- The Rivian R2 SUV will be powered by a new type of battery that can export electricity.
- The R2’s new Energy Management Control Module will allow bidirectional charging.
- The battery itself will use a new type of cylindrical cell, which offers six times the energy of the 2170 cell used in the R1S and R1T.
The Rivian R2, which will have a starting price of $45,000, will be able to power an entire house, thanks to a newly designed Energy Management Control Module that enables vehicle-to-home (V2H) functionality.
With V2H, an electric vehicle can send power to the main electrical panel of a house through its charge port, effectively acting as a huge battery storage unit on wheels. This can help keep the lights on during a power outage, but it can also help homeowners lower their electricity bills by using the R2’s battery as an energy buffer–charging it when electricity rates are low and exporting power from it when electricity is more expensive.
According to Rivian, the new Energy Management Control Module is a large electronic assembly that bundles several functions into a single package located at the rear of the battery pack. Among the features included in this control module is a bidirectional charger, which can draw electricity from the grid, which is alternating current (AC), and transform it into direct current (DC) for the high-voltage battery. It can also do the opposite, transforming DC to AC to power an entire house.
“We believe this innovation has the potential to unlock gigawatt-hours of energy storage from Rivian vehicles, creating a cost-effective power storage solution for our customers,” the company said in its third-quarter shareholder letter. In the U.S., the R2 will have a Tesla-style NACS charge port, but as the EV startup is looking to expand its global footprint, the electric SUV could also be sold with a CCS2 port for European markets.
Having vehicle-to-home is just one of the perks of driving an EV, but it’s worth noting that additional hardware is needed. Ford and General Motors offer hardware bundles that cost several thousand dollars, and even Rivian said it would start selling a new bidirectional charger that will enable R1S and R1T owners to make the most of their cars’ huge batteries.
While Ford and GM have been installing their vehicle-to-home kits for a while now, Rivian’s bidirectional charger has been missing in action for over a year.
That may finally change next year, when the R2 is scheduled to go into production at the startup’s factory in Normal, Illinois. Powering the more affordable electric SUV will be a new type of battery that uses LG-sourced 4695 cells, which offer six times the energy capacity of the 2170 cells found in the R1S and R1T. While Rivian is aiming for a 300-mile driving range for the R2, the company has yet to reveal what energy capacities will be available.
At first, the 4695 cells will be manufactured outside the United States, but starting in 2027, Rivian expects all R2 cells to be made stateside at a new factory in Arizona.
