Never expect humanity out of a corporate entity.
this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2026
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I saw a video where a guy just shoved a $1 carabineer into the door latch to defeat this.
EDIT: Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF6VBnUla58
Given how connected these cars are, I bet there's telemetry being collected on the state of that latch and how often the door is actually opened once the vehicle is stopped.
Another option is to put a weight in the driver's seat. But if vehicle is stopped, the door is open, AND there is weight in seat, they'll probably be able to tell. Plus, there are cameras pointed at the drivers.
One way is to have the vehicle turn on the AC remotely, BEFORE the driver enters the van. They have cameras on all sides and can check for that. Or through their phone and proximity sensing. This way, AC is off when nobody is inside, it conserves battery, and makes it still cool when driver steps inside.
“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 — a battery conservation measure.”
So it doesn’t turn off the A/C as long as you shut the sliding door when you get out. I do understand that it’s a hassle to have to close the door after you grab the package at every stop. But you have to close the door anyway before driving. Although I’ve seen many times drivers just keep the door open the entire time they’re driving around a neighborhood with multiple stops.
On the other hand, maybe drivers do that because they are being timed by the second, so not having to close the door saves a second or two every stop.
Yeah, I'm as much for Amazon burning down with Bezos locked inside as anyone else, but this one is actually reasonable.
You want to turn on your AC, close your fucking door, you damn maniac.
I think we all know why they dont close those doors no? Like its completely common knowledge at this point that delivery drivers get monitored down to the second and that if they dont save every bit of time possible they will get their pay cut or fired for not meeting quota. The technical solution to this is just an automatic door or curtain system that doesnt cost time to open/close but still keeps the hot air out. The moral solution is to just outlaw micro management and monitoring of delivery drivers.
I can hear my dad yelling
CLOSE THE GODDAMN DOOR IM NOT PAYING TO COOL THE OUTSIDE
Ah, childhood.
Me running the A/C with the windows down:
Wondering how much the AC could even do if the door is left open. But maybe the hassle is also having to turn it on again every time?
Yeah, I think it’s more energy-intensive to keep turning the A/C on and off again and again, but there’s definitely a point where it’s more wasteful if the door is kept open long enough and it’s more friendly to the battery (and environment) if you turn it off. But it’s a moot point here because as long as the driver is delivering that door will have to be opened again and again and they’ll need the cabin cool either way.
The "turning thing on and off Uses more energy than just leaving it on" thing is largely a myth based on a complete misunderstanding of how most electronics work and a lack of understanding of thermodynamics.
Most electronics (even light bulbs) do have an energy spike at power on but the spike is measured in milliseconds (if that).
Yes but there is an external factor involved here: leaving the door open for extended periods of time. If we’re talking about energy saving for the battery, and you can probably extend that to the environmental effects as well, at some point it’s more cost effective to turn the A/C off. I’m not gonna argue if 30 seconds is that point, people who know more can confirm that.
Now obviously what they are NOT taking into account is driver comfort and the fact they are literally being timed down to the second with their deliveries to the point they leave the door open just to shave off a couple of seconds on each stop.
Yeah I'm...not disagreeing with any of that?
Your AC turns itself off and on repeatedly through it's normal running cycle to prevent frost building up - your fridge and freezer does this as well.
AC units without inverters specifically
Yes, but it does that with the doors generally closed most of the time. An A/C that has to keep turning on and off way more frequently because it gets warmer immediately due to a door being open more than closed is different.
I see plenty of Amazon vans driving around neighborhoods with the side door wide open…
I do this job, so if you left the door open you would get fired, but every DSP is different and some are more lax. Some vans don’t even have cameras in them.
Couldn't they automate the door so it closes on its own?
Next headline: Amazon driver suffocates to death after van door closes on their neck.
A friend of mine delivers for Amazon now and hates it.
Can confirm, they expect so much of drivers. He is constantly told that he isn't fast enough doing over 150 packages every day.
Maybe they should have something like those magnetic self-closing mesh curtains that go in front of open patio doors? Obviously something more solid than mesh - like clear plastic sheets, but it would provide a significant conservation of the cool air while allowing the quick in & out access the drivers need. Similar curtains (more like hanging strips & without the magnetics) are routinely used in the food industry for walk-in refrigeration & freezer units.
The door should be motorized, idk if it is though. When they came out I saw a video on the truck from Doug Demuro and I think when it's put in park the door from the cab to the cargo area automatically opens to save like a second per stop. So the side door could definitely have like a button you press when you get out to shut it while you walk away.
Is this update planned to extend all the way up the food chain to executive offices, rhetorical question of course. We all know the answer.
Wouldn't matter if they're never in there anyway
Amazon probably profited from this bug.
Who said it's a bug? They save money on fuel costs by turning off ac.
I didn't need a reason to continue not giving them money yet here we are...
Nice of the headline to omit rather crucial info for the angry clicketyclicks. It only happens when nobody is in het car for more than 30 seconds AND the side door has to be open.
Like just close the door? That side door being let open is an INSANE waste of energy.
That takes time and you get punished for how long you take.
Like listen people are pissing in bottles because they don't have time for a break, every other little thing is going to get ignored too
Ok that's obviously ridiculous. Still doesn't negate the fact that it's a massive waste of energy.
We're not even talking about closing the door btw, they just have to press the AC button again when they enter the car. That really can't be that big of a deal, let alone dangerous lol. Even fastening your seatbelt takes 5 times longer.
They'd be entering a hot car every time. That's what they're complaining about: The AC is supposed to keep it at a liveable temperature so they can get back, hop in and keep driving without being face fisted by the heated up cabin.
Really can't be that bad if the giant ass side door is open and you're only gone for a very short while each time.
Well, apparently it is, if they're complaining.
It's inconvenient, of course people are complaining. Still doesn't mean it's unreasonable.
I can tell that you’ve never driven for Amazon.
It’s an even larger waste of energy to have to open and close that door hundreds of times a day.
I haven't. I also never will.
Can you explain how?
Your arms only have so much before they give. When you're pressed for time to the degree that you can't even find a bathroom, every second counts.
I mean you dont have to close the door, only press the AC button when you get back in the car, IF you've been gone for more than 30 seconds.
Your arms aren't going to give because you have to press a button lol. It takes not even a fraction of the effort of putting your seatbelt on.
Again; fuck Amazon. But at the same time this isnt unreasonable.
I want to say it's not the feature that sounds insane, but what amazon requires the drivers to do.
I had a friend who applied to them and they gave him a description of out ~1000 deliveries needed a single shift.
Now that's what inhuman and not the auto ac off.
Both are true.
Yeah, package delivery is a physically active and intense job, and even more so when you're stuck doing it for Amazon with their dystopian speed quotas.
Super shitty stuff. Let people have some fucking A/C.
You didn't read the article.
What about putting up one of those curtains of plastic slats like they have in the walk-in coolers of restaurants ? That could help keep the heat in the cab portion while they're opening the door.
Yes, force the behaviour of closing the door while they're away from the truck, for energy savings and for security, and reinforce that with some training and reminders, but the added barrier could keep the coolness in the driver area just a bit better.
Yes, force the behaviour of closing the door while they're away from the truck
...while relaxing the inhuman quota expectations to actually afford them that time
scabs