R1S Range Drop in Cold Weather

[Gvsukids [SCAMMER]]

My son and I just started helping him with his 2nd-gen R1S, and we’re loving it overall — but after driving 36 miles in Michigan (it’s freezing here), the car lost about 70 miles of range. Is that normal? Does the cold really make the 380‑mile battery feel more like 200 miles in the winter? I’d love to hear from others — I’m worried there might be a battery issue.

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[Glembi2]

Check your tire pressure. Also, cold batteries cannot output as much current. Once warmed up, you should be good

 

[Gvsukids [SCAMMER]]

Check your tire pressure. Also, cold batteries cannot output as much current. Once warmed up, you should be good

I hadn’t thought much about the tires’ role versus the cold battery. I’ll check into it and see how much each affects range. Thanks!

 

[Doug]

yes, cold does really make a difference in range especially if it is windy. The first 20 to 30 miles are less efficient until the battery and passenger area warm up. It is really not that different then an ICE car for mileage much better in summer worse in winter. Cold weather affects air density.

 

[Gvsukids [SCAMMER]]

yes, cold does really make a difference in range especially if it is windy. The first 20 to 30 miles are less efficient until the battery and passenger area warm up. It is really not that different then an ICE car for mileage much better in summer worse in winter. Cold weather affects air density.

That actually makes me feel a lot better. I was worried something was wrong with the battery itself, but it sounds like this is just normal winter behavior. I’ll keep an eye on tire pressure and maybe precondition the car next time before driving. Thanks for the insight!

 

[Doug]

I live in SW MN when it is -20 and 40 mile an hour head wind I am only getting about half or a little less then posted range even after it warms up. In the summer and 70 on rural highways I can get the posted range or more occasionally. Definitely a learning curve with EVS. This is my first and I have learned a lot from threads on this site. Biggest thing is to plan charging stops according to current conditions.

 

[Gvsukids [SCAMMER]]

I live in SW MN when it is -20 and 40 mile an hour head wind I am only getting about half or a little less then posted range even after it warms up. In the summer and 70 on rural highways I can get the posted range or more occasionally. Definitely a learning curve with EVS. This is my first and I have learned a lot from threads on this site. Biggest thing is to plan charging stops according to current conditions.

Thanks, that really puts things in perspective! I didn’t realize wind and extreme cold could have such a big impact. Definitely a learning curve we’ll plan trips more carefully and precondition the car next time. Makes me feel better about the battery!

 

[Budman]

This is what I've measured driving around MN and WI. Average speeds on this trip are ~55mph. 1/2 on 70mph freeway and 1/2 on rural highways.

I see a loss of 20% at 32 deg F and 35% at 0 deg F

 

[Donald Stanfield]

It’s that time of year to start getting these posts again.

 

[Carscott]

My son and I just started helping him with his 2nd-gen R1S, and we’re loving it overall — but after driving 36 miles in Michigan (it’s freezing here), the car lost about 70 miles of range. Is that normal? Does the cold really make the 380‑mile battery feel more like 200 miles in the winter? I’d love to hear from others — I’m worried there might be a battery issue.

Make sure cabinet temp is up before unplugging and leaving.

 

[Time2Roll]

How cold is cold? Keep the vehicle in a semi heated garage for best results.

Cold soaked is really what does it. Nothing wrong with the battery.

 

[Doug]

I have seen Budman's graph several times now and it helps new owners understand how cold effects range. I would be curious to see a similar graph for gas mileage on an ICE vehicle. Our Toyota gets roughly 100 miles less range in winter then summer. I try to help people understand that. Many non ev owners always bring up range and loss of range over winter. The other thing I hear is towing they lose half their range. I asked a buddy with a f150 ice with a camper how much he loses with his truck in mileage while towing. He said half so not sure why people expect a different result for EV's. The drag and weight are the same.

 

[Doug]

It’s that time of year to start getting these posts again.

The positive to seeing these threads again now that it is colder out is that there are still new Rivian's being sold and new EV owners. Three years ago, I went thru that learning curve being a new EV owner. Although I had done research so I understood what would happen in winter with range.

 

[mkg3]

If it's new to you, it can be very surprising. Just need to plan differently in the cold climate.



https://www.recurrentauto.com/research/winter-ev-range-loss

 

[Donald Stanfield]

The positive to seeing these threads again now that it is colder out is that there are still new Rivian's being sold and new EV owners. Three years ago, I went thru that learning curve being a new EV owner. Although I had done research so I understood what would happen in winter with range.

I agree it’s not necessarily a bad thing, and this forum is a place for people to ask questions from owners who have had their vehicles longer. The OP was a great example of one of the benefits of having forums like this.

The only time I don’t like posts like these are when they are titled something like “Rivian lies about their range as it is much less in cold weather” or something similar. This is an issue with all EVs, it’s just a quirk of the technology.

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