Road trip from central California to Colorado.

[Joules Burn]

The RAN in Truckee CA is great with a “high end” coffee shop and bakery next door. (The focaccia is to die for.)

There is a Tesla V3 SC in Fernley, NV but that is the last reliable charger until Salt Lake City. Flakey EA chargers and L2 at hotels are your only option. I have done this many times and it can be a challenge. The Lovelock EA is the most reliable. Winnemucca is hard to park. Elko 350's are a joke. West Wendover is a crap shoot for connectivity - it took five different connections before I could start a charge.

(Note to: Tesla, Rivian. PLEASE fix Nevada! More RAN and Tesla V3/V4!!! EA REALLY doesn’t give a crap and there is no or little alternative! The Nevada charging desert is an EV roadblock for future sales!)

The Tesla SC in Provo was in the middle of three hotels and worked flawlessly.

The RAN in Grand Rapids and Montrose are flawless. (The “Looney Bean” coffee shop in Montrose could almost be a foodie destination.)


We did the Lost Dollar Road to Telluride - enough bouncy to satisfy the off-roader. The fall color was not up to our previous experiences but it was a fun trek into Telluride.

Kebler Pass to Chested Buttes was an easy gravel road but provided decent color and the town is a worthwhile destination.

The ChargePoint in Crested Buttes would not activate but the ChargePoint In Gunnison worked fine.

On the way back, a quick turn off on I80 westbound through the salt flats of Utah (pay attention - no offramp) will get you to “The Tree of Utah”. A giant sculpture by Karl Momen. Well worth the roadside distraction.

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[Bippie]

Thank you for the report and the photos. I recently completed an Illinois to Colorado trip in my R1S. Mostly used Tesla chargers, but did use RANs in Columbia MO and in Hayes KS in both directions. My RAN experiences were also flawless. I did feel sorry for non-Rivians that approached the Rivian chargers but were unable to use them. In both directions, I was the only Rivian at these charging locations.

In Columbia MO, the RAN is in the Target parking lot so used their facilities and in-store Starbucks while charging. The RAN in Hayes KS is in the Old Chicago restaurant parking lot an immediately next door to a Avid Hotel. On the way out, stayed overnight at the hotel so easily charged to 100% in about an hour. On the way back, enjoyed a good salad for lunch at Old Chicago while charging.

I had to use an EA charger in Flagler CO. While charging, I peeked over a nearby fence and saw a row of wrapped RANs. There was a Rivian charging sign (not wrapped) that gave away their identity. So soon there should be a RAN stop in eastern Colorado. They are in the parking lot of the I-70 Diner.

Other than a random software reboot that occurred pre-sunrise, I encountered no issues with the Rivian on this trip. The reboot was truly frightening since my screens went blank when driving on I-70. The vehicle remained fully operational and the screens returned to the same displays when the reboot completed. Glad to have found in these forums that this was a known issue. Rivian roadside assistance only wanted to open a service ticket but did not seem to know about the random reboots. No further issues after the reboot finished and my blood pressure returned to normal.

I was a bit apprehensive about the trip but in the end, I'm glad I drove my R1S. The unexpected surprise was watching the charge level increase during downhill segments of the drive. I should have realized this would happen with regenerative braking, but I'm from the flat Midwest and had not experienced this. I was also pleasantly surprised that the R1S retained the cruising speed both going uphill and downhill. I'm used to ICE vehicles that often exceed the cruising speed when going downhill, requiring the use of brakes now and then. The Rivian just maintained a steady speed.

 

[emoore]

Good to hear another charging option for eastern Colorado. That I 70 diner EA station can be an issue sometimes.

 

[Bippie]

Good to hear another charging option for eastern Colorado. That I 70 diner EA station can be an issue sometimes.

In both directions, I was lucky and the EA station worked although it was the most expensive charging of the trip. Plugshare did state that the first charger - the one with the Chademo option - was out of service so I used the second one.

 

[budm0318]

So true! A trip across Nevada, whether on I-80 or US-50, is a challenge for any non-Tesla EV. I recently drove my R1S from the Bay Area to southern Utah using both routes. Next time, I’ll take the long way around and avoid northern and central Nevada altogether.

 

[Joules Burn]

So true! A trip across Nevada, whether on I-80 or US-50, is a challenge for any non-Tesla EV. I recently drove my R1S from the Bay Area to southern Utah using both routes. Next time, I’ll take the long way around and avoid northern and central Nevada altogether.

