Chicago Rivian Enthusiasts

Hey all. How many of you form the Chicago area would be interested in our 2025 Silver Lake Sand Dunes trip in Michigan this year? We did it as a group for Buckeye State Rivian Club last year and it was a blast:



We have a campground we used last year with 50amp hookup that we can block off spots. We are nailing down the exact weekend in July but gauging interest if any other groups want to join us. Let me know! Thanks.

I apologize if this is not the appropriate place to post, but I installed the running board and wanted to share some of its features here.

Features

Perfectly Fit: Enhance your Rivian R1T/R1S fully customized running boards. Designed to perfectly fit the Rivian R1T/R1S 2022 and 2023 2024 2025 models, the width of the pedal is 17.5 cm, making it easy for people to step on and off the vehicle.

Durable and Safe: Made from high-carbon steel with an anti-slip design providing additional safety, delivering superior strength and wear resistance compared to conventional running boards. It has minimal impact on ground clearance and reduces the risk of damage when driving over rough terrain.

High-strength bearing capacity: Hansshow Rivian running boards are engineered to provide hassle-free access to your vehicle while maintaining superior strength and stability. With a maximum weight capacity of 400 kg, these steps are designed to securely support you and your passengers.

Easy DIY installation: Installation is straightforward, bolt-on design, and DIY friendly. No extra parts or specialty tools are required. No permanent modifications to the truck frame structure are required

You can use my discount coupon to purchase a standard or power running board here if you are interested. This coupon code offers 25% off. This is a Black Friday deal; it will end on December 1st, after which you will only receive your regular discount. RIVIAN is the discount code. https://www.hautopart.com/collections/rivian-r1t-r1s

Has anyone had paintless dent repair done? I'm looking for recommendations in the Chicagoland area. I was in Northern Michigan over the weekend, and a silly deer jumped out of the woods on the side of the road and smacked into the right side of my R1S. Could have been a lot worse if I'd hit it head on.

Save the date!
Rivian is opening its second spaces location in the Chicagoland area and would like to invite everyone to their Community Housewarming party.

Saturday November 9th from 9-11 am.
4999 Old Orchard Suite M26 Skokie, IL 60077

Official Sign Up Link:
https://events.rivian.com/communityhousewarmingskokie
Hope to see you there!
-Adam

A PSA of sorts ...
Another round of the (underfunded) $4000 Illinois EV rebate program will begin accepting applications in January of 2025. Illinois legislature allocated $14M to fund this round of the program. In this iteration of the program, applications must be postmarked no earlier than January 21, 2025.

Quick math reveals that $14M is enough to fund 3,500 rebates at $4000 each.

In the past, I've posted some details and advice in this old forum thread.

Most important ... if you aspire to receive one of these rebate checks ... there will be an extremely narrow window for mailing your application. Think about it ... eligible purchases will include most new or used electric vehicles purchased from a licensed Illinois dealer (yes, Rivian is a licensed Illinois dealer) during the 90-day period prior to 1/21/25. So probably thousands of applications will get mailed on January 21, 2025. To ensure that your application is one of the first received by the Illinois EPA, I suggest that you drive to Springfield and mail your application at a Springfield post office on January 21st, 2025. I'm totally serious.

Hi. New R1T on the way. Who should I use to install my Rivian EV charger in the garage? Northside 60618 here. Any providers you recommend? got one quote for $4000 which is insane considering the conduit is in place.

Hey all! Just wanted to post some info about an upcoming meetup right at the WI/IL border. This information is also on the Facebook event page (posted below) as well. If you'd like to come, please RSVP on Facebook and let me know if you're bringing your Rivian. I'd love to see a bunch there!

Facebook Event Link: EV SUV & Truck Meetup Facebook Event Link

Where:
The Barrel Room @ Harbor Brewing Co.
136 Cedar Ave. Lake Villa, IL, 60046

When:
Saturday, October 26th
12-4pm

Event Details:

Join us for an afternoon of innovation, creativity, and community at 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺: 𝗘𝗩 𝗦𝗨𝗩 & 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴! This event is a must-attend for electric vehicle enthusiasts who share a passion for the road and a love for innovation. Whether you're an owner, appreciator, or just curious about electric SUVs and trucks, this gathering promises a jolt of excitement and inspiration.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱?
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗲: Have a customized electric SUV or truck that turns heads? Bring it along--we want to see what makes your EV stand out!
𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝘂𝗯: Discover the endless possibilities of EV customization. Meet with industry experts and learn tips and tricks for personalizing your vehicle for style, performance, and sustainability.
𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗘𝗩 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀: Connect with people who share your passion for electric vehicles to share experiences and ideas--and of course, show off your ride!
𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀: Engage with EV customization industry leaders and innovators as they discuss the future of EVs and the exciting potential for customization.
𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 & 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀: Enjoy delicious BBQ cuisine and local craft beer brewed on-site by Harbor Brewing Company!
𝗥𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀: Join us for a chance to win exciting prizes, including EV accessories and exclusive merchandise!
𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 on this opportunity to celebrate and explore the incredible world of electric SUVs and trucks. Charge up your weekend and get inspired with the EV community!
𝗥𝗦𝗩𝗣 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆: 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 “𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴” and add this one-of-a-kind event to your calendar!

