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R2's A/C performance in really hot weather?

Timmdodge60

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After watching dozens of video reviews I noticed several people saying the ventilated seats were very strong. That’s good to hear. Does the Premium have ventilated seats as well? I know the Standard does not.
My understanding is that only the front seats are ventilated on the Premium trim.
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aerosenthal

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As a non-EV owner, I have a question about remote starting/climate functions.

One of my favorite things about our current ICE car is the remote start - either from key or the app. I greatly prefer using the key, as it is 10x faster than loading up an app (and free). From the key, I just press the lock 3x and viola, the engine starts and cabin starts cooling (or heating in the winter).

Even if I do this just 30-60 seconds before entering as I walk towards the car, it makes a big difference.

On a Rivian, what is the equivalent of this process? I see some commenters mentioned the HVAC just stays on, but surely that's a massive waste if you won't return to your car for several hours...

Is there a proximity thing, where it knows you are heading back to the car and starts the HVAC? How does that work when parked at home and I walk by it? Can I just "start" it from the key?

I suspect the answer is just open the app every time to start the HVAC, but that's definitely a downgrade from my current setup with the key (but I can live with it).

*Also, it's about 100f here this weekend, and I have my second test drive scheduled on Saturday, so definitely about to get a great idea of how well the A/C works 🤣 .
This is Tesla's system (which I believe Rivian has mirrored). You have options. You can use the app to turn it on whenever (so walking back to your car and want to warm or cool it)... or... you can hit "pet mode" or "hold" and the temp will remain a constant setting (so quick run into the bank or whatever)... and/or you can program the vehicle to be conditioned to your preferred temp at whatever time you want (so if you want the car warmed up to 72 on a cold morning or cooled to 6 PM on work days so when you get to your car at the end of the work day it is cooled). With a good app (Tesla/Rivian) it is about as convenient as the fob. Plus you can manage it with more nuance - you can crack the windows... set the exact temp... turn on / off the seat heaters or steering wheel heater... defrost... etc.. Interestingly - running the climate system uses very little energy (compared to driving). If you like your remote start... you will love this feature of an EV!
 
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This is Tesla's system (which I believe Rivian has mirrored). You have options. You can use the app to turn it on whenever (so walking back to your car and want to warm or cool it)... or... you can hit "pet mode" or "hold" and the temp will remain a constant setting (so quick run into the bank or whatever)... and/or you can program the vehicle to be conditioned to your preferred temp at whatever time you want (so if you want the car warmed up to 72 on a cold morning or cooled to 6 PM on work days so when you get to your car at the end of the work day it is cooled). With a good app (Tesla/Rivian) it is about as convenient as the fob. Plus you can manage it with more nuance - you can crack the windows... set the exact temp... turn on / off the seat heaters or steering wheel heater... defrost... etc.. Interestingly - running the climate system uses very little energy (compared to driving). If you like your remote start... you will love this feature of an EV!
Thanks for the info! Definitely some cool functionality that my ICE car doesn't have, so excited for that.

But I think I will definitely still the miss pure simplicity of starting the car from the key hanging from my belt loop.

Btw, I had a second test drive this weekend. Temps were are around 100F, so definitely hot. I thought the A/C was fine and I don't really have any complaints. It seemed to run fairly strong throughout our 30 minute test drive, but I would kind of expect that with any car when temps are 100F+. The cooled seats definitely help and may be skewing my opinion towards the positive. There were also so many other things I was assessing so can't say I paid too much attention to the HVAC (which I guess is a good thing, as I never felt uncomfortable).
 

aerosenthal

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Thanks for the info! Definitely some cool functionality that my ICE car doesn't have, so excited for that.

But I think I will definitely still the miss pure simplicity of starting the car from the key hanging from my belt loop.

Btw, I had a second test drive this weekend. Temps were are around 100F, so definitely hot. I thought the A/C was fine and I don't really have any complaints. It seemed to run fairly strong throughout our 30 minute test drive, but I would kind of expect that with any car when temps are 100F+. The cooled seats definitely help and may be skewing my opinion towards the positive. There were also so many other things I was assessing so can't say I paid too much attention to the HVAC (which I guess is a good thing, as I never felt uncomfortable).
That is good to hear! It is a large volume of air. Did you feel like the roof was radiating heat much? I will say between my wife and I - we have had 3 Teslas in central Ohio and never found the glass roofs to be a problem (I would say we both have a low tolerance for direct sun).
 
