R2 as our only car

[rdevillers]

If you are hesitant, keep both for a bit if you are able to then sell if and when you are comfortable. I might plan on dropping down to just the R2 as well when the time comes.

This is a great idea.

The R2 is a brand new vehicle. It will likely have teething problems that you should be ready for. Sell the Subie in a few months.

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[carsly]

Welcome to EV ownership!

If you have a level 2 charger at home you'll be fine. We've owned our 2025 Rivian R1S for 15 months and nearly 5,000 miles and have taken it on 150 day trips without issue. Oh, and it's never been to a DC fast charger in that time. Wasn't a plan or anything, just haven't had the need.

In 2022 when I joined Team EV with a Polestar 2 I only had Level 1 (110v outlet) in my garage and that was fine for six months until I got around to getting a Level 2 installed. You can safely pull 12 amps at 120v for 1.4 kw/hr so an overnight charge of 10-12 hours nets you about 12-14kw to the battery or 40-50 miles of range on a vehicle like R2.

For your only vehicle, I'd wait a good 6-12 months on R2. All new vehicles have issues let alone a new platform with a new suspension from a still-new automaker who has never made a similarly sized vehicle. Plus if you wait you can get the Gen 3 improvements which, at a minimum, will include the faster custom RAP1 processor, LiDAR and whatever running changes are made as Rivian solves the inevitable QA issues with early builds.

 

[CD1973]

Hi Everyone, as the time to configure an R2 (hopefully) is getting closer, I have a question, and would appreciate honest opinions. My wife and I live in Florida, NE of Jacksonville. We are living quite well with one car (a 2023 Subaru Outback).


Roger

We share a 2014 Subaru Outback 3.6R. If we were to get an R2, we'd likely keep the Outback for a few weeks then eventually sell it or give it to our 22 year old (and sell her 2005 G35). We've shared the car for nearly 6 years, thought remote working and a few Ebikes certainly have helped.

 

[mkg3]

Thanks once again for all your answers. It makes me (and most importantly my Wife!) feel much better about our decision.

R2 is a good choice. Only vehicle is a no.

Any new vehicle, first of its kind, is almost certain to have multiple issues. If you are buying the R2 in mid to late 2027, it probably would be okay, but not an early build.

At least, keep the Outback for awhile and see how It goes.

 

[ENVErider]

Hi Everyone, as the time to configure an R2 (hopefully) is getting closer, I have a question, and would appreciate honest opinions. My wife and I live in Florida, NE of Jacksonville. We are living quite well with one car (a 2023 Subaru Outback).

We would really like to sell the ICE car, and have an R2 when available, but are concerned about having an EV as our only car. The nearest service center is about an hour and a half away, and although we do plan on installing a level 2 charger, there are quite a few Tesla chargers in the area.

Our primary use of our car is daily shopping, and occasional trips to Jacksonville, about 25 miles away, with several long trips per year. Do you feel that the R2 is a good choice for us as our only vehicle, or should we consider keeping the ICE Subaru as well?

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Roger

I don't see an issue on the charging side of the equation with any 300mi range EV if you have L2 charging at home. R2 is supposed to get NCMA batteries. Follow the charging recommendations for that chemistry, setting the charger to 70% (maybe 80% if you need it) for daily charging. Then most days you'll have a mostly full R2 for daily needs. The day before you need to do a long road trip, set it to 100% and get max range, then set it back to 70%, rinse and repeat. If I get by on Level 1 and a 20 mi daily commute, you can get by with L2 at home. I only DCFC a handful of times per month.
The service center distance is a bit more challenging, but Rivian has been great about giving me either a loaner or an Enterprise rental car every single time; SC is 40 minutes away for me here in CA. I doubt that anyone knows for certain if this will be the same for the R2, and you can find some SC horror stories on this or any forum, but overall, most members seemed to have excellent SC experiences, just like all of mine have been. The SC distance is an unavoidable compromise that you get with any new company, true of early Tesla, and today for Rivian, Polstar, Lucid and probably Scout if they ever do release a vehicle.

 

[schwartz83]

Hi Everyone, as the time to configure an R2 (hopefully) is getting closer, I have a question, and would appreciate honest opinions. My wife and I live in Florida, NE of Jacksonville. We are living quite well with one car (a 2023 Subaru Outback).

We would really like to sell the ICE car, and have an R2 when available, but are concerned about having an EV as our only car. The nearest service center is about an hour and a half away, and although we do plan on installing a level 2 charger, there are quite a few Tesla chargers in the area.

Our primary use of our car is daily shopping, and occasional trips to Jacksonville, about 25 miles away, with several long trips per year. Do you feel that the R2 is a good choice for us as our only vehicle, or should we consider keeping the ICE Subaru as well?