We are excited to see you all there!

Can anyone help with this?

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...heel-repair-shop-near-chicago-nw-burbs.32857/

Hey All, Byron Motorsports Park is having their Fall Jeep Crawl again on Sunday Oct 13th.
Its not listed on their website, but I confirmed it via email.
I went last year, pics and details below in this thread.
The easy trail truly takes zero skill. The moderate trail definitely took some more skill to get through. Im told they are going to require 35s for the hard trail, so that counts out our OEM tires.
And the practice mud pit was just good muddy fun.

Plus i got ducked someone by a Jeep, so the people there are cool too.

Here is a link to their website and facebook page. I sure hope im not the only Rivian there this year, hope to see you there!
http://motobyron.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ByronMotosportsPark

Hey fellow adventurers-

I'm making a trip from Chicago to Galena. Seemingly the only real L3 charging along the route is in Rockford (EA site at 7151 Walton). There seem to be a few L2s varying wildly in available capacity scattered around the Galena area and in Elizabeth. I've been combing through plug share and check-ins are mixed at best, trending toward openly awful.

Does anyone here have any "secret gems" along this route and in the Galena area?

Thanks!

Anyone have their Glacier White R1S Quad with 20's and a bike rack parked on Argyle St. over the weekend? I wanted to pull my R1S out of the garage and park next to you but there wasn't room.

Sharing a recent, positive experience with Rivian Service Center in Chicago. Took my R1S in for first time since I got it (Dec 22) for the 7,500 mile tire rotation & multi-point inspection. Also needed to address a rear lamp recall that I had procrastinated getting fixed. Thought while I was there I’d have them adjust a minor misalignment of the rear passenger door and a windshield wiper fluid nozzle that seemed to not be at full strength. The Rivian service experience was superior. I opened the request in the app, which allowed me to include pictures and video of the door misalignment and wiper fluid nozzle issue. Got a call a day or two later to ask me some clarifying questions about what I had submitted. I could tell the person on the phone had actually studied what I submitted and was experienced enough to understand what would likely need to be done. Scheduled my appointment on the app. They had several openings only a week out from when I was looking. I was expecting to have to wait a month. The day before my appointment, they called again just to make sure I’m good to go and answer any questions. In the app, I got an order for my service that I had to e-sign. The tire rotation and multi-point inspection was $160, which I think is much cheaper than expected. The other items that I submitted were done at no charge. Day of appt, I park outside the service center and go into their lounge….very on brand with Rivian and comfortable, welcoming place. A service rep took my key fob and pulled my car into the garage area. He confirmed all the items on the list and said they’d either have or done by end of day or worst case the next morning. They gave me the option of a courtesy rental car (from Enterprise in the Loop) or Uber credits. I chose Uber, and on the spot he sent an Uber voucher to my phone worth $300 that would last 36 hours or so (no restrictions on what type of Uber car you want to use). By mid afternoon, they called and let me know car is ready. Took an Uber back and was met in the lounge by same service rep. He showed me the door that had been adjusted, and for the wiper fluid nozzle, they replaced it with a new, better version. Since my R1S was an early-built and delivered version, they had since started using a better wiper nozzle on the assembly line. They put that on at no charge. Total cost was $160 as expected and stated beforehand. No long list of extra, suggested fixes and charges that I had been so used to for decades from my ICE cars I’ve owned. Next service is at 15,000 miles. So easy, cheap and premium experience.

Rivian newbie here, though I've followed their progress since the building of the Normal plant. I've been waiting for the R2 since then, so I placed a reservation on the reveal day 3/7/24. I will use every once of patience I have, while waiting for it to be produced. It probably won't happen until 2026, but I'm hoping they surprise us with a late 2025 start of production. Hi everybody!

These are the Tesla chargers that will become available to us this month. This will help getting into WI but not much help heading to northern MI. Just FYI. This is the Tesla.com/findus map filtered to just show "Superchargers Open to NACS".

Hi all,

Picked up my Rivian blue R1S last week. First EV ever and it's a keeper!

As expected, the $12M allocated for this year's Illinois EV rebate program didn't last long. Applications had to be postmarked no earlier than 11/1/23. And on 11/13/23 the number of applications surpassed the available funds. People who qualify as "low income" can (and should) still submit their applications up until the end of January.

