WSJ R1T Review

[eemri]

Really quite exhausted by the constant complaints about EV range. If you drive a vehicle hard, they are naturally going to use more energy than if you drove at a consistent pace like you would for a long trip. If you can get within 5/10% of the EPA combined range at a consistent 70 mph in good weather, that should be adequate for determining if the vehicle is going to work for you.

I agree. Speaking for my internal combustion engine-powered car, it gets extremely varied mileage / range based on my driving. Sometimes it matches the EPA ratings, sometimes I get much less. This is how driving works; it's not unique to EVs

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[kylealden]

Their experience with the UI is exactly the same as mine at the L.A. first mile. Couldn't even adjust the volume, screen froze, maps very slow, switched screens without being touched, etc, etc.

I'm pretty confident it's going to be terrible for 1-2 years (but improving) as it's obvious to me that they built the entire system assuming they have a constant, low-latency internet connection at all times which is not how vehicles (or the real world) work. I'm sure it's amazing on their emulators in the office.

Counterexample - it was perfectly fine and comparable to Tesla in my First Drive in Seattle. No infotainment issues (including cameras/spotify/maps), everything was responsive. The map animations hitched a bit but otherwise it was on par with my MY.

 

[LaunchGreen]

I can see how maps and Spotify would stutter with a poor internet connection, but why should local functions like volume control, vents etc.? The OS itself should not have to rely on the internet for functionality, just like using your phone in airplane mode, and apps with local functions shouldn't stutter. I'm thinking the issue is something else.

Background tasks and lack of multithreading? I can’t say until they let me see the source code

 

[sevengroove]

Background tasks and lack of multithreading? I can’t say until they let me see the source code

Good point - didn't think of that angle, because surely it would be embarrassing if they're getting ready to release an OS that allows individual apps to grind the proverbial store to a halt, Karen style, because there aren't enough checkout counters.

 

[LaunchGreen]

Good point - didn't think of that angle, because surely it would be embarrassing if they're getting ready to release an OS that allows individual apps to grind the proverbial store to a halt, Karen style, because there aren't enough checkout counters.

I'm an engineer by trade and worked in high availability internet software for 20+ years. If I had a problem like that, I'd probably only release the product to internal users (staff, etc) for testing and delay the public launch.

 

[yizzung]

Well I canceled my sub the day the Murdoch bought the paper, so I may be a bit out of the loop.

 

[sevengroove]

I'm an engineer by trade and worked in high availability internet software for 20+ years. If I had a problem like that, I'd probably only release the product to internal users (staff, etc) for testing and delay the public launch.

Makes sense then that from what we can tell, only employees or others with prior/ongoing affiliation with Rivian have received the vehicles thus far. Either way, with my limited knowledge of the issue, all I can hope for is that the problems aren't at the fundamental level and that they can be fixed with OTA updates.

 

[LaunchGreen]

Makes sense then that from what we can tell, only employees or others with prior/ongoing affiliation with Rivian have received the vehicles thus far. Either way, with my limited knowledge of the issue, all I can hope for is that the problems aren't at the fundamental level and that they can be fixed with OTA updates.

I can’t think of any way that it wouldn’t be fixable unless the hardware is underpowered which would be hard to imagine. I don’t know if there are specs available on the computer systems?

 

[Guy]

Well I canceled my sub the day the Murdoch bought the paper, so I may be a bit out of the loop.

Shame because it is a good newspaper and offers a good counterpoint to the NYT. Decent journalism (Theranos is a great example) and interesting opinion pieces.

 

[smiesguy]

Cool to see Red Canyon with Forest Edge interior!

 

[ironpig]

yeah I have two horses and I read the Wall Street Journal.

I also felt like it was a fair review.

Glowing fanboy reviews are not good for consumers. One of the reasons I’m getting rid of my Tesla when the Rivian comes in. I can’t stand the reality distortion field that Tesla has over its more culty owners and “influencers”.

 

[ironpig]

I can’t think of any way that it wouldn’t be fixable unless the hardware is underpowered which would be hard to imagine. I don’t know if there are specs available on the computer systems?

why would underpowered CPU or lack of memory be hard to Imagine? That’s exactly the kind of thing that can happen right now with chip shortages and cost cutting. My Tesla Model S MCU has died twice in 8 years. They have well known issues with memory usage and cycles.

Could be years before we know if Rivian hardware is built for the long haul and future software upgrades.

 

[LaunchGreen]

why would underpowered CPU or lack of memory be hard to Imagine? That’s exactly the kind of thing that can happen right now with chip shortages and cost cutting. My Tesla Model S MCU has died twice in 8 years. They have well known issues with memory usage and cycles.

Could be years before we know if Rivian hardware is built for the long haul and future software upgrades.

Just can't imagine they would spec a brand new high-end vehicle that poorly, especially when they have nailed so many other far more difficult things, but you're right, perhaps they had to scale it back.

 

[yizzung]

Shame because it is a good newspaper and offers a good counterpoint to the NYT. Decent journalism (Theranos is a great example) and interesting opinion pieces.

Yeah. I remember. Just don’t do Murdoch.

 

[SeaGeo]

The complaints about reviews making repetitive comments about EV range when driven hard are understandable, but also help set an expectation for people who have never driven an EV. This might be the first review (or only review) they read about a Rivian. There are probably a decent amount of people who have never heard of Rivian (or Lucid or most other startups) and aren't familiar with potential hits to range like performance or weather.

There should be context there, and a proper and informed discussion about what range actually means with an EV that most people charge nearly daily. Followed by noting that the exact same issues apply to ICE vehicles.

99% of the time, my EVSE is more readily accessible to me than a gas station. As far as I'm concerned, my Id.4 range has been infinite since I bought it, as I've never delayed myself to charge it. I was gassing up my Subaru almost weekly prior to the pandemic, which required changing my commute home to avoid the only gas station that's near my house and costs about a dollar more than anywhere else per gallon.

If anything, I look for excuses to go find an EA charger for fun.

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