Speaking with The Verge, Rivian revealed it is updating its Energy app, which owners can use to monitor the charging of their , and soon, vehicles. The new update will be part of a broader software update to both Rivian’s cars and the companion app, which will give customers a more thorough view of how their vehicle is charging, the energy they are using, and how energy is used when their cars are idle, says Wassym Bensaid, chief software officer.
Rivian Updates Its Charging Software
Bensaid says the new Energy app will show owners “where their energy is going” in real time and display detailed graphs showing projected range, charging status, energy consumption, and other, more granular pieces of data. “The idea is [to] democratize the access in terms of ‘energy in’ with charging and then ‘energy out’ with how you’re spending your range” Bensaid told The Verge in an interview.
The updated Energy app will have two tabs: one, labeled Charging, will show energy intake stats, and another, labeled Energy Monitor, will show energy output. The Charging tab is capable of showing drivers exactly how much energy is going directly to the EV’s battery as compared to the electricity being used by the car’s other systems, like powering the display the information is shown on.
Charging Information Is Getting More Granular At Rivian
Meanwhile, in the Energy Monitor tab, new readouts will be provided featuring charging recommendations. These will let you know when the car thinks you should charge along a given route to a destination, letting you plan for charging before departing. Once charging has started, the system will also calculate and notify the owner once they reach the necessary battery state of charge for the rest of their trip, or to the next stop along the way. Efficiency data will be available too, courtesy of Rivian’s yeti mascot, which will make corresponding faces based on your energy use and driving style.
The act of charging will now be easier as well, with new battery preconditioning software being made available via the update. Rivian’s EV lineup is also getting faster DC fast-charging via this new update, which will feature charging speeds of up to 215 kilowatts in the company’s Gen2 Large packs. Later, a new Smart Charging feature will also roll out, allowing customers to time their at-home charging to save money on their energy bill, says Bensaid. This will be followed by later next year.
TopSpeed’s Take
This is a massive and comprehensive update to the way Rivian owners will interact with their vehicles as they charge. It’ll probably serve to educate more than a few owners about how energy gets used during the charging process, and the added charging speeds will help alleviate one of the largest hurdles in EV ownership and adoption. This looks like wins all around for Rivian and its owners.
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