[Szimmer624]

Does anyone know whether the battery should be kept at full charge or if it should be run down before charging?

Will there be any learning of your schedule like Tesla does to maximize charge?

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

Does anyone know whether the battery should be kept at full charge or if it should be run down before charging?

I'm not aware of any EV on the market that recommends keeping at full charge.

Will there be any learning of your schedule like Tesla does to maximize charge?

Rivian has hinted that this would be available, but I haven't seen official confirmation yet. "Soon" I guess.

 

[azbill]

What do you mean by "keeping a full charge"? If you are going to park your vehicle for a week or for months, yes there are things you should do like leaving it at about half charge. But charging to 100% and driving right away is not an issue. My car has a "departure" setting, so that it will not charge to is limited setting until right before that time. I control the departure time manually, it does not need to be "learned". When I leave it at the airport, I try to get there with about 50%.

 

[recheverria]

Tesla does not recommend charging to 100% on a regular basis, but only for log trips. Not sure if this will be the case for Rivian, but at least from what they posted in the Charging Story, it may be ok to “top off” (100% charge?) regularly:


Instead of running down your vehicle towards empty before stopping to refuel, you can top off each night so you have plenty of charge for the next day. If you forget to charge or choose to skip a few days — it’s ok. A daily commute won’t come near the amount of range you’ll have.

Rivian Charging - Rivian Stories

We are building the Rivian Adventure Network — a nationwide network of DC fast chargers capable of adding up to 140 miles of range in 20 minutes to the R1T and R1S. The Rivian Adventure Network is designed for quick recharges so you can keep moving. Planned to connect cities on popular routes...

stories.rivian.com

 

[PAFDenver]

Tesla does not recommend charging to 100% on a regular basis, but only for log trips. Not sure if this will be the case for Rivian, but at least from what they posted in the Charging Story, it may be ok to “top off” (100% charge?) regularly:


Instead of running down your vehicle towards empty before stopping to refuel, you can top off each night so you have plenty of charge for the next day. If you forget to charge or choose to skip a few days — it’s ok. A daily commute won’t come near the amount of range you’ll have.

Rivian Charging - Rivian Stories

We are building the Rivian Adventure Network — a nationwide network of DC fast chargers capable of adding up to 140 miles of range in 20 minutes to the R1T and R1S. The Rivian Adventure Network is designed for quick recharges so you can keep moving. Planned to connect cities on popular routes...

stories.rivian.com

Tesla told me "a happy battery is a plugged-in battery." In other words, I should plug it in nightly. But as others have said, only let it charge to a lower level. Interestingly (to me at least) they did lower the default nightly charge amount from when I first bought the car after a few years. Not by a ton, but 5-10% (from about 85% to 75% or so).

 

[azbill]

You also want your car plugged in if you live in extreme cold or extreme heat. That way you are using wall power to keep the battery temperature in the right range. I live in Phoenix and during the hot summer, even with the Bolt in the garage, I often hear the cooling fan running while it is parked.

 

[lefkonj]

From what everyone seems to say it seems we should treat it like a car, I never let my car get down to E, try to fill it at 1/4 of a tank. As far as leaving it plugged in not sure why that would matter at all. People seem to offer different opinions here but could it also have to do the software that manages charging and battery conditioning.

 

[PAFDenver]

I think everyone that's replied is saying the same thing. Keep it plugged in, but only charge it to 100% when you are planning long trips. If it's like a Tesla (expected to be) you can set the charging level so for daily use set it to what Rivian recommends (probably around 80%).
Battery charging is actually very complex. I am an electrical engineer but don't specialize in power so don't know the details of why. But I've talked to others that specialize in it, and it has many variables to consider. So I just defer to what the manufacturer recommends. I don't want to mess up something as costly as my batteries.
It's SO easy to charge every day - depending on your set up. I installed a 240V line in my garage for it, so it takes less than 15 seconds to plug the car in when I get home. It was a very easy habit to learn. It actually annoys me to no end having to gas up the ICE. I have to find a gas station (it's usually an extra stop) and then sit there like an idiot for 3-5 minutes doing nothing while the car fills up. What a waste of my time.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

It actually annoys me to no end having to gas up the ICE. I have to find a gas station (it's usually an extra stop) and then sit there like an idiot for 3-5 minutes doing nothing while the car fills up. What a waste of my time.

My ICE SUV is sitting in my garage, right now, with less than 20 miles of range. I know the next time I need to drive anywhere, my first stop will have to be a gas station. I anxiously await the day my EV truck is delivered and I will always have range any time I leave my house.

 

[PAFDenver]

My ICE SUV is sitting in my garage, right now, with less than 20 miles of range. I know the next time I need to drive anywhere, my first stop will have to be a gas station. I anxiously await the day my EV truck is delivered and I will always have range any time I leave my house.

You're going to LOVE having an EV! I tell everyone who asks me that there is no way I would ever go back to an ICE after having an EV and I don't think they would either if they gave them a try. I know it wouldn't work for everyone, just 95% of them!

