SF Bay Area to Lakeside Montana - Trip Report

[ksumnole]

I made my annual dirt biking pilgrimage up to Lakeside, Montana, but this time to prove my petrol-head friends that EVs are awesome, I used my R1T as the primary hauler.

Distance: 2200 miles round trip
Average miles per kWh: 2
Setup: 20” AT Pirelli Scorpion, R1T Tri-Max, running in conserve mode, standard height.
Cargo: FE501 on the bed, tail gate down

So how many times did you charge?
1 over night charge at the Mount Shasta Rivian destination charger @ $.18/kWh
4x ~25-30min stops: Madras OR, Boardman OR, Ritzville WA, St. Regis MT. ~$.40/kWh
2x <10min stops: Chemult OR., Dunnigan CA.
Total round trip: ~$300 + $13 Elon membership, and $7 Electrify America membership.
[EDIT]
How fast did you drive?
Speed limit, ~55-70mph. +5/10mph on downhills.

Notes on charging:
Take extra few minutes to charge above estimates provided by Frugal Maps and Rivian. These estimates are poor at best, and dangerous at worst when you get into high desert and the temp is cranking about 90F.
Elon chargers are still the fastest, especially in Chemult or Dunnigan, consistently 200+ kWh.
Rivian chargers are fast but expensive, if RJ wants to make the kWh price competitive, even with a membership, I will jump on it.
Next year I’m bringing my Range 22” wheel set for the extra efficiency. I’m curious what difference they will make in 2200 miles.

Bugs:
UI crashed once while switching from bright to dark mode in the evening. I just kept driving, and at some point, it rebooted itself. I was too lazy to stop.

Enhanced Cruise Control:
I wish you could use it on all 2-lane country roads/highways, not just interstates. It actually made the driving experience very comfortable, and cramming long distances was easy.

Overall, the R1T was a joy to drive across the country. The charging stops were not a problem as most of them required either a bathroom break or a food break; in either case, the car was usually ready before I was.

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[Riviot]

Ashley lake?

 

[RivianXpress]

Dang - I average about 1.65 to 1.75 when hauling my Ktm.

 

[ksumnole]

Ashley lake?

Yup

 

[ksumnole]

Also I drove speed limit, 55-70mph.

 

[ksumnole]

Dang - I average about 1.65 to 1.75 when hauling my Ktm.

Which KTM do you haul?

 

[Pacernow]

Thank you for the pictures and sharing.

 

[badbee68]

You ever think about putting the bike on the hitch instead of the bed? Would this effect range more?

 

[BigSkies]

Looks like a great trip! I love the write ups.

My R1T has become my favorite road trip vehicle. Even though the numbers say it’s not the best EV roadtripper, it’s just so fun to drive.

 

[ksumnole]

You ever think about putting the bike on the hitch instead of the bed? Would this effect range more?

I actually have the hitch carrier and I will probably test it out at some point.

 

[jplblue]

Very nice -- thanks for sharing!

 

[CBRacerX]

Thanks for the excellent trip report. Good times.

 

[Calypso]

Nice write up. Definitely agree that charging stops have modest impact on overall time. On our recent 5000 mile trek, we’d hook up to the charger, get the dog out, find a bathroom, have a snack and the truck would be ready to go. We found that the nav estimates of SOC/range at the next stop were very accurate to even conservative. The R1T has become my favorite road trip vehicle.

 

[badbee68]

SO I now its not neccasarly part of this thread but since your a dirt biker I feel you might understand more. I have a standard of truck I want. super hard to get and specially with the color and deals. I really want a dual max, offroad, white interior, and upgraded audio. There is one that is a great deal but it's a large battery. I dirt bike. My day trips are two to three hours away. I can go from the bay to almost all the riding spots on one tank of fuel with my diesel truck. I mostly ride auburn area. I have no problem going there and back and a couple days of driving. I don't care about fuel cost and price to charge this is just for function. Can I give anything up. I feel like at this priced point I should get everything I want. this is all assuming the car can be delivered in 10 days lol.Oww yeah its not replacing my truck its replacing my commute car. I just really like interested in it. I don't mind having to charge on really long trips but be nice not to charge on day trips.

 

[ksumnole]

SO I now its not neccasarly part of this thread but since your a dirt biker I feel you might understand more. I have a standard of truck I want. super hard to get and specially with the color and deals. I really want a dual max, offroad, white interior, and upgraded audio. There is one that is a great deal but it's a large battery. I dirt bike. My day trips are two to three hours away. I can go from the bay to almost all the riding spots on one tank of fuel with my diesel truck. I mostly ride auburn area. I have no problem going there and back and a couple days of driving. I don't care about fuel cost and price to charge this is just for function. Can I give anything up. I feel like at this priced point I should get everything I want. this is all assuming the car can be delivered in 10 days lol.Oww yeah its not replacing my truck its replacing my commute car. I just really like interested in it. I don't mind having to charge on really long trips but be nice not to charge on day trips.

I would say that I was in a similar position. I was looking for a pickup truck to do it all, but for me specifically, I also wanted to be able to do long-distance trips. I also didn't want a third car sitting in the driveway that needed registration and maintenance, so it had to be something that would replace my commuter. It needed to be able to haul crap, tow short distance, and be fast.

For me personally, the Tri-Max covers all the corners. I can take it to work, be comfortable in it, and charge it at work or at home for free. I can take it on short or long-distance trips, and it is very capable off-road. Between San Diego, Mount Shasta, and Truckee, the saturation of chargers makes the truck usability a no-brainer. I was for a very long time looking at a Ford Raptor or Toyota Tacoma Hybrid, but at the end of the day, I wanted to leverage the electricity I generated at home and not pay fuel costs since 98% of my driving is local. I hope that answers your question.

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