Rivian planning dramatic expansion of RAN charging network

[Mos Eisley]

https://www.thedrive.com/news/rivia...teslas-heres-rj-scaringes-plan-to-change-that

In Park City, Utah, Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe in an exclusive interview on The Drivecast said, “our goal is to be one of the largest [charging] networks in the United States.”

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[VegasWeezy]

Unfortunately, he also said in that interview that the large expansion timeline matches up with the opening of the Georgia plant. They will continue to expand until then, but the larger expansion coincides with their 2.0 cabinet which won't be until 2028.

 

[BigSkies]

Important context from the article but not included in the summary above:

"Despite the mass-market, and less expensive, R2 launching right now, Rivian will not accelerate the RAN network’s rollout, according to Scaringe. But there will come a time that will change. "

 

[DCFC]

They are working on a next generation power cabinet. I imagine they are holding off on rapid expansion until the new hardware is available. https://eletric-vehicles.com/rivian...binet-2-0-to-spur-big-inflection-in-charging/

 

[TheMac]

Sorry, but I’ll believe it when I see it! 4 years in and only 1,000 Adventure Charging stations nationwide! A lot of which have only two chargers??? Applaud the intent but sadly don’t have confidence in the execution or it arriving anytime in the near to medium term.

 

[RandomMcRandomFace]

Sorry, but I’ll believe it when I see it! 4 years in and only 1,000 Adventure Charging stations nationwide! A lot of which have only two chargers??? Applaud the intent but sadly don’t have confidence in the execution or it arriving anytime in the near to medium term.

Rivian has RAN (DC) chargers with only two chargers?

 

[TheMac]

My apologies, you’re correct I was getting confused.

 

[SactownD]

They are more expensive than the Tesla ones. There’s really no reason to want to use them except avoiding the shorter Tesla cables.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

My apologies, you’re correct I was getting confused.

Or biased.

They are more expensive than the Tesla ones. There’s really no reason to want to use them except avoiding the shorter Tesla cables.

False.

I still remember the early days clearly, where there was just one or two RANs and none here in CA, where most EVs in the country are. Today, I can choose between two within 18 miles of me. Closer would be nice, of course. But I personally can see and feel the progress. And I appreciate the free charging from referrals.

I also appreciate that Rivian has adjusted their pricing to be on-par or better than other networks. Some in this forum continue to insist it’s more expensive, due to one singular anecdotal experience, and that is no longer true… If they aren’t too lazy or vain to look up prices today; the info is right at their fingertips.

Expecting parity with Tesla in short amount of time, on anything, is just unrealistic from a business standpoint. And four years in auto industry IS short. Economic and business conditions are completely different. Costs are completely different. And Tesla launched their models one at a time. And in car industry 10 years is normal development time per model. Rivian’s timeline is much more compressed. In 4 years it has now launched 4 models and two generations of R1. Consider that plus other things it’s had to spend on. They aren’t profitable not because they suck at managing $. The car business is and has always been CAPEX intensive. And legacy OEMs don't have to spend any money on building dealerships or gas stations. Those are all operated by outside parties.

You don’t have to be an expert to quickly realize why there aren’t more RANs today. BTW, each DCFC post costs 30-40k. Next time you are at a RAN (or any DCFC) tally up the cost in hardware, plus lease on real estate, plus construction costs and permits. Then, imagine yourself starting and building out a network from coast to coast (never mind cost of developing multiple cars on top of that). The figure is astronomical for regular people.

None of these are excuses for Rivian. They are facts.

 

[SANZC02]

Sorry, but I’ll believe it when I see it! 4 years in and only 1,000 Adventure Charging stations nationwide! A lot of which have only two chargers??? Applaud the intent but sadly don’t have confidence in the execution or it arriving anytime in the near to medium term.

Curious, what RAN sites have only 2 chargers? I’ve never run across one in my travels around the country. Most of the ones I've seen are 6 stalls.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Curious, what RAN sites have only 2 chargers? I’ve never run across one in my travels around the country. Most of the ones I've seen are 6 stalls.

Yeah. Really. Which one is it? https://rivianroamer.com/charging/networks/rivian-adventure-network. For those biased on pricing, link also show price ranges for each network and location.

EVgo or EA, there are definitely sites where there are only two plugs and not always 150 kW or more.

 

[VandalSibs]

They are more expensive than the Tesla ones. There’s really no reason to want to use them except avoiding the shorter Tesla cables.

Not always. The Rivian charger in Ellensburg, WA is cheaper than the two Tesla stations in town.

 

[Zorg]

Or just biased. I still remember the early days clearly, where there was just one or two RANs and none here in CA, where most EVs in the country are. Today, I can choose between two within 18 miles of me. Closer would be nice, of course. But I personally can see and feel the progress. And I appreciate the free charging from referrals.

I

Actually, I believe that while the very first RAN was in CO but the next ones were in CA (Inyokern, Truckee, Sacramento from memory). Not that it matters.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Actually, I believe that while the very first RAN was in CO but the next ones were in CA (Inyokern, Truckee, Sacramento from memory). Not that it matters.

You're right. But the point is just 4 years ago there were fewer than very few RANs that I, and most Rivian owners, could use on a regular basis. And there are probably more EVs in SoCal than anywhere else in the country. And I personally have not been able to try one until the Orange, CA one became operational, 2~3 months ago, and close enough to me. Irvine RAN became operational last week and is slightly closer and is the closest one (so far and open to public) to Rivian HQ. Over 1000 plugs in four years during high inflation and high CAPEX... that is no small feat.

 

[Zorg]

You're right. But the point is just 4 years ago there were fewer than very few RANs that I, and most Rivian owners, could use on a regular basis. And there are probably more EVs in SoCal than anywhere else in the country. And I personally have not been able to try one until the Orange, CA one became operational, 2~3 months ago, and close enough to me. Irvine RAN became operational last week and is slightly closer and is the closest one (so far and open to public) to Rivian HQ. Over 1000 plugs in four years during high inflation and high CAPEX... that is no small feat.

No doubt. I am not sure why Rivian believes it needs more fast chargers. Between Tesla, Ionna and Walmart, seems like the US will be blanketed with DCFC in next few years. Compared to 2017 when we got our Tesla, it's night and day for EVs.

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