[JonW]

It would be great to hear from any new owners on the RT1 cabin heater and A/C systems.. impact on range and how well they work in general...?

 

[Skilasse]

I took delivery of my RT1 3 weeks ago, and I live in Park City, UT. It has been a single-digit temperature since then, and has been a brutal start for my new RT1 since it has been outside the whole time. I have to say the heating of the cabin and seats doesn't take so many miles of the range. Super cold battery seems not so good for charging and driving, it takes a lot longer time to charge. One day I drove to Snow basin (118 miles round trip) single digit temperature, using all heating in the cabin seats, steering wheel etc, and drove at 75-80 mph. I only lost 22 miles from the computer-calculated distance before the start of the trip, working the truck hard.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

A/C works okay. Range impact seems minimal.

Heater works really well but range impact is massive. I can almost watch the range fall as I have the heat on.

 

[Frisbee]

Temperature settings are erratic. Heater seems to impact range greater than A/C.

 

[RITVT]

Heater will impact range more, since it will be winter and cold when you use it. A big cold battery in winter does take time to warm, then should start charging fast after a warm-up period.

I will say that using the app to warm the cabin, turn on seat heaters and heated steering wheel works really fast. You can turn it on 3 mins before you head out to the vehicle and it is noticeable. Really like th features in the app & Rivian will continue to improve it over time.

 

[EaglesPDX]

FYI here's energy usage on a Model 3 with resistive heater vs. heat pump. Rivian should be similar on the heat energy usage effect on range. This was at 30F in the AM. Is there a similar energy usage breakout on the Rivian?

 

[ERivTruck]

I'd be curious if we forego using the heater to force heated air (not terribly efficient) and just drove using seat hears and the heated steering wheel if those features combined work better and minimizing range loss.

Personally, I can sit on the heated seat (level 1) for more than a few miles before butt gets too hot. The steering wheel heater is nice, but it just helps circulate blood more to my fingers again.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

I'd be curious if we forego using the heater to force heated air (not terribly efficient) and just drove using seat hears and the heated steering wheel if those features combined work better and minimizing range loss.

Personally, I can sit on the heated seat (level 1) for more than a few miles before butt gets too hot. The steering wheel heater is nice, but it just helps circulate blood more to my fingers again.

The seat heaters are fine. The steering wheel heater is not useful compared to other vehicles. It gets barely warm for a few minutes then seems to cycle off and get cold again (even with the display showing it activated). I need the resistive heat blowing on me to do what the steering wheel heater can't do.

 

[RITVT]

The problem with only using seat or steering wheel heat (without the heater on) is that the windows will eventually start to fog without air circulating. I just leave mine on the lowest (and quietest) fan setting, even when it is nuclear winter. Don't really seem to need much more than the lowest setting once you get moving.