Rivian EV route planning schools charging networks with grade system

Rivian introduced Monday that it’s going to begin planning routes round charger reliability in a brand new method—by grading every real-world cost website. 

With that change, as a part of Rivian’s Software program Replace 2024.11.01, which rolls out to its automobiles, together with the R1T electric pickup and R1S electric SUV beginning immediately, route planning will begin favoring these chargers that, merely put, have a greater report of charging its automobiles reliably.

Rivian notes that each time a driver of its automobiles plugs into a quick charger, the automobile logs a set of knowledge together with the charger’s peak price, cost success, and total session success. After there are sufficient periods for that charger, good or not, it’s given a reliability grade from A (finest) to F (worst). 

As Rivian confirmed in offered photographs, the grades can be seen throughout route planning and in navigation and charging interfaces. In line with Rivian, it’s the primary automaker software to make such a distinction and embody collective reliability data in charger suggestions—and route-planning choices. 

Rivian charging grades for journey planning – Software program Replace 2024.11.01

Now, in Rivian’s journey planning and navigation, drivers can be steered towards charging websites with A and B grades as a lot as attainable. As earlier than, Rivian drivers can use preferences to set a route, filter chargers, and navigate to a vacation spot, with the potential to dynamically change it alongside the best way if stops are added. 

The grading system will roll out for all fast-charging websites its automobiles can use, it says, together with these by itself Rivian Adventure Network in addition to a number of different networks—together with Tesla Supercharger locations, which at the moment are broadly enabled and require the Rivian-provided adapter. 

It additionally notes that ease of cost applies to those charger reliability scores. So whereas Superchargers and another networks absolutely assist direct-billing plug-and-charge functionality; these with out it’d see their grades impacted by cost points. 

Rivian charging grades for journey planning – Software program Replace 2024.11.01

Rivian says that in selecting a fast-charging website, the automobile’s peak price could also be above that of the charger, and in that case it clearly signifies so with a click on of the data icon (i). Though it doesn’t overtly say that it’d select a barely slower charger that’s way more dependable over one which’s a speedy crapshoot, that seems to be the gist of it.

Charger reliability is unquestionably top-of-mind for automakers, EV drivers, and potential patrons alike. A 2022 UC Berkeley research discovered fast-charging in abysmal shape within the Bay Space, with varied {hardware} “nonfunctioning.” There, earlier this yr, some criticized Electrify America’s most recent plan for being quick on measures to deal with charger reliability. The Biden Administration’s Joint Workplace of Power and Transportation has, with the buildout of NEVI-supported fast-chargers, laid out the idea for tracking charger reliability, though it’s oriented extra towards the place to make funding sooner or later slightly than what works finest at current. 

Not only for Rivian however for any EV model, discovering a charger that merely works—and works at a cost price that exhibits off the capabilities of the automobile—is essential for making a constructive impression. And with this high-profile grade system, maybe it would instill on charger networks that higher uptime and reliability makes good enterprise sense.