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We believe in Rivian’s battery design, but apparently, some question it.
Called into question is the design of the Rivian R1T electric truck and R1S electric SUV battery packs. Are there really design considerations that need to be fixed?
Well, if there are, we believe in Rivian and its team of engineers enough to say a fix will be implemented prior to launch. However, we’re not sure there’s an issue here.
The video focuses on cooling of the cells in connection to the unique 2170 double stack. The cooling side has been only partially explained by Rivian. What we do know is that the cooling plate is there to support the cells above. This doesn’t necessarily imply that cooling ends there though (see graphic below with blue spacing between cells). There could be additional between-cell cooling. We’re just not quite sure if that’s the case yet.
We should further note that thermal runaway events have not often been reported with 2170 Tesla cells. It was seemingly more common with the 18650 cells and, in particular, with the Model S, a low-slung vehicle that has its share of objects impact the battery.
Lastly, Rivian has a different approach to battery protection and, of course, much better ground clearance than the Model S. To protect the battery, Rivian states:
The pack uses a carbon composite shell and a “ballistic shield”
When you rip your R1T apart on the rocks please don't post any photos.
While doing some additional reading on Rivian I came across this thread, but there some things not clear with the OP but perhaps to others that are more familiar with screen names, the people behind them, and/or the company/organization they represent.
@Nate4x4 you make multiple to references to "we" in the OP and 2nd post. Who is "we?"
Also, "According to Farquhar ... " Who is "Farquhar ?" I'm only familiar with Danny Farquhar, former Chicago White Sox pitcher who miraculously survived a brain hemorrhage between innings and recovered to the point where he is now pitching again, this time for the NY Yankees ;-)
"... cooling of the cells in connection to the unique 2170 double stack. The cooling side has been only partially explained by Rivian. What we do know is that the cooling plate is there to support the cells above. "
Why on earth would they design a cooling plate that would only cool on one side? And if they did, why would they not just add another cooling plate for the cells below? (OK, I know, not likely because of the additional weight and space, but you get the point ... I hope.)
I get the feeling that some (all?) of this ambiguity might be clarified by the video, but as it turns out the video is no longer available, so I was unable to watch it as others will not be able to.
I find this OP and the early subsequent posts hard to follow / verify based on what appears to be a lot of assumptions (again, without being able to watch the video). Perhaps the OP can be updated with some clarifications to remove or at least lesson this ambiguity. (??)
I want an EV truck I can drive off-road. How protected is the Rivian battery if I hit or scrape the bottom going over a large rock in the backcountry. The last thing I want is some EV truck that can only handle well-maintained dirt roads.
No need to apologize- For every pro-Tesla article or video out there, there are 10+ negative ones. It's the nature of the beast and Rivian is not immune to it. I'm cheering for them- as I would any new-comer, to bring more competition to the market and give the consumer more options. I really am anxious about getting my hands on one so I can see if all the hype is real!
I had a hard time watching this video. Very choppy and poorly put together, in my opinion. He does bring up some valid points, but I haven’t heard of thermal runaway in any EV in several years and I’d be willing to bet that Rivian (like any technology company) is not going to reveal their entire process for any part of the vehicle production. That’s just common sense.
Looking Back
–As we reported in an earlier article the pack is indeed a 2170 double stack. A 7 mm flat cooling plate is sandwiched in between the 2 layers of cells.
Rivian’s solution to battery thermal management is the use of a cold plate that’s placed between two battery cells. A single cooling system chills both layers of cells at the same time. According to Rivian, this reduces the amount of energy needed to power the system, thereby allowing the car to have better range in all types of conditions. In addition to saving power, the cooling system’s design allows for tighter packaging of cells within the modules. According to Farquhar, Rivian’s unique packaging allows the module to be 25% denser than any other battery module on the market.
–The different kWh pack sizes are made by including different numbers of modules. Each module has 864, 2170 cells (432 cells in each layer).
–Although not verified by Rivian, customs import records indicate LG Chem is the manufacturer.
What About Battery Heating Though
What we lack knowledge on is what Rivian refers to an as advanced heating system. Rivian is not yet openly sharing that heating info, other than to basically say that cold weather won’t impact the range of the R1T or R1S.
Again, we must mention that battery heating is surely included in Rivian’s design. However, the details on this seem a bit under the wraps still. But we were told to expect the strongest cold-weather performance of any EV from Rivian. This was before the LA debut, back when we visited Rivan’s facilities in Plymouth, Michigan. Unfortunately, even still today, that info is largely off the records and under wraps. We do expect this battery heating info to become known well ahead of the sales of the R1T and R1S though.
Order Away
Go ahead and place that pre-order. We have confidence in Rivian’s engineering abilities.
It’s not as though Rivian sprung to life yesterday. The company is a decade old, ya know.