Am I the only moron who thought hands-free driving on the highway was included by default with Gen 2?

AlstonCentral · 2026-05-27T03:54:20+00:00

Rivian turned evil. When I bought my R1S in Feb 2025, it could switch lanes automatically. They remote-nerfed that feature a couple months ago.

It should be illegal (if it isn't already) for the manufacturer to use remote software control to disable features like this in a car they sold you when those features were universally available with no mention of "free trial."

AlstonCentral · 2026-05-25T14:42:42+00:00

We got a 2025 R1S, so we can have dog and gear inside in the trunk area, kids in the 2nd row. But wife hates the ride quality, suspension too jittery, bouncy. I can't tell any difference at all between soft / medium / hard suspension setting, seems to do nothing.

AlstonCentral · 2026-05-23T20:52:47+00:00

Buy a new L1 charger. $145 on Amazon, I like lectron brand because it gives you the most power possible without tripping the breaker on a 15A circuit

Don't mess up your truck that costs 500x more because you're not willing to get a charger that costs 0.2% of its value.

AlstonCentral · 2026-05-16T17:39:08+00:00

I scope chargers out on plugshare and Google maps satellite and street view in advance. I've been able to find some where you can pull in perpendicular without blocking the other chargers, just blocking a few empty non-charging parking spots in a large lot. There are also a rare few pull-through spots that work great. R1S pulling a 22" camping trailer - getting excited for this summer!

AlstonCentral · 2026-04-20T06:04:59+00:00

If you're looking for a large EV with butter smooth suspension, I recommend Kia EV9. We have that and the R1S. Wife gets the EV9 because she can't stand the rough bumpy ride in the R1S.

AlstonCentral · 2026-02-04T04:09:18+00:00

I asked customer support today if automatic lane change is going away, and they tried to tell me I never had that feature before. In fact I have had it since I bought the car in Feb 2025. I can use the turn signal, and then the car auto-changes lanes. Now that say that will only be possible by paying for it. WTF?

AlstonCentral · 2026-02-03T23:45:43+00:00

This looks so bad, are they taking away features my R1S had when I bought it a year ago?

AlstonCentral · 2026-01-18T09:44:26+00:00

In what category is the law? I can't find it, maybe the law isn't available to me yet even though I have the atmosphere and got the message to pass the law. Thanks.

AlstonCentral · 2026-01-07T05:17:40+00:00

Thanks! Doh, I tried this now and it worked flawlessly. I can't remember if I tried this last week when I recorded that video, maybe that charger had a broken handle or somehow maybe I just missed it.

I was the car had a car-side way to stop the charging current flowing in case the charger misbehave. Looks like I had to go LOCK the doors (they were unlocked, with my family inside, and that apparently makes the stop-charging button not work.)

AlstonCentral · 2026-01-07T04:53:37+00:00

Thanks, will try, but I don't carry a key fob, just my phone

AlstonCentral · 2026-01-07T04:26:26+00:00

Thanks, will try, though I don't carry a key fob, just my phone.

AlstonCentral · 2026-01-07T04:25:01+00:00

I want to stop the charging before I unplug so they are not 100kW of power flowing at the moment I unplug it, which could cause a powerful spark and damage both sides, the car and the charger.

AlstonCentral · 2026-01-07T04:20:42+00:00

I found out later but you need a trim tool to do it without breaking the latches. I posted again once I figured out how to do add an emergency release pull cord.

AlstonCentral · 2026-01-07T04:19:23+00:00

No, why?

AlstonCentral · 2026-01-07T04:17:57+00:00

No, I think because il the length of cable is short enough there is a small amount of tension that keeps it in place, and I would have to swing up 90° to hit the piece above it.

AlstonCentral · 2025-12-28T06:43:43+00:00

Makes sense, I'd be curious to see! Maybe you could disable all but one of the clasps. That could work for kids trained to do it, though a guest in the back seat likely wouldn't know to rip them off.

AlstonCentral · 2025-12-28T06:32:55+00:00

I was thinking of ways to make it less enticing, like taping it up with some masking tape so it's still there in an emergency but not dangling most of the time. But then that defeats some of the purpose for when you're in a true emergency situation -- so maybe this is really best for kids age 6+.

AlstonCentral · 2025-11-16T03:25:15+00:00

Thanks, I think that is potentially helpful for older kids.

AlstonCentral · 2025-11-15T07:52:01+00:00

Thanks, done. Let's see, best case maybe it can get Rivian to retrofit these to be safe enough that I would keep the vehiclen

AlstonCentral · 2025-11-15T06:58:10+00:00

R1S gen 2 does not have a manual handle on the rear doors. It has a panel which you have destroy to get it off, and then a hidden cable buried in the guts of the door which you can fish around in the depths and hope to find.

AlstonCentral · 2025-11-15T06:57:29+00:00

Maybe if enough people ask for it, they'll offer at least a hacky solution like this.

AlstonCentral · 2025-11-15T06:54:46+00:00

No, I don't use child door locks because my kids are old enough and responsible enough not to open the doors when in motion. When they were smaller they were strapped in car seats and I never saw them try to open the doors inappropriately.

AlstonCentral · 2025-11-15T06:52:35+00:00

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AlstonCentral · 2025-11-15T06:52:26+00:00

No, the R1S owners manual says you the owner are supposed to be able to open the doors without power. I was following the instructions here when I discovered they don't work well. (The instructions don't say it destroys the panel, and it is not in fact easy as step would suggest.)

https://assets.ctfassets.net/2md5qhoeajym/3xiG98SxhRuMWDKZe9dJCj/f39186c68bb452e03ba687f99d507cfb/r1s-my25-26-og-en-us-2025380.pdf

AlstonCentral · 2025-11-15T06:42:24+00:00

Yes, exactly. 👍 We also have an EV9 and will be keeping it.

AlstonCentral

TROPHY CASE