Rivian “Off Roading” Charging Station Makes the News

[AbleGuy]

For off road hopeful EV owners, this news should be encouraging…and maybe be a start to a helpful treand?

Rivian Has Just Made Electric Off-Roading Easier For Everyone

Rivian has opened its second Charging Outpost with all-EV compatibility, a library, and plenty of fun for the kids. And that's not all.

carbuzz.com

“(Three days ago) EV manufacturer Rivian opened a new Charging Outpost in Southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park.

Amid the diverse wildlife and rugged rock formations, the automaker’s second Charging Outpost will offer snacks, coffee, and a kid’s play area to the park’s more than 3 million annual visitors.

This comes just a few months after Rivian opened its first Charging Outpost location earlier this year in Groveland, California after restoring an abandoned gas station into a charging stop where drivers, their families, and their batteries could recharge before hitting the road once again. And the station isn't exclusive to the R1T Truck and R1S SUV.”

Click link to read more …

 

[casioqv]

I wonder how these actually do off-road...I spent all last week off-roading in and around JT and didn't actually see any of these out there, even though this charging station was full of them.

I feel like there's a lot of potential for EVs off-road but in YouTube videos it seems they haven't yet figured out the software/hardware to make the wheels all turn together at the same speed like a traditional 4x4 with lockers or traction control.

I feel like that isn't a very difficult technical problem, but I wonder if the people engineering these have enough offroad experience to know what properties of the suspension and drivetrain are needed.

 

[carleton]

Not to be nitpicky on the article, but the charging station is IN the town of Joshua Tree....not IN Joshua Tree National Park.

Rivian Charging Outpost · 61142 29 Palms Hwy, Joshua Tree, CA 92252, United States

★★★★★ · General Store

maps.app.goo.gl

Still, looks like a cool concept.

 

[driveby]

There is at least 1 YouTube channel with a guy with a R1T who's done some decently crazy stuff offroad. There was one where he was with a couple lifted Jeeps and kept up just fine. Honestly it comes down to 2 things. 1) Are you willing to take your $100K toy into where it might get damaged? (look how many pretty trucks never see more than a speed bump...) and 2) Driver skill. We've all seen that bone stock Subaru at the end of some knarly trail.....

However perception is better than reality for most people. If Rivian is perceived to be a capable off road truck and you don't have range anxiety because there is a branded charge station nearby, sales will go up. Smart move by Rivian IMHO.

 

[jkam]

The smartest thing Tesla did was to build out it's supercharger network early on.

 

[Ex Animo]

Here is a stock Rivian climbing hells gate. They are plenty capable but like driveby said the folks buying them are generally not the rock crawling crowd. To me they are like the Defender, super capable but a luxury item that sadly see far more malls and soccer practice than trails.

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

" In Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's "Long Way Up" series, Rivian's all-electric R1T pickup trucks were used as support vehicles alongside Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycles. The series documented the duo's 13,000-mile journey across South and Central America."

They used them pretty hard, and I think they were build 1, and 2, or something like that.

 

[Jeremy P.]

I wonder how these actually do off-road...I spent all last week off-roading in and around JT and didn't actually see any of these out there, even though this charging station was full of them.

I feel like there's a lot of potential for EVs off-road but in YouTube videos it seems they haven't yet figured out the software/hardware to make the wheels all turn together at the same speed like a traditional 4x4 with lockers or traction control.

I feel like that isn't a very difficult technical problem, but I wonder if the people engineering these have enough offroad experience to know what properties of the suspension and drivetrain are needed.

I have a dual motor max pack and have been really pleased with how it does offroad; it's just a bit different since if a wheel starts spinning you have to apply more pedal which makes the traction control work more. You can also left foot brake while going over obstacles just like a typical gas 4x4. We had early pricing (20% off) plus federal and Colorado ev tax credits which made it doable for us to purchase it (similar price to a Toyota Sequoia but without the fuel bill!) I've taken it on some mild trails and towed our camper several times, so I'm putting it to use.

The most recent camping trip at the edge of a canyon outside of Moab:


Playing around with how it reacts when a tire gets in the air: