Rivian Filed a Patent for a Portable Battery Designed To Fit the Accessory Dock
A new patent application Rivian filed in 2020 but only published on December 14 shows that the EV startup has more ambitious plans with the Accessory Dock. The patent is named "Vehicle Cabin Portable Battery," and its name is pretty accurate in describing what Rivian has in mind. If you're wondering why a portable battery needs a patent when Amazon is filled with such devices, some characteristics make it unique.
The most obvious is the shape, which allows it to slide into the Accessory Dock and click into place. Despite its compact size, Rivian claims it could have 100 Ah, although this doesn't tell much without knowing the voltage. The battery has six 120-volt outlets, six USB-C plugs, and electrical contacts to charge from the vehicle's battery and also charge it when it's needed. I'm sure such a small battery will have little effect on the range, but Rivian felt the need to patent it anyway.
A more interesting feature is the integrated light source that can be synchronized with the lights in the cabin. It thus needs to communicate with a spare controller in the vehicle to adjust the brightness, color, or power of the light source to match other lights in the cabin. It can also be synchronized with other portable batteries for the same reason.
The most obvious is the shape, which allows it to slide into the Accessory Dock and click into place. Despite its compact size, Rivian claims it could have 100 Ah, although this doesn't tell much without knowing the voltage. The battery has six 120-volt outlets, six USB-C plugs, and electrical contacts to charge from the vehicle's battery and also charge it when it's needed. I'm sure such a small battery will have little effect on the range, but Rivian felt the need to patent it anyway.
A more interesting feature is the integrated light source that can be synchronized with the lights in the cabin. It thus needs to communicate with a spare controller in the vehicle to adjust the brightness, color, or power of the light source to match other lights in the cabin. It can also be synchronized with other portable batteries for the same reason.
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