R2 Pet Mode Concerns From Owner's Test

[JeffnReno]

When your R1T temp reached the set temp, did the fan speed slow or continue to blow on high? This R2 will be our first Rivian so only have Teslas to compare how auto settings work in it. In our Y, in auto HVAC, the fan speed seems to be controlled by the delta of desired temp and actual temp. The larger the delta the higher the fan blows and lowers as it gets closer to set point. It works that way when I'm in the car or when it's in Pet Mode so just curious. I appreciate knowing that R2 may not work that way so will have to manually raise the auto to high before leaving the vehicle. Now I'm curious if it will remain blowing high after the desired temp is reached?

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[R1Thrilled]

When your R1T temp reached the set temp, did the fan speed slow or continue to blow on high? This R2 will be our first Rivian so only have Teslas to compare how auto settings work in it. In our Y, in auto HVAC, the fan speed seems to be controlled by the delta of desired temp and actual temp. The larger the delta the higher the fan blows and lowers as it gets closer to set point. It works that way when I'm in the car or when it's in Pet Mode so just curious. I appreciate knowing that R2 may not work that way so will have to manually raise the auto to high before leaving the vehicle. Now I'm curious if it will remain blowing high after the desired temp is reached?

In my R1 it blows very aggressively to get to the set temp, and tones it down as it hovers around the temp, sometimes it overshoots and the actual cabin temp ends up staying lower than the set temp (except in extreme outside temps).

That’s all I really ask of the R2 to do too, it works great in the R1.

 

[JeffnReno]

In my R1 it blows very aggressively to get to the set temp, and tones it down as it hovers around the temp, sometimes it overshoots and the actual cabin temp ends up staying lower than the set temp (except in extreme outside temps).

That’s all I really ask of the R2 to do too, it works great in the R1.

So in the R2 it continues to blow high even after the set temp is reached? Makes me wonder if reaching the set point is only going to cycle the AC compressor as it is keeping the fan blasting. This does seem like a software issue but nice to know. My dog probably won't notice as long as he's comfy but does deem like a waste of energy. Thank goodness fans don't use a load of energy as long as the compressor cycles to save energy. The noise would be a bother but the dog probably won't mention it...

 

[R1Thrilled]

So in the R2 it continues to blow high even after the set temp is reached? Makes me wonder if reaching the set point is only going to cycle the AC compressor as it is keeping the fan blasting. This does seem like a software issue but nice to know. My dog probably won't notice as long as he's comfy but does deem like a waste of energy. Thank goodness fans don't use a load of energy as long as the compressor cycles to save energy. The noise would be a bother but the dog probably won't mention it...

Well the issue is really that the R2 doesn’t blow high at all unless you start it by having your auto fan speed set to high beforehand, at least based on my couple hours of testing. It doesn’t seem to concern itself with the temperature delta at all.

 

[Jeremy3292]

This honestly just goes back to my long standing opinion of why the hell do we have fan speed options WHEN IN AUTO MODE in general. Just blow the fan as needed for the set temperature. Why do I need to decide fan speed?!?

 

[JeffnReno]

This honestly just goes back to my long standing opinion of why the hell do we have fan speed options WHEN IN AUTO MODE in general. Just blow the fan as needed for the set temperature. Why do I need to decide fan speed?!?

I fully agree and in our Tesla, it will automatically lower the fan speed if you take a call and resume it after the call is ended without the need for any user input. Rivian needs to address it.

 

[VandalSibs]

This honestly just goes back to my long standing opinion of why the hell do we have fan speed options WHEN IN AUTO MODE in general. Just blow the fan as needed for the set temperature. Why do I need to decide fan speed?!?

Because people asked for it (I remember when it was added via OTA, I believe it was a few months after I got my truck in 2024).

If you think about it, the "auto" can just mean how long to run the HVAC to heat or cool the cabin to a set temperature. If you change the fan speed, it just adjusts how long the system runs before just circulating cabin air.

 

[Jeremy3292]

Because people asked for it (I remember when it was added via OTA, I believe it was a few months after I got my truck in 2024).

If you think about it, the "auto" can just mean how long to run the HVAC to heat or cool the cabin to a set temperature. If you change the fan speed, it just adjusts how long the system runs before just circulating cabin air.

Yeah must've been the same time Tesla did it too, bc it didn't use to be that way. The issue is...why not just have both options? Why substitute one over the other? Low, medium, high, and auto fan speed...seems so easy.

 

[VandalSibs]

Yeah must've been the same time Tesla did it too, bc it didn't use to be that way. The issue is...why not just have both options? Why substitute one over the other? Low, medium, high, and auto fan speed...seems so easy.

Auto doesn't refer to fan speed (primarily).... it's for automatically turning the HVAC off and on to maintain a consistent temperature in the cabin. Fan speed is just how fast the fan spins to move air, be it hot, cold, luke-warm, etc. Hence you can turn off auto-temp and still have fan speeds (although in a R1, that then is a 1-5 scale for fan speed.....)

 

[Jeremy3292]

Auto doesn't refer to fan speed (primarily).... it's for automatically turning the HVAC off and on to maintain a consistent temperature in the cabin. Fan speed is just how fast the fan spins to move air, be it hot, cold, luke-warm, etc. Hence you can turn off auto-temp and still have fan speeds (although in a R1, that then is a 1-5 scale for fan speed.....)

I understand what you're saying, but it would seem logically the fan speed should be easily tied to the temperature requested in the cabin vs the delta to the outside temperature. Fan speed is required to keep the cabin cool. If the current fan speed is either over or under cooling the cabin, then it should just adjust automatically. Many other cars have this feature - my wife's GX460 for example. You set the temperature and it auto adjusts the fan speed from high on intital cool down to medium or low to keep the cabin temp steady.

 

[DuoRivian]

This seems like a perfect thread for @COdogman but I haven’t seen him pay for months - hope he is OK

 

[Zoidz]

I have a bit of technical hands-on knowledge regarding AC/refrigeration systems, so I have listened to how the R1 runs in Auto to understand it. We know for certain they use a variable speed compressor - characterized by that loud buzzing noise when the car is really hot and diminishes as the car cools. In auto, they control both the speed of the fan and the compressor. When the interior is hot they run full speed and then ramp down both the compressor speed and the fan speed as they approach the setpoint, which is measured by a temperature sensor that is in a return air stream. That's the most efficient operation. When you use a fixed fan speed, they likely continue to adjust the compressor speed accordingly to operate as efficiently as possible, but with less temperature control. It's possible but unlikely the outside temperature is in play to control cabin temperature. The goal is to get the cabin air to a setpoint, regardless of how hot it is outside.

 

[Zoidz]

This seems like a perfect thread for @COdogman but I haven’t seen him pay for months - hope he is OK

Yeah, I noticed he was commenting less and less around March/April. Last seen May 27.

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