's amazing that my truck has the most range out of my previous cars [albeit with a bigger battery])
Warranty 5
Use case 5 (perfect for my use case as our second vehicle for our family of 4 [in addition to 7 seat model X])

 

[Scooter732]

I can speak to what led me to Rivian.

I have owned 3 Teslas, 3YX in that order. I look at an ev purchase with this criteria
Price > quality > range > warranty > use case.

The price is the big one. I wish I would've scooped a launch edition with preorder but I was silly and holding out for Cybertruck so I missed it. This led me to eventually being turned off by CT and the price increases (foundation series). Now that the non-foundation series is on sale, I had to re-evaluate options. So I looked at used Rivian prices compared to new CT prices and did a spec for spec battle. Rivian won and here I am.

The R1T had a lower price tag, same tow rating, about the same range (real world), more power (quad motor vs dual CT), a more luxurious interior, plenty of comprehensive, battery and drivetrain warranty left and since they both fit my use case of, primarily family hauling with occasional overlanding family trips, the Rivian was the clear choice.

Since owning it, in comparison with my previous Teslas, the truck has a better ride quality, is quieter inside, still feels more luxury and has more quirks and features.

The only thing I REALLY miss about Tesla is using autopilot/FSD on any road and summon out of my garage. I don't do a lot of highway driving, so highway assist is basically not used.

Price 5 (for used)
Quality 3.8 (for gen 1). Would be higher if my tonneau cover didnt stick lol
Range 4.5 (It's amazing that my truck has the most range out of my previous cars [albeit with a bigger battery])
Warranty 5
Use case 5 (perfect for my use case as our second vehicle for our family of 4 [in addition to 7 seat model X])

Thank you for your thoughts, we really appreciate that you took the time to write all of this.

Enjoy your day,
Matt

 

[iansriv]

[Q

Hi everyone, I am an undergrad college student conducting market research on Rivian, and specifically how they can best use Artificial Intelligence in their company operations and products. Here is a brief overview of the 3 ideas my group and I have generated so far:

Project 1: Using AI to decrease battery degradation and increase efficiency to save on battery life as well as daily charge capacities.

Project 2: Using AI to learn driving habits, routines, and daily schedules to set destinations and routes without human intervention. Coupled with Rivian's developing FSD software. Think of just sitting in the car on a Monday morning, and the car automatically takes you to your child's school for dropoff, then to Starbucks for your usual order, and then to your workplace.

Project 3: Optimizing operations and supply chain using AI. Making battery production, vehicle testing, assembly, etc. more efficient by using proprietary tech to ensure quality, satisfaction, and performance.

The help I am seeking from this forum is to find owners who are willing to comment their thoughts on Rivian's products. Specifically, what specific criteria did you use to choose Rivian over other competitors (Tesla, Lucid, etc.)? How important are each of these criteria to you when making your purchase decision on a scale from 1-5? And finally, how well do you think your Rivian performs at these criteria (on a scale from 1-5) now that you have owned the vehicles for some time?

I appreciate your help with this, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Matt;

Can you modify #1 to include the 12v battery as well. This is a very important component of the R1.

On #2-you might get push back from a lot of people as this involves location/habit data.

#3 is a winner! QC needs a lot of imporvement.

I chose the R1S because it was the only domestically produced EV SUV at the time. It is a serious off-road EV. I have owned the R1S for 1.5 years and am very happy with it.

All the best with your research!

 

[Scooter732]

[Q


Matt;

Can you modify #1 to include the 12v battery as well. This is a very important component of the R1.

On #2-you might get push back from a lot of people as this involves location/habit data.

#3 is a winner! QC needs a lot of imporvement.

I chose the R1S because it was the only domestically produced EV SUV at the time. It is a serious off-road EV. I have owned the R1S for 1.5 years and am very happy with it.

All the best with your research!

Very insightful comments. I will look into the 12v battery and see what we can find and how it will fit into the project proposal. Thank you for your time.

Best,
Matt

 

[iansriv]

Very insightful comments. I will look into the 12v battery and see what we can find and how it will fit into the project proposal. Thank you for your time.

Best,
Matt

The insight is born of pain on here. Do a search on 12v battery and you will see how much pain a simple bloody motorcycle battery has caused. To Rivian's credit, they are proactively trying to fix it but, I believe there can be a better fix. Cheers.

 

[COdogman]

1. Specifically, what specific criteria did you use to choose Rivian over other competitors (Tesla, Lucid, etc.)?
I wanted a less than full size EV pickup and Rivian was the first to get one to market. I would have considered any other brand (except for Tesla), but I do appreciate what Rivian stands for and the brand they have created is a good fit for me in general. Reliability is normally a big criteria for me, but I knew going with a new brand would mean setting that aside, even though my truck has been extremely reliable So far. Utility is also important for me. A vehicle must have something more to offer than getting from point A to B. The R1T has plenty, with the gear tunnel and versatile suspension.

