"Rivian’s new software update will help you avoid all the broken EV chargers" - Article

[Tooney]

The company is gathering data on EV chargers for a new scoring system that it said can help customers navigate the treacherous waters.

I had the chance to test out Rivian’s new software update during a recent road trip in an R1S SUV. Inputing a destination brought up dozens of chargers on the vehicle’s navigation, each of which displayed a letter grade. An “A” grade is a sign that the charger was in good working condition, while an “F,” well, speaks for itself.

“Surprisingly, actually, there’s multiple chargers rated F,” Bensaid said. “That was one of the ‘a ha’ moments as we went through the data.”

The new ranking system is determined by a host of data collected by Rivian’s customers, Bensaid said. Each vehicle is connected and constantly sending data back to the company’s headquarters, which then gets processed to remove “noise” that’s not essential to the decision-making algorithm.


https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/15/24130849/rivian-ev-charger-score-software-update

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

The company is gathering data on EV chargers for a new scoring system that it said can help customers navigate the treacherous waters.

I had the chance to test out Rivian’s new software update during a recent road trip in an R1S SUV. Inputing a destination brought up dozens of chargers on the vehicle’s navigation, each of which displayed a letter grade. An “A” grade is a sign that the charger was in good working condition, while an “F,” well, speaks for itself.

“Surprisingly, actually, there’s multiple chargers rated F,” Bensaid said. “That was one of the ‘a ha’ moments as we went through the data.”

The new ranking system is determined by a host of data collected by Rivian’s customers, Bensaid said. Each vehicle is connected and constantly sending data back to the company’s headquarters, which then gets processed to remove “noise” that’s not essential to the decision-making algorithm.


https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/15/24130849/rivian-ev-charger-score-software-update

Is this new?
A few months ago I made a trip to Whistler. On both legs, the built-in nav avoided recommending stations I knew existed, because it had more uh, current information. No Fs were given, though.

(In case anyone cares, the details:
- EA station in Bellingham, WA had derated chargers as well as a non-functional one. Even though the nav indicated 1/3 available, it made a lot of recalculations to avoid it. I knew better, stopped to charge, and indeed paid an extra 30min.
- multiple stations in Vancouver BC are rated high speed (200kW), but the nav marked them as DC and recommended instead trudging on to Langley for a BC Hydro 50kW station. I knew better and stopped in Van, where I discovered the high speed stations were operated as L2, 6kW chargers.)