Mothball Mode

[bsddrake]

One mode that I haven't seen talked about here, is a mothball mode. I often say that any good vehicle spends most of its life as an old vehicle. EV's and hybrids seem to really not like long periods of disuse, but it's an inevitability over the lifetime of a vehicle.
I'd really like to see some kind of mode that one can put the scout in that will protect the battery (and maybe the harvester) from problems that arise from not being used. Some examples might include:
Keeping the 12v system from going dead
using shore power to keep the traction battery at an appropriate long term storage level
battery temperature management while in storage
Starting the harvester periodically to keep it lubricated (This could potentially replace shore power)
Probably other things that I'm not thinking about...


Obviously some features may have to be disable-able, like automatically starting the harvester indoors, but I hope the general idea is pretty clear.
Does this sound like a useful mode to other people? Does anyone know of a passenger vehicle that already does this (from the factory)?

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

The Ford Lightning and Mustang Mach-E will put themselves into hibernation mode if left alone for two weeks (including no walk-by key detections, etc). This is the best solution and I’m willing to bet it’s an automatic solution for most BEVs.

Ford recommends bringing the high-voltage battery to around 50% State of Charge and disconnecting the 12V battery if storing the vehicles for 30 days or longer. But that’s assuming you won’t have the vehicle plugged in.

If I were to have a plan to leave my vehicles parked for a more than a month, the EV-specific things I would do are: Convince myself that my shore power was reliable enough for long-term storage. If so: plug in to a L1 or L2 charger; set the max charge level to 50%; shut off and lock the vehicle.

If I had to go somewhere and didn’t have time to plan it, I would leave the vehicle plugged in and call it good. Probably once I got to where I was going I’d set the maximum charge state to 50%.

If I was worried about shore power stability, I’d unplug the vehicle and disconnect the 12V battery.

There’s not much more to it for a BEV.

The Harvester will present the same issues as any other fossil fuel vehicle.

 

[R1TVT]

Rivian created a mode for mothballing and shipping... With the currently planned feature set, we will likely see modes to accommodate w wide range of use-cases like this:

 

[bsddrake]

The Ford Lightning and Mustang Mach-E will put themselves into hibernation mode if left alone for two weeks (including no walk-by key detections, etc). This is the best solution and I’m willing to bet it’s an automatic solution for most BEVs.

Ford recommends bringing the high-voltage battery to around 50% State of Charge and disconnecting the 12V battery if storing the vehicles for 30 days or longer. But that’s assuming you won’t have the vehicle plugged in.

If I were to have a plan to leave my vehicles parked for a more than a month, the EV-specific things I would do are: Convince myself that my shore power was reliable enough for long-term storage. If so: plug in to a L1 or L2 charger; set the max charge level to 50%; shut off and lock the vehicle.

If I had to go somewhere and didn’t have time to plan it, I would leave the vehicle plugged in and call it good. Probably once I got to where I was going I’d set the maximum charge state to 50%.

If I was worried about shore power stability, I’d unplug the vehicle and disconnect the 12V battery.

There’s not much more to it for a BEV.

The Harvester will present the same issues as any other fossil fuel vehicle.

That was kind of my plan for "winterizing". I didn't know that this was an automatic function for some vehicles. I think that's great. I hope that the vehicles with the harvester will leverage the batteries and computer systems to keep the harvester healthy.
Thanks for the info.

 

[bsddrake]

Rivian created a mode for mothballing and shipping... With the currently planned feature set, we will likely see modes to accommodate w wide range of use-cases like this:


View attachment 6924

I would have to assume if Rivian is doing the, then it's at least on the radar for Scout.

 

[R1TVT]

A lot of updates and new modes can also come with OTA's, so if there are little niche things like this that aren't initially written into the SW and U/I, they can also be added... It's suprising how much better my R1T has gotten as it has aged (with OTA's)!!! Huge benefit that many will be pleasantly surprised about in an EV truck.

 

[bsddrake]

A lot of updates and new modes can also come with OTA's, so if there are little niche things like this that aren't initially written into the SW and U/I, they can also be added... It's suprising how much better my R1T has gotten as it has aged (with OTA's)!!! Huge benefit that many will be pleasantly surprised about in an EV truck.