If RAN and/or Tesla did Winnemucca, Wendover, Austin, and Ely the western travel could begin without stress. Get off your collective butts marketing people! EA really doesn't care and Shell is a marketing joke.

 

[COdogman]

I am going to petition Crested Butte change their name to Chested Buttes. You hit a home run with that one. The merchandising opportunities will be off the charts.

 

[iamnid]

Very nice photos!

 

[opnwide]

I am going to petition Crested Butte change their name to Chested Buttes. You hit a home run with that one. The merchandising opportunities will be off the charts.

Do you also frequent “Twin Peaks”?

 

[Joules Burn]

I am going to petition Crested Butte change their name to Chested Buttes. You hit a home run with that one. The merchandising opportunities will be off the charts.

Good catch! I have often found that spellcheck is not my friend.

 

[COdogman]

Good catch! I have often found that spellcheck is not my friend.

As the great Bob Ross used to say, it was a ‘happy accident’ that made me laugh. You got some great pics of one of the best places in CO without a doubt.

 

[Robin]

The RAN in Truckee CA is great with a “high end” coffee shop and bakery next door. (The focaccia is to die for.)

There is a Tesla V3 SC in Fernley, NV but that is the last reliable charger until Salt Lake City. Flakey EA chargers and L2 at hotels are your only option. I have done this many times and it can be a challenge. The Lovelock EA is the most reliable. Winnemucca is hard to park. Elko 350's are a joke. West Wendover is a crap shoot for connectivity - it took five different connections before I could start a charge.

(Note to: Tesla, Rivian. PLEASE fix Nevada! More RAN and Tesla V3/V4!!! EA REALLY doesn’t give a crap and there is no or little alternative! The Nevada charging desert is an EV roadblock for future sales!)

The Tesla SC in Provo was in the middle of three hotels and worked flawlessly.

The RAN in Grand Rapids and Montrose are flawless. (The “Looney Bean” coffee shop in Montrose could almost be a foodie destination.)


We did the Lost Dollar Road to Telluride - enough bouncy to satisfy the off-roader. The fall color was not up to our previous experiences but it was a fun trek into Telluride.

Kebler Pass to Chested Buttes was an easy gravel road but provided decent color and the town is a worthwhile destination.

The ChargePoint in Crested Buttes would not activate but the ChargePoint In Gunnison worked fine.

On the way back, a quick turn off on I80 westbound through the salt flats of Utah (pay attention - no offramp) will get you to “The Tree of Utah”. A giant sculpture by Karl Momen. Well worth the roadside distraction.

\

Looked liked an awesome trip..?

 

[DeafPug]

I had to use an EA charger in Flagler CO. While charging, I peeked over a nearby fence and saw a row of wrapped RANs. There was a Rivian charging sign (not wrapped) that gave away their identity. So soon there should be a RAN stop in eastern Colorado. They are in the parking lot of the I-70 Diner.

On my recent I-70 trip in the R1T, I used the ChargePoint in Burlington, CO to skip the EA unit in Flagler, CO. I had seen a couple reports that it was a little flaky, so did the charging stops on the W/E legs with intention of skipping it.

I was also going to mention the upcoming RAN there in Flagler, but you saw that. Trips to the Denver area next year should be able to use the RAN site in Flagler at the I-70 Diner, keeping charging on just the Rivian and Tesla networks. I am hoping for a reliable site to get installed right along the Interstate in Salina to avoid having to almost fully charge in Hays or Russell to make it to Wichita.

Edit: also looking forward to the NEVI-funded sites in southern KS along US-400 spaced nicely from CO to MO to avoid the longer route along I-70 when traveling to southern CO... Trips to the north half of CO would still use I-70 after the US-400 route opens up, but always nice using the more leisurely/direct southern route...

 

[BigSkies]

Thanks for sharing! It sounds like a great trip.

I’ve done Denver to Southern CA without issue. I appreciate the report on I-80, as I’ll be traveling Denver to the Bay Area over the holidays. ABRP is telling me it’s roughly break-even to go through Vegas. I might prioritize that route after hearing about I-80.

 

[CarGuyCarl]

Last Dollar is a nice stress free trail. If you're in the area again, check out Ophir pass too. Should be no trouble for the R1 as well.

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