--- title: "Rivian Will Use Your EV to Spread the Word About Bad Public Chargers" description: "Thanks to a new update, Rivians will now grade public chargers each time their owners use them, and share those ratings with other customers." date: "2024-04-16" modified: "2024-04-16" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/rivian-will-use-your-ev-to-spread-the-word-about-bad-public-chargers" categories: - "Car Tech" - "Electric Vehicles" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Rivian News" tags: - "Electric Vehicle" - "pickup" - "R1S" - "r1t" - "Rivian" - "suv/crossover" --- # Rivian Will Use Your EV to Spread the Word About Bad Public Chargers ![]() For all of Tesla's shortcomings, one thing it does undeniably well is charging. [Tesla's Supercharger]() network is vast, outstanding to use, and incredibly dependable. Outside of that, electric car charging can be a pain. With charging stations fewer and farther between than Tesla's, and often out of order, charging with other, third-party networks can be a frustrating experience. But [Rivian]() wants to help by using its cars to gather data about every charging station they use, to grade them for customers. Every time a Rivian plugs into a public charging station now, it'll immediately begin sending data back to home base. From there, Rivian analyzes tons of data points, such as charge speed, ease of payment, thermal behavior, and of course, whether the damn thing even works at all. Every charging station is then given a letter grade, from "A" to "F," and that letter grade is updated every time a Rivian uses that charger. “Surprisingly, actually, there’s multiple chargers rated F,” Wassym Bensaid, Rivian’s head of software, told *[The Verge]()*, who tested the new system out in public. “That was one of the ‘a ha’ moments as we went through the data.” ![]() Rivian has been gathering charging data for over a year already, so the system will already provide owners with charging station grades as soon as they pull up their nav screen, looking for one. However, in the future, Rivian will be adding a customer feedback system, in which customers can rate chargers themselves and that data will be combined with its own to hopefully paint an even clearer picture. “Charging should just work,” Bensaid said. “And the more we get happy customers, the more we remove charging anxiety as a barrier for adoption.” This new system is just one of the ways Rivian is trying to make charging easier for customers, along with its new access to [Tesla's Supercharger network](), and hundreds of its own chargers coming in the next year or so. Public charging is by far the most annoying aspect of driving electric vehicles, but systems like Rivian's will go a long way to alleviating much of that frustration. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()