EV maker Rivian is aiming to improve charging speed and efficiency with its latest over-the-air software update, which includes a major overhaul of the Energy App.
The app will now be split into two sections: the Energy Monitor tab and the Charging tab.
The Energy Monitor will provide a detailed breakdown of energy usage, showing exactly how much electricity each system in the vehicle consumes over a selected period.
The update, rolling out to both generations of the R1T and R1S models, will also introduce the ability for owners to manually precondition the high-voltage battery for faster DC charging.
When a destination is set in the navigation system, the new smart charging level reminder — included in the second tab — will alert the driver when it’s time to unplug, ensuring there’s enough battery to complete the trip.
According to Rivian, this feature helps drivers spend less time at charging stations by letting them unplug earlier, without needing to charge all the way to 80% or more.
The new Charging Tab will allow owners to precondition the battery on demand, changing the temperature on their battery pack to optimize charging speeds.
By adding the manual option, owners no longer have to rely on the built-in navigation system to start the process.
When manual preconditioning is active, a banner will appear showing whether the battery is warming up or cooling down, and it will notify the driver when the process is complete.
Chief software officer Wassym Bensaid told The Verge that the company aims to “democratize the access in terms of ‘energy in’ with charging and then ‘energy out’ with how you’re spending your range.”
Charging speeds for certain R1S and R1T iterations were also improved, not only due to the optimization of battery temperatures but also due to upgrades to individual battery cells.
First-gen Max Pack vehicles and second-gen Max Pack and Standard Pack models now charge faster from 10% to 80%. Additionally, Gen 2 Large Pack models get a higher peak charge rate of 215 kW and quicker 10% to 80% charging times.
According to the software chief, in the next update, the company will unveil a smart charging feature, allowing customers to time their home-charging sessions.
Regarding energy, the company also intends to launch a bidirectional charging feature in 2026, allowing people to use their vehicle as mobile power generators. This will make Rivian‘s EVs able to charge other devices, other vehicles and even homes.
Multi-Factor Drive
The 2025.18 update will also include multi-factor drive. Last week, Wassym Bensaid stated that the company was introducing “multi-factor drive (very soon) and CCC digital keys (soon).”
The former allows drivers to require app-based authentication before driving, and it can be used via phone or smartwatch. It is equivalent to Tesla’s PIN-to-drive feature.
The latter is a new digital key from the Car Connectivity Consortium, which would allow cross-platform compatibility, making it a major upgrade. However, the feature is not included in this update yet.
Over the weekend, Rivian has lowered lease prices for several configurations of its R1T pickup and R1S SUV for orders placed through the end of June. The brand is also offering several discounts on specific trims of the models.
