Inside Rivian's Electrical Hardware Lab with Vidya Rajagopalan

[@dollarette]

I really enjoyed how Vidya explained everything, and I realized that what builds a company are the people.

[@tedbellWRV]

Vidya, Wassym and all the Rivian personnel are so very impressive!

[@danielscheerer3032]

My R1S arrives in 36 hours - your videos are making me even more confident and excited about my decision - thanks!

[@wmflyboy]

This is just a fascinating look inside the tech of making a vehicle. I operate very heavy machines that go high and fast, and rarely get to see the brains/tech behind the machines. Thank you sir for this content.

[@rk-xv4km]

Great video Sandy. Thank-you for an introduction to another awesome Rivian tech leader.

[@MunroLive]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kevinlucas8437]

That's absolutely incredible !!! The reduction is mind-blowing. !!! Brilliant job of explaining the differences !!!

[@MunroLive]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@rdp131]

Vidya is impressive. Thanks Sandy! Can’t wait for my R2.

[@lesbendo6363]

Wow, Sandy a great video. I really like Rivian products. Their team is so forward looking. 👍👍🇨🇦

[@jamesengland7461]

What we're witnessing is a golden age! Suddenly, automakers care about complexity and access to components, and this will trickle down to owners being better able to service cars without so much of a snake's nest!

[@mmuller2402]

😅 no Software will lock you out as safety against hackers and because cars are data miners to sell more Replacement is not in focus it is prohibited by the voltage/shock risk and prohibited new sales 😮

[@giddyup3451]

Have you tried fixing a 1 or 2 year old car? Everything is locked down by the manufacturer so the individual can't do or repair anything under the premise of reducing car theft. The only thing the manufacturer says is you must purchase new extortionately priced electronic module from us, use (or buy) our extortionately expensive software to program it. Golden age? More like poo brown age.

[@drury2d8]

Most owners dont know the difference between a nut and bolt.

[@giddyup3451]

@@drury2d8 They know dollars and cents tho. Especially when they find out their 5 year old car will cost half of its value to fix.

[@carvalhoribeiro]

Effective demonstration of lean principles, clever solutions, and clear explanations. Rajagopalan and Munro's expertise shines through. I enjoyed watching and gained valuable knowledge. Thanks for sharing this.

[@philipparana9225]

Love this engineer dispelling the ethernet and 48v fallacy of efficiency.

[@jamesvandamme7786]

It's not, and she didn't. What's holding 48V back is mostly lack of parts. Once we get past that, 12V will join 6V in the history books. Maybe cheap cars won't have fast buses, if you don't have cameras and radars you don't need it.

[@patreekotime4578]

​@@jamesvandamme7786 That's a pretty big if/when. Half the comments on Rivian videos are always people complaining about cost. Going to a more expensive system just for the sake of doing it is fine for Tesla, let them pay the high costs, fight with the suppliers, and iron out the kinks. After they've dealt with the painful transition, it will be much easier for others to join them.

[@ErkiEntveg]

​@@jamesvandamme7786 But why 24V have not made into passenger car. There should be parts I think. Eurotrucks have 24V system.

[@discoverlight]

Is amazing to have access to every little detail usually hidden in the complete vehicle.

[@tedg1609]

Everybody loves Rivian. Me too. They just need to get costs down and volumes up, so they can stay alive and thrive. Please.

[@wtmayhew]

Rivian’s delivery numbers just released (early 2025) look very good and that was enough to give the share price about a 16% boost while the market as a whole has been in a pretty sour mood. The association with Volkswagen bodes well too. The Amazon warehouse where I live has switched about half its fleet over to the Rivian EDV van. Our neighborhood Amazon driver is in an EDV and he said he really loves his new truck - the ergonomics and human factors make his day easier for him. That was coming from a Ram delivery van. The future for Rivian looks pretty decent and they’re doing a lot of things right.

[@shake741]

Can't wait to switch from my Model Y to the R2 when it comes out. Done with Tesla and Musk!

