Dear Rivian Engineers who worked on the Air Conditioning

[Cactus]

If it can adequately cool in the shade/garage, but not in the sun/higher ambient temps then you almost certainly need a refrigerant recharge. I'd call or message Rivian support, talk to a service advisor, and ask if they can do a mobile service for you in time. If not, ask if it's the same procedure as other vehicles and see if a local service provider can check and recharge your refrigerant for you.

My R1S has no issues blowing cold air even on the hottest days, so I can only imagine you're in need of fresh refrigerant. If not, then something more serious could be going on with your AC system.

The sad part is that it will be cool again by the time you get a Service Center appointment.

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[SPITmadFIRE]

The sad part is that it will be cool again by the time you get a Service Center appointment.

Which is why I recommended asking about a mobile service appointment, or taking it to another trusted mechanic to diagnose. I'd be surprised if Rivian has some wildly proprietary AC system beyond the compressor itself.

 

[Zoidz]

Which is why I recommended asking about a mobile service appointment, or taking it to another trusted mechanic to diagnose. I'd be surprised if Rivian has some wildly proprietary AC system beyond the compressor itself.

I'm curious if anyone has ever had a mobile service appointment for MVAC (Motor Vehicle AC) service. A mobile service appointment might be easier said than done. By EPA law (section 609), technicians have to be certified to work on MVAC systems and use R1234YF recovery equipment that is certified by the EPA ($$$). I wonder if Rivian has mobile service techs that have 609 MVAC training/certification, and if they would spend $3k - $6k per mobile service vehicle for the required equipment....? My guess is that MVAC service requires an SC appointment...

 

[Utah Rivian]

Mine has become LOUD. I have an apt on Wens. Gave me a rental so thinking it might take a while. ?

 

[YouKnowWhatsUp]

It sounds like either there is something wrong with your vehicle or you don’t know how to use it. Why are you not pre conditioning and using sunshades? Why are you not setting it on LO? I will agree the ac is not quiet but it is more then cold enough. Sounds like most of you set it like the ac in your house which is not how you work a cars ac. You are supposed to crank the one in your car. I will be in AZ next week with my R1T so I will test it out on my own truck.

 

[evforthewin]

Disclaimer- I live in Phoenix where it’s pretty warm right now.
However, the 5 other cars in my household: 2014 Jeep grand Cherokee, 2017Jeep wrangler, 2014 Ford Escape, 2017 Porsche Cayman and 2014 Tesla model S blow COLD air within 3-5 mins of driving-even in 110+ heat.

Engineers: Please redesign the AC so that it:
1. Cools the cabin properly within 5 mins (yes, recirculate is on and temp is set to 72F, but air is barely cool). Even after driving for 15 mins Air from vents is not particularly cool.
2. Doesn‘t make a loud weed trimmer noise. It’s embarrassing to drive what should be a “cool” vehicle that makes the weed trimmer noise. It’s pretty clear the compressor is trying unsuccessfully to cool the cabin, but can’t.
3. Please test the AC in extreme temps to evaluate performance of the system.


That’s it! That’s all I am asking. Otherwise, I am reasonably happy with my R1S.

Read through some of the replies before responding...

1. It sounds like your AC is not working properly with respect to cold air.

2. The loudness of the system has been evident on my April 2024 delivery R1S Quad - loud when trying to cool down the cabin in higher temps. This even happens when leaving my home from my garage which does get to 95+ during the day (Dallas Texas is a pretty hot place in the summer). The amount/intensity of noise and length of time it makes it seems proportional to the amount of heat it is trying to overcome. I think my 2022 Acura MDX compressor is noticeable too but since there is ICE noise, it's not as noticeable as the Rivian. Nevertheless, I think there is room for improvement.

Overall, I think Rivian has done a good/very good job in engineering. Definitely room for improvement/refinement and more features. For me the more glaring issues that should be easier/faster to fix are execution of the assembly of the vehicle (trim, bolts, seals) and service center improvements (many needed). I am on a 36 mos/15K miles lease and really not sure if another Rivian (or lease buy out of this one) is in my future. This JV with VW could prove to be what Rivian needs for better execution in these areas. I still think the brand has some major upside but refinements are needed.

 

[evforthewin]

I’m in 110°F+ weather and haven’t noticed this being an issue in the R1T. But I’ll pay closer attention to see if I’m having any similar issues.

I don't have a COLD problem either, but I do get the loudness when 1) The cabin is hot, 2) When sitting at a light (after the cabin has cooled down and is comfortable) in the sun. In scenario 2, it's not as loud, but still pretty noticeable.

Do you experience the loudness?

 

[evforthewin]

What I can't believe is this "luxury" truck does not have solar tint on all the windows.

Here is how I think of it - leave your car for 10 min in the sun - feel the heat? all that heat has to be removed by AC even when the car is driving. Just seems like a massive waste of power to me. A HUGE oversite by Rivian. The last 5 cars I have owned have all had factory solar tint on all windows.

I think having to take my brand new truck to the tint shop like it's some low end civic is ludicrous.

(note EVEN the civic ships with tint now)

Agree. No doubt, Rivian had to make a lot of choices to control cost given supplier costs for a start-up with not much demand yet. There are a number of items/features that they absolutely SHOULD do as they get profitable so that this Flagship R1 series can actually live up to what we all feel should be a luxury, high-end vehicle. As it stands now, there are aspects that fit the label of high-end/luxury, but many that are missing, including the option to have real leather.

The lacking of features/options that most of us who have driven luxury high-end cars aside, Rivian has great potential. But they do need to listen to their customers, pay attention to what the competition is doing, and remove the crazy wait times and lack of direct access to service center personnel. They also need to STOCK common parts at their service center, including trim fasteners, bolts, etc. so that you don't have to wait for parts to be ordered after dropping off your car at the SC.

