Weekly Rivian Responds

Special Edition! Configuration Updates

This week, there was a good amount of confusion surrounding discontinued configuration options and delivery timelines. Candidly, the messages were pretty confusing as we tried to piece together emails from different folks. We went to go talk to Rivian directly to figure out exactly what was going on. Here are the facts:

• Compass Yellow is discontinued. RIP.
• 20" All Terrain Bright Wheels are discontinued.
• The ability to take delivery of Red Canyon combined with Forest Edge Interior has been discontinued (not the individual colors)
• The ability to take delivery of Rivian Blue combined with Forest Edge Interior has been discontinued (not the individual colors)
• There will be an update to vegan leather dashboard options in mid-September that will affect delivery timelines and require preorder holders to make updates to their configuration. We don't know what these changes are yet, the impact they'll have, or which preorder holders are impacted.
  • We (and the community) previously believed that the vegan leather dash options were being discontinued. That's not the case apparently.

Rivian Responds

Phew! Now let's get into the questions from last time. Please note that there will be a delay for the next Rivian Responds, but we can ask up to ten questions this time. Make them good ones!

To get your questions answered, comment below within 48hrs of this post going up.

Please remember that Rivian is a publicly traded company, so you may not get the detail you want about upcoming product, feature, or software timelines. Of course always ask what's most important, but for more detailed answers, try to ask questions about vehicle capability, choices already made (eg, design), or about the company in general.

• What's the status of hands free highway assist and lane change assist that have long been shown on the website as driver+ features?
  • These features are still in development – no details to share on timing quite yet.
• What’s the latest on thermal throttle during DC fast charging? Do we think existing models are ever going to get a software update to allow them to handle 220+ kw for a sustained period of time? Or is this as good as it gets until new physical battery cooling improvements are implemented?
  • Our 2023.30 OTA noted some recent improvements we’ve made to our thermal management systems. We’ll continue to optimize the fast-charging performance of our vehicles over time.
• Any chance of getting the option to switch the rear camera view to the bed camera on the R1T? It would be great to have that option when using a hitch bike rack, when driving with the tailgate down, or when you want to check on cargo in the bed.
  • Owner access to the R1T bed camera will be enabled in the upcoming months!
• When are we going to see improvements to the apps like Alexa, Spotify, Tidal, Netflix, Apple Music etc? And when will we see more apps?
  • We’ll improve existing apps over time – we’re also in the process of adding video streaming capabilities to our vehicles. We’ll launch video streaming as soon as it meets our standards for performance, stability and user experience.
• Is it possible to get a compass and clock displayed on the driver screen in future updates?
  • We’re currently exploring similar functionality for the driver and center display, as well as other customization for our owners. More to come here.

Lastly, I wanted to quickly acknowledge the questions we keep receiving about the tonneau cover fix. We... know. Rivian knows too. The latest update is "Summer 2023" which continues through the end of September.

Rivian Roundup

• Service delays and continued time in the shop hit a chord in the community this week. One user asked for help about Lemon Laws and what to do.
  • Note: This week I passed along a lot of the community's feedback to the service folks given that my truck was in the shop for 3.5 weeks. I was unhappy and I wasn't the only one who experienced this. No news to share other than I communicated that the community is feeling pretty aggravated when it comes to service and that a miss on tonneau fixes would result in some lost support.
• Two cents on the R1S drove (get it? please clap) a bunch of discussion. Super fair feedback!
• So long, Compass Yellow. We love you. We will miss you. BUT! Congratulations to everyone with another special color! Launch Green owners welcome you with open arms.
• Okay, Amish kids checking out the R1T wasn't on my list of things I needed to see, but turns out I did. They're fascinated by it.
• Navigation complaints (and support) is a trending topic seemingly every week! People seem to agree that it's getting better, but still isn't all the way there when it comes to route planning.
• The price comparison of the R1S to the Model X makes the R1S seem very, very worth it.

Vehicles Produced: 13,992 Vehicles Delivered: 12,640

Seems like an impressive quarter.

Hello everyone!

The Official Rivian team wants to meet owners in Las Vegas as well as Salt lake City.

The Las Vegas event will be on July 2nd

The Salt Lake City event will be on July 10th

To RSVP please contact: [email protected]

Original Reddit Post

Hello Rivimotes!

This weekend I headed dow to LA from SF to 1) see my friends but also 2) attend an event at the Rivian Venice Hub where Jeff Hammoud, Rivian's Head of Design, was giving a talk. It was super fun event where I got meet folks who are organizing the Rivian Clubs around the US, hang out with Tony (Rivian's Head of Customer Experience), and show the world that, yes, Reddit moderators do go outside.

