Making up for slow truck shipments, the Rivian software team has been busy working on improvements and latest features to maintain existing customers comfortable. Even though it’s a small group, comfortable customers make for nice brand ambassadors.
The most important and most advertised feature of the brand new update is “Snow Mode,” – rolled out today for the R1T truck and the R1S SUV – which helps maximize control with an emphasis on comfort whenever you’re in icy, slushy, or snowy conditions. I’ve found Rivian vehicles to have an excessively aggressive regenerative braking system (the one options are Normal and High), and the brand new Snow Mode helps reduce the sensitivity of the braking system to permit for higher control on slippery surfaces. Imagine having to cope with a sliding automobile each time the brakes come on on account of regen mode – not fun for any driver.
You furthermore mght should wonder why there wasn’t a “Snow Mode” to start with, considering these are otherwise incredibly capable off-road trucks, but thankfully Rivian has been listening to its customers and acting quickly to appeal to the masses.
Other essential updates include the flexibility to heat the front and second-row seats, heat the steering wheel, and switch on the defrost system all through the mobile app (software update version 1.9). One other essential update is the flexibility to share an address from Google Maps or Apple Maps on to the truck’s navigation system – a pleasant touch.
And for those with range anxiety, this software update purportedly helps with battery efficiency – though the precise numbers haven’t been released.
You could be wondering why these updates are coming after the vehicles have already been delivered. In spite of everything, a variety of vehicles include these features from day one. While no official Rivian spokesperson has commented, unofficially the response has been that they need to be sure the experience is ideal for his or her customers and which means extensive testing and cautious rollouts over time.
I occur to think that they’re rushing to get vehicles out the door to make investors and early pre-order customers comfortable. Price noting is the incontrovertible fact that some Rivian vehicles have wood trim on the back of the first-row headrests, and others don’t. Chalk it as much as cost-cutting or assembly line improvements?
Here’s a shortened list of other latest features and bugs that the newest Rivian software update addresses:
- Use the Tidal music app if you will have an account
- Updates to Spotify including the flexibility to hearken to Audiobooks
- Control the quantity levels of the navigation speech, Amazon’s Alexa, media and phone calls – all independently (this has been an enormous issue in the event you are listening to music and never in a position to hear the Rivian navigation system talking to you)
- Improved ride quality in the varied drive modes
- Set your current location as “home” or “work” without it having to be a particular address
I used to be in a position to update my Rivian R1S last night and can proceed to check the brand new features and updates to see how they work and in the event that they improve the problems I even have experienced with my truck. Some bugs still remain: I did notice that I used to be unable to sign off of 1 Spotify account to find a way to change over to a different account, but that’s small in comparison with having the ability to confidently drive on snow.
You possibly can view the total list of bug fixes and features on the Unofficial Rivian Software Tracker site.
Update: We resolved the Spotify bug we encountered by resetting the displays and infotainment center. To do that, hold the far left and much right buttons on the steering wheel for about 10 to fifteen seconds.
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