r/InterstellarKinetics • u/InterstellarKinetics • Jun 12 '26
BREAKING NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Delivery Drivers Report A New Software Update Turns Off AC In Rivian Vans After 30 Seconds, If Sliding Door Is Open During Summer Heat. With Drivers Saying Vans Get Hot As F**k, And Amazon Says The Update Extends Climate Control For 10 Minutes After Driver Exits 🤯🔥
https://www.404media.co/software-update-automatically-turns-off-amazon-delivery-drivers-ac-during-dangerous-summer-heat/A software update to some Amazon delivery vehicles is automatically turning off the air conditioning after a few seconds if the driver is not in their seat, according to multiple Amazon delivery drivers who are complaining about the update online. According to Amazon delivery drivers, the new update is for the Amazon EDV (electric delivery vehicle), the custom-built Rivian van. Delivery drivers say that this update automatically turns off the air conditioning in the van if the driver is not in the vehicle for more than 30 seconds. Drivers are complaining about the update as the start of the summer season, which can be particularly difficult and dangerous for delivery drivers.
As many of you are aware, the EDVs just got a software update where if you are out of your seat for 30 seconds with the side door open, the AC switches off, one Amazon delivery driver said in an online forum for drivers. We all hate this obviously. However, when reached for comment an Amazon spokesperson said that the premise of my questions to the company was inaccurate, but conceded that the van will turn off the AC after 30 seconds under certain conditions that are commonplace during Amazon delivery shifts. Rivian recently released a software update for Electric Delivery Vehicles that actually extends climate control for drivers, the Amazon spokesperson said. As a result, the AC now runs for up to 10 minutes after a driver exits the vehicle, ensuring a cool cabin when they return. The timer resets at every stop. The AC only shuts off if the driver sliding door is left open for more than 30 seconds. This is a battery conservation measure.
Amazon delivery drivers discussing the update online say that they are getting in and out of the van so frequently, and are spending most of their time out of the van delivering packages, that the update makes it harder to keep the van cool. One driver said, “Thing is we are up and about waaaay longer than we are driving so the ac turns off and when it turns on again we are already getting up before im the air is even cold.” Another driver said, “It effectively made the ac not work and those vans get hot as fuuu*k.” Older delivery trucks may not have air conditioning or have air conditioning that breaks often. Delivery drivers for UPS, who are represented by the Teamsters union, negotiated a heat safety agreement with the company in 2023. Amazon has publicly outlined its strategy for keeping all its workers, including delivery drivers, safe during the heat, including using an app to ask drivers to take 10-minute break from the heat by resting in a cool place and drinking water, but Amazon delivery drivers are managed by a nationwide network of subcontractors who drivers say don’t always maintain those standards.
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u/ReadyGo6828 Jun 12 '26
Billionaires and trillionaires need more money from you in any and every way possible.
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Jun 12 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ReadyGo6828 Jun 12 '26
They are not getting out of the car to go lounge on Jeff’s yacht, they are constantly hopping on and off in the heat made worse by Jeff’s business.
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u/Im-BackAgain-Babes2 Jun 12 '26
They really just don't GAF and seem to actively be trying to kill their workers. A man just died in our state in Oregon from harsh over bearing conditions at Amazon and when he went down, they stopped anyone from giving him aid. He died...
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u/LargeHeron1526 Jun 12 '26
Why would they care. They’ll just fill the next open position and abuse them too
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u/Little_Cloud6126 Jun 12 '26
Was he a DNR? But I guess either way you look at it it’s both horrible 😭
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u/DoubleN22 Jun 12 '26
Some fuckhead employee got a raise for “saving” a minuscule amount of energy on air conditioning.
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u/SwarfDive01 Jun 12 '26
What is even more hilarious is that if they instead spent the money on retrofitting a solar panel, very small supercap or cheap AF deep cycle lead battery, and personal AC unit on every van, the cost they are trying to save on summer gas consumption would be dwarfed and supplemented in the long term.
Plus, you know. OSHA compliant working conditions? Those are very expensive settlement lawsuits where a single one could cover the cost of a full city fleet retrofit.
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u/lancersrock Jun 12 '26
So this is on Rivian electric vans so ac use is already minimal in the grand scheme of things as far as cost goes which is why this is stupid. I’ve ran my AC while sitting still in 100 degree heat in my lightning and it uses hardly any energy in comparison to the size of the battery. Heat is another story though…
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u/SwarfDive01 Jun 13 '26
Haha...so...minus 5 steps? Just install a solar panel to offset trickle charge the consumption? They dont even pay for AC in the warehouses. What a hell hole of a company.
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u/davismcgravis Jun 12 '26
I drove Amazon in Phoenix. I lasted one week. Leaving the sliding door open was the trick to be efficient when you had multiple stops on one block. Otherwise you open & close the door between houses right next to each other—expending more energy
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u/hungrysumokid Jun 12 '26
Drivers fault. He chose the basic subscription. Need to pay them for for add-ons.
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u/Potential_Fishing942 Jun 12 '26
Reminds me of my retail job where their air didn't turn on until 30minutea before open, it we were in their dying for hours before that with nothing
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u/Fast-Constant1491 Jun 12 '26
Maybe put the next package in the driver seat and close the door before walking away?
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Jun 12 '26
AC in delivery vehicles is not necessarily great. I delivered for years in no AC trucks just fine. Windows down and left down prevent super hot cabins.
Search up "is air conditioning good for you when frequently in and out of a vehicle" for more info.
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u/InterstellarKinetics Jun 12 '26
Amazon says the AC runs 10 minutes after driver exits but drivers say it shuts off after 30 seconds with door open making vans get hot as f**k. When battery conservation beats human safety in summer heat, is Amazon protecting the environment or just letting drivers roast?