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Rivian’s color-coded battery charge indicator patent makes charging extra-convenient

(Photo: Rivian)

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Charging electric vehicle batteries is a task that is universal for all EV owners. Electric car makers across different brands have placed their own flourish to make their EV charging system unique, such as Tesla’s lighted indicators for the Model S, X, and Model 3. Electric truck maker Rivian aims to do the same thing, and if a recent patent application is any indication, it appears that the company is looking to make its battery charging indicators extra-convenient and creative at the same time.

There are times when electric car owners will find it difficult to determine the status of their vehicle while its batteries are charging. This is especially true during long trips, when vehicles are parked at public charging stations. If an owner is getting a bite or having a cup of coffee at a cafe, for example, it would be difficult to determine if the vehicle is done charging. Mobile apps showing the status of a vehicle are great, but it would be extra convenient if owners are able to see the status of a charging vehicle at a glance.

This is the central point of Rivian’s recent patent, titled “Exterior Light and Charge Indicator.” Engineers at Rivian believe EV owners should be able to determine the amount of battery charge that their vehicle has from a distance easily. Thus, the company has designed a system using bright LED bulbs that could be seen from across a parking lot or charging station. These LEDs will be integrated into the vehicle itself, as part of its lights.

Rivian’s illustration for an external charging light indicator. (Credit: Rivian/U.S. Patent Office)

“It would be advantageous to provide a user with an easy way to read a charge indicator of an electric vehicle. It would also be advantageous to provide a charge indicator that is visible a short or longer distance away from an electric vehicle. It would also be advantageous to utilize existing exterior lighting or lighting areas to provide a charge indicator,” the patent states.

The Rivian R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV are equipped with a long light strip in the middle that’s flanked by two rounded lights. This light strip, as per press images from the electric truck maker, will be used as a primary battery charge indicator if the vehicle is charging. Rivian’s recent patent explains the further use of this light strip in the section below.

In some embodiments, the lighting control module is configured to cause the exterior light to emit light of a first color (e.g., white) during driving operation of the electric vehicle and emit light of a second color during charging, where the first color is different than the second color (e.g., blue). In some embodiments, the lighting control module is configured to cause the exterior light to emit light of a third color (e.g., green) when the vehicle battery is fully charged. In some embodiments, the lighting control module is configured to cause the exterior light to emit light of a fourth color (e.g., red) when there is a charging fault.”

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Such a system would likely give Rivian owners a pretty easy way to determine if their truck or SUV is finished charging, or if there are any issues with the vehicle’s charging session. The fact that the light strip is fairly large works in Rivian’s favor, as there is no doubt that the LEDs would be very visible from a distance.

Another interesting aspect of this new idea is the use of a proximity sensor that could be configured to detect the presence of a person. This sensor would work much like a motion detection system and would light up in the event that a person is within 50 feet of the charging vehicle. It also could utilize a cell phone’s Bluetooth signal to determine when the owner is near. This would then activate the light system that would allow the driver to determine the progress of the charge.

Rivian has released a number of patents within the past few weeks. As the company is gearing up for production of its R1T pickup truck to begin at the tail end of 2020, the Plymouth, Michigan-based company is seemingly putting the final touches on its vehicles before the first units are delivered to reservation holders. Following the R1T, Rivian is also expected to start the production of its seven-seater SUV, the R1S. 

The full text of Rivian’s recent color-coded, integrated charging indicator light could be accessed here.

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Elon Musk

Tesla seems to have fixed one of Full Self-Driving’s most annoying features

Tesla seems to have resolved an issue that many users of the Full Self-Driving suite complained about recently.

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Tesla's Cabin-facing camera is used to monitor driver attentiveness. (Credit: Andy Slye/YouTube)

Tesla seems to have listened to drivers and owners who complained about a very annoying feature that monitors the eyes of the vehicle operator while using the Full Self-Driving suite.

Earlier this month, owners complained that versions of Full Self-Driving Supervised were too quick to alert drivers of their eyes going off the road, which is required for operation.

Tesla to fix an FSD driver monitoring annoyance, Elon Musk hints

If you’re doing something as simple as adjusting HVAC settings or changing Autopilot speed offset, the cabin-facing camera would alert the driver that their eyes need to be on the road.

It was incredibly quick to warn you, and many argued that changing these features while the vehicle is using FSD is safer than doing it while operating the car manually.

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After several complaints, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he agreed with the fact that FSD would warn drivers so quickly. When a user on X noted that “I can’t even glance at the display to add a nav stop without getting yelled at” and stated it was what they hated most about FSD, Musk replied, “You’re right.”

