R1T ski trip with family from San Francisco CA to Bend OR

[zsherry]

Documenting my trip from SF Bay Area, California to the Mt. Bachelor ski area in Bend, Oregon. First road trip with family of 4.

Going into this trip with a roughly 1.5 year old R1T with 15k miles. Updated tires for snow to the Bridgestone Blizzak and carrying ski/snowboard gear on the rack on the bed. Starting both ends of trip with 100% charge.

Also going in with several known issues I am waiting on repairs later this month:
-dead 12v battery - jumped this myself and everything was working.
-rear gate latch not recognizing being closed.
-rattling front suspension.

None were serious enough to stop the trip.

We averaged roughly 1.7 miles per kWh for the trip. I attribute this to the less efficient snow tires, colder temperatures, and hill climbs.

On the way north we stopped 4 times to charge though could have easily made it with 3. The last stop was near our destination and I did not know what the charging situation would be at the rental so wanted to top off as we would be heading out early to the mountain the next day.

Starting in Marin County CA at just after 8:30am we had our first stop at a Tesla supercharger in Red Bluff, CA. 187 miles and showed up with 21%. Charged up to 70% and headed on. The tab on that charge was nearly $50. Ouch.


80.8940 kWh added in 33 min 17 sec
$47.73 total

I decided to stick with Rivian chargers the rest of the way.

Next stop was Mt. Shasta where we didn’t need to stop but did and charged as far as it would go while we ate lunch. 91 miles - roughly 1.5 miles per kWh.


84.7520 kWh added in 1hr 2 min 57 sec
99.77kW DC max rate
$31.36 total

Next was Kalamath falls which was mostly just a top off before getting on the 97 which can be known to get very icy and accident prone.


31.6543 kWh added in 13 min 24 sec
220.44kW DC max rate
$13.93 total

Final stop was in Crescent which was not needed but wanted to top off.


57.7541 kWh added in 22 min 32 sec
219.24kW DC max rate
$20.79 total

Arrival in Sunriver, OR at just after 5pm with roughly 65% charge. Total time 8 hours 45 minutes 483 miles

It is a 50 mile round trip from where we stayed to Mt. Bachelor and it was storming every day. The truck handled like a champ on the roads and was super fun to drive. I tried all purpose, snow, and rally modes. All handled well. The clearance helped on the snowy days getting in and out of the parking lot with more than a foot of fresh snow.

I also had to figure out a 220 charging solution at our rental and managed to plug into the dryer 30A outlet and was able to get 7kwh to top off overnight while there. Saved runs to bend to spend big $ at Tesla SC! This was a bit complicated as the Rivian supplied 220 plug is for RV setups not home dryer receptacles. Happy to share my setup if anyone is interested.


During our stay I experienced several new issues.
-doors other than driver door not unlocking and handles not deploying. Locking and unlocking from the app reset this.
-odd behavior with tailgate, the latch previously stopped registering it being closed but it would now show in the dash as broken and would not open unless I restarted the vehicle.
-key FOB stopped working. Fresh battery and showing 100% in the dashboard. Nothing. Dead.

I spoke to Rivian about these issues and they setup a mobile appointment very quickly to come to me as this could be related to the dead 12v battery issues that is supposed to be fixed later this month at the service center.

On the way back we left at 6am and targeted a first stop at Kalamath to take advantage of the better energy rates in Oregon before crossing back into CA. The blizzaks were an asset on the 97 as a storm was rolling in and ice and snow were abundant. No traction issues whatsoever and saw several cars off the road.

We targeted 3 stops total:

1. Kalamath falls, OR - 123 miles. Roughly 1.6 miles per kWh.

55.5526 kWh added in 26 min 11 sec
220.44kW DC max rate
$24.44 total

2. Cottonwood, CA -157 miles. Roughly 1.75 m/kwh.

84.2560 kWh added in 29 min 43 sec
$50.55 total

3. Dunnigan, CA - 110 miles. Roughly 1.8 m/kwh

67.2660 kWh added in 25 min 40 sec
$39.69 total

Marin County (home) at 3:15 pm - 87 miles with 35% charge remaining.

Total trip time 9 hours 15 minutes. hit traffic getting back to the Bay Area which slowed us down.