 

[bbrooks]

I think everyone that's replied is saying the same thing. Keep it plugged in, but only charge it to 100% when you are planning long trips. If it's like a Tesla (expected to be) you can set the charging level so for daily use set it to what Rivian recommends (probably around 80%).
Battery charging is actually very complex. I am an electrical engineer but don't specialize in power so don't know the details of why. But I've talked to others that specialize in it, and it has many variables to consider. So I just defer to what the manufacturer recommends. I don't want to mess up something as costly as my batteries.
It's SO easy to charge every day - depending on your set up. I installed a 240V line in my garage for it, so it takes less than 15 seconds to plug the car in when I get home. It was a very easy habit to learn. It actually annoys me to no end having to gas up the ICE. I have to find a gas station (it's usually an extra stop) and then sit there like an idiot for 3-5 minutes doing nothing while the car fills up. What a waste of my time.

Haha. I've often felt the same way when standing at a gas station. I always think, what a total waste of time this is. And such an inefficient process of transporting and refining fuel from far away to my location, often with other gas-burning vehicles. Not to mention the chemicals.

 

[Temerarius]

From what everyone seems to say it seems we should treat it like a car, I never let my car get down to E, try to fill it at 1/4 of a tank. As far as leaving it plugged in not sure why that would matter at all. People seem to offer different opinions here but could it also have to do the software that manages charging and battery conditioning.

I think there maybe a misconception here.

Just because your EV is plugged in (at least for a Tesla) does not mean you will charge it to 100%. You set limits on how high of a SoC (State of Charge) you want. The car then charges to that level and that's that. So for example, I plug my car in when I feel it's time to top off, but I have the SoC limit set to 80%.. the car charges to 80% and then stops charging. The car can still pull juice form the house if needed to maintain that charge (or, there abouts), but will not continue on to 100% even if I leave the car plugged in for a day or more.

The only thing to be aware of is that your 12v battery is charging when your drivetrain battery is... it doesn't charge off the drivetrain battery (at least that's how most every EV that I know of work now), so even if you have 180KW of pure glory ready to go, if your 12v is dead, you aren't going anywhere.

 

[asnarby]

I think there maybe a misconception here.

Just because your EV is plugged in (at least for a Tesla) does not mean you will charge it to 100%. You set limits on how high of a SoC (State of Charge) you want. The car then charges to that level and that's that. So for example, I plug my car in when I feel it's time to top off, but I have the SoC limit set to 80%.. the car charges to 80% and then stops charging. The car can still pull juice form the house if needed to maintain that charge (or, there abouts), but will not continue on to 100% even if I leave the car plugged in for a day or more.

The only thing to be aware of is that your 12v battery is charging when your drivetrain battery is... it doesn't charge off the drivetrain battery (at least that's how most every EV that I know of work now), so even if you have 180KW of pure glory ready to go, if your 12v is dead, you aren't going anywhere.

really? That’s surprising to me that it won’t pull some Power from the main battery when needed..

 

[Temerarius]

really? That’s surprising to me that it won’t pull some Power from the main battery when needed..

Yeah... here's a few articles on the issue:
12-Volt Batteries in Some 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-Es Are Dying (caranddriver.com)
James May's Tesla Model S Dies, He Gets Locked Out (insideevs.com)

Generally, your car will warn you of a low 12v volt issue.

 

[asnarby]

Yeah... here's a few articles on the issue:
12-Volt Batteries in Some 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-Es Are Dying (caranddriver.com)
James May's Tesla Model S Dies, He Gets Locked Out (insideevs.com)

Generally, your car will warn you of a low 12v volt issue.

Thanks, I’ll check this out.

 

[Wildabeest]

I’m 6 years into a Tesla, it sits for long periods of time (not plugged in) since I mostly drive my 4Runner in the winter. Haven’t had any issues or warnings on the 12v battery.

 

[ERivTruck]

Here's a thought starter on this topic, kinda like my iPhone, when I need to have a software update, the phone always says to plug it into wall to allow for the DL and update. If the R1T/S have OTA updates, would this pull some battery power if you do not have the vehicle plugged in? Or would the updates not be release to your vehicle UNTIL it is plugged in? Hmmmmmm.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

Here's a thought starter on this topic, kinda like my iPhone, when I need to have a software update, the phone always says to plug it into wall to allow for the DL and update. If the R1T/S have OTA updates, would this pull some battery power if you do not have the vehicle plugged in? Or would the updates not be release to your vehicle UNTIL it is plugged in? Hmmmmmm.

WAG, but I wouldn't be surprised if the update won't apply unless the battery is charged to a certain threshold (such as 50%) although it may not require it to be actively plugged in.

 

[TT97]

Here's a thought starter on this topic, kinda like my iPhone, when I need to have a software update, the phone always says to plug it into wall to allow for the DL and update. If the R1T/S have OTA updates, would this pull some battery power if you do not have the vehicle plugged in? Or would the updates not be release to your vehicle UNTIL it is plugged in? Hmmmmmm.

I know Teslas can be plugged in but can not be charging while getting updates. I thought I saw the ID.4 needs to be unplugged to get an update (but I could be wrong). The key is that an OTA for Rivian vs the iPhone will likely use similar amount of energy but the battery size is 135 kWh vs 0.01 kWh on the iPhone.

 

[ERivTruck]

I know Teslas can be plugged in but can not be charging while getting updates. I thought I saw the ID.4 needs to be unplugged to get an update (but I could be wrong). The key is that an OTA for Rivian vs the iPhone will likely use similar amount of energy but the battery size is 135 kWh vs 0.01 kWh on the iPhone.

Let's just hope I don't have to reboot the truck while I am driving! 😄