Rivian Wants To Keep Dogs Safe With New Pet Comfort Mode

It's summer and, for most pet owners, this means taking extra precautions if leaving your pooch in the car - even for brief periods of time. Ideally, pets should never be left alone in a car, but the recent death of a dog that was left in a hot car in Salt Lake City underlines that many owners are still unforgivably negligent in this regard. Modern vehicle technology has made iteasier to protect your pet, though. A few years ago,Tesla introduced a new Dog Modefor cars like the Model X and Model S that keeps animals comfortable if left unattended in a car. Another EV automaker, Rivian, has now introduced its own version called Pet Comfort in response to high demand.

Available for both theR1Tpickup and R1S SUV, Pet Comfort became available following a new software update from Rivian. As long as the vehicle has at least 50 miles of range left, Pet Comfort can be activated and users can set a temperature of between 68 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit that will be maintained while owners are away. The large center display will show a Gear Guard character and a message to let any concerned passersby know that the pets in the vehicle are comfortable. The center screen will also display the cabin temperature.