More details are available here

Hi All, Just joining, I took delivery of my R1S at the Normal location 12/04/2023, and been having a great time. My Aunt went on a tour with me before pickup, which was my second tour, each time staff made us feel special. My Aunt is now going to leave Tesla for Rivian, her Tesla plate is 891 to indicate how long she's had the Tesla. I sold her on Rivian, and glad to hear she may not have to wait as long as I have.
@RexRemus, when down town, there are charge point stations at Northwestern Hospital 250 E. Ontario the parking spots are sized fair, they have 16 spots and may be adding more.

Last week, I scheduled delivery of my R1S at the Chicago Walnut St. location for 11/28. (The only options presented to me for pickup were 11/27 and 11/28.) On 11/25, someone from Rivian shot me a text letting me know there are delays with the transporter, so we pushed the pickup to 11/30. We scrambled over the weekend preparing for the purchase, which included selling one of our other cars. Last night I got a similar text letting me know there are more logistical delays, followed by an email letting me know my pickup has been canceled. They have no ETA on when I will be able to pick up the vehicle. Is anyone else going through similar issues with pickups?

Heyo, Im back with some updates from the Byron off-roading park, I said id post pics if i didn't embarrass myself, which I did not

Recap, for anyone interested-
I was the only Rivian there... I showed up and parked in kneel mode, owner was like, you wont even make it on the easy trail. Went in off-road mode in highest suspension and he's like, ok, yeah that will work

3 trails, easy, moderate, and hard. And a practice area with mud pit, mud rut, and some practice hills. Easy trail goes on the motorcross track, and is pretty easy, kinda wish they would allow us to go faster on it, but better they didn't

Moderate trail was through the woods, some nice steep hills and turns and pretty technical terrain. Gandy (thats my R1Ts nae) handled the pitches and hills flawlessly, but looking back im not sure how i got out of there w/out a scratch. There were several 3,5, & 7pt turns with the long wheelbase on the R1T.

It was suggested I might struggle on the hard trail, so I did not attempt... this time

Pics below are not the best, I apologize or that, but gives you a sense of the mudpit / mud rut practice area, and on the easy motorcross course. No pics on the moderate trail as we were all on the edge of our seats snaking through the woods avoiding body damage and trying to remember to breathe.

As you can see in the last pic, some of the jeeps jumped up the hills and got some airtime. No, I was not so brave

And it did occur to me, after I got home, that i could have turned on the dashcam with the simple push of a button to get much, much better footage.
Next time!

And yes, that sand/clay/whateveritis tan mud was very, very hard to remove. Had to hose it down forever before even going to the carwash. But so worth it!

Fellow Chicagoans...

I have to go downtown for work a few days this week. I'll be at Salesforce Tower (333 Wolf point plaza). Maybe it's still just "new car" apprehension but I kinda don't want to drive or park my Rivian anywhere at all downtown for extended periods... but I don't think I have a lot of options NOT to.

Is there anyone familiar with that area who knows a good place to park that they feel is relatively "safe" and easy to navigate to/into/out-of? I don't care about cost - the company will cover. I just do not want to park on the street, but I also don't trust anyone in a garage either to not smash a door into me.

Anyone have any thoughts? Thanks!!

Good Morning Everyone-

I sent out an email about the new Official Chicagoland Rivian club late last week. It had a lot of information and I plan to send out a condensed version today, so if you didn’t get the email and would like to be added to the list, just let me know. I’d like to get a meet up or an event of some kind scheduled before it gets too cold and snowy. Let me know if you have ideas!

Thanks!!
-Adam

Has anyone noticed the crazy Driver+ behavior when driving north on the Edens, right at the Dempster underpass? No matter which lane I'm in, my R1S veers to the right pretty violently. I've had to take control every single time I've attempted it. I'm wondering if there is some mapping problem, or if the shadows and lane markers just confuse the system.

Took Delivery of my R1S Saturday morning. I had no idea just how much I would really enjoy this vehicle. After just one day driving!!!!I would like to thank @ChicagolandRivianAdam for the chat at soccer practice which gave me the final nudge to finalize my purchase.

Hey All, the Byron Motor Sports Park in Byron, IL (just SW of Rockford) is a motorcross park that has 4x4 days a few times a year. The last one for this year will be this Saturday night and Sunday 10/14-10/15. Overnight camping is available.

On Sunday, registration starts at 8, course opens at 9.

Only vehicle requirements are 34” wheels minimum. If you are new to off-roading as I am, they said there will be trail lead guides, and they have easy, moderate, and advanced courses.



Details on their website and FB page:

http://motobyron.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ByronMotosportsPark



im hopin to show up all those Jeeps with my fancy electric pickup

If I don’t embarrass myself, ill post some pics here later

See you Sunday!

Rivian Amazon Delivery Van
Marques Brownlee posted this great inside look of the Rivian Amazon Delivery vans we’ve all seen driving around Chicago and the surrounding area. For those that don’t know him, he produces great YouTube videos on EVs and technology in general. This one was shot using the new IPhone 15 pro.