Best practices for driving in extreme cold

[Dave Cundiff]

Michelle Lewis at Electrek posted a concise summary today:

https://electrek.co/6-ways-to-get-the-best-range-from-your-ev-in-winter/

Best wishes!

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[922110]

I was just going to say. Check your tire pressures before leaving. They can drop considerably when it gets colder and under inflated tires will negatively affect range.

Other than that, pre-condition the vehicle, get it really nice and warm before leaving, try and use the lowest cabin temperature you are comfortable with.

 

[SkiLizardHead2]

Does anybody with a gen 2 (specifically a tri max) have this functionality? My gen 1 R1Ts had it, but now tri max doesn't. Service said it was going to be fixed with this last update, but it wasn't. Btw, this REALLY helps efficiency in cold weather.

I have a Gen 2 DMax and my app does not have the capability to specifically drawn energy from the charger for preconditioning the cabin. this is a critical capability in winter, so hope Rivian gets this updated soon.

 

[Golfer04]

I have a Gen 2 DMax and my app does not have the capability to specifically drawn energy from the charger for preconditioning the cabin. this is a critical capability in winter, so hope Rivian gets this updated soon.

I confirmed with service again that preconditioning functionality is supposed to be added soon. We'll see.

 

[BeckyB]

Does anybody with a gen 2 (specifically a tri max) have this functionality? My gen 1 R1Ts had it, but now tri max doesn't. Service said it was going to be fixed with this last update, but it wasn't. Btw, this REALLY helps efficiency in cold weather.

Gen2 R1S Performance Dual Max - no, I don't have this

 

[White Shadow]

This thread is a perfect example of why many people don’t want an EV yet. “Just put a jacket on and drive in the cold in order to make it” is not a solution most people are willing to deal with.

True. I actually prefer to crank up the heat and wear no jacket at all when driving in sub-zero temps. And that easy when you have free waste heat from combustion.

 

[White Shadow]

I agree with gas stations everywhere people do not think about how much fuel they are using to get from point A to point B. You nailed with it being simple physics of Temp, wind speed, ride height as the biggest resistance factors for efficiency.

EV's are not os different than ICE cars as people claim. Our Toyota Highlander Hybrid gets 40ish mpg in perfect conditions in the summer. In the winter with -20 F and 30 mile an hour head wind it is barely 20. Similar with EVS. If temp is cold and wind is against you it is going to take more power to get there.

I have two winters of driving in MN with some extreme cold and wind and I never drive with hat and gloves on. I do not think being cold while driving is worth the little bit of range you will gain. Similar to summer some chose not to run a/c because it will cut gas milage, is that worth it if it is hot outside?

We live in an area with very few EV's so peoples only knowledge is what they read. So I try to compare to an ICE car and that seems to help them understand the loss of efficiency in the winter.

Efficiency doesn't vary nearly as much in ICE vehicles in my experience. I see 2 or 3 mpg difference driving to the lake house in all different temperatures. I'm there every July and December. I'm also there sometimes in the spring and fall seasons too. Temperatures can be 90+ or close to zero degrees F or anything between and I never see more than a 3 mpg difference. And to be honest, it's probably head or tail winds that make up most of that difference, not temperature.

 

[bgg1]

interesting. I didn’t know the seat heaters were more economical. I always told my kids to turn off their butt warmers in the back seat last winter lol. They’ll be happy to know they can use them this year.

Please note: If you ask Alexa to "turn on the tushy warmer" she will add a sushi warmer to your cart. While it is unlikely to affect your range significantly (depending on how much of said warm sushi you consume), it is not an effective way to keep warm on a long drive. However, if she can also recommend and add a nice sake to go with your new sushi warmer, that's a different story.

 

[good2go]

I started a 1200 mile trip this morning in 12 degree weather. I have a lot of time to adjust speed and temperature. m/kw is really low. 1.41 at 75 mph. 1.49 at 70 mph.

I one point I was super cold. Could not get enough heat to keep my legs warm:

I turned heat on from my phone and the heat was much better. I had at 74 degrees when I was cold. Temp outside was 10 degrees. After turn heat on with my phone, SUV warmed up fast and I have kept heat at 68 or 70. I turn down to 68 to see if I get better range. I have o e haul of 194 miles. With the range I’ve been getting that is going to be close.

In general it’s going smoothly.

 

[CD4Complex]

Been there, done that... Headwind is your true enemy. Be comfortable and run the heater. Also keep the battery warm via frequent fast charging stops. You're better doing frequent top offs than trying to slow charge the night before or really long stops.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...w-much-of-a-riviot-can-i-be.12892/post-289361

I agree: on a few trips I have found that the overall range stays high if you stay above a 30% charge.

 

[tate16t]

Here are other tips.
https://riviantrackr.com/news/tips-for-driving-your-rivian-in-cold-weather/

 

[HyperionMark]

I've found if you are trying to increase range, or just be efficient, that you shouldn't use the HVAC on "AUTO" in the winter. I can't pinpoint exactly what they do wrong with it but I have tested both ways and it significantly increases energy use.

 

[good2go]

I've found if you are trying to increase range, or just be efficient, that you shouldn't use the HVAC on "AUTO" in the winter. I can't pinpoint exactly what they do wrong with it but I have tested both ways and it significantly increases energy use.

I’ve been testing on my 1200 mile road trip. Today is not cold. But yesterday was cold and windy. If I didn’t have it on auto, I could not get enough heat to stay warm. My short testing seems heat has little to do with range. Speed, wind and temperature seem to affect more. I used my seat heater a lot yesterday. It was the only way I could get warm.

today is pretty easy driving. Sun is up temperature is just above freezing and little to no wind. Range is still pretty bad. 1.5 m/kw

 

[Alanparkcity]

Hello all.
I will be driving 500 miles from New Mexico to Telluride Colorado this Saturday. Temperatures are going to be pretty extremely cold. I have an R1 T with a max pack so I basically get 400 miles on the charge. Is there any advice for driving in the cold and performance hits on the battery. I will have my family with me and can’t risk failure. My wife would kill me…
I have my charger stops planned out. It gets a little spotty when I get to Durango because I only have two super chargers.
Any advice appreciated. Thank you.

Schedule it to finish a 2 hour charge to end when you are leaving. It will get the battery into the 60’s even in the cold. Much more effective than running the heater.

Plan on a 30% range loss from the cold, and don’t forget how much climbing affects range. You are going uphill most of the way there!

 

[good2go]

Day three was a huge surprise. The temp was over 40. I had a long pull through nothing. Full charge to 100% to make sure I don’t get in trouble. Because it was warm, heater was off. Range was 2.5 m/kw to 2.8 m/kw. Huge difference. No wind, sun keep inside warm. I was worried about this pull because of low range day 1. I arrived with 140 miles in range still.

super happy with road trip. Three leisurely days. Fast charging. All went smoothly.

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