2. How important are each of these criteria to you when making your purchase decision on a scale from 1-5?
EV Pickup: 5
Size: 4
Reliability: 4
Utility: 3

3. And finally, how well do you think your Rivian performs at these criteria (on a scale from 1-5) now that you have owned the vehicles for some time?
EV pickup: 5
Size: 4
Reliability: 5
Utility: 5

Regarding AI, I hope that Rivian applies it’s use wisely and that user specific features are optional so I don’t end up like this guy:

https://futurism.com/cognitive-decay-ai

Man Alarmed as His Cognitive Skills Decay After Outsourcing Them to AI
"Artificial intelligence was eating my brain."

 

[Scooter732]

1. Specifically, what specific criteria did you use to choose Rivian over other competitors (Tesla, Lucid, etc.)?
I wanted a less than full size EV pickup and Rivian was the first to get one to market. I would have considered any other brand (except for Tesla), but I do appreciate what Rivian stands for and the brand they have created is a good fit for me in general. Reliability is normally a big criteria for me, but I knew going with a new brand would mean setting that aside, even though my truck has been extremely reliable So far. Utility is also important for me. A vehicle must have something more to offer than getting from point A to B. The R1T has plenty, with the gear tunnel and versatile suspension.

2. How important are each of these criteria to you when making your purchase decision on a scale from 1-5?
EV Pickup: 5
Size: 4
Reliability: 4
Utility: 3

3. And finally, how well do you think your Rivian performs at these criteria (on a scale from 1-5) now that you have owned the vehicles for some time?
EV pickup: 5
Size: 4
Reliability: 5
Utility: 5

Regarding AI, I hope that Rivian applies it’s use wisely and that user specific features are optional so I don’t end up like this guy:

https://futurism.com/cognitive-decay-ai

Man Alarmed as His Cognitive Skills Decay After Outsourcing Them to AI
"Artificial intelligence was eating my brain."

Glad to hear your positive thoughts on the Rivian so far. Thank you for your time and the comments.

Best,
Matt

 

[Scooter732]

Bumping this to the top of the thread in case any more owners would like to share their thoughts. Thank you.

 

[DayTripping]

Hi everyone, I am an undergrad college student conducting market research on Rivian, and specifically how they can best use Artificial Intelligence in their company operations and products. Here is a brief overview of the 3 ideas my group and I have generated so far:

Project 1: Using AI to decrease battery degradation and increase efficiency to save on battery life as well as daily charge capacities.

Project 2: Using AI to learn driving habits, routines, and daily schedules to set destinations and routes without human intervention. Coupled with Rivian's developing FSD software. Think of just sitting in the car on a Monday morning, and the car automatically takes you to your child's school for dropoff, then to Starbucks for your usual order, and then to your workplace.

Project 3: Optimizing operations and supply chain using AI. Making battery production, vehicle testing, assembly, etc. more efficient by using proprietary tech to ensure quality, satisfaction, and performance.

The help I am seeking from this forum is to find owners who are willing to comment their thoughts on Rivian's products. Specifically, what specific criteria did you use to choose Rivian over other competitors (Tesla, Lucid, etc.)? How important are each of these criteria to you when making your purchase decision on a scale from 1-5? And finally, how well do you think your Rivian performs at these criteria (on a scale from 1-5) now that you have owned the vehicles for some time?

I appreciate your help with this, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please let me know if you have any questions.

For reference, I have a 2023 Gen 1 R1T quad motor. I bought it used with 6k miles so it was practically new.

Project 1 - I think this combined with Rivian's app to charge appropriately, would help. To minimize degradation is pretty easy for the batteries in anything but the base version. Keep average SoC (state of charge) 50-55%. Small charging cycles are better than deeper ones. Keep it plugged in for thermal management even when not charging. Don't run it too low and for the love of god, don't charge it to a high SoC and leave it there. Same applies to keeping an LFP battery at a high SoC, it is more tolerant but not immune to the effects. I just keep my resting charge at 50% and charge up to higher, if needed, just before I leave. Has worked great for my 5 Teslas and other EVs. So I am doing the same with my Rivian that has the same battery chemistry.

Project 2 - Data privacy will be an issue with this. Not much benefit for me as my daily routine varies a lot with a few exceptions, where on certain days I have to take my kid somewhere for an activity. I'd suggest calendar integration as part of this, as that would take into the variability of some people's schedules.

Project 3 - This is the worst aspect of my Rivian. It has resulted in terrible wind noise over 75 mph. To the point I have been considering selling my truck. I am not the only one experience this. Just search on Google or hear for Rivian wind noise and see all the threads.

1. Rationale for my Rivian purchase - It was primarily because my Cybertruck reservation didn't really pan out. From the time it was announced, and was the only game in town, it was my only option for an EV pickup.

When time came to convert my reservation to an order, I drove one. Let's just say that the limitations of it when driving in person overcame the very positive things I liked about it. I cancelled my reservation and reevaluated my options based on my criteria below.