Overall impressions.
-not any more cost efficient than driving a gas SUV.
-nervous about locking/access issues (hoping this gets sorted at the service center)
-driving was effortless at highway speeds and use of lane assist on I5 was awesome.
-handled snow and ice way better than anything I’ve ever driven.
-plenty of storage for all the ski stuff.
-a little cramped for 4 of us (2 adults and 2 mid to late teen boys)

Sponsored

 

[R1TandMe]

Nice write up.

 

[SteveInBend]

Glad you had a good trip. Thanks for the write-up. Now that all the riff-raff have left I can go skiing again!

Just kidding/not kidding.

 

[Seano]

Thanks for the write up. I know many here are fine roadtripping, but snow tires variable weather and climbing passes in winter all present additional challenges. Hearing how others knocked out these trips gives me more confidence.

These trucks with true snow tires are an absolute dream in the lousy conditions - I'll happily give up efficiency for that kind of grip!

 

[Singletracker]

I’ve got Blizzaks on my R1T A/T and agree that the snow traction is awesome. However, I have noticed very little to no reduction in efficiency with them. And, from a road noise perspective, they are a breath of fresh, being much, much quieter than the stock Pirellis. Maybe weather and speed/aerodynamics are the efficiency culprits on your Bend trip.

As for the costs of charging while road tripping, even if it does approach the cost of gasoline, we are still waaaay ahead of the game, if charging at home.

 

[cardad]

Documenting my trip from SF Bay Area, California to the Mt. Bachelor ski area in Bend, Oregon. First road trip with family of 4.

Going into this trip with a roughly 1.5 year old R1T with 15k miles. Updated tires for snow to the Bridgestone Blizzak and carrying ski/snowboard gear on the rack on the bed. Starting both ends of trip with 100% charge.

Also going in with several known issues I am waiting on repairs later this month:
-dead 12v battery - jumped this myself and everything was working.
-rear gate latch not recognizing being closed.
-rattling front suspension.

None were serious enough to stop the trip.

We averaged roughly 1.7 miles per kWh for the trip. I attribute this to the less efficient snow tires, colder temperatures, and hill climbs.

On the way north we stopped 4 times to charge though could have easily made it with 3. The last stop was near our destination and I did not know what the charging situation would be at the rental so wanted to top off as we would be heading out early to the mountain the next day.

Starting in Marin County CA at just after 8:30am we had our first stop at a Tesla supercharger in Red Bluff, CA. 187 miles and showed up with 21%. Charged up to 70% and headed on. The tab on that charge was nearly $50. Ouch.


80.8940 kWh added in 33 min 17 sec
$47.73 total

I decided to stick with Rivian chargers the rest of the way.

Next stop was Mt. Shasta where we didn’t need to stop but did and charged as far as it would go while we ate lunch. 91 miles - roughly 1.5 miles per kWh.


84.7520 kWh added in 1hr 2 min 57 sec
99.77kW DC max rate
$31.36 total

Next was Kalamath falls which was mostly just a top off before getting on the 97 which can be known to get very icy and accident prone.


31.6543 kWh added in 13 min 24 sec
220.44kW DC max rate
$13.93 total

Final stop was in Crescent which was not needed but wanted to top off.


57.7541 kWh added in 22 min 32 sec
219.24kW DC max rate
$20.79 total

Arrival in Sunriver, OR at just after 5pm with roughly 65% charge. Total time 8 hours 45 minutes 483 miles

It is a 50 mile round trip from where we stayed to Mt. Bachelor and it was storming every day. The truck handled like a champ on the roads and was super fun to drive. I tried all purpose, snow, and rally modes. All handled well. The clearance helped on the snowy days getting in and out of the parking lot with more than a foot of fresh snow.

I also had to figure out a 220 charging solution at our rental and managed to plug into the dryer 30A outlet and was able to get 7kwh to top off overnight while there. Saved runs to bend to spend big $ at Tesla SC! This was a bit complicated as the Rivian supplied 220 plug is for RV setups not home dryer receptacles. Happy to share my setup if anyone is interested.


During our stay I experienced several new issues.
-doors other than driver door not unlocking and handles not deploying. Locking and unlocking from the app reset this.
-odd behavior with tailgate, the latch previously stopped registering it being closed but it would now show in the dash as broken and would not open unless I restarted the vehicle.
-key FOB stopped working. Fresh battery and showing 100% in the dashboard. Nothing. Dead.

I spoke to Rivian about these issues and they setup a mobile appointment very quickly to come to me as this could be related to the dead 12v battery issues that is supposed to be fixed later this month at the service center.

