New to EV's and R2

[Pedro]

Hey folks I am looking to possibly get a rivian R2 as a daily driver.
Some important things to keep in mind, I live in the rust belt so it can be brutally cold and Ill be draining the battery really right quick in the north east cold.
I am to assume I can leave it plugged in overnight and set it on some kind of timer so I can get it nice hot melted and ready while plugged into my house before unhooking and going?

Usually once a month I drive 310 or so miles to a camp sight and to suffer agreed upon group hallucination (LARP). How is the R2 cargo space wise? Long highway trips. If I take this long road trip using mostly highway miles and obviously in the winter ill be blasting defroster and heater. To drive 310 miles and have a comfortable reserve in battery I would need maybe 2 charging stops in the winter?

I was looking at a new 4runner but after dealing with the dealership treating me like a moron I would rather pay the extra 10 grand and get a rivian without a hassle.

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[DaveA]

If you schedule charging a few hours before you leave, your battery and cabin should be nice and toasty and only need to use the heated seats and heated steering wheel for the first part of your drive, I imagine. Climate scheduling should be coming to R2 in an update, but you can always do this manually from the app to get things going.

 

[DeafPug]

For trip planning, https://abetterrouteplanner.com/ is the go to web site for planning trips in EVs. It allows planning for different speeds and outside weather temps and has charging profiles for most/every EV on the market.

You might also be able to do trip planning using the Rivian smartphone app. I can do this for my yet-to-purchased R2, but I have a R1Ton my account already.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Yes on charging overnight. Plus, preconditioning is part of the feature set. And, the R2 has NCMA batteries which are not as susceptible to cold as LFP. There will be impact to SOC, but it shouldn't be as drastic as you might think. Your utility rates are likely lower overnight anyway.

There are existing route planners online and apps for you to investigate routes and charging opportunities. Rivian's charging page (scroll down) on their site has one also . And without being an owner, I think you can also download the Rivian mobile app and explore routes and charging.

Cargo capacity? It's about the size of a Toyota 4Runner and a frunk instead of an engine. Unless you're the kind to use your car as a storage unit on wheels, you shouldn't have problems with cargo space. Rear seats don't fold flat, but close enough.

 

[mkhuffman]

As @DeafPug mentioned, map out your trip using ABRP. I think you will want to stop twice so you can arrive at the campsite charged enough to support your fun there, and make it back to a charger on the trip home. If you can charge at the campsite, you may be able to get there with one stop.

 

[CharonPDX]

I am to assume I can leave it plugged in overnight and set it on some kind of timer so I can get it nice hot melted and ready while plugged into my house before unhooking and going?

Yep, that is one of the great benefits of EVs! Many EV owners firmly believe in "Always Be Charging" - keep your EV plugged in any time it's parked at home.

If you have "time of use" style electricity billing, you can also tell your vehicle to only charge during those time periods. (It will still 'precondition' to get you toasty for your scheduled departure time, even if that's outside the time of use times.)

 

[NCBob]

Hey folks I am looking to possibly get a rivian R2 as a daily driver.
Some important things to keep in mind, I live in the rust belt so it can be brutally cold and Ill be draining the battery really right quick in the north east cold.
I am to assume I can leave it plugged in overnight and set it on some kind of timer so I can get it nice hot melted and ready while plugged into my house before unhooking and going?

Usually once a month I drive 310 or so miles to a camp sight and to suffer agreed upon group hallucination (LARP). How is the R2 cargo space wise? Long highway trips. If I take this long road trip using mostly highway miles and obviously in the winter ill be blasting defroster and heater. To drive 310 miles and have a comfortable reserve in battery I would need maybe 2 charging stops in the winter?

I was looking at a new 4runner but after dealing with the dealership treating me like a moron I would rather pay the extra 10 grand and get a rivian without a hassle.

Take a test drive in an R2. Then go back and test drive the 4runner. I suspect you will have no doubts as to which one you want.

 

[BCondrey]

Check the power facilities at the camp site. It's a major benefit to be able to level-2 (240V) charge at campsites.

 

[HaveBlue]

Even a tt30 connection will provide a healthy charge at a campsite for the r2. Short distance driving in the winter and really hot summer affect range but cost per mile will still be half of a 4runner. Range anxiety isn't really a bit deal anymore. Plenty of charging stations as well as map planning. Interior space is also more roomy despite its outside dimensions.

If you haven't put a deposit a while back, you'll likely have quite a wait.

 

[WoodChips]

Being new to EV's like myself and a fellow Northern state resident, though I'm on the other side of the country, watching some good videos relaxed my hesitant in joining the EV world.

"Technology Connections," on YouTube has some videos you might find entertaining and informative. He lives on Chicago and has owned multiple EV's. Though his channel isn't exclusively for EV's or vehicles he has some really good content on the subject, including cold weather driving.

The R2 whenever my order window opens and I take delivery will be my first EV, in fact it's the only EV I've driven.

 

[VandalSibs]

Though his channel isn't exclusively for EV's or vehicles he has some really good content on the subject, including cold weather driving.

His videos on Christmas lights are wonderfully nerdy and niche.

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