Rivian announced Monday that it will begin planning for charger reliability in a new way—by classifying each real-world charging location.
This change is part of Rivian’s 2024.11.01 Software Update, which is rolling out to its vehicles, including R1T electric pickup truck And R1S electric SUV, starting Monday. And with it, route planning will begin to prioritize chargers that, simply put, have a better track record of reliably charging vehicles.
Rivian notes that whenever a driver plugs into a fast charger, the vehicle records a set of data including the charger’s peak speed, billing success, and overall session success. After enough sessions of use with that charger, good or bad, it will be given a reliability grade from A (best) to F (worst).
As Rivian shows in the images provided, the score will show up during route planning as well as in the navigation and charging interface. According to Rivian, this is the first automaker tool to make such a distinction and include general reliability information in charger recommendations—and route planning decisions.
Rivian Charge Level for Trip Planning – Software Update 2024.11.01
Now, during Rivian’s trip planning and navigation, drivers will be directed to Class A and B charging locations as much as possible. As before, Rivian drivers can use options to set routes, filter chargers, and navigate to destinations, with the ability to automatically change routes if stops are added.
The triage system will be rolled out to all fast charging locations that its vehicles can use, including its own fast charging locations. Rivian Adventure Network as well as many other networks—incl Tesla supercharger locationis now widely enabled and requested Adapter provided by Rivian.
It is also noted that payment is easy to apply for this charger’s trust points. So, although Superchargers and some other networks fully support direct pay plug and charge capabilities; Those without it could see their score affected by payment problems.
Rivian Charge Level for Trip Planning – Software Update 2024.11.01
Rivian says that when selecting a fast charging location, the vehicle’s top speed may be higher than the charger’s speed, and in that case it will clearly indicate that with a click of the information icon (i ).
While Rivian never directly said that it might opt for a slightly slower but much more reliable charger than a fast charger, that seems to be the gist of it—and perhaps the consequence in the real world. real world.
Charger reliability is certainly a top priority for automakers, electric vehicle drivers, and potential buyers alike. A 2022 study from UC Berkeley found Fast charging in terrible shape in the Bay Area, with various pieces of hardware “not working.” There, earlier this year, some people were critical Electrify America’s most recent plans because of the lack of measures to address charger reliability. The Biden Administration’s Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, with the construction of NEVI-supported fast chargers, has laid the groundwork for Monitor charger reliabilityalthough it is more about where to invest in the future rather than what works best now.
Not just for Rivian but for any electric vehicle brand, finding a charger that’s simple to operate—and that operates at a charging rate that demonstrates the vehicle’s capabilities—is important to making an impression. positive. And with this high-level system, perhaps it will convey to charging networks that better uptime and reliability actually make good business sense.