On the way back we left at 6am and targeted a first stop at Kalamath to take advantage of the better energy rates in Oregon before crossing back into CA. The blizzaks were an asset on the 97 as a storm was rolling in and ice and snow were abundant. No traction issues whatsoever and saw several cars off the road.

We targeted 3 stops total:

1. Kalamath falls, OR - 123 miles. Roughly 1.6 miles per kWh.

55.5526 kWh added in 26 min 11 sec
220.44kW DC max rate
$24.44 total

2. Cottonwood, CA -157 miles. Roughly 1.75 m/kwh.

84.2560 kWh added in 29 min 43 sec
$50.55 total

3. Dunnigan, CA - 110 miles. Roughly 1.8 m/kwh

67.2660 kWh added in 25 min 40 sec
$39.69 total

Marin County (home) at 3:15 pm - 87 miles with 35% charge remaining.

Total trip time 9 hours 15 minutes. hit traffic getting back to the Bay Area which slowed us down.

Overall impressions.
-not any more cost efficient than driving a gas SUV.
-nervous about locking/access issues (hoping this gets sorted at the service center)
-driving was effortless at highway speeds and use of lane assist on I5 was awesome.
-handled snow and ice way better than anything I’ve ever driven.
-plenty of storage for all the ski stuff.
-a little cramped for 4 of us (2 adults and 2 mid to late teen boys)

FYI:
1) It’s “Klamath”
2) if you join Tesla’s membership charge rates are substantially lower.
3) The R1T is cramped. I have a Cybertruck and it is not that great in the back but still far better than the T. I have 3 kids and a dog in the back so the T was very challenging for the one kid with a dog at her feet and for the 50 lb dog sandwiched between the seats. Having a longer bed is also very nice for skis.
4) Blizzaks are great but they’re overkill for your vehicle. I lived in Bend for 4 years (and Chicago before that) without snow tires and frequently drove up and down the mountain and through raging blizzards to Portland (on balding tires). Sensible driving makes all of the difference. The Rivian with AT or siped AS tires will be totally fine in virtually every winter nightmare. I’ve been through them all and the trade offs are not worth it unless you have RWD/FWD.
5) gas SUVs with 850+ hp get 10 mpg at best so if you’re comparing costs you need to use the comparable numbers. I’ve done the math and EVs are still cheaper even with very conservative estimations. Even a gas vehicle (likely lifted) with 500 hp is getting 12 mpg max.
6) you can save yourself a massive amount of time by optimizing your route “offline”. This usually works best if you know the efficiency beforehand. Given that Bend is not terribly high and 97 isn’t the interstate your numbers were mediocre (likely due to tire choice). I frequently drive long distances with 4K+ elevation gain and average 1.9+ mi/kwh and 2.1 overall in winter.
7) if you didn’t ask the Airbnb owner or prop manager about banditing the dryer plug you definitely should not do that. That’s a huge liability for yourself if you burn down the house (or yourself or the town). Also, properties that cater to EV drivers (I have a few) already have chargers in place. Sorry to say this but this is the kind of stuff that stresses property owners out as you could cause serious damage doing technically incorrect things that you may not fully understand if you’re getting bad info off forums and FB. Let’s just say don’t charge off dryer plugs period at home or anywhere else. Usually your charger has a “fuse” (not exactly sure how it works) and will get fried first but if it doesn’t you might very well start a fire if the breakers are old and don’t trip. I have 2 60 A outlets in a 2022 house and because I didn’t directly supervise the electricians that installed it they used the wrong wire (aluminum) and a lighter gauge than I would feel comfortable with due to the long run to the panel so this setup makes me a bit nervous. Unless you know exactly what’s going on in someone’s house don’t assume that it’s safe.
8) I used to make this drive all the time to Sacramento. Don’t let your snow tires make you overconfident. I’ve supervised or driven over 800k miles in winter. It’s never just the tires. ?

 

[PowerBugs]

Documenting my trip from SF Bay Area, California to the Mt. Bachelor ski area in Bend, Oregon. First road trip with family of 4.

Going into this trip with a roughly 1.5 year old R1T with 15k miles. Updated tires for snow to the Bridgestone Blizzak and carrying ski/snowboard gear on the rack on the bed. Starting both ends of trip with 100% charge.

Also going in with several known issues I am waiting on repairs later this month:
-dead 12v battery - jumped this myself and everything was working.
-rear gate latch not recognizing being closed.
-rattling front suspension.

None were serious enough to stop the trip.

