Man Plugs In EV Car For An Entire Week, Finds Out It Only Charged 8 Miles

(Republicaninformer.com)- A man left his electric vehicle to charge for an entire week, coming back to find out that it only added 8 extra miles per day, according to The Federalist Papers. The Phoenix, Arizona resident reportedly charged his R1T, an electric truck manufactured by Rivian Automotive, Inc., and wrote to EV website InsideEVs.com to share his nightmare.

He told the outlet that the week-long charge had given the vehicle an additional 32 kWh, meaning that a total of 56 miles were added to its range.

“The vehicle had a 70 percent charging limit set, it was hooked up to a 240-volt 48-amp home charger, it had Gear Guard turned off, but it stayed connected to the WiFi network,” according to InsideEvs, which added that this phenomenon is known as “excessive drain” or “vampire drain.”

After the incident, Rivian reportedly told the owner of the vehicle to bring it in for a service visit. While EVs are notorious for losing battery power while in cold temperatures, recent complaints indicate that owners are experiencing battery drains even in moderate temperatures.

Another Rivian owner suggests that the latest update on the vehicles might be the culprit, saying that his daily drain increased from 1.8% to 4% after the update. InsideEvs reports that other owners have also observed this issue.

An owner on the forum wrote that a Rivian technician recommend he plug his car in while it is not being used, noting that a “1 percent drain every 12 hours was acceptable.” But every owner has a different remedy, and the manufacturer is reportedly helping their customers individually.

Rivian appears to be receiving many of the complaints, however, owners of electric vehicles are reporting similar issues. One owner of a $115,000 GMC Hummer said that his vehicle broke down in the middle of the Utah desert.