Rivian could have made better winter design choices.

[jnc007]

Let me start by saying this is the best functional vehicle Ive ever had. I love my r1t. Living in the north east where we’re having a real winter for the first time in a while; I can tell you Chewie has not once missed a beat in the snow and ice.

With that said, some of the below will sound like complaints. Maybe the ever watching eyes of Rivian will take note and make better design choices in the future. Or if you all have a better work around, Im all about chalking this up to user error.

The first issue I’ll bring up, the tunnel, has a couple of flaws. Putting the open button on the top of the bed rail really doesnt work anywhere there’s snow and Ice. I have to brake the ice and at some point that rubber button will crap out. Why wasn’t a mechanical latch put in the back by the C post by the back seat? Also, when you do hit the button and it works, how is anyone with gloves or mitts supposed to get enough purchase on it to open it?

The tailgate button. Same concerns with its location and design.

The hood. I love how efficient and insulated this truck is, but i sorta miss my Tacoma’s engine melting the snow feature. Does anyone have a fix for this? Yes scraping it off sometimes works, but for those not exposed to the northeast type of snow and winter, there are different types of snow and ice. Sometimes it just cakes on and it’s rock solid.

The door handles are a neat trick; as long as they come out and close. Sometimes ice is not friendly to the plastic hinges.

The same can be said for the charging port and the rotating side view mirrors. I’m waiting for the charging port to break at some point. There does not appear to be any metal in it anywhere.

Finally, my longest lasting gripe; the wiper control. Why did some engineer feel the need to change something that worked perfectly fine in every other vehicle on the road? It didn’t need your “magic touch.” Sure “leave it on auto” is a solution. That doesn’t always work correctly. Or if you want to adjust it, you’d better not be wearing anything on your hands. And always remember which direction you want it to go.

I guess my over arching complaint is; I get Rivian was trying to make a name for themselves. They were trying to make the ultimate adventure truck with its steep angled nose and rear. And its adjustable suspension. I love it! Two thumbs up. I support you. But not one engineer lived anywhere where there was snow? No one tested this in the Forks Maine or some snowy logging road and realized this isnt really winter functional for the average person.

Again I love my truck. Prior to this I’d only ever owned stripped down vehicles. My Tacoma didn’t have heated seats, I couldn’t pre-start it from my house. I absolutely love this feature! I just think, other better choices could have been made and or suggested.

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[Donald Stanfield]

Most of these complaints have less to do with “where there is snow” and more to do with the fact it’s a fancy car. Expensive cars use complicated technology to help justify the cost. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

 

[VandalSibs]

Let me start by saying this is the best functional vehicle Ive ever had. I love my r1t. Living in the north east where we’re having a real winter for the first time in a while; I can tell you Chewie has not once missed a beat in the snow and ice.

With that said, some of the below will sound like complaints. Maybe the ever watching eyes of Rivian will take note and make better design choices in the future. Or if you all have a better work around, Im all about chalking this up to user error.

The first issue I’ll bring up, the tunnel, has a couple of flaws. Putting the open button on the top of the bed rail really doesnt work anywhere there’s snow and Ice. I have to brake the ice and at some point that rubber button will crap out. Why wasn’t a mechanical latch put in the back by the C post by the back seat? Also, when you do hit the button and it works, how is anyone with gloves or mitts supposed to get enough purchase on it to open it?

The tailgate button. Same concerns with its location and design.

The hood. I love how efficient and insulated this truck is, but i sorta miss my Tacoma’s engine melting the snow feature. Does anyone have a fix for this? Yes scraping it off sometimes works, but for those not exposed to the northeast type of snow and winter, there are different types of snow and ice. Sometimes it just cakes on and it’s rock solid.

The door handles are a neat trick; as long as they come out and close. Sometimes ice is not friendly to the plastic hinges.

The same can be said for the charging port and the rotating side view mirrors. I’m waiting for the charging port to break at some point. There does not appear to be any metal in it anywhere.

Finally, my longest lasting gripe; the wiper control. Why did some engineer feel the need to change something that worked perfectly fine in every other vehicle on the road? It didn’t need your “magic touch.” Sure “leave it on auto” is a solution. That doesn’t always work correctly. Or if you want to adjust it, you’d better not be wearing anything on your hands. And always remember which direction you want it to go.