[@takeadeepbreath6053]

@@shake741same

[@Joe-ij6of]

@@shake741 Perfect... they just need to survive for, oh, I don't know... 4 more years and if they can do that I think things will look very good. Would hate to see the obviously stellar talent and infrastructure they built up to come up short because they didn't get a chance to scale.

[@im4udevco]

I’m very impressed with the transparency Rivian has shown and they all look very happy and excited in what they do. I’m glad to have the R1S and we plan on getting the R3X.

[@peterjohn5834]

It just amazes me that the motor car control systems are just so complex and complicated yet the OEMs are still focussed and reliant on the internal combustion engine invented more than 100 years ago. Internal and External interests rule through inertia.

[@theagentsmith]

I followed Sandy's suggestion to reduce wiring harnesses and go wireless by making all MCUs in my device talk to each other via Wi-Fi. Only two wires going to each MCU, 24VDC and GND. On the other hand, huge ECU consolidation in cars makes me scared: 1) if one of those zonal controllers go bad the vehicle would be almost unusable, if a domain controller goes bad only that function is lost. 2) PCBs are rarely repaired in automotive industry, they are just replaced. If a component goes bad the replacement costs must be crazy expensive. So consolidation is good for manufacturer and gives great performance until it breaks, then it's a write off.

[@giddyup3451]

Exactly. It's not if but when. Pick any brand of modern car and you'll hear of failing modules. This is a great demo of technology prowess over common sense. When a $15k module fails, what do you think will happen to Rivian resale value and the brand itself. Cheap to manufacture car with extortionate repair cost will kill off small brands like Rivian.

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

🤗😎 THANKS SANDY,VIDYA AMAZING 🤩🤩🤩PROGRESS AND THE MUNRO TEAM 🧐💚💚💚

[@OneEarth-Forever]

I learned so much! So well dialogued, explained, and demonstrated! Impressive design and progress! Immense collective intelligence, craft, and ingenuity! #forever Thank you Sandy for sharing more of Rivian‘s stellar team! Kudos to Vidya! #Excellence

[@BensEcoAdvntr]

Absolutely phenomenal video. It now makes sense why VW wants to pair with Rivian

[@matthiasdebernardini3388]

great job on the cameras especially!

[@1944chevytruck]

Good job!

[@DaveTimperley]

I went away for a bit cause of all the Tesla crap, but happy to see Rivian getting a bit of support. R. J. is unlikely to suddenly grow a messiah complex :-)

[@dolgo79111]

Very good Investment from Volkswagen in Rivian.

[@MarsOzzie]

Probably the only good think VW did.

[@dolgo79111]

@ thing

[@yaoxiongliang9483]

Dual Nvidia Orin chips mean 500+ TOPS. Why Rivian only advertised it as 254 TOPS when announcing Gen2?

[@Karlheuken]

The magnetic vent is brilliant. I'm definitely doing that on my home. The internal sleeve extension might bite you in the future with lint catching the sleeve causing clogging, I would just replace the original sleeve with a longer one. The outside vent system is brilliant as well, I have critters, so I will try it as well, but my concern would be excessive condensation build up, especially in humid climates.

[@lukaskowalski6013]

So basically Rivian gen1 is Tesla Model S and Rivian gen2 is Tesla Model 3

[@patreekotime4578]

Pretty much. Much better than the OEM model of building dozens of models on the old architecture and then being afraid to make big changes even with a new platform 25 years later.

[@Jibs-HappyDesigns-990]

nice! thanks for sharing the personal exploration of an automotive industry Mfg.!! awesome!

[@krawieck]

the consolidation seems neat but feels like it's gonna be absurdly expensive to replace once it breaks, especially since she mentioned that it's more powerful than an average laptop. also the water cooling makes me worried about the logevity

[@mdbrewer]

Sandy & team, keep up the great content!

