Gen 1 vs gen 2 charging performance

[OC12020]

I have a gen 2 R1T max pack( 2025.18.30). Last week I was charging in Whittier NC and there was a gen 1 quard R1T already charging. I looked at the displays and noticed as my charging was ramping up the gen 1 was a few percentages ahead of my truck. As both were charging I noticed my gen 2 was charging faster. I left at about 83% and the other truck was still charging around 80%. Humm. Today I was in Waynesboro VA and I saw the same behavior with a gen 1 R1S. Once again I started at a lower state of charge and caught up and passed the gen 1 R1S. Throughout the charging session I was charging faster.

Given I have a max pack I would have expected that a large or standard battery pack would have charged faster than a max pack. While not any kind of a scientific study(no clue if they preconditioned or if battery temps were similar, etc), based on two data points I’m guessing that gen 2 charges faster than gen 1. Is this true? Did Rivian do something in gen 2 such as improved the battery cooling to make charging faster than gen 1?

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[Firechief48]

I definitely see an increase with charging Gen 2. I get at least 5 miles per hour more charging at home.

 

[emoore]

I definitely see an increase with charging Gen 2. I get at least 5 miles per hour more charging at home.

Miles per hour doesn’t mean much. Did you kW change? Im guessing nor for a home charger.

 

[emoore]

I do think they changed how long the gen 2 max pack could keep peak charging. After a 3200 mile road trip my biggest complaint is that the gen 1 doesn’t hold max rate very long. I’m ok with 210 kw max but would be nice to hold that to 70%. I know that’s not possible on gen 1 due to thermal.

 

[WorldComposting]

I do think they changed how long the gen 2 max pack could keep peak charging. After a 3200 mile road trip my biggest complaint is that the gen 1 doesn’t hold max rate very long. I’m ok with 210 kw max but would be nice to hold that to 70%. I know that’s not possible on gen 1 due to thermal.

I have a gen 1 and when they can hold 200kw for about 15 minutes instead of 3-5 I'll probably upgrade. Right now every time I stop to charge from ~10% to 80% it takes me about 45 minutes even hitting top speed. I would love this to be down around 30 minutes.

I know 15 minutes doesn't sound like a lot but 30 minutes is a bit longer than it takes to go grab some food and use the facilities when stopped. Typically we have to wait in the car for another 15-20 minutes each time we stop.

Yes I would like to be even shorter say 20 minutes which would allow me to get over 80% each time but if I can stop and get back on the road quickly without waiting would be a great upgrade for me.

 

[zefram47]

The last software update increased charging speeds for the Max pack with the Samsung 53G cell. Rivian said they did a more advanced characterization of the cell and allow higher temperatures during charging among other things. To my knowledge, they never did similar for the Gen1 trucks with the 50G cell. Prior to the recent update the Gen1 and Gen2 trucks with the 53G cell (mostly Max pack) charged slower than Gen1 Large (50G).

 

[emoore]

I have a gen 1 and when they can hold 200kw for about 15 minutes instead of 3-5 I'll probably upgrade. Right now every time I stop to charge from ~10% to 80% it takes me about 45 minutes even hitting top speed. I would love this to be down around 30 minutes.

I know 15 minutes doesn't sound like a lot but 30 minutes is a bit longer than it takes to go grab some food and use the facilities when stopped. Typically we have to wait in the car for another 15-20 minutes each time we stop.

Yes I would like to be even shorter say 20 minutes which would allow me to get over 80% each time but if I can stop and get back on the road quickly without waiting would be a great upgrade for me.

I agree. I'm holding out for more like 15-20 minutes to get up to 70-80%. Any reason you charge up to 80%? I found that stopping at 70% is faster even with an extra charging stop.

 

[Rivian Owner]

My wife and I take the extra time to walk around and enjoy the slightly slower charging pace when on a road trip, so the slower speed doesn't bother us. It is considered healthier to take longer breaks from sitting, so we see it as a net benefit. As we get older we've found that we feel better at the end of the day if we take more stops and the stops are longer. I guess my glass is half full?

 

[WorldComposting]

I agree. I'm holding out for more like 15-20 minutes to get up to 70-80%. Any reason you charge up to 80%? I found that stopping at 70% is faster even with an extra charging stop.

Two reasons:
1. My wife has range anxiety and wants to know we can easily get to our destination.
2. If we don't charge up enough and need to stop again then it takes longer than just waiting at the first stop an extra 10 minutes.

My wife is still nervous even after multiple long trips about making it. For the second one more chargers available on the highway rest stops will make this easier. Normally I need to get off the highway and drive 5-10 minutes to a charger and this also adds a lot of time.

On the East coast Telsa has old chargers in a lot of the rest stops off the highway which aren't compatible with Rivians (or they are turned off for other models). They are currently replacing them with chargers everyone can use which will also help save 10-20 minutes each time I need to charge. Also I try to hit up RANs so Rivian gets my money to keep funding them.

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