I guess my over arching complaint is; I get Rivian was trying to make a name for themselves. They were trying to make the ultimate adventure truck with its steep angled nose and rear. And its adjustable suspension. I love it! Two thumbs up. I support you. But not one engineer lived anywhere where there was snow? No one tested this in the Forks Maine or some snowy logging road and realized this isnt really winter functional for the average person.

Again I love my truck. Prior to this I’d only ever owned stripped down vehicles. My Tacoma didn’t have heated seats, I couldn’t pre-start it from my house. I absolutely love this feature! I just think, other better choices could have been made and or suggested.

Other than the complaints about the charge port and the gear tunnel/tailgate buttons, almost all of your issues are non-Rivian specific.

Snow not melting off of the hood is something that happens with all EVs, and is solved in the same way that you get significant amounts of snow off of the rest of a vehicle - wipe it away with a brush. Granted, I'm one of those people that wipes almost every trace of snow off of my vehicles when it's time to drive them (less often now between having a garage and less snow where I live due to climate change). It's ALWAYS safer to not have snow or ice built up on a car, so wiping it off before driving is the best thing to do, no matter the type of vehicle.

The worry about the side mirrors moving around and not working isn't even specific to EVs, it's an issue for any car with power mirrors.... Which is pretty much all of them at this point.

Regarding the wiper controls, I do agree that they are a little confusing at first, but at least we have physical wiper controls. Having owned two Teslas, those wiper controls are so much worse (unless they've changed since 2024, but I don't think they have...). I personally don't think they are all the confusing my my R1T, but I do understand that they have a little bit of a learning curve.

 

[dleepnw]

As an overall package, amazing vehicle., nothing else like it. Some design choices are head scratchers for sure. Over engineered in some areas, overlooked in others. They could have dumped the camp speaker, flashlight, motorized air vents, and a few other things and focused on better latches, better camera quality, powered tonneau (from the start), better HVAC and better thermal management.

they’ve corrected some things but others remain. Trade offs, that’s part of any design. My guess is the R2 will correct a lot of these. It has to or Rivian is in trouble.

oh and hopefully thy are thinking about how to address service center issues. With the number of vehicles increasing with the R2 and it being a new vehicle, we know there will more more service app. Let’s hope it’s not their Achilles heel.

 

[kenyee]

Surprised there's no mention of not being able turn off the front light bar causing a wall of white in the snow.
Or no heated front lights so snow packs against it with melting.
Or no fog lights to light the road ahead instead of the wall of light from headlights.
Or the lack of a no Regen option to keep you from sliding in icey snowpack.
Or a heated charging door.
Or better charging in the cold.
Or better heating from the heat pump that's too loud at full blast.

 

[Seano]

Most of these complaints have less to do with “where there is snow” and more to do with the fact it’s a fancy car. Expensive cars use complicated technology to help justify the cost. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

And, often: a whiz bang demo to impress fails to prove necessary in the real world. One auto writer said it best “door handles did not need a redesign”.

 

[Nixapatfan]

These things gets brought up every year.

But to add.to your list the deep cowl where the wipers rest is also a very dumb design just accumulates snow and ice and since no engine heat you have to remember to clean that area too before it turns to ice.

Lack of heat grid on the glass under the wipers.

No camera washers on rear camera on R1T.

 

[Ecupip]

What’s the issue with the wiper control? You didn’t actually say what the issue is.

For the buttons, if they are frozen, use the app to open them.

 

[Dark-Fx]

These things gets brought up every year.

But to add.to your list the deep cowl where the wipers rest is also a very dumb design just accumulates snow and ice and since no engine heat you have to remember to clean that area too before it turns to ice.

Lack of heat grid on the glass under the wipers.

No camera washers on rear camera on R1T.

The wiper park area is heated, but you have to run defrost to turn it on.

My Sierra EV loads up with ice even worse than my R1S does in the wiper cowl. This winter has been so cold for so long that it's been a problem. Running the defrost to melt the windows just means the snow that was on the windshield melts and refreezes down there.

 

[cohall]

The first issue I’ll bring up, the tunnel, has a couple of flaws. Putting the open button on the top of the bed rail really doesnt work anywhere there’s snow and Ice. I have to brake the ice and at some point that rubber button will crap out. Why wasn’t a mechanical latch put in the back by the C post by the back seat? Also, when you do hit the button and it works, how is anyone with gloves or mitts supposed to get enough purchase on it to open it?

The solution is right in your pocket. If you can’t access the buttons just use the app or on screen display. If gloves prevent you from getting your fingers in the little crack, just open the rear door and pull it down From the side.