[@MarsOzzie]

Would have liked to see new harness side by side with old

[@tomschuessler7723]

Thank you Sandy and Vidya for showing the stark contrast between the Gen 1 and 2 Rivian wiring and module interconnect system. Constant innovation and simplification of systems really separates best thinking practice. Would think Elon's people could learn a thing or two on keeping a better version of Lidar like I have is my old 2018 M3 and no longer use. Wouldn't it be interesting if the two companies could "mind-meld".

[@kenspurr9605]

Thank you!!

[@Zmap6191]

I wish they improved the efficiency of their motors too like Lucid.

[@patreekotime4578]

They did already dramatically improve thier motors. They didn't do the same things as Lucid, they did thier own thing. And thats good.

[@OnurDinler]

thank you.

[@MunroLive]

You're welcome!

[@ai4px]

It occurs to me that the engineers know what needs to be done and redesigned but the bean counters and C-suite fights them. Sandy's job is to sell the C-suite on letting the engineers design what's needed rather than re-using off the shelf parts.

[@aaronbounds1336]

16:45 - c’mon Sandy…PIN to drive.

[@qitup]

It would be nice if he asked the hard questions. RJ or Vidya (I can't remember which) 100% said when they did a walkthrough for the Gen1 vehicle that the compute module was upgradable. Should have mentioned they said that last time and what their intent was or if things changed. Also interesting to see an Ambarella CV5 on the infotainment computer. Wonder what they are using it for...

[@darrenchin8492]

Awesome multiple video with deep dive into software and ECU. I wish Sandy can comments or critic more by comparing to Tesla 😂

[@jimoliver7617]

Thanks for a great learning experience. GreenTough+Carbenfibr=Strong Lightweight Modules.🎉

[@SoyChuroHonda]

Seeing the Gen1 v Gen2 board is where I realized they're doing what aftermarket wiring companies like Rywire have been doing to abandon as many fuses & relays as possible thru SSD integration* *not certain that's worded correctly.

[@huntchris]

Nice video. I love the insights into the hardware - although I did feel that you left the software guy high and dry. What Rivian have achieved is a blending of the hardware and software. It ain't just about the hardware. 🙂

[@LarsDennert]

Nice, i bet theres still a fuse panel somewhere but it must be tiny. Gen 1 looks terrible to diagnose and trying to get everything to boot in order is rough. No wonder it can't be switched off.

[@patreekotime4578]

Maybe there is one big one in the power supply, but all of the normal fuses appear to have been replaced with SFCLs (Superconducting Fault Current Limiters). As far as I can tell, these are automatic reclosers... basically, miniturized automatic circuit breakers that reclose when the fault is cleared. Also, most modern computers are essentially never turned "off". They go into "sleep" or "hibernation" state, with very low power consumption, the entire OS state is saved in RAM. They only things actively operational is likely the vehicle approach system, and security system. Vehicle approach detects the phone or watch, does it's security handshake, and wakes up the rest of the system while the driver is walking to the door. Same way laptops "start" up blindingly fast.... because they aren't doing a full boot sequence.

[@norfolk1936]

This is real education, thank you very much. Our car industry seems to go on wrong direction, making cars more and more complicated, which results in higher cost , both manufacturing and maintenance, I believe most of people want to drive a car , not a car drives them, a car is just a tool taking people from A to B, should be as simple as possible, why do people need a motor to open a door while it can be opened easily by yourself….

[@jamesengland7461]

Stats suggest that most people hate to drive, some can't be bothered to pay attention, and a smaller (though increasing) number will never own a car.

[@ronjos]

Human drivers kill 40,000 people every year in the US alone, that's why we are better off letting AI drive us.

