Are you still in love with your LFP battery?

[CampfireWisdom]

Hello friends,

I've come to you all with several questions over the last few months and your guidance has been super helpful as I begin my EV journey. I'm a few months away from pulling the trigger on a new R1T Dual Standard. I love the LFP battery technology, its ability to charge to 100% and the range is fine for me and my needs. That being said, there has been a lot of negative press recently surrounding the calibration issues and I wonder if this new reality has altered the faith that some of you might have in your LFP battery. This will be a major purchase for me and my family, our first EV, and I would like to get it right.

So you know, I'm not a fan of leasing and I tend to own my vehicles for a long time... I'll be trading in a 2014 Prius C. 8)

If you get a moment, let me know how confident you are in your LFP battery. Would you buy it again or rethink your decision?

Thanks in advance.

Greg

Sponsored

 

[ksurfier]

I traded in a 23 Quad for the 26 DM. My biggest gripe is that the range behavior (guessometer) is markedly different than the Quad. Somewhat amazingly the Quad was usually accurate within 1-2 miles on a 100 mile plus trip. The DM LFP range behavior is more like Tesla where there is a downward drift of 5-10% (car guesses arrival with 26% but reality is around 15%). The range on the highway is definitely not 260 miles, maybe 200 miles if you drive around 60 mph…
But I have not had any issues with the BMS, I charge to 100% every 3-4 days.

 

[Thedude]

I’d spend the extra and avoid the LFP pack. You can charge the large/max to 100% without any concern if you don’t intend to let it sit for extended periods. You can also just charge it to 80% and still have the same or better range of the LFP. The LFP packs are a compromise in capability solely to suit a price point.

 

[Rade]

I generally keep my R1T charged to 80%; 85 if I anticipate a weekend of long-distance driving. When we had the winter storm hit in mid-January, I capped the battery off to 100% in case we lost power here at the house and I would have needed the juice. I guess I am still too new to EV's and with a truck barely over 1 year old to notice any changes beyond seasonal expectations.

About all I have noticed is a degradation in range this time of year when the garage is routinely below freezing and the temps outside are no higher than the teens. Where routine errands would normally use 5-7% of the stored energy, this time of year is using double. BUT... heaters are on; cabin, seats, steering wheel, battery. Heat needs energy. It DOES help to preheat everything before unplugging and heading out.

I do keep the R1T plugged in while garaged.

As far as would I buy a vehicle with this battery pack again? Idunno? My R1T Dual-large is state of the art for 2025. Who knows what battery composition will be in 5-8 years when I am considering a replacement. Heck, I was just glad it wasn't a CHAdeMO plug!

 

[Schroederhc]

The large pack is pretty bulletproof, while the LFP currently isn't. 2 years, 50,000 miles, with a large zero issues.

 

[cevans]

I have a Max Pack R1T and Standard LFP Pack R1S. The LFP has been a disappointment.

Rivian clearly has been having BMS issues as the battery level will drop VERY quickly seemingly out of nowhere. For months Rivian instructed LFP owners not to drop below 30%. We've taken the LFP pack on trips and the time between charges is much shorter than our 'mental meter' expects. In our experience the usable LFP is below 90kwh (usable being defined as not willing to go much below 10% battery - we're not doing a OOS dead battery test after all) and at the mi/kWh of an R1S it just isn't good.

Also of note - and this is a well known fact - LFP performance in the cold is really poor. Once the pack drops below ~40 degrees you can tell immediately.

(Having a Max Pack comparison certainly worsens my perception - especially as the Max pack with Nokkian Hakkas STILL gets amazing range at in the negative Fs.)

All that being said - the my R1S Standard configuration had an MSRP under $70k, which meant it qualified for a rebate check of $7,500 in my home state. Coupled with the $7,500 federal incentive and a great lease factor promotion, the out the door lease rate on this R1S is incredible.

• I would not be willing to more than double my lease payment to get a better battery, the Standard pack limitations are worth the savings I currently enjoy.
• I would not recommend leasing a Standard pack at current rates as the savings delta is not enough to warrant at current prices.
• I will not be keeping this after the lease runs out.

If you can stack some deals like I did the Standard pack can be a great value, especially if you aren't in a cold climate, but without a significant economic incentive it isn't worth the downside.

 

[iamnid]

Love it, would buy it again. Haven't had any problems and it road trips just fine. I live in a warm climate.

 

[Dan Mac]

I've had no issues since new. I'm a low mileage driver though and range gives me absolutely no anxiety. I sold a Ridgeline for the R1T and there's just no comparison.