Tesla is now rolling out a new update of the FSD suite with v13.2.9, which includes various improvements. One of which appears to be a less dramatic driver monitoring system, which includes perhaps a slightly longer grace period before it will alert you to look at the road.

Several owners are reporting they’ve noticed a change, with it being less restrictive than previously:

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Driver monitoring is very important, considering people do abuse FSD and its capabilities. It is important to pay attention, even if you are overwhelmingly confident in the abilities of FSD, because, in the event of an accident, Tesla will be the one to take the bad publicity for it.

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This is even if the driver is found liable for the accident.

However, from personal experience, the alerts it gave were slightly dramatic, and I felt that they were over the top. I was admonished by the driver monitoring system for simply adjusting the Autopilot speed offset.

Many owners welcome this change. FSD is being refined with every update, becoming more robust, accurate, and less naggy with its requests.

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Tesla details latest safety addition with new Model Y

Tesla’s newest safety feature isn’t even visible to the human eye when you get in the new Model Y

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Tesla has detailed the addition of its latest safety feature that comes standard with the new Model Y. It is a feature that has been in development for several years and aims to assist in saving lives while also enabling other safety features.

Within the past few years, Tesla has been developing an in-cabin radar that was aimed at detecting humans left in the vehicle that typical cameras would not detect. It was a feature that was initially developed to save the lives of children, who die a handful of times each year from being left in cabins without air conditioning.

Teslarati first reported on the development of an in-cabin radar system several years ago through Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents, which showed Tesla was hoping to gain approval for a wave sensor that would detect heartbeats instead of relying on cameras.

Tesla safety tech takes giant step with FCC approval for wave sensor

The company has started using the in-cabin radar system with the new Model Y, which has been available in the U.S. for several months. Tesla has released the new Model Y Owner’s Manual online, which gives us a first-hand look at the details it released on the various advancements it has made with the newest version of the best-selling vehicle in the world.

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Credit: Tesla

As shown above, the Model Y’s new cabin radar is located above the rearview mirror and behind the ceiling gear shifter buttons.

Tesla describes its duties:

“Cabin radar can detect the presence of people inside the vehicle and use the measurements to determine occupancy. Cabin radar supports certain vehicle and safety features, including driver detection, seat occupancy, Occupant Classification System (OCS), and auto parking brake engagement.”

Interestingly, Tesla has added that it will be able to enable auto parking brake engagement, a great feature for when someone exits the vehicle. In the past, we knew it would handle driver and occupant protection, but we did not recognize its value as a way to enable a parking brake.

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Elon Musk

Tesla’s Elon Musk clarifies shocking Optimus fact

Musk clarified that while Optimus is already impressive today, it is still very far from its planned final form.

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Credit: Tesla Optimus/X

This week has been a tour de force of Tesla Optimus demonstrations. But even with the humanoid robot’s already impressive capabilities, CEO Elon Musk dropped a comment that truly made Optimus even more exciting. 

Inasmuch as Optimus today is likely one of the most advanced humanoid robots in the industry, it is still nothing close to what Tesla really wants to create.

Optimus Demonstrations

Optimus’ demonstrations this week caught headlines because they showed the humanoid robot performing impressive dance moves. Initially, a video posted by Elon Musk on social media platform X showed Optimus dancing while being tethered to a cable. A follow up video upped the ante, with Optimus performing actual ballet moves without any support.

Comments from Tesla Vice President of Optimus (Tesla Bot) Milan Kovac revealed that the humanoid robot’s movements were fully learned in simulation and zero-shot transferred to real without extra training. Elon Musk later joked that he would be accompanied by a troupe of dancing Optimus robots at the 2024 Tesla Annual Shareholder Meeting.

Not Even Close

But in another follow-up comment on X, Musk clarified that while Optimus is already impressive today, it is still very far from its planned final form. This was quite surprising as the humanoid robot is already in initial production at the Fremont Factory. Even in its current state, Optimus also looks production-ready. Elon Musk even noted that Optimus robots are just walking around Tesla’s factories today around the clock, charging themselves as needed.

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Credit: @heydave7/X

With this in mind, one could wonder what Optimus’ final form could really be like. While the humanoid robot’s current iteration is already pretty sleek, perhaps Tesla is still developing Optimus until its appearance could mirror the robot’s static display model that the company showed off back in 2021. That Optimus model featured very human proportions and joints, making it look more like an android from a sci-fi flick than a humanoid robot with obvious mechanical parts.

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