The talk itself was super interesting and, as I sit here charging with three other R1Ts somewhere on I5 (an increasingly regular sight), I wanted to make sure I passed along what we learned:

Talk Portion

• Jeff wanted to design vehicles since he was six. He grew up in a small town outside of Ontario. Before Rivian, he worked at Jeep and Chrysler. If any one person is ultimately responsible for Rivian's distinctiveness, it's him.
• When Rivian was thinking about making an adventure vehicle, they didn't just think about outdoor adventures. The term needed to broad and encompass all the kinds of adventures people would take — even in their own neighborhoods. Ikea with children? The ultimate adventure.
• Trucks are getting bigger and scarier, with bigger and bigger grills. Rivian didn't want to try to do the same thing. Instead, they wanted something invitational. Strong, yes, but inviting.
• The design itself wants to feel like the past and present at the same time. Jeff called this "Modern Nostalgia."
• Jeff reiterated that he wanted to make something that didn't feel precious and threw only the tiniest bit of shade at adventure vehicles that are so expensive and lux that you don't want to get them dirty. Rivian wants you to get these trucks messy.
• That's a balance too though, and Jeff pointed out that the vehicles needed to aspirational while also presentational. Rivian needed to strike the right balance.
• The designers still use clay for all those wondering if it's just for show. They also mentioned how critical AR and VR was for design lately too — a fact emphasized by the special VR experience the team had set up for the event.

Q&A

• What was the inspiration for the headlights?
  • There wasn't a direct path for the headlights. There were many many iterations and everything from the shape to the placement of them was a process and not something they entered the process with already in mind. The design team avoided things that were "automotive" and, during a brainstorm, a carabiner on the table ultimately is what presented the ovular shape. The place of the headlights up on the light bar itself came from the tie downs. The team realize they needed them for owners to tie down kayaks and the like. When they placed the stadium lights interrupting the light bar, they never moved again and Rivian realized that they had their iconic look.
• How will you capture the same design goodness of the R1 in the R2?
  • The form is already captured and the team knows what they'll look like. The recognizable features of the R1 will carry over — specifically the front profile and lights. There will not be a "big swoopy roofline," but he also shared the design will not be derivative of the R1.
• Charger pad. Note: this was not a question lol
  • "Yes. We know." There is a minor update coming to stop the slipping and sliding with a bigger update coming later down the road. There was no mention as to whether or not existing owner will be able to update.
• Will the Max Pack change the interior configuration of the vehicle?
  • No.
• Any plans for a longer R1T bed size?
  • No. Rivian considered it, but they want the vehicle to be manageable too. Extra length is added with the bed being down and is allowed to hold weight because of the unique hinge design. Being a bigger vehicle went against their brand values.
• What was your most iconic Rivian moment?
  • LA Auto Show. Jeff shared that he was very nervous about the reveal, mentioning that he didn't know if they had pushed it far enough. He didn't enter the reveal feeling overconfident. With all the lines and textures, Jeff worried if it would be too simple and plain. After the event, he was relieved to hear praise about the restraint the design team employed.
• Are there plans for a six seater or a rear captain seat?
  • No.
• How's construction coming along with the GA plant?
  • Well! The team has broken ground and are building out the facility knowing what the R2 will be.
• When will Rivian have V2H (Vehicle to Home) charging?
  • It already does. Jeff mentioned that this is largely marketing and that most EVs can do this today. The real trick is installing a bidirectional charger. If you have one of those, you can do it today.
• How many Rivian logos are on and in the truck?
  • "I won't say. Figure it out." Note: I swear someone got drunk at some point and decided to do this? Can we do that again? I'm curious.
• What's your least favorite customer modification?
  • Blacked out headlights. Jeff seemed fairly passionate about this (lol) and asked to not be roasted. He also added that his favorite modification is actually anything people do to attach gear to the racks.
• Will Rivian ever have a satin paint?
  • No, it goes against Rivian as an adventure vehicle. Satin paint is extremely hard to maintain.
• Is there a roadmap for Driver+?
  • "I'm the wrong guy to answer that."

​

That's Jeff.

That's Tony.

That's Tony and Jeff with the Rivian Club folks! You may recognize a few familiar faces if you've checked out YouTube or the other forums.

I made Tony take a selfie with me.

