New Software: Camp Mode

Level up your R1 camping experience

By Rivian

August 30^th, 2022

Our latest software update offers a range of new features to make camping in your R1T and R1S even more comfortable and convenient, including the ability to level the vehicle when it’s parked on uneven or sloped terrain.

To access the new Camp mode, tap the ‘More’ icon in the lower right corner of the Center Display and look for the tent icon. Once selected, you’ll see a range of settings designed to enhance your camping experience.

Camp leveling uses the air suspension, our own special algorithms and multiple sensors embedded around the vehicle to determine precisely how much adjusting needs to happen at each corner of the truck or SUV to make a level surface. Leveling can take anywhere from 20 seconds to a few minutes depending on the unevenness of the terrain. The vehicle will let you know it’s done with a short, plucky chime.

Camp mode is one of many new standalone apps we’ll be adding to the R1T and R1S via software updates. These updates bring new capabilities, apps and features to our vehicles, but also include refinements to existing ones. As Camp mode demonstrates, our custom hardware and software platforms give us the unique ability to quickly address customer feedback and enhance both your driving (and non-driving) experience over the lifetime of the vehicle.

Here's what you need to know about Camp mode.

What it does:

In addition to leveling the R1T and R1S on uneven ground, Camp mode also lets you optimize the vehicles’ energy use while parked, set timers for the charging ports and outlets, turn off the interior displays, turn on a special Camp courtesy mode, and light up your campsite with flood lights in the side mirrors.

What it does to the vehicle:

As described above, camp leveling makes a set of custom adjustments at each wheel of the vehicle in order to provide a flat and even surface for sleeping, cooking or simply relaxing.

In addition to your truck or SUV’s normal energy setting, Camp mode introduces two more: ‘Stay off’ and ‘Stay on.’ The latter keeps the vehicle fully awake so you can use climate control, play music, and use other features while inside. ‘Stay off’ turns off all the outlets, Gear Guard video and most other features, including the Center display.

For those instances when you may be camping close to others and want to minimize potential disturbances, ‘Camp courtesy’ turns off all exterior lights, sounds, and proximity locking. Once it’s engaged, climate controls will also run at a quieter level.

When to use it:

We designed these features with the camping experience in mind, but they may be useful in a number of different situations. For instance, camp leveling doesn’t just make sleeping in or on your R1 more comfortable and convenient. It’s also great for any activity that might require an even surface, such as food preparation or cooking.

When it comes to optimizing your vehicle’s energy use while camping, there are now a few options. If you want a more hotel-like car camping experience inside your Rivian, the ‘Stay on’ option is your best bet. This gives you full access to all the comfort and convenience features inside the vehicle, including climate controls, music and Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities. If you plan on sleeping inside your R1, but still want access to these comfort features, you can also choose to toggle off all the interior displays. Finally, for those situations where you want to use your R1T or R1S more like a storage locker, the ‘Stay off’ setting will help preserve the battery and eliminate some of the default lighting and chimes that turn on every time you open the door.

Surprise! Your R1 now has flood lights. These lights are located on the front of each side view mirror and can be controlled individually. They also work with the mirrors folded in. That means if you’re parked parallel to your campsite, you can choose to fold in the mirrors and illuminate the side of your campground without having to point your R1 directly at it.

When not to use it:

Most of the settings and controls in Camp mode are only useable when your R1 is parked, including the flood lights. There are some additional software limitations we built in for safety reasons, too. If your R1T or R1S is parked on a particularly steep incline or decline, camp leveling may not be available. In these cases, the vehicle will ask you to move to another location and try again. Camp leveling also won’t start while you’re charging your vehicle or if the Gear Tunnel doors or tailgate is open. If you need to charge at a campground, we recommend leveling the vehicle first. We also recommend resetting your ride height before you start driving again. If you don’t press the ‘Reset Ride Height’ button after leveling and begin to drive, the speed of your R1T and R1S will be limited until it has a chance to return to a normal suspension ride height.