 

[cthelan]

Absolutely hate the LFP! It has not met expectations in any way. Fine if all you want is around town, less than 150 miles in moderate climates, flat lands. It’s not the proper battery for the premium price tag of an R1. Get the bigger battery every time. Would have paid more up front had I known the LFP was going to be such a miserable experience.

 

[hmw]

You're in CA so the weather isn't as big an issue as it is with LFP/Dual owners in North East.

Yes you can charge the pack to 100% daily but with colder temps, the car will NOT give you 2.93 mi / kWh that the advertised 270 mile range implies. If you're getting 1.5 mi /kWh from the LFP pack and the capacity has been decreased to 65 kWh by the BMS, you're doing about a 100 miles before you need to charge.

Also the LFP sucks at fast charging. I tried once with battery temps of 105f and SoC below 30% and the car still wouldn't charge faster than 130 kW. Even that rapidly dropped to 65 kW once it went above 50% SoC

I feel Rivian did a bit of false advertising for the LFP / Dual Standard (apparently they forced the car suspension on low for all EPA test drives to get the 270 mi figure). And that leaves a bad taste in the mouth

I absolutely love the R1S but also absolutely hate the LFP pack. If I could turn in my LFP Dual and get a Large or Max pack by paying the difference, I would do so in a heartbeat

Do yourself a favor and avoid the LFP, stick with the Large or Max

 

[mkg3]

...So you know, I'm not a fan of leasing and I tend to own my vehicles for a long time... I'll be trading in a 2014 Prius C....

Just a thought for your consideration.

EVs are fundamentally different than ICE and require different paradigm.

ALL EVs are effectively a laptop with wheels and SW defined vehicles. As EVs age, so do all the computing and battery capacity.

Forget thinking that battery can be changed/upgraded - not going to happen.

How likely are you to keep using 5 yrs old laptop as new SW and capabilities are rolled out?

Back to your comment on the lease. EVs are primed for lease. You are only paying for depreciation and simply upgrade to a new model at the end of the lease.

Of course. it does mean that you'll always have payments but its lower than purchasing payments.

All that said, we bought our 2023 R1S, did not lease. We have no intention of keeping it beyond 4~5 years - we're at a halfway point. I don't like recurring payments either.

 

[iamnid]

Also the LFP sucks at fast charging. I tried once with battery temps of 105f and SoC below 30% and the car still wouldn't charge faster than 130 kW. Even that rapidly dropped to 65 kW once it went above 50% SoC

That hasn't been my experience at all. I've had very fast charging on my road trips. They typically tend to be to AZ or NV from CA so it's plenty hot outside. I easily pull 200kw down low until it starts to ramp down.

 

[hmw]

That hasn't been my experience at all. I've had very fast charging on my road trips. They typically tend to be to AZ or NV from CA so it's plenty hot outside. I easily pull 200kw down low until it starts to ramp down.

That’s good to know. Perhaps the car looks at outside temps and not just the battery temp. But I’ve tried about a dozen times (with proper preconditioning) to exceed 150 kW during charging and so far nothing. Maybe I’ll wait till warmer weather to see if the pack charges faster

how long does it maintain 200 kW before it ramps down ?

 

[beatle]

EVs are fundamentally different than ICE and require different paradigm.

ALL EVs are effectively a laptop with wheels and SW defined vehicles. As EVs age, so do all the computing and battery capacity.

Forget thinking that battery can be changed/upgraded - not going to happen.

How likely are you to keep using 5 yrs old laptop as new SW and capabilities are rolled out?

This is a terrible comparison. An EV is no more a laptop other than the fact that both have touchscreens and a battery. They're not disposable technology and should have a much longer lifespan than a computing device. If EV manufacturers were to tell their customers that the lifespan of their new vehicle is approximately 5 years, they'd only sell them to people who have more money than they know what to do with.

My last laptop was 9 years old when I finally replaced it since I could no longer use it to watch movies on airplanes. It was otherwise fine. I have an 11 year old server in my basement. Sure, technology moves on, and I'm limited on the workloads I can run, but they're not e-waste.

An EV may be outdated arbitrarily because the manufacturer stops providing new features via OTA updates, and there may be a small amount of battery degradation as it ages, but it is a durable good and should still function as a vehicle for well over a decade.

 

[mkg3]

..My last laptop was 9 years old when I finally replaced it...

Okay if you say so. I think this statement says it all.

Btw, have you read any threads here about how Gen 1 is being neglected compared to Gen 2? It only gets worse as the time goes on.

Sponsored