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That is good to hear! It is a large volume of air. Did you feel like the roof was radiating heat much? I will say between my wife and I - we have had 3 Teslas in central Ohio and never found the glass roofs to be a problem (I would say we both have a low tolerance for direct sun).
The glass roof definitely let's heat in, but it was not any more than I expected.

Halfway through our drive I touched the glass, and it was definitely "hot" but not so hot you couldn't hold your hand on it for a few seconds. The hair on top of my head was also a little warmer to the touch, but I can't say it made a difference in how I felt (bald people would probably feel it more).

The HVAC seems adequately equipped to manage the heat from the roof. But it would do even better if they offered a retractable shade, which I would have gladly paid a little extra for. Aside from the heat aspect, sometimes I prefer to not have the sun rays beaming everywhere and desire a more "shaded" feel to the cabin, which a sun shade provides (obviously 😄).
 

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rvnxyz001

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The glass roof definitely let's heat in, but it was not any more than I expected.

Halfway through our drive I touched the glass, and it was definitely "hot" but not so hot you couldn't hold your hand on it for a few seconds. The hair on top of my head was also a little warmer to the touch, but I can't say it made a difference in how I felt (bald people would probably feel it more).

The HVAC seems adequately equipped to manage the heat from the roof. But it would do even better if they offered a retractable shade, which I would have gladly paid a little extra for. Aside from the heat aspect, sometimes I prefer to not have the sun rays beaming everywhere and desire a more "shaded" feel to the cabin, which a sun shade provides (obviously 😄).
You should try to sit in the back, this is where it's much worse since there are only two small vents in the middle, and they are not as powerful as the front ones. Also, the front has some sun protection from the headliner, and the back is just fully open.
 

Blue in NC

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Thanks for the info! Definitely some cool functionality that my ICE car doesn't have, so excited for that.

But I think I will definitely still the miss pure simplicity of starting the car from the key hanging from my belt loop.

Btw, I had a second test drive this weekend. Temps were are around 100F, so definitely hot. I thought the A/C was fine and I don't really have any complaints. It seemed to run fairly strong throughout our 30 minute test drive, but I would kind of expect that with any car when temps are 100F+. The cooled seats definitely help and may be skewing my opinion towards the positive. There were also so many other things I was assessing so can't say I paid too much attention to the HVAC (which I guess is a good thing, as I never felt uncomfortable).
One other "feature" that's huge to me is not being forced to carry keys at all! One less thing to worry about and fill my pockets, plus way more comfortable. I know it sounds silly but not having keys is a game changer.
 

cyberdog

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You should try to sit in the back, this is where it's much worse since there are only two small vents in the middle, and they are not as powerful as the front ones. Also, the front has some sun protection from the headliner, and the back is just fully open.
I experienced the same this weekend. I did a second test drive in an R2 and it was almost 100 degrees out. The cooling in the front was good between the ventilated seats and AC but my passenger in the back was warm. The air coming out of the armrest vents was cold but not enough to really direct towards and cool the passengers. The directional controls on the vents were limited in how far you could direct the air.
 

Tejkalra

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A small sample size, but I had an R2 demo drive in 98 degree F Orlando from 11:30 to noon and no cloud cover. The AC was cold and the ventilated seats were excellent. I was concerned about radiant heat coming down from the glass roof but I didn't notice anything.
Does R2 have option to blur your roof like Rivian R1T. Sorry forgot what it is called. Sound and vision package? Or do you have roof shade. Is there 3rd party roof shade in market?
 

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rvnxyz001

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Does R2 have option to blur your roof like Rivian R1T. Sorry forgot what it is called. Sound and vision package? Or do you have roof shade. Is there 3rd party roof shade in market?
No, it is a simple glass roof
No shade available yet
 

CrazyOne

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Related to the topic of this thread - how is the A/C performance when the car idling? Sorry, I’m new to EVs, and in ICE, air moving through the engine helps. I sit in carpool in NC heat (95 degrees) in the summer for an hour daily, so an EV would really help me in keeping the cabin comfortable (VS running an entire engine just to run the A/C compressor)
For R1, the ac works well enough when it's not moving. The problem is that glass roof does not cool down enough to keep me comfortable when it's parked. I never noticed that problem when driving in traffic though. Even a little bit of movement helps cool it down. In my experience, it's a glass roof problem than an EV problem. In EVs there is no engine to radiate heat, so that helps.

However what you get in summer, you lose in winter 🤟
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