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Roger

Hi,

Our R1T is basically our only vehicle. We use it for daily driver and extended road trips. We can charge at home. My only complaint is that I spend a fair amount of time in northern Minnesota where the charging infrastructure is sparse. And the places I stay can't provide even level 1 charging. So I need to sure I arrive with enough charge to get out of the charging desert.

We're planning on switching to the R2.

 

[dleepnw]

If you have patience on long road trips to stop a lot and to stop for extended periods of time, then the R2 shouldnt be a problem from that pov. Since the R2 is an unknown wrt to reliability and serviceability, I would keep an eye on that before you sell the Subaru. Having to do a 3hr round trip for every service appt could get old pretty fast. I don't know where you are on the reservation list but I'd suggest you wait and see how the R2 rollout goes.

 

[skyguyscott]

I bought an R1T last August.

It is my only vehicle.

I charge it once or twice a week at home on a level two charger. I rarely charge it to 100% as it is a max pack with 420 miles of range, and you can extend the life of your battery if you don’t keep it at 100% all the time. Charging to 50 to 80% should meet most of your needs, and you can go to 100% for the longer road trips. I have yet to need to charge at a level three charger.

I live about 80 miles from my nearest service center and it is about an hour and 30 minute drive there. After picking it up there, I’ve only been back twice for a tire rotation, and for them to fix a whistling driver side window otherwise my truck has been flawless, just the luck of the draw, I guess. My service center provided me with a loaner Rivian whilst in the shop, YMMV.

 

[Gasmiser12]

I have had 14 EVs owned since 2/2011 and over 500,000 EV miles driven. Never ever run out of Battery on any trip including multi-state vacations by EV. Nearest Rivian Service center for me is 2 1/2 hours away, but Rivian mobile mechanic service has come to me twice in 2 1/2 years for a small warranty issues.

 

[mkhuffman]

Thanks once again for all your answers. It makes me (and most importantly my Wife!) feel much better about our decision.

Due to the distance from the closest service center, and since you want it to be your only vehicle, I highly recommend you wait for the Gen3 R2 instead of getting one of the first production vehicles.

All manufacturing processes get better over time, and first year production can be much worse than second and third. If you can postpone your purchase for one year, you will have a better chance of a reliable R2.

My service center is 45 miles from my home. It has not been an issue, and my truck has been very reliable. But if you have to make multiple trips there for minor issues, it becomes a pain. Car repairs in general are a PIA, and it just makes it worse when you have to drive for an hour to get there.

If you decide to go with a first production year vehicle, then I would keep the Subaru for a few months until you feel comfortable with using the R2 as your only vehicle. That will give you a chance to see if you are making a lot of service center trips or not.

BTW - BEVs are perfect for local driving. That is where they destroy ICEVs. It is road trips where they are not as convenient.

It is true public charging has gotten better, but IMO it is still a lot more painful than traveling with a ICEV. It is much harder to just go without knowing exactly where you are going to stop to charge on your trip. Picking hotels with charging options is good, when those EVSEs are actually available and working. I never count on hotel charging, but it is amazing when it is available.

I predict the R2 is going to be a stellar vehicle, and you will love it. As long as it is reliable, of course. I love my R1T. Best vehicle I have ever owned.

 

[stanseling]

Hi Everyone, as the time to configure an R2 (hopefully) is getting closer, I have a question, and would appreciate honest opinions. My wife and I live in Florida, NE of Jacksonville. We are living quite well with one car (a 2023 Subaru Outback).

We would really like to sell the ICE car, and have an R2 when available, but are concerned about having an EV as our only car. The nearest service center is about an hour and a half away, and although we do plan on installing a level 2 charger, there are quite a few Tesla chargers in the area.

Our primary use of our car is daily shopping, and occasional trips to Jacksonville, about 25 miles away, with several long trips per year. Do you feel that the R2 is a good choice for us as our only vehicle, or should we consider keeping the ICE Subaru as well?

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Roger

We have had the R1S as our only car for 3 years. We have a level 2 charger and have been 1 hour and now 40 minutes from the service center. So far we have made 3 trips to South Carolina (Two from Ann Arbor MI and one from Minneapolis), 4 between AA and Minneapolis without issues (Tesla access helps greatly). No regrets!

 

[DawgPound]

nope - not outta the gate. give it 1 to 2 years. Rivian has not ramped service. it is highly unlikely that they will produce an error free vehicle to start with. better to wait and see what happens vs getting in deep and only having an uber credit to get you home with your only vehicle in the shop for a week or 2 or longer waiting on parts...

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