We averaged roughly 1.7 miles per kWh for the trip. I attribute this to the less efficient snow tires, colder temperatures, and hill climbs.

On the way north we stopped 4 times to charge though could have easily made it with 3. The last stop was near our destination and I did not know what the charging situation would be at the rental so wanted to top off as we would be heading out early to the mountain the next day.

Starting in Marin County CA at just after 8:30am we had our first stop at a Tesla supercharger in Red Bluff, CA. 187 miles and showed up with 21%. Charged up to 70% and headed on. The tab on that charge was nearly $50. Ouch.


80.8940 kWh added in 33 min 17 sec
$47.73 total

I decided to stick with Rivian chargers the rest of the way.

Next stop was Mt. Shasta where we didn’t need to stop but did and charged as far as it would go while we ate lunch. 91 miles - roughly 1.5 miles per kWh.


84.7520 kWh added in 1hr 2 min 57 sec
99.77kW DC max rate
$31.36 total

Next was Kalamath falls which was mostly just a top off before getting on the 97 which can be known to get very icy and accident prone.


31.6543 kWh added in 13 min 24 sec
220.44kW DC max rate
$13.93 total

Final stop was in Crescent which was not needed but wanted to top off.


57.7541 kWh added in 22 min 32 sec
219.24kW DC max rate
$20.79 total

Arrival in Sunriver, OR at just after 5pm with roughly 65% charge. Total time 8 hours 45 minutes 483 miles

It is a 50 mile round trip from where we stayed to Mt. Bachelor and it was storming every day. The truck handled like a champ on the roads and was super fun to drive. I tried all purpose, snow, and rally modes. All handled well. The clearance helped on the snowy days getting in and out of the parking lot with more than a foot of fresh snow.

I also had to figure out a 220 charging solution at our rental and managed to plug into the dryer 30A outlet and was able to get 7kwh to top off overnight while there. Saved runs to bend to spend big $ at Tesla SC! This was a bit complicated as the Rivian supplied 220 plug is for RV setups not home dryer receptacles. Happy to share my setup if anyone is interested.


During our stay I experienced several new issues.
-doors other than driver door not unlocking and handles not deploying. Locking and unlocking from the app reset this.
-odd behavior with tailgate, the latch previously stopped registering it being closed but it would now show in the dash as broken and would not open unless I restarted the vehicle.
-key FOB stopped working. Fresh battery and showing 100% in the dashboard. Nothing. Dead.

I spoke to Rivian about these issues and they setup a mobile appointment very quickly to come to me as this could be related to the dead 12v battery issues that is supposed to be fixed later this month at the service center.

On the way back we left at 6am and targeted a first stop at Kalamath to take advantage of the better energy rates in Oregon before crossing back into CA. The blizzaks were an asset on the 97 as a storm was rolling in and ice and snow were abundant. No traction issues whatsoever and saw several cars off the road.

We targeted 3 stops total:

1. Kalamath falls, OR - 123 miles. Roughly 1.6 miles per kWh.

55.5526 kWh added in 26 min 11 sec
220.44kW DC max rate
$24.44 total

2. Cottonwood, CA -157 miles. Roughly 1.75 m/kwh.

84.2560 kWh added in 29 min 43 sec
$50.55 total

3. Dunnigan, CA - 110 miles. Roughly 1.8 m/kwh

67.2660 kWh added in 25 min 40 sec
$39.69 total

Marin County (home) at 3:15 pm - 87 miles with 35% charge remaining.

Total trip time 9 hours 15 minutes. hit traffic getting back to the Bay Area which slowed us down.

Overall impressions.
-not any more cost efficient than driving a gas SUV.
-nervous about locking/access issues (hoping this gets sorted at the service center)
-driving was effortless at highway speeds and use of lane assist on I5 was awesome.
-handled snow and ice way better than anything I’ve ever driven.
-plenty of storage for all the ski stuff.
-a little cramped for 4 of us (2 adults and 2 mid to late teen boys)

Thanks for the informative trip report. Glad to hear the positives and that you made it back safely despite the issues that came up.
On long road trips, I’m beginning to realize that when it comes to cost and convenience, ICE vs Electric might be getting on par since the cost of charging is getting bigger now than a year or two ago. Plus, you don’t have to wait around when refueling than charging although you can plan your stops and do other “stuff” while charging but if time is of the essence then ICE definitely is the choice.
If on this trip you only have a 3peak A/T tire, and not a snow tire, how doable could it be?
I’m shopping for new tires and have one trip coming up in February to the mountains and a set of snow tires for just one trip might be excessive.

