Fast-Charging Speed on the Rivian R1T Was Increased by an Over-the-Air Update

Rivian R1T fast-charging trails EV industry leaders by a little margin, but OTA updates provide a way forward because R1T charging is now on par with F-150 Lightning.

Thursday, August 18, 2022 | Chimniii Desk

A 2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition was put through a test by Car and Driver in June after receiving over-the-air (OTA) updates that increased the claimed peak charge rate. At most, we measured 199 kilowatts.

• From 98 kilowatts to 105 kilowatts, our average charging rate increased by around 7% over the course of our 10 to 90 percent charging test, trailing only the Ford F-150 Lightning's average of 106 kilowatts.

• Rivian's assertion that it will be able to endure 300 kilowatts or more in the future is made possible by over-the-air updates, which would place it on par with current market leaders.

We zoom in on the test results here at Car and Driver's Testing Hub. Since 1956, we've been testing cars to the limit in order to gather data that will be used to support our opinions (you can see how we test here). Here is a more thorough analysis of the 2022 Rivian R1T.

Our testing team runs a fast charging test on the quickest equipment the vehicle can handle from 10 to 90% state of charge in an effort to imitate real-world charging. In order to observe how the charging rate decreases when the battery is filled, we can record in the fastest charging regions (often between 10 and 15 to 80 percent) and beyond. Peak charge rates may seem spectacular and are straightforward to advertise, but if the battery can only absorb power at the peak rate for a little period of time, average charge rate becomes a much more critical measure.

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It managed a peak of 185 kilowatts when we first tested the charging capabilities of an early 2022 R1T Launch Edition in November 2021. The peak appeared about 25% state of charge and held for about a minute before fading away swiftly.

Following an OTA update from Rivian that made support for 500 amp charging available, we updated our test this summer. After the upgrade, charging began at 10%, pushing 191 kW, 81 kW higher than before, and continued to a peak of 199 kW at 27% state of charge. This time, despite a similarly abrupt fall in charge rate, the Rivian managed to maintain the peak charge rate for two minutes.

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An excellent illustration of how average charge rate paints a more accurate picture of charge rate than peak statistics is when comparing the latest test results to those of the F-150 Lightning. The R1T reaches a high of about 200 kilowatts, whilst the Lightning only manages to reach 163. Despite having a lower peak, the Ford completed our test three minutes quicker than the Rivian (61 minutes versus 64 minutes), outperforming it by an average of one kilowatt. This is due to the Ford's battery pack, which has a slightly higher energy capacity.

Further OTA updates, according to Rivian, will enable peak charge rates of more than 300 kilowatts. That would put it on par with some of the top competitors. For instance, Lucid's 297 kW peak charge rate is the greatest of any EV we've tested, allowing the Lucid Air Grand Touring to add 100 miles of practical highway range in just eight minutes. Thanks to its 800-volt architecture, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, who was just named EV of the Year for 2022, was able to charge from 0 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes. For its part, Rivian intends to construct its own line of DC fast chargers (3500 in total), placing them in 600 locations across the United States and Canada.