Conserve Misconception

[ksurfier]

Just read through this entire thread. A lot of interesting data as I try to learn more about my R1T that I just over a month ago. The clunking i hear going in and out of conserve mode concerns me a bit. It isn't a seamless transition if rolling. The acceleration is dog slow at lower speeds but ok when on the highway since traffic isn't normally fairly steady state.

Based on my usage so far, I am just going to leave it in sport or AP most of the time and maybe only use it on longer highway trips. I can't help but think all the engaging and disengaging of the rear motors isn't going to add anything to their lifespan and watching the motor temps up front on the hot TX days isn't making me feel any better about their longevity. I could see where you could pretty quickly get into a thermal de-rating situation, especially when towing. Tires cost me more on my EVs than anything else other than maybe insurance for recurring costs.

I ran across the MotorTrend article, which seems relevant to this discussion.
https://www.motortrend.com/features/rivian-r1t-r1s-tire-wear-conserve-mode-opinion/

Thanks for adding useful info to the discussion. I’d say there is an overwhelming number of reasons to avoid using CM altogether, after testing I have gone that route myself and won’t look back…Not using CM might add 3 minutes to a supercharging stop - not a big deal.

Does anyone have data for towing? Is it going to extend range by only 2-3% for that or something more? But for towing safety I’d think you’d want to avoid it anyhow…

Ultimately, if you can’t fight the urge to use CM, it might be time to evaluate if a Rivian fits your use/needs.

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[DayTripping]

Thanks for adding useful info to the discussion. I’d say there is an overwhelming number of reasons to avoid using CM altogether, after testing I have gone that route myself and won’t look back…Not using CM might add 3 minutes to a supercharging stop - not a big deal.

Does anyone have data for towing? Is it going to extend range by only 2-3% for that or something more? But for towing safety I’d think you’d want to avoid it anyhow…

Ultimately, if you can’t fight the urge to use CM, it might be time to evaluate if a Rivian fits your use/needs.

I can't see buying the quad motor and running it in conserve all the time. It would like buying a Tesla Plaid and driving around in chill mode.

For daily driving, it makes no sense for me. Totally neuters the truck. I could see it on a highway if it allows me to save a charging stop or significantly reduces my trip charging time overall. I already balance my driving speed vs charging stops. Sometimes going slower is faster and sometimes faster, IS faster.

 

[RivAW]

Thanks for sharing this.

The difference in conserve I found to be about 5% under ideal conditions. The tires on these vehicles wear very fast, rotating the tires evens out but does not reduce the tire wear.

The concern with conserve mode tire wear comes in stop/go traffic as that can cause abnormal tire wear (cupping/feathering) and traction issues. Not applicable in high speed highway driving.

The front tires will already wear faster due to the trucks being front biased.

One has to determine if the trade-off is worth the slight efficiency gain.

1) Less power available on demand
2) More strain on the front motors and components such as the half shafts (in both torque and regen modes).
3) Less regenerative braking power available
4) Potential for failure of the decouplers (there have been several posts about folks who had them fail and they weren't towing)
5) Of course you don't get the torque vectoring when the rear motors are decoupled but this is mostly for performance driving/handling so not really a thing when towing.

Especially when towing I would be most concerned about #2 and #3.

I get between 1 and 1.2 mi per kwh towing my travel trailer. So best case I have about a 157mi range 100 to 0 when towing. If I could get a 5% boost that gives me an extra 8 miles of range.

With all that said Rivian does have a long warranty on the quad motors and they don't specifically state not to tow in conserve mode. I have had multiple service techs tell me to avoid conserve mode unless its an emergency though they didn't really elaborate on the logic behind the recommendation.

I'm about to replace my OEM 20" AT's at ~ 40K miles. I use conserve only when at highway speed for an extended distance, otherwise I'm mostly in All-Purpose.. I"ve rotated the tires 2x. No issue with premature wear......It has a lot to do with how you drive it ....

 

[Cortles]

I'm about to replace my OEM 20" AT's at ~ 40K miles. I use conserve only when at highway speed for an extended distance, otherwise I'm mostly in All-Purpose.. I"ve rotated the tires 2x. No issue with premature wear......It has a lot to do with how you drive it ....

Thank you, voice of reason. Agree 100% that it really isn't a binary decision. You use it if/when you feel the need - to eke out additional mileage to get home and avoid an additional charging stop. The example I gave previously is something that I've found myself in where highway driving trip from PA to VT has Conserve adding ~60 miles onto my range and avoiding an unnecessary charging stop. With tires running for 40k miles (in your example), the cost of tire wear is minimal for the odd long range trip and convenience of not adding a charging stop.

As I also mentioned, having a more advanced and accurate range estimator and driving suggestion (conserve mode, acceleration aggression/style, speed) based on the current driving style and environmental factor data, would be enormously valuable if you're trying to plan a trip and avoid lengthy charging stops.

One thing is for sure, our gurl is a juicy kwh consumer - coming from a previous Tesla that had a battery half the size... avoiding having to charge her is a consideration as she only adds half the number of miles each minute of charge (compared to the Tesla's smaller battery)... definitely a valid consideration.

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