I have mixed feelings about OTA updates. Updates are great, but if the company fails/discontinues service, you can end up with more problems than you wanted. Aside from it being a security/opsec nightmare, it can create a situation where the engineers rely on it to the point where without dealer interaction, some issues can be impossible to fix without significant RE effort.
I'm not arguing here, just making conversation. I say all this, but I generally implement OTA updating and debugging on whatever gadgets my company will let me get away with...

 

[R1TVT]

I have mixed feelings about OTA updates. Updates are great, but if the company fails/discontinues service, you can end up with more problems than you wanted. Aside from it being a security/opsec nightmare, it can create a situation where the engineers rely on it to the point where without dealer interaction, some issues can be impossible to fix without significant RE effort.
I'm not arguing here, just making conversation. I say all this, but I generally implement OTA updating and debugging on whatever gadgets my company will let me get away with...

I hear you. Perhaps my experience is more relevant to Scout in this case, based on the OTA experience that I have had from Rivian (in a modern EV truck). I have never had any issues with any OTA's, but Rivian has not failed, discontinued service or stopped making OTA updates. Some OTA's do include bug fixes, so this is no different from any other piece of SW (except the HW has 4 wheels)

I understand your point though. I would prefer to be able to work with a company that prioritizes making their product better over time, than finding something that is "product complete" at production and static.

Some examples:

* Rivian added tuning to the suspension through OTA's that improved ride quality
* Rivian added new drive modes (like soft sand mode and snow mode) since the truck was delivered
* Rivian improved charging in cold weather recently
* Rivian added streaming and other media services to the center infotainment screen
* Rivian improved lane centering and added lane change assist with "resume" to Driver +

Having features like these that just automagically appear and suddenly become available makes me feel better about my R1T than any other truck I have owned. And I have owned many.

One caveat - last year I opted-in for the new Rivian Connect+ package (which gets me onboard WiFi, streaming, priority downloads, Apple Music, etc. for a fee of $150.00 / year). I don't use all of the features (like Apple Music), but I would pay $150/yr JUST for the onboard WiFi!

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

A counterpoint to Rivian’s OTA success is the bankruptcy of Fisker. Owners have been scrambling to figure out how to fix their software issues since Fisker went under. I’m still waiting for a Fisker Ocean to be available at under $10k so I can steal its battery for my own purposes.

 

[cyure]

A counterpoint to Rivian’s OTA success is the bankruptcy of Fisker. Owners have been scrambling to figure out how to fix their software issues since Fisker went under. I’m still waiting for a Fisker Ocean to be available at under $10k so I can steal its battery for my own purposes.

We aren’t even going to mention bankruptcy. Scout is going to be so successful they will be around longer than the originals!!!

But I hope you find your cheap battery.

 

[bsddrake]

A counterpoint to Rivian’s OTA success is the bankruptcy of Fisker. Owners have been scrambling to figure out how to fix their software issues since Fisker went under. I’m still waiting for a Fisker Ocean to be available at under $10k so I can steal its battery for my own purposes.

Yeah, I've spent considerable time RE EV's from companies that went bankrupt. It's fun and all, but I wouldn't want that *have* to do that, and certainly not on my main vehicle. I could go for a $10k Ocean myself, if you find a source, let me know, I'll do the same...

 

[J Alynn]

A counterpoint to Rivian’s OTA success is the bankruptcy of Fisker. Owners have been scrambling to figure out how to fix their software issues since Fisker went under. I’m still waiting for a Fisker Ocean to be available at under $10k so I can steal its battery for my own purposes.

Back to your nefarious plans to build your tow along battery unit

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Yeah, I've spent considerable time RE EV's from companies that went bankrupt. It's fun and all, but I wouldn't want that *have* to do that, and certainly not on my main vehicle. I could go for a $10k Ocean myself, if you find a source, let me know, I'll do the same...

I watch copart, and they are showing up relatively undamaged because any damage is basically non-reparable so the cost to repair is more than the vehicle is worth… I just need to find one within a reasonable distance and for a reasonable cost (some are lower than $10k, but copart has a lot of hidden fees and the cost to transport one across the country is likely too much).