All Rivian R1T and R1S models will reportedly get bidirectional charging capabilities in the near future, even those that are already on the road. The new feature will allow a Rivian vehicle to charge another electric vehicle, should it become stranded with a dead battery or even a home, should the power go out.
The capability will be enabled with an upcoming over-the-air update, according to @rivianupdates, a Twitter profile that is not associated with the company. In tweets, though, the account cites a Rivian spokesperson, and quotes them as saying that further details on bidirectional charging will be shared “in the future.”
We have reached out to Rivian for more information on this story and will update it when we hear back.
Read: EV Owners Are Buzzing Over Bi-Directional Charging
Bidirectional charging effectively transforms an EV into a big mobile battery, that can be used to power any number of electronics. While details remain limited on the abilities of Rivian’s two first models, Ford claims that its all-electric F-150 Lightning (which has a smaller battery pack than the R1T) can power an average American home for up to three days.
That could be useful during a power outage, but there could be more uses to it than that. Automakers claim that smart owners (or those in possession of a smart charging system) can use their vehicles to lower their electricity bills.
By using a vehicle to power a home when electricity is the most expensive, and then using the grid to power the vehicle when electricity is cheaper, an owner can effectively spread out their energy usage and avoid using grid power during peak demand, which could potentially help the entire system run more efficiently.
Although that’s a best-case scenario, bidirectional charging has already become very popular in China, with EV owners using their batteries to do everything from keeping the lights on during power outages to powering tools on worksites to even boiling a kettle for tea at work.
Whether any cost is associated with this Rivian update has yet to be made clear.