What exactly does Conserve mode do? If it extends the range, by how much? Any downsides?

[ohseedee]

I've not done any sort of scientific tests, but I question if going FWD in conserve mode vs AWD in all purpose really makes that much of a difference in terms of efficiency. I think the bigger factors in better range comes from the fact conserve puts you in a lower ride hight by default than all purpose and also reduces the amount of acceleration. While I get there might be some efficiencies going 2 motors vs 4, you still need the same amount of energy to propel the truck at the same rate of acceleration and speed. Ride hight + slow and steady acceleration in AWD will do more for range than just going FWD vs AWD says me (a guy on the internet that knows nothing about such things)

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[evhelphub]

I assume you live in a warm/dry climate? Will the DM not drive like the QM in conserve above X speed?
How is that any different than the DM?

Yes, warm climate. The issue with conserve is driving in wet or wintery conditions.

How will the dual motor be different? At this point, I'm not sure. The information regarding the automatically connecting and disconnecting of the rear drive unit was newly provided a couple of months ago, well after I sold my R1T.

I assumed Rivian was going to allow us to control that similar to the quad with a conserve mode or a mode that keeps both motors activated.

With that being said I do have some concerns with how it will handle and whether or not there is any activation delay.

When Sandy test drove the dual motor R1T you could hear some slipping when he floored it. That's a bit concerning.

I'll need to test drive it and hopefully in rainy conditions before I'll buy.

 

[SeaGeo]

I've not done any sort of scientific tests, but I question if going FWD in conserve mode vs AWD in all purpose really makes that much of a difference in terms of efficiency. I think the bigger factors in better range comes from the fact conserve puts you in a lower ride hight by default than all purpose and also reduces the amount of acceleration. While I get there might be some efficiencies going 2 motors vs 4, you still need the same amount of energy to propel the truck at the same rate of acceleration and speed. Ride hight + slow and steady acceleration in AWD will do more for range than just going FWD vs AWD says me (a guy on the internet that knows nothing about such things)

Switching to the front motors only is about a 5% range increase. The EPA docs stated that, and RJ stated similar regarding why the enduro does that by default.

 

[ElGuapo]

From 2 months of driving my R1S (also in RVA - welcome!) I show full range estimate of 338 in conserve and full range estimate of 303 in all-purpose on 21s.

Off topic, but FWIW, those seem off by 5-8%. I have 21” Scorpions and in All Purpose at 100%, range estimates is 320 and Conserve is 354…

Use conserve if you need the extra 10%+/-, don’t use it regularly mainly because the driving experience is just worse/less enjoyable.

 

[Craigins]

While I get there might be some efficiencies going 2 motors vs 4, you still need the same amount of energy to propel the truck at the same rate of acceleration and speed. Ride hight + slow and steady acceleration in AWD will do more for range than just going FWD vs AWD says me (a guy on the internet that knows nothing about such things)

You gain efficiency by not powering the systems required to drive the rear 2 motors as well.

And once again, it is efficiency while you are AT speed highway driving. Not stopping/starting in city driving.

 

[Bob R1T]

I’m waiting in delivery of my quad motor R1S. The range estimates on the dual motor configs look much better. Will conserve mode help extend my range? By how much? There was a lot of talk on the threads about conserve mode killing your tires. Has that been sorted out? What other downsides?

Just rotated front to back. 20% of my driving is in conserve, on interstates. My
new spare tread reads 7.5mm. After 9,400 miles, LF 6.9mm LR 6.4 RF 5.0 RR 6.1. So front delta is 1.6 & 2.5mm or 21% & 33% Rear delta is 1.1 & 1.4mm or 15% & 19%. So in my case & driving, yes, conserve makes a difference, but also, something is going on on the right side of my R1T that is eating tread.

 

[TD4PREZ2004]

Off topic, but FWIW, those seem off by 5-8%. I have 21” Scorpions and in All Purpose at 100%, range estimates is 320 and Conserve is 354…

I tend to have a lead foot and am enjoying the acceleration, so the difference doesn't surprise me, and actually glad to see the estimates are customized and not just stock.

 

[NY_Rob]

Conserve is FWD. With 20” AT and on the freeway, in All Purpose mode I would typically need to be very conscious of my speed and throttle inputs to see efficiency of over 2 mi/kW. In Conserve (and same route) that metric is typically between 2.2 to 2.5. Downside is what one would expect out of a very heavy FWD with negative camber (induced by low and lowest ride heights)—more front tire wear, inboard half of tread. Without altering factory alignment, this can be managed by being conscious of where you use Conserve (steady open road cruising) and tire rotation every 7-9k or so to evenly wear all tires across the tread width.

Good post!

If we had sufficient data, it would be interesting to plot energy cost savings realized by using Conserve mode vs. increased tire replacement cost due to increased wear/shorter tire life due to use of Conserve mode.

 

[Budman]

I will point you to this thread I started documenting the range/efficiency I've seen on my R1T over many trips on the same route over the last year.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...r1t-road-trip-range-vs-temperature-data.8782/

The quick summary chart if you don't want to read the whole thread is here; This is for a Quad motor R1T with 21 inch tires.

 

[the_mace]

I find the extra miles in conserve helpful on road trips. Highway only and good weather only. Chargers are broken, slow, infrequent, and any reduced time I can spend at them the better. It has helped me avoid chargers or save time on multiple trips.

I make it a point to try not to change velocity quickly when in conserve mode.

Most of my time in the truck is not on road trips so its still mostly All purpose most of the time.

 

[zymolysis]

On flat open highway, using All Purpose, I pretty much never get up to 2 m/kW. But I often do when using Conserve. I would guess that it improves my range by at least 10% (probably more). I generally drive between 75 and 80 mph on highways (yeah, I should drive more slowly, to improve range...).
What this means is that I have often been able to drive from Phoenix to Tucson and back without stopping to charge at a DCFC (if I start at close to 100%). That saves me money and time (and aggravation, if the DCFCs aren't all working).

 

[HyperionMark]

Anyone that says you only get a 5-10% range increase using conserve clearly isn't using both AP and Conserve that much. Yes I realize the EPA numbers are what they are, but manufacturers can play with numbers (namely lower them) to their liking.

I just did a 200 mile trip in conserve averaging about 60mph with a cross wind and only used 50%.

Between my experiences and the charts above you probably see a 20%+ range increase using conserve.

I know I know, you can go through tires a bit quicker, but I think this is only bad if you drive it non-conservatively in lots of stop and go.

 

[McRat]

Front Tire Wear at 15k miles - Here is a picture of 90% Conserve, and 10% in Sport ALL OFF (<1% other). Autocross and 4-wheel drifting exhibitions chunked the outside blocks.
3 out of 4 wear bars are equal, since the other is < .030" lower, it could allowable mfr'g tolerance. The stipes on the inside are still there.

The outside was destroyed very quickly. Don't autocross or drift unless you have a sponsor.

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