[@marshalllapenta7656]

Question? At the fuse box @ 3:40 How many fuses are in the Rivian 1st gen? With the software upgrades, does the owner have to annually upgrade to software updates? Is it TRUE that people are getting locked inside of TESLAS and RIVIANS? What's the FAILURE modes of the CONTROL MODULES on the 2nd gen? Regarding the WIRING and the CONNECTORS is it possible to COLOR CODE the connectors to make it as simple as possible? Regarding RADAR and the SENSORS isn't that more parts to make? Is it possible to make the RIVIAN without the RADAR SENSORS? How's the SAFTEY rating of the RIVIAN compared to a CYBERTRUCK? What about a KEYFOB that ties into the RIVIAN SOFTWARE? Notice the thickness of the boards at 20:40. What about DUST MITIGATION regarding the AUTONOMOUS or INFOTAINMENT BOARDS? What about FROST PROOF regarding both of the BOARDS? At 23:20 regarding the coolant flowing through the pipes, is it Ethylene Glycol that is cooling it? What about TEMPERATURES? I'm assuming ALUMINUM for the petals regarding the COOLING? Regarding their PCB suppliers? Texas Instruments? TSMC? Has anybody ever done A TOTAL PARTS COUNT BETWEEN A RIVIAN AND A CYBER TRUCK?

[@Bestcuriosity_1]

Hello sir , are they using Vector HIL Rack vt system or dSPACE HIL for LABCAR ?

[@ARShirk]

Having dealt with wiring and fuse issues, how's this supposed to work 15 years down the road? If you have a tripping circuit is there diagnostics to pinpoint a wire issue or will it require a multiple thousand dollar board? I.E. throwing parts at it and then realizing you need learning software at a dealer?😮

[@chrisculver7254]

Boards could go bad of course, but they're fairly reliable these days. Modern commercial aircraft have been using electronic fuses for a while. Fuse boxes have their own issues, aside from cost/weight/size.

[@jamesengland7461]

Well, there's much less wiring to search thru. so there's that :)

[@patreekotime4578]

Look up SFCLs. Basically miniturized automatic circuit breakers. I think they reclose when the fault state is clear. Since it's all on the board, there is very likely a trouble code if a fault trips. That would beat the guesswork!

[@honocoroko9883]

Wow Grandpa Sandy is doing the greatest marketing ever with this video😅

[@shawnconti8915]

Please add rear wheel steering on gen 3.

[@WiseWik]

So how does fusing work on gen2 without a fuse board? Is it thermal trip?

[@MarsOzzie]

It's software controlled. No thermal

[@driftingpotato]

Rivian! Please fix your squeaky door handles on gen2 vehicles! Please also fix your sometimes working garage door opener!

[@BavarianSuperGuy]

26:30 is there a redundant power supply in this compact all-encompassing ECU, because if one power supply were to fail, everything would be dead immediately

[@stevemorris270]

I can see why VW wants some of this tech.

[@gordonstewart5774]

Lidar, but not now due to cost?

[@wtmayhew]

If US manufacturers expect to compete globally with China, Inc. this is what needs to be done. Exemplary.

[@SchwaAlien]

Seems like wiring could be greatly reduced by using a system that essentially just supplies power and then uses something similar to ethernet over power for communication. A company in France that developed a compressed air powered vehicle had used a similar RF system to reduce weight, so it’s definitely a possibility.

[@jamesengland7461]

I think Cybertruck is doing that, at least partially? I think it's just a matter of time and component development to get to that level throughout the vehicle.

[@patreekotime4578]

They do use ethernet for communication between major modules. But where they don't need the bandwidth they stuck to traditional wiring. A taillight doesnt need all of that bandwidth, just power.

[@trey1531]

So are the existing models getting these updated electronics?

[@jamesengland7461]

Yes. Gen 2 vehicles have been in production for a few months

[@ronjos]

No chance!

[@sandmehlig]

Although the optimization is remarkably visible, it still looks expensive.

[@dahoop5933]

Holy Moly!!

[@jjjxoxoxo]

Nice, smart woman.

[@FoamCrusher]

All of the consolidation of parts has the multiple benefits Sandy identified, but they are for the assemblers, QC and ultimately the manufacturer due to lower costs, but now if a “North” controller has a component failure, if the vehicle is out of warranty, it can be a quick module swap, but the new module will be astronomically expensive.