One other thing I wanted to mention was that, when I chatted with Jeff 1:1, I really got the impression that there is a lot of trust between him and RJ. It's clear that Jeff was able to design something he truly loved and that RJ was encouraging of him throughout the process. That sat really well with me and I appreciated that Rivian seems to let creatives and experts do their thing.

If I met you at the event, please reach out! You can shoot me a DM here or comment. I know it's Reddit and we like to be anonymous blah blah but it was genuinely so nice to meet you all! Thanks for hanging out with me :)

Hope this was interesting! Let me know if you have any more questions about the event or if there's anything I can pass along to Rivian!

Original Reddit Post

Weekly Rivian Responds

To get your questions answered, comment below within 48hrs of this post going up.

Please remember that Rivian is a publicly traded company, so you may not get the detail you want about upcoming product, feature, or software timelines. Of course always ask what's most important, but for more detailed answers, try to ask questions about vehicle capability, choices already made (eg, design), or about the company in general.

• Will it ever be possible to switch CCS trucks to NACS? Or will the adapter be the only option
  • At this time, we don't plan to offer retrofits of CCS charge ports to NACS charge ports in existing Rivian vehicles as this hardware change won’t be necessary to use NACS chargers. We’ll make an NACS adapter available for R1T and R1S as early as spring 2024.
• Will all future trucks be CCS and use an adapter? Or will Rivian switch to NACS after Spring 2024?
  • R1T and R1S will be built with NACS charge ports in 2025. Those vehicles will be able to use an adapter to leverage CCS charging sites. Whether your vehicle is built with a CCS charge port or NACS charge port, adapters will be available so that you have access to Rivian Adventure Network, Tesla Superchargers and third-party CCS networks.
• We still don’t have any pricing info on RAN or the membership cost for things like cellular data. Is there an update here?
  • We’ll introduce pricing at Rivian Adventure Network charging sites in the coming months. In-vehicle connectivity (hotspot) will be complimentary through the end of this year, and we’ll share more details including pricing closer to then.
• Why was the driver monitoring camera deactivated during Driver+?
  • We made this change because the existing camera position and viewing angle didn’t meet our performance requirements. Rivian has been able to achieve current Driver+ functionality using other cameras, sensors and software embedded throughout the R1T and R1S. It’s also important to note that Driver+ remains standard in every Rivian and the deactivation and removal of this interior camera does not impact the safety or functionality of our vehicles, nor our ability to continue to improve Driver+ over time.  
• There have been a lot of instances where Rivian owners have come back to their vehicles and found that they’ve been hit and Gear Guard has recorded nothing. Are there plans to improve Gear Guard to detect more than just visual motion?
  • Gear Guard uses computer vision techniques to detect people while the R1T or R1S is in its “sleep” state. There are two parameters the vehicle balances here: 1) making sure the vehicle optimizes efficiency by not being “awake” at all times and 2) keeping the number of recorded events manageable to owners by not triggering cameras every time there’s a moving object near the vehicle.
  • For reference, Rivian vehicles do have the capability to detect any type of motion event (caused by people, other vehicles, etc.) when the vehicle is moving or awake. So the challenge you’re referencing is specifically capturing events caused by non-humans while the vehicle is in a sleep state. There are a lot of technical trade-offs to consider here, but we’ll continue to explore the feasibility of this based on owner feedback.
• When will we have spare tires available for purchase?
  • In Gear Shop, spare tires are listed as coming this summer. Our current estimate for when they’ll be purchasable is August.
• Are there any updates for when the powered tonneau will be configurable again?
  • We plan on reintroducing the powered tonneau cover to configurator in the future but can’t provide a more specific timeline quite yet.
• Is there a reason for being unable to switch ride heights and modes while driving in Driver+?
  • Great question! It’s important to remember that drive modes and suspension heights change the driving characteristics and performance of your Rivian. With Driver+ engaged, the vehicle is already consuming and reacting to cascades of data in real time. Considering all the variables being processed (like vehicle speed and position, road curvature, and the position of other motorists), limiting the additional variables that the driver can introduce helps optimize for vehicle performance and safety.
  • An example of this is limiting the speed of Rivian vehicles when at max suspension height. We know that raising the vehicle to its full ground clearance means a higher center of gravity and reduced aerodynamic performance – so limiting access to this suspension setting when at highway speeds helps maintain the vehicle’s performance and efficiency.

Who can see what communities you are subscribed to on Lemmy? I'm assuming the instance admin would have access. Is that information public anywhere on your profile?