Some Rivian vehicle owners have reported high battery drain while their vehicles are idle, leading to discussions on forums and Reddit. According to one R1T owner from Phoenix, Arizona, who goes by the name “shrink” on the RivianForums, he left his truck plugged in and parked for an entire week and it drew 32 kWh, equivalent to around 4.6 kWh per day or 8 miles per day.
The vehicle had a 70% charging limit set, was connected to a 240-volt 48-amp home charger, had Gear Guard turned off, but remained connected to the WiFi network. The owner contacted Rivian to confirm if this level of drain was normal, and the manufacturer scheduled a service visit to check for any issues with the truck.
Rivian owners have reported excessive battery drain, also known as “vampire drain,” for months. Owner “OverZealous” posted on the RivianForums that he believes the most recent update may have caused the increase in drain, stating that his daily drain went up from 1.8% to almost 4% with the update, and others have reported a similar correlation.
Another owner reported that a Rivian technician told him that 1% drain every 12 hours was acceptable and recommended plugging in the vehicle if it will be unused for a while. However, some owners have observed that the drain increases when the vehicle is plugged in and is lower when it sits unplugged. Some speculate that the extra drain may be caused by accessing the Rivian app or the vehicle’s reaction to the key fob being too close to it, causing it to wake up and drain more current.
The reader eliminated the possibility of the key fob causing the drain by placing it in a special signal-blocking box, but it had no impact on the level of drain observed. Another forum user suggested that turning off the climate control before leaving the vehicle to sit can reduce drain, although it is unclear why it would have an effect since the vehicle should not be heating or cooling the cabin when unoccupied, unless it is instructed to do so through the app.
Some suggest that the drain could be caused by outside temperatures and the vehicle using extra power to maintain the battery pack temperature above a certain threshold, but owners have reported that this does not seem to have a significant impact on the drain they have observed. Since Rivian vehicles have been delivered, some owners have complained about high drain and the manufacturer is looking into the issue on a case by case basis. Rivian has not acknowledged that there is a problem with the vehicles and has not announced any solution to fix it, but they are aware of the issue.