[@danielhull9079]

Would SDP 8.0 from QNX be used to manage the Zonals?

[@BavarianSuperGuy]

best inspirational video ever

[@hunt_stevenson]

Very cool. Interested to understand if liquid coolant system for the infotainment/self driving computers comes directly from the system that cools the battery pack? Or an ancillary system.

[@jacobzackaria5583]

I think they mentioned somewhere its separate cooling for ADAS/Infotainment

[@vrushalnaik3886]

Rivian consists of former Tesla engineers working on projects they previously explored at Tesla and later developed at Rivian. The architecture between the two companies is largely similar

[@wtmayhew]

It isn’t too surprising to see Tesla ex patriots at Rivian. Having talked to some people who should know, there are stories of how life at Tesla can be quite arbitrary and capricious in terms of micromanagement. It is tough to judge the whole corporate culture from a few of these short videos, but I like what I see with the respect and rapport expressed between the Rivian individuals.

[@BavarianSuperGuy]

Another question 2 RIVIAN ? the change in the concept of the modular design of the ecu's also has disadvantages . How much does such a compact ECU that combines all ecu's in one cost? Are there wiring diagrams that can be ordered for repair ? Or does rivian repair this monster ECU ? Is it likely that you will have to replace it and pay the new price again? Is there documentation and wiring diagrams so that you can repair it yourself or order it ?

[@stephenwensley]

Phone keys will be a bad idea if Rivian ever launch in London, chances are your phone will be stolen before you get back to the car, then you’re stuffed

[@LifeOnElectric]

Park Assist Module.....Hmmm, I don't have Park Assist Rivian. Hope its coming to Gen 1 ??

[@MarsOzzie]

I hope rivian survives and prospers. Sometimes i wonder we need electric seats cause its faster to have mechnical adjustments. For side mirrors electric makes sense. Its more of a gimmick to have powered seats and flashy lights are also a gimmick. Sometimes simple is best like in older cars.

[@barryw9473]

How hard is it to replace an E-fuse vs thermal fuse?

[@shazam6274]

Easy! They never have to be replaced!

[@barryw9473]

What are failure / reset modes?

[@shazam6274]

@@barryw9473 Over current is sensed and a switch (FET) opens to cut the current. Reset can be whatever the designer chooses.

[@gocybertruck8189]

Excellent. Competition is good, but Tesla is still years ahead period.

[@FVDaudio]

✨✨👏🏻👏🏻

[@BavarianSuperGuy]

2:40 coolest car ever , i want it :-) !

[@giddyup3451]

Disaster waiting to happen. I get it from a manufacturing point of view, less modules, less wires, less weight, MOST importantly less cost. What happens WHEN (not if) a single component on that multifunctional east, west or south module fails? Just look at the BMW I3. EME is a common failure point. BMW charge around 10k to replace it, even it is a $2 fuse soldered onto the board (I'm not even making that up). Even better, they coded the immobiliser code in it so you can't just replace it with a used one. Car is now worthless and goes to scrap. So much for any eco friendliness or fixability. It's all about cheap to manufacture but expensive or impossible to fix. ​ @MunroLive Did you ask the smart lady what the RRP of those modules are? Maybe you could do an update with that.

[@barryw9473]

“Some” are moving away from radar? Other than Tesla, who is dropping radar?

[@jch19805]

Everyone soon

[@jollygreen4662]

Watch band rfid as a car key

[@BrunoHeggli-zp3nl]

Wow this is amazing!Game over for Tesla!

[@jamesvandamme7786]

Again?

[@vr4042]

As efficient as the Gen 2 vehicle is, when you look at the Tesla etherlopp and 48 volt system, you understand just how far ahead they are than EVERYONE. Gen 2 was almost a ground up redesign of the underbody structure and Rivian was incapable of making the change. Though they appear several generations beyond legacy OEMs.

