Rants and Raves after 2 months of Rivian R1T ownership [DISCLAIMER: Unauthorized feedback from non-owner]

[Sgt Beavis]

I will be Extremely disappointed if I can’t open my garage door with a button, but will be ecstatic if I say “Alexa, open @SeaGeo @CommodoreAmiga @kanundrum @electruck @skyote @DuckTruck @jimcgov3 @sacramentoelectric @CabinCrusher @Blur1t @DaveA @Longhorngirl @Max @Bborden @lostpacket @Sgt Beavis @Swilly @buddha2lotus @kurtlikevonnegut @Ladiver @thrill @Tim-in-CA @Administrator @TXR1S @Guy @koersontap @Friscorays @svet-am @Diddy123 @lg3103 @Bonz26 @Jemmoore @emoore @moosehead @Denver_Paulie @Monkey @cohall @Vern Bybee @Evan S @Rhidan @dehmatrix @BrentInCO @Pathfinder @kneebuster @Pixelshot @NAIVIR @DucRider @SANZC02 @CO_R1S @TAZ @yizzung @Mjhirsch78 @Eager2own @Smithery @Bumble1978 @Dark-Fx @ja_kub_sz @Revo @R1T7777 @Blur1t @Acon @crashmtb ”’s garage doors and they all open at the same time!

This is awesome. Now I have someone to blame when I forget to close the garage door.

Oh no honey, it wasn' t me. Opnwide did it.

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[astonius]

It could be another thought about future modes though. Low-power mode to minimize phantom drain for long stays in the outdoors where there are no plugs.

I readily admit I don't have any knowledge of these systems and their power needs, just anecdotal evidence from years of owning several cars with proximity unlock.

That said, if there is benefit I certainly would be okay with it, so long as there's an easy way to wake the car from a deep sleep.

The wristband key is a good example. Range Rovers have this, but the sensor is not always active. If you want to unlock with the wristband you have to hit the tailgate release button first to wake the sensor, then touch the wristband to your tailgate. Seems like a fair compromise for extended stays.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

I personally doubt any significant amount of battery drain is due to the keyless entry systems. The energy needed to keep Bluetooth or NFC going is tiny compared to the energy needed to move a ~7k lb vehicle. I am guessing this is battery management or something along those lines. Gear guard is possible as well for the 2-3mi range level.

3 miles of range lost would be 1-1.5Wh of energy consumed, I think. Over a 24 hour period that would be an average draw of 41.7-62.5W.

I don't know anything specific about what hardware Rivian is using, but as a "smell test" I'll use a Raspberry Pi 4B, since it's a decently powerful ARM system with readily-available specs/stats and camera modules. Obviously, Rivian isn't using a RPi -- but this is just a thought exercise about whether the above power draw can be sufficiently explained simply by gear guard.

A Raspberry Pi 4B consumes ~2.7W at idle, and ~6.4W when all four cores are fully loaded. Camera modules seem to draw 0.4-1.4W from a quick google search. Gear Guard uses 5 cameras, I think. Conservatively using the top of the power ranges we'd get a total consumption (SoC + 5 cameras) of 13.4W. That's a small fraction of the alleged draw.

Gear Guard probably doesn't solely explain the loss of range, imo.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

Keeping the 120V outlets on is also a constant drain even if they are unused.

AFAIK, the outlets are off, by default. They can be turned on -- but the user would have to explicitly do this. Did the user mention if they had turned them on?

 

[CyberKentuckian]

I get that, but this sub-thread was in direct response to someone proposing ditching keyless entry to alleviate heavy battery drain. My point was this single feature is likely a minuscule, possibly irrelevant, portion of the drain noted by this owner.

Exactly. The thread itself seemed to omit the rest of everything the car does. I think we were agreeing in different language.

 

[Dark-Fx]

AFAIK, the outlets are off, by default. They can be turned on -- but the user would have to explicitly do this. Did the user mention if they had turned them on?

No, but I think the setting persists. If they actually use them I wouldn't be surprised if they were just left on all the time since you have to click through extra steps in the UI, it's not just a physical on/off button with a light.

 

[Fred6v]

There is no way a radio transmitter for lock/unlocking would account for any significant battery drain. Some other subsystem is out of wack. Put Will Prowse of YouTube fame on it!

 

[cc84]

You would think Rivian would have some type of warning displayed, at an appropriate time (each time the vehicle is turned on?), to remind you to turn off the 120V outlets, or anything having a "more than normal" potential drain on your range.