The tailgate button. Same concerns with its location and design.

Same as above.

The hood. I love how efficient and insulated this truck is, but i sorta miss my Tacoma’s engine melting the snow feature. Does anyone have a fix for this? Yes scraping it off sometimes works, but for those not exposed to the northeast type of snow and winter, there are different types of snow and ice. Sometimes it just cakes on and it’s rock solid.

Isn’t this something inherent to all EVs, and not a Rivian specific problem?

The door handles are a neat trick; as long as they come out and close. Sometimes ice is not friendly to the plastic hinges.

When frozen, I’ve never had an issue of breaking it loose by just pressing on the handle to pop it out. Exactly the same amount of effort as required if you had ”normal” mechanical door handles.

The same can be said for the charging port and the rotating side view mirrors. I’m waiting for the charging port to break at some point. There does not appear to be any metal in it anywhere.

Nothing has broken for you and I’ve seen no reports of ice causing the charge port actuator to fail. Seems like your describing a problem that doesn’t actually exist

Finally, my longest lasting gripe; the wiper control. Why did some engineer feel the need to change something that worked perfectly fine in every other vehicle on the road? It didn’t need your “magic touch.” Sure “leave it on auto” is a solution. That doesn’t always work correctly. Or if you want to adjust it, you’d better not be wearing anything on your hands. And always remember which direction you want it to go.

Wiper control is a switch on the stalk. Seems pretty similar to every other vehicle I’ve owned. Can’t say I often wear gloves in the car (that’s what preheating the cabin and steering wheel are for), but I don’t see how it would be significantly more difficult than any other vehicle. Though I will say that I still haven’t learned which one controls the lights, and which one controls the wipers. I seem to guess incorrectly about 99% of the time.

I’m in Colorado and spend a lot of time in the (usually) snowy mountains, and haven’t really run into any of the issues you’re describing. But I have different issues, such as the headlights not having any heating elements to melt sticky snow while driving, and a snow mode with zero regen. Overall though, I think they did a pretty good job.

 

[Luxus]

Makes me wonder. Does anybody know if they did cold weather testing during development? Like actually shipping a car to where the weather is cold and snowy for tests. It's a standard thing to do in the legacy automotive world. I would assume they did. But given they are a very new brand, you never know.

 

[VandalSibs]

Makes me wonder. Does anybody know if they did cold weather testing during development? Like actually shipping a car to where the weather is cold and snowy for tests. It's a standard thing to do in the legacy automotive world. I would assume they did. But given they are a very new brand, you never know.

They have done lots of testing in various places, both for the R1 line (both generations) and R2.

Cold Weather Testing by Rivian - Rivian Stories | Electric Vehicle Adventures

I've never understood people that claim (both with Tesla and Rivian, maybe even Lucid?) that "they aren't cold-weather tested, dumb California-based designers and engineers!". Sometimes things get missed, but anyone starting or running a car company based out North America knows that there will be snow and cold in parts of the country and will design accordingly. Some things that are part of being an EV mean that they will deal with cold, snow & ice differently than an ICE car. That's just reality.

 

[racekarl]

Wiper control is a switch on the stalk. Seems pretty similar to every other vehicle I’ve owned... but I don’t see how it would be significantly more difficult than any other vehicle....I seem to guess incorrectly about 99% of the time.

I don't think you're making the point you seem to think you're making here.

Did you also get the wipers wrong 99% of the time on every other vehicle you've owned?

 

[cohall]

I don't think you're making the point you seem to think you're making here.

Did you also get the wipers wrong 99% of the time on every other vehicle you've owned?

I recognize the point you’re making about me not making the point I was trying to make. Thank you for pointing it out. It‘s an excellent point.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Not gonna dogpile on but those are some solid points. Not all are Rivian-specific, as someone else mentioned. Just a few quick thoughts:

Re: the gear tunnel, someone else posted a thread recently about using magnets to make the tunnel doors pop out a bit more when pushing the button. Would make them easier to grab. I like this, will probably do it myself. Personally I use the app more than the button though (may be an option if the button is crusted over?).

Re: the charge port door, I've seen people mention carrying a hairdryer to warm it up if it's covered in ice. Outside of an integrated warming element (or a less-plasticy design) this seems like a workable solution.

Re: the flush pop-out door handles, given that those are now being made illegal in China, I expect we'll see them go away from all vehicles in due time. Fingers crossed.

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