[@BrunoHeggli-zp3nl]

It's game over for Tesla!

[@vr4042]

@@BrunoHeggli-zp3nl Yes, because they already won.

[@patreekotime4578]

She explained pretty well why they didn't switch to ethernet everwhere: it's a waste of money in places you dont need the bandwidth. She also explained why they didn't switch to 48v: it's a false economy because the components are more expensive and harder to source. These sound like better answers than doing it just for the bragging rights of being first to do it. Afterall, there can be only one first, so let Tesla pay for the expense and the growing pains of being first. They can always switch over later if costs come down.

[@adjust.clinic]

Let’s take a look at how Range Rover’s wiring works and see if people have the same questions about chasing down bugs.

[@weer1973]

What we Will see, this.

[@BavarianSuperGuy]

18:40 i think, i Love Rivian , very Badly , much much more as the hottest women on earth

[@brandonv8721]

"E" fusing isnt new, automotive smart drivers have been around for decades

[@COSMEREAUDIO]

yay. any indian fans? guess iam the only one.

[@goofybeer1]

There will never be another classic car! All these modules will be obsolete in 10 years rendering modern vehicles junk!

[@darinbrazil5496]

These Rivian videos are great but I think Sandy needs to step aside on these videos or have someone else with him, he is just a bit awkward in these interviews.

[@mmuller2402]

So instead of 4 wires (2 Datalines+2x powers)..you run all the stupid wires to the main controller throughout the hinge, no thanks? Completely stupid, build one door module which is always the same with lots of gpios and gets "flashed" firmware by the main ecu. Cheap through masses and unity... What happens when you need more functionality? Re-develop on the main ecu?😂🎉

[@ericplatzke]

First!

[@MunroLive]

🏆

[@mullholand]

Rivian - always following Tesla….. I wish Rivian would create some truly radical ideas on their own. Kind of hate seeing Munro there. He doesn’t seem all that excited to be there.

[@MunroLive]

He was very excited. He's known RJ for years!

[@donutdunk3891]

"48 Volt architecture doesn't make sense" RIP Rivian.

[@grizzlymartin1]

Does my heart good when I see other companies “recruit” former Tesla employees and executives. Especially with Rivian. Really want this company to survive. Want to purchase a the Rivian R1S one day. Just waiting for configuration options to include removable middle row seats and no front row center console options. Fingers crossed. It’s my cabin. I want to design it the way I want it. This configuration would cost Rivian less but allow them to charge more. They’re brain dead not to have already done it.

[@sanjuansteve]

Is LiDAR available as an option for a fee for additional robustness?

[@shazam6274]

Lidar is a slow acting "crutch" to make up for poor performance and design of other sensors.

[@grizzlymartin1]

Sandy, doesn’t less and less wire expose the vehicle to more and more hacking because of Internet connectivity issues? Not judging whether it’s good or bad just a point of fact?

[@cathalbyrne9013]

The handler is doing some freaky facial expressions i can’t stop staring

[@wilinstonthompson1352]

Handler ? Thought he was introduced as the software person

[@cathalbyrne9013]

@ my bad I didn’t catch that part

[@mini2nut67]

I am disappointed that Vidya didn’t give a directive to switch to a 48v low voltage system.

[@wtmayhew]

One has to weigh if it is worth changing the low voltage DC bus voltage. To make it worthwhile, you’ve got to switch most ofl the actuators to 48 volt operation. If one needs to add DC-DC converters to drive 12 Volt components, that negates savings in the wire mass by adding complexity and more points of failure. Rivian engineers must have looked at their supply chain and concluded now is not the time to change the bus voltage. Tesla likes to crow a lot about having a 48 Volt battery for the low voltage bus in the Cybertruck, but then they have DC-DC converters to run the 12 Volt parts. One supposes Tesla was able to change enough of the actuators to 48 Volts that it makes sense to have a dual voltage low voltage system.