 

[crashmtb]

I will be Extremely disappointed if I can’t open my garage door with a button, but will be ecstatic if I say “Alexa, open @SeaGeo @CommodoreAmiga @kanundrum @electruck @skyote @DuckTruck @jimcgov3 @sacramentoelectric @CabinCrusher @Blur1t @DaveA @Longhorngirl @Max @Bborden @lostpacket @Sgt Beavis @Swilly @buddha2lotus @kurtlikevonnegut @Ladiver @thrill @Tim-in-CA @Administrator @TXR1S @Guy @koersontap @Friscorays @svet-am @Diddy123 @lg3103 @Bonz26 @Jemmoore @emoore @moosehead @Denver_Paulie @Monkey @cohall @Vern Bybee @Evan S @Rhidan @dehmatrix @BrentInCO @Pathfinder @kneebuster @Pixelshot @NAIVIR @DucRider @SANZC02 @CO_R1S @TAZ @yizzung @Mjhirsch78 @Eager2own @Smithery @Bumble1978 @Dark-Fx @ja_kub_sz @Revo @R1T7777 @Blur1t @Acon @crashmtb ”’s garage doors and they all open at the same time!

note to self, do not bother with a garage door opener on new garage

You would think Rivian would have some type of warning displayed, at an appropriate time (each time the vehicle is turned on?), to remind you to turn off the 120V outlets, or anything having a "more than normal" potential drain on your range.

IIRC It says “outlets on” or similar at the top of the centre display in yellow text when they’re on

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

I will be Extremely disappointed if I can’t open my garage door with a button, but will be ecstatic if I say “Alexa, open @SeaGeo @CommodoreAmiga @kanundrum @electruck @skyote @DuckTruck @jimcgov3 @sacramentoelectric @CabinCrusher @Blur1t @DaveA @Longhorngirl @Max @Bborden @lostpacket @Sgt Beavis @Swilly @buddha2lotus @kurtlikevonnegut @Ladiver @thrill @Tim-in-CA @Administrator @TXR1S @Guy @koersontap @Friscorays @svet-am @Diddy123 @lg3103 @Bonz26 @Jemmoore @emoore @moosehead @Denver_Paulie @Monkey @cohall @Vern Bybee @Evan S @Rhidan @dehmatrix @BrentInCO @Pathfinder @kneebuster @Pixelshot @NAIVIR @DucRider @SANZC02 @CO_R1S @TAZ @yizzung @Mjhirsch78 @Eager2own @Smithery @Bumble1978 @Dark-Fx @ja_kub_sz @Revo @R1T7777 @Blur1t @Acon @crashmtb ”’s garage doors and they all open at the same time!

If you can manage that without having to take a breath I wouldn't even be mad.

 

[cc84]

IIRC It says “outlets on” or similar at the top of the centre display in yellow text when they’re on

Thanks. That would work for me, and it would also remind me to look for anything else that might cause additional drains.

 

[koersontap]

The phantom breaking is concerning. It doesn't happen on my cars, and it's been something that scares the shit out of me with Teslas.

I've never had latest vehicles, generally 5-10 years old. Except that one time I bought a nearly new Fiesta. But.....Fiesta.

With that said, I recently picked up a 2017 QX60, that has a decent suite of safety features, including emergency braking. I didn't realize going into it that "phantom braking" was a thing.

The first time it did that to me, I.....shit.....a.....brick.

Come to find out the QX60 is horrendous at it, the bastard does it all the time, and I'm driving without the safety features more than with because of it. I know that they'd rather have a phantom brake than miss a real need to brake, but still, that shit is scary. And seriously dangerous on its own.

 

[crashmtb]

Thanks. That would work for me, and it would also remind me to look for anything else that might cause additional drains.

I like to think I’ll remember to turn them off when parking without plugging in for an extended period of time. ?

 

[koersontap]

I will be Extremely disappointed if I can’t open my garage door with a button, but will be ecstatic if I say “Alexa, open @SeaGeo @CommodoreAmiga @kanundrum @electruck @skyote @DuckTruck @jimcgov3 @sacramentoelectric @CabinCrusher @Blur1t @DaveA @Longhorngirl @Max @Bborden @lostpacket @Sgt Beavis @Swilly @buddha2lotus @kurtlikevonnegut @Ladiver @thrill @Tim-in-CA @Administrator @TXR1S @Guy @koersontap @Friscorays @svet-am @Diddy123 @lg3103 @Bonz26 @Jemmoore @emoore @moosehead @Denver_Paulie @Monkey @cohall @Vern Bybee @Evan S @Rhidan @dehmatrix @BrentInCO @Pathfinder @kneebuster @Pixelshot @NAIVIR @DucRider @SANZC02 @CO_R1S @TAZ @yizzung @Mjhirsch78 @Eager2own @Smithery @Bumble1978 @Dark-Fx @ja_kub_sz @Revo @R1T7777 @Blur1t @Acon @crashmtb ”’s garage doors and they all open at the same time!

Joke's on you, I already have mine synced to open with yours!

 

[SeaGeo]

I like to think I’ll remember to turn them off when parking without plugging in for an extended period of time. ?

I wonder if that's what caused his loss more than the gear guard

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