2. Purchasing criteria and how I rate Rivian, and in order of priority:
Performance: 4 (I'd but the Cybertruck Cyberbeast at a 5, and that is what I had on order)
Cutting edge technology: 5
SW updates: 5
Autonomous Driving: 4
Interior/luxury: 4
Features/unique approach: 5
Reliability: 4 (It was a gamble since a new company but I bought used so there was some track record)
Size: 4 (I would have liked something larger, but my R1T is as long as a vehicle my parking situation will tolerate)
Towing: 4


3. How well do you think your Rivian performs at these criteria (on a scale from 1-5) now that you have owned the vehicles for some time?
Cutting edge technology: 5
Interior/luxury: 4
SW updates: 3 (the seemed to have quickly deprecated Gen 1 vehicles)
Autonomous Driving: 1
Features/unique approach: 5
Reliability: 2 (It was a gamble since a new company but I bought used so there was some track record)
Size: 5 (I would have liked something larger, but my R1T is as long as a vehicle my parking situation will tolerate)
Towing: 4 (range hit is pretty bad like most EVs when towing)

I would say my biggest letdown has been quality control and autonomous driving. The wind noise issue I am experiencing is likely almost entirely due to QC. My windshield, roof, and trim fitment are worse than any Tesla I've owned. I've had five Teslas: Y long-range, S long-range, 3 long-range, S Plaid, and 3 highland performance. I still own the last three and drive them daily in addition to my Rivian.

The autonomous driving system for the Gen 1 is pathetic and one of my biggest regrets (after the wind noise) about buying the truck. At least for the autonomous driving, I was able to purchase a Comma 3x and run Comma.Ai on it to pick up the slack.

 

[Scooter732]

For reference, I have a 2023 Gen 1 R1T quad motor. I bought it used with 6k miles so it was practically new.

Project 1 - I think this combined with Rivian's app to charge appropriately, would help. To minimize degradation is pretty easy for the batteries in anything but the base version. Keep average SoC (state of charge) 50-55%. Small charging cycles are better than deeper ones. Keep it plugged in for thermal management even when not charging. Don't run it too low and for the love of god, don't charge it to a high SoC and leave it there. Same applies to keeping an LFP battery at a high SoC, it is more tolerant but not immune to the effects. I just keep my resting charge at 50% and charge up to higher, if needed, just before I leave. Has worked great for my 5 Teslas and other EVs. So I am doing the same with my Rivian that has the same battery chemistry.

Project 2 - Data privacy will be an issue with this. Not much benefit for me as my daily routine varies a lot with a few exceptions, where on certain days I have to take my kid somewhere for an activity. I'd suggest calendar integration as part of this, as that would take into the variability of some people's schedules.

Project 3 - This is the worst aspect of my Rivian. It has resulted in terrible wind noise over 75 mph. To the point I have been considering selling my truck. I am not the only one experience this. Just search on Google or hear for Rivian wind noise and see all the threads.

1. Rationale for my Rivian purchase - It was primarily because my Cybertruck reservation didn't really pan out. From the time it was announced, and was the only game in town, it was my only option for an EV pickup.

When time came to convert my reservation to an order, I drove one. Let's just say that the limitations of it when driving in person overcame the very positive things I liked about it. I cancelled my reservation and reevaluated my options based on my criteria below.

2. Purchasing criteria and how I rate Rivian, and in order of priority:
Performance: 4 (I'd but the Cybertruck Cyberbeast at a 5, and that is what I had on order)
Cutting edge technology: 5
SW updates: 5
Autonomous Driving: 4
Interior/luxury: 4
Features/unique approach: 5
Reliability: 4 (It was a gamble since a new company but I bought used so there was some track record)
Size: 4 (I would have liked something larger, but my R1T is as long as a vehicle my parking situation will tolerate)
Towing: 4


3. How well do you think your Rivian performs at these criteria (on a scale from 1-5) now that you have owned the vehicles for some time?
Cutting edge technology: 5
Interior/luxury: 4
SW updates: 3 (the seemed to have quickly deprecated Gen 1 vehicles)
Autonomous Driving: 1
Features/unique approach: 5
Reliability: 2 (It was a gamble since a new company but I bought used so there was some track record)
Size: 5 (I would have liked something larger, but my R1T is as long as a vehicle my parking situation will tolerate)
Towing: 4 (range hit is pretty bad like most EVs when towing)

I would say my biggest letdown has been quality control and autonomous driving. The wind noise issue I am experiencing is likely almost entirely due to QC. My windshield, roof, and trim fitment are worse than any Tesla I've owned. I've had five Teslas: Y long-range, S long-range, 3 long-range, S Plaid, and 3 highland performance. I still own the last three and drive them daily in addition to my Rivian.

The autonomous driving system for the Gen 1 is pathetic and one of my biggest regrets (after the wind noise) about buying the truck. At least for the autonomous driving, I was able to purchase a Comma 3x and run Comma.Ai on it to pick up the slack.

Timothy,

Thank you for taking the time to answer all the questions I posed. Your insights will help us align our project ideas towards fixing some of the issues you and other owners have raised while continuing to maintain the more positive aspects of the company.

Best,
Matt

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