Battery at 2% -- is this okay?

I expect that Rivian, like most EV makers, has built in a "false floor" where 0% reported battery SoC is not actually 0% specifically to avoid damaging the battery by over-discharging it. I think you should be fine.

I wouldn't do it regularly.

2% is probably ok, but I too would not do it too often. The reason that it's not a great idea to noodle down the battery to zero is that it's not just a single battery ... it's 7776 batteries (cells), believe it or not. The battery control system cannot know the state of each of them, so they're "bundled". There is inherent variability among the cells, and if the whole battery is at nominal zero (which is not fully drained, on average, due to the abovementioned floor), some cells are actually at zero and in danger of being damaged.

Carlotta S said:

We took a trip and pulled into our destination with 2% battery remaining. Does anyone know if this low percentage damages the battery?

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Don't discharge below 10% or charge above 85% are the basics for Li-on batteries in EV's.

Won't hurt occasionally BUT I've charged at fast DC chargers exclusively for two years and often would see 2% levels. It degraded the battery at twice the rate vs. home L2 charging most of the time. 13% for me vs. 5% for most Model 3's with 100,000 miles on them.

As an extension of this conversation, is it damaging to charge too often? If I get home with 50% left and want to top off, should I wait until I have less charge so I’m not cycling as often?

I think in the midrange anything goes. My MO is to keep it there, or charge up to 85-95%, and every once in a while noodle it down to 10% or maybe 5 or 2 once every 6 months or so; similarly, juicing up to 100% every few months. Otherwise keeping between 25% and 80%.

P.s.: This is in an I-Pace, I don't have my R1S yet (but hankering mightily)

KWEYEDOC said:

As an extension of this conversation, is it damaging to charge too often? If I get home with 50% left and want to top off, should I wait until I have less charge so I’m not cycling as often?

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I believe most advise the same as Tesla. Leave plugged in to L2 set to 85% for the day to day.

No problem, I do this all the time. Plug it in and charge it. Don't leave it at 2%!

Lithium ion batteries do decent at low charges. The battery monitoring system is made to protect the pack. It's better to use the lower end of the pack than the upper end.

As long as you arrived at a charging destination at 2%, you're fine. Don't park it that low.

KWEYEDOC said:

As an extension of this conversation, is it damaging to charge too often? If I get home with 50% left and want to top off, should I wait until I have less charge so I’m not cycling as often?

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A charge cycle is not each time it charges, but rather the cumulative of the full capacity of the batteries (charging from 0-100%). So charging each day from say 50-70% is not a cycle each time, but rather it would take you 5 days to reach 1 full charge cycle. You can read more about it here: EV Battery Cycle Explained - GaadiFy