Most changes automakers make to cars that are already in production include additional features, though occasionally, automakers take features away instead. The Rivian R2 appears to be in more of the latter situation. The automaker instituted a production change that seems to have removed a feature from the R2 that was previously available—sort of.
According to forum reports and a new story by InsideEVs, Rivian changed the way ventilated seats work in the R2 SUV, so now the updated seats push through less air than before. Specifically, the automaker made it so that the ventilated seat now only pushes cool air through the seat bottom, rather than the bottom and back. The initial forum post, on Riviantrackr.com, says that starting from around VIN 10,000, R2 SUVs will ship with a fan for just the seat bottom, rather than with two fans as before. So potentially your butt will still be kept as chilly as a refrigerator, but your lower back might feel more like your local gym’s sauna.
A Rivian spokesperson told Car and Driver the reason for the change: “Because the seatback ventilation generated excessive cabin noise, we streamlined the system. R2 seat heating is unchanged.” The same spokesperson said, “R2 ventilated seats are designed to deliver active airflow through the seat cushion, where occupants retain the most heat.”
Based on some of the forum posts, the change is enough for some order holders to cancel their R2 deliveries and for others to pause their delivery schedules.
Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.
Extracted and lightly reformatted for readability. · Source: pt