Outside temperature fiction

[Chewy734]

Am I the only one here with a reasonably accurate reading? My T reads ~1.5°C / 3°F high of ambient garage temperature.

Driving around it reads what it reads, but still pretty normal, even in the blazing desert heat. It might read 104°F instead of 101°F so NBD

Mine also seems pretty accurate in SoCal, when comparing to my weather app on the phone.

I’ve seen it way off though if it’s parked in the sun and not driven. But, after being driven, the temperature stabilizes after some time.

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[lefkonj]

Funny I only notice it off when stuck in traffic and not moving. Other than that is seems pretty close to what I am reading on my watch/phone.

 

[NDIrish]

Something I don't get is that nobody seems to care about the outside temperature. The way I understand it, the thermometer is under one of the mirrors. It's a bad location, because you can't get a reading of the temperature of the air. There is a number on the central display that is supposed to be the outside temperature and it is WILDLY inaccurate; lots of times it isn't even close. Other car makers do it. Or maybe I should ask the question, are any car thermometers accurate and is it even possible to get accurate outside air temperature in any vehicle? Can you get the temperature of the air and not something else? One thing I think it is really important to know is when the temperature gets below freezing or maybe close to freezing. That means the road starts icing up. Is there a solution to this, or does anybody even care?

Like any measurement there are so many variables to ask if it's accurate. I am sure the probe is sending a signal accurately, whether that signal has been calibrated or not is the question. I know at work bending and twisting the wires can alter the signal enough to change the temp... So I assume the probe should be installed, wires secured, then calibrated.

So it could be they use a poor calibration process or no process and that is why it could be off.

But even if it's reading perfectly and calibrated beautifully... It is measuring the temperature at the probe... It is not projecting out into the air. They could make some guesses and shift the calibration curve to accommodate, and so maybe other mfg are doing that and Rivian is not yet?

Any car I have I basically look at the first digit and say ok it's <2 cold, 3-7 nice, 8-9 hot, or 1 yikes hot (which is typically my reaction most of the year here in AZ). I

 

[Meltdwn]

Maybe take the number off the display because it is false and misleading and meaningless. Instead replace it with an icy road warning indicator, which is what you need to know anyway, and might actually be somewhat accurate when you get around freezing or below.

There can be large differences between air temp and road temp. Also, the sensors used in passenger vehicles are notoriously inaccurate.
The best product out there uses IR to determine road temp and a highly precise and accurate air temperature sensor. It is used by commercial vehicles.
https://roadwatch.com/about-us/

 

[Fairviewspiff]

Simple solution. “Alexa, what is the temperature?” Problem solved.

 

[JamboF4]

Something I don't get is that nobody seems to care about the outside temperature. The way I understand it, the thermometer is under one of the mirrors. It's a bad location, because you can't get a reading of the temperature of the air. There is a number on the central display that is supposed to be the outside temperature and it is WILDLY inaccurate; lots of times it isn't even close. Other car makers do it. Or maybe I should ask the question, are any car thermometers accurate and is it even possible to get accurate outside air temperature in any vehicle? Can you get the temperature of the air and not something else? One thing I think it is really important to know is when the temperature gets below freezing or maybe close to freezing. That means the road starts icing up. Is there a solution to this, or does anybody even care?

…don’t care, but thanks for the question

 

[Zoidz]

All vehicles have challenges. My Avalanche reads maybe 5 - 10 degrees high most of the time. But in the winter, when I put the plow on the truck, it's wildly inaccruate due to airflow to sensor being restricted, I guess it is in the grille near the radiator? It can be 20 degrees outside, but if I drive for 5 minutes at highway speed with the plow mounted, it will read 80 to 110 degrees, lol. Obviously not a use case GM cares about.

 

[Zoidz]

The car has 5g or whatever. Why not just link the temp number to a weather application and when I tap the temperate it pops out or drops down like a phone app with a graphic that displays the weather. Can easily edit it/toggle to show 3 or 5 days worth if need be. Or just the day.

Feel like I should mock this up in Photoshop or something and send it to RJ.

it honestly can’t be too hard to make this happen.

It's certainly doable with the National Weather Service API. Most other weather services charge a fee for API calls, but NWS appears to be free. Rivian would just have to geolocate to the nearest NWS station to call the API.

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[Dave Cundiff]

It's certainly doable with the National Weather Service API. Most other weather services charge a fee for API calls, but NWS appears to be free. Rivian would just have to geolocate to the nearest NWS station to call the API.

I'm not sure NWS would help with hyper-local conditions, such as going over a mountain.

Even in Pennsylvania, mountain weather can surprise drivers. That's where a vehicle thermometer is needed.

My only weather-related crash in the last 30 years was on the slopes of Mount Hood in Oregon. Knowing temperature where I actually am, and watching changes in temperature as I drive, can improve safety quite a bit.

Best wishes!

 

[Ape Latex]

My past Porsche and BMW (from 1999) were way more accurate than my R1T. I hope this is something they redesign. Other car makers have been doing it pretty accurately for decades.

 

[HeyEllwood]

just got an update for my Tesla.

they overheard us talking.

 

[George Kaplan]

I’ve never owned a car with an external temperature feature which accurately indicated the air temperature in Souther California during the Summer months.

Then I moved to the Mid-Atlantic area and suddenly saw the value in the temperature display, as it provides warning of potential road freeze in the Winter—something I never had to deal with living in the interior near-desert area of Southern California. Where I was back East, it was essential to get a heads-up when black ice was capable of forming.

It was also my (unscientific) impression that the thermometer was significantly more accurate in Winter conditions and temperatures in the 20s and 30s than it was anytime in the Summer. The idea of reflected heat from the road surface may be a key reason why Summer numbers are way above reality.

 

[Brian A]

Mine is fine after I drive down the road for a few minutes. Sitting still it is reading the heat radiating off of the vehicle and the road. You have to drive for 5 or 10 minutes to get it cooled down to reality. Every vehicle I have owned with the temp reading is not accurate when sitting still.

 

[Deadfish]

I've been noticing my is WAY off at times - both above and below. And I also wonder if it's a factor in the ACC not working well. Yesterday, I was parked in the sun, but cool day. Car was showing 19, Air was about 25 (but hotter in the sun). Had the AC set to 21 and it was hot in the car. Had the AC on for 30 min - still hot in the car. it was like it thought the air was 19 so no need to cool it more, just blow it in to the car.

 

[Chayse]

After mine stabilizes, it is still usually 5-6 degrees hotter than what my apple Watch app indicates. My BMW on the other hand usually only reads about 1-2 degrees hotter.

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