Amazon delivery drivers operating the company’s custom-built Rivian electric vans discovered in June 2026 that a software update had changed how air conditioning works in dangerous summer heat.
The update shuts off the van’s AC after the sliding side door has been open for more than 30 seconds, which in practice happens on every single delivery stop.
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Key Developments
Drivers working in cities where temperatures have exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit describe returning to vans that feel like ovens.
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Amazon says the update was designed to extend climate control by running AC for up to 10 minutes after a driver exits the vehicle.
What Experts Are Saying
But because the 10-minute timer resets to 30 seconds the moment the sliding door stays open, and delivery drivers must keep that door open
while carrying packages, the practical effect is that AC shuts off constantly throughout the delivery day. See also: World Cup 2026 June 18: Mexico,
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South Korea, Canada, Qatar.
The Rivian Electric Delivery Vehicles (EDVs) used by Amazon are fully software-controlled. The June update introduced two climate control behaviors. Read also: Wholesale Inflation Hits 6.5% in May 2026.
First, when a driver exits and closes the door, AC continues running for up to 10 minutes.
Second, when the sliding side door remains open for more than 30 seconds, the system interprets this as the vehicle being unoccupied and shuts off the AC.
According to 404 Media, the second behavior is the problem: delivery drivers making residential stops keep the side door open while they carry packages
to doors, which takes well over 30 seconds for anything other than a quick front-step drop.
Every stop becomes an opportunity for the AC to cut out.
Amazon’s stated rationale is battery conservation. The Rivian EDVs are battery-electric vehicles, and running climate control continuously while stopped drains the battery and reduces range.
A delivery route covering 150 to 200 stops requires careful energy management to complete without running out of charge.
Within days of drivers noticing the change, instructional videos began circulating on driver messaging groups showing how to bypass the sensor.
By inserting a carabiner into the side-door latch, drivers can trick the sensor into registering the door as closed even when it is open, which keeps the AC running continuously.
The workaround is exactly what Amazon’s battery-saving logic was designed to prevent.
A van running AC with the door open all day will use significantly more battery than one that shuts off AC between stops.
Drivers are essentially choosing personal safety over route completion certainty, a trade-off that Amazon’s software designers apparently did not weight the same way.
Carscoops reported that drivers in cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Miami are particularly affected, where June temperatures regularly exceed 105 degrees Fahrenheit and
extended exposure to a hot vehicle interior constitutes a genuine heat illness risk.
Amazon issued a statement saying that “Rivian recently released a software update for Electric Delivery Vehicles that actually extends climate control for drivers” and
that “the AC now runs for up to 10 minutes after a driver exits the vehicle.” The statement does not address the 30-second door-open
shutdown behavior or the driver complaints about heat.
Rivian, which manufactures the vans under an exclusive contract with Amazon, has not issued a separate statement.
Rivian’s arrangement with Amazon means the software specifications for the delivery vans are jointly determined, and it is not clear from public statements whether
the 30-second behavior was a Rivian design decision or an Amazon specification.
Heat illness is the leading cause of weather-related worker death in the United States, according to OSHA.
Delivery drivers are among the most exposed occupational groups, spending extended periods in and out of vehicles in direct sun.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed rules requiring employers to provide cooling breaks and temperature controls for workers in extreme heat, but those rules have not been finalized.
Amazon has faced repeated scrutiny over working conditions for delivery drivers, including documented cases of drivers urinating in bottles due to time pressure and
heat illness incidents during peak summer months.
The AC update controversy arrives in that context, which has amplified the public response beyond what a technical software change would typically generate.
A software update to Amazon’s Rivian Electric Delivery Vehicles shuts off air conditioning when the sliding side door remains open for more than 30
seconds, which Amazon says is a battery conservation measure.
In practice, this shuts off AC during most delivery stops because drivers keep the door open while bringing packages to doors.
Amazon says the update was designed to extend climate control by running AC for 10 minutes after drivers exit, but the door-open shutdown undermines that benefit.
Drivers have shared a workaround on messaging groups: inserting a carabiner into the sliding door latch to trick the sensor into registering the door as closed.
This keeps AC running continuously regardless of the door state, at the cost of increased battery drain that could affect route completion.
Yes, in summer heat. Heat illness is the leading cause of weather-related worker death in the United States according to OSHA.
Delivery drivers in cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Miami work in temperatures exceeding 105 degrees Fahrenheit during June.
Extended exposure to an unventilated vehicle in those conditions constitutes a genuine heat illness risk, which is why the driver community response to the update has been significant.
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