Rivian has started a customer satisfaction campaign to replace the onboard charger on some R1T all-electric pickups and R1S zero-emissions SUVs because they may have been shipped with a faulty component that disables AC charging, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The bulletin, which was spotted by the Rivian Forums user Bael, states that some R1S and R1T vehicles manufactured between December 2022 and March 2023 may be equipped with the faulty onboard charger and that DC fast charging is still functional on affected units.
In other words, vehicles that have this issue can’t be recharged with a Level 1 (120 volts) or Level 2 (240 volts) charger, but plugging into a DC fast charger, which bypasses the onboard charger, will still put juice in the battery.
It’s worth noting that this is not a recall. Here’s the campaign’s description, as per the NHTSA document:
“Rivian is initiating a customer satisfaction campaign for some model year 2022-2023 R1S and R1T vehicles that may have been built with an onboard charger that cannot charge on alternating current (AC). The part supplier shipped onboard chargers that were built with a faulty component. Though AC charging may be disabled in these vehicles, direct current (DC) fast charging is still functional. Rivian will replace the onboard charger. Rivian is launching this campaign for customer satisfaction and to ensure the quality of Rivian vehicles.”
We got in touch with Rivian to find out how many vehicles are potentially affected by this issue and we’ll update this article when we get a comment from the EV maker.
A possible fix for owners who are experiencing problems while charging at home is to lower the input amperage to 40 amps or 32 amps and then try again, according to Rivian Forum users who came across the issue.
The R1T and R1S are equipped with a 48-amp onboard charger that can deliver up to 11.5 kilowatts of power when the mobile charger is plugged into a NEMA 14-50 outlet, adding roughly 25 miles of range per hour.
As our own Tom Moloughney found out, charging a Rivian R1T can also be done at 40 amps, which translates into 9.6 kW of power and adds about 20 miles of range per hour. A Level 2 charger connected to a 32-amp circuit reduces the power to 7.7 kW and adds about 15 miles of range per hour.
Charging from a 120-volt, 12-amp outlet (Level 1, 1.4 kW), the all-electric pickup will gain just 2-3 miles of range in one hour. At the same time, the R1T can accept up to 220 kW from a DC fast charger, which can increase the battery’s state of charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 45 minutes.
As always, we’d like to know what you think about this: have you experienced this issue, and if so, what worked for you? Scroll down to the comments section and give us your thoughts.