 

[SoCal Rob]

I don't have a COLD problem either, but I do get the loudness when 1) The cabin is hot, 2) When sitting at a light (after the cabin has cooled down and is comfortable) in the sun. In scenario 2, it's not as loud, but still pretty noticeable.

Do you experience the loudness?

I think the loud noises are normal. I had a Ford Fusion PHEV which also had a variable speed electric compressor and it did the same thing. These behave differently than what most people have experienced in ICE vehicles where the compressor is driven by an accessory belt and the compressor speed is related to the engine speed. The compressor will be slowest/quietest at idle, but also least effective at cooling.

Unlike ICE vehicles, our Rivian’s variable-speed compressors are capable of running at high speed (noisy) even when the vehicle isn’t moving. To compare noise with an ICE-driven compressor running at a higher speed, try having the engine running, A/C on lowest, vehicle in park, and increase the engine speed so the tachometer shows around the midpoint of 0 RPM and wherever your vehicle’s redline starts. I think you’ll find that on most cars the engine + compressor noise is at least as loud as the electric motor + compressor noise of the Rivian.

I suppose Rivian could limit the electric compressor to lower speeds when the vehicle isn’t moving to mimic what’s familiar to people with only ICE experience, but that would mean pre-conditioning would be less effective. I think where and how the Rivian’s compressor is mounted on Gen 1 R1 vehicles makes it noisier than it could be, but Gen 2 is a different design so I expect it to be quieter, even when running at high speed.

 

[evforthewin]

Sorry for delay in responding. I made an appointment with service center. They were 6 weeks out. Then within a week of my appointment, service center contacted me and informed me that I needed to wait another 2 weeks. Ugggh. Keep in mind that Phx is 105°F to 110°F during the summer. So, I gave up.

After evaluating all aspects of the R1S including the fact that the AC vents were poorly engineered such that they were too low (below display) to blow on my face no matter how I adjusted them (including the side vent that was terminally stuck blowing on the side window), I decided to sell the vehicle. The superhot glass sunroof radiating heat only my head didn't help. Note: I put best photosync sunfilm on the sunroof (rejects 97% infrared heat and UV), but still too hot.

I REALLy wanted to love the R1S since I ordered in Sept 2019. I had also wrapped it in best PPF a week after I bought it. I think the R1S is an incredibly capable vehicle, but the AC just has to work better.

Sad to hear you ended up selling it and even more sad that the SC delayed you another 2 weeks. IMO, that is the real failure in your case because I think you vehicle had a fixable issue - at least the cooling issue. In my case, car cools well (I live in Dallas where it is routinely 100+ for 3-4 months in the summer) but the compressor loudness is annoying. Not enough for me to dump the car now but a long-term consideration in terms of being a repeat customer.

BIGGEST piece Rivian needs to fix given how early in the game they are is the Service Centers. Knowing they have buggy vehicles (software and hardware), assembly issues/inconsistencies, and customers that use their vehicles as daily drivers, waiting weeks for a SC appointment is unacceptable. In addition, the quality/experience of their "service advisors" and "technicians" has to improve. It all reeks of start-up company pains so hopefully they will work through it fast. If they can't keep their initial adopters as long-term customers they could have an uphill battle.

THEY NEED to keep US HAPPY so we sell the cars for them in forums and YouTube videos.

 

[Stuart]

I sat in my driveway and tested the AC with an instant read thermometer. At an outside temp of around 103, something in the AC system seems undersized (evaporator coil or compressor) compared to the AC system blower as turning up the fan speed makes the temp of the air coming out of the vents increase by about 7-10 degrees going from level 3-7. I am assuming the compressor is functioning properly although if it isn’t, that could be my problem. At the lower levels, the air was blowing out consistently in the low 50s. At full fan speed the temp went up to 61. It’s a pretty big difference, so I’m thinking that running the fan at full speed may actually cool slower than running it at around 4.

thanks for reporting the air vent temperature. I was looking for this.

 

[Anxious_Carrot]

I think the loud noises are normal.

I can't agree here. I have had several vehicles that have electric variable compressors and have never heard them running inside the cab. The Rivians placement, and most likely mounting system, is where they went wrong. Not only is it an annoying sound as it speeds up, but the vibration in the pedals too. The OP is right in that it's supposed to be this luxury, cool truck, and then you hear EEERRRRRRRRRRR over everything.

 

[SoCal Rob]

I can't agree here. I have had several vehicles that have electric variable compressors and have never heard them running inside the cab. The Rivians placement, and most likely mounting system, is where they went wrong. Not only is it an annoying sound as it speeds up, but the vibration in the pedals too. The OP is right in that it's supposed to be this luxury, cool truck, and then you hear EEERRRRRRRRRRR over everything.

Yeah, sorry, when I wrote that over a year ago I should have written that the compressor noises OUTSIDE are normal. The vibration and related noise inside the cabin shouldn’t be excessive. I think there was a customer satisfaction campaign (or whatever Rivian calls them) within the last year for Gen1 (through 2024) to mitigate noise and vibration.
edit:typo

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

We’ve owned both an R1T (since early 2022) and R1S here in Phoenix, where real heat hits like Death Valley. All windows are ceramic tinted, my wife's R1S even has the front windshield done, which made a big difference. We also added a roof glass cover. Her R1S cools well, especially with pre-conditioning and Pet Mode.

My R1T has always cooled decently, but after Rivian recovered 695g and recharged it to 750g of refrigerant during my last service (now past 60K), it’s blowing ice. Picked it up at 5:30 PM in Tempe and had to turn the fan down—huge improvement.

Both vehicles rarely hit “jet engine” mode, but when they do, people definitely notice. After updates and service, we’re happy with the cooling performance on both.

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