 

[jsro]

Documenting my trip from SF Bay Area, California to the Mt. Bachelor ski area in Bend, Oregon. First road trip with family of 4.

Going into this trip with a roughly 1.5 year old R1T with 15k miles. Updated tires for snow to the Bridgestone Blizzak and carrying ski/snowboard gear on the rack on the bed. Starting both ends of trip with 100% charge.

Also going in with several known issues I am waiting on repairs later this month:
-dead 12v battery - jumped this myself and everything was working.
-rear gate latch not recognizing being closed.
-rattling front suspension.

None were serious enough to stop the trip.

We averaged roughly 1.7 miles per kWh for the trip. I attribute this to the less efficient snow tires, colder temperatures, and hill climbs.

On the way north we stopped 4 times to charge though could have easily made it with 3. The last stop was near our destination and I did not know what the charging situation would be at the rental so wanted to top off as we would be heading out early to the mountain the next day.

Starting in Marin County CA at just after 8:30am we had our first stop at a Tesla supercharger in Red Bluff, CA. 187 miles and showed up with 21%. Charged up to 70% and headed on. The tab on that charge was nearly $50. Ouch.


80.8940 kWh added in 33 min 17 sec
$47.73 total

I decided to stick with Rivian chargers the rest of the way.

Next stop was Mt. Shasta where we didn’t need to stop but did and charged as far as it would go while we ate lunch. 91 miles - roughly 1.5 miles per kWh.


84.7520 kWh added in 1hr 2 min 57 sec
99.77kW DC max rate
$31.36 total

Next was Kalamath falls which was mostly just a top off before getting on the 97 which can be known to get very icy and accident prone.


31.6543 kWh added in 13 min 24 sec
220.44kW DC max rate
$13.93 total

Final stop was in Crescent which was not needed but wanted to top off.


57.7541 kWh added in 22 min 32 sec
219.24kW DC max rate
$20.79 total

Arrival in Sunriver, OR at just after 5pm with roughly 65% charge. Total time 8 hours 45 minutes 483 miles

It is a 50 mile round trip from where we stayed to Mt. Bachelor and it was storming every day. The truck handled like a champ on the roads and was super fun to drive. I tried all purpose, snow, and rally modes. All handled well. The clearance helped on the snowy days getting in and out of the parking lot with more than a foot of fresh snow.

I also had to figure out a 220 charging solution at our rental and managed to plug into the dryer 30A outlet and was able to get 7kwh to top off overnight while there. Saved runs to bend to spend big $ at Tesla SC! This was a bit complicated as the Rivian supplied 220 plug is for RV setups not home dryer receptacles. Happy to share my setup if anyone is interested.


During our stay I experienced several new issues.
-doors other than driver door not unlocking and handles not deploying. Locking and unlocking from the app reset this.
-odd behavior with tailgate, the latch previously stopped registering it being closed but it would now show in the dash as broken and would not open unless I restarted the vehicle.
-key FOB stopped working. Fresh battery and showing 100% in the dashboard. Nothing. Dead.

I spoke to Rivian about these issues and they setup a mobile appointment very quickly to come to me as this could be related to the dead 12v battery issues that is supposed to be fixed later this month at the service center.

On the way back we left at 6am and targeted a first stop at Kalamath to take advantage of the better energy rates in Oregon before crossing back into CA. The blizzaks were an asset on the 97 as a storm was rolling in and ice and snow were abundant. No traction issues whatsoever and saw several cars off the road.

We targeted 3 stops total:

1. Kalamath falls, OR - 123 miles. Roughly 1.6 miles per kWh.

55.5526 kWh added in 26 min 11 sec
220.44kW DC max rate
$24.44 total

2. Cottonwood, CA -157 miles. Roughly 1.75 m/kwh.

84.2560 kWh added in 29 min 43 sec
$50.55 total

3. Dunnigan, CA - 110 miles. Roughly 1.8 m/kwh

67.2660 kWh added in 25 min 40 sec
$39.69 total

Marin County (home) at 3:15 pm - 87 miles with 35% charge remaining.

Total trip time 9 hours 15 minutes. hit traffic getting back to the Bay Area which slowed us down.

Overall impressions.
-not any more cost efficient than driving a gas SUV.
-nervous about locking/access issues (hoping this gets sorted at the service center)
-driving was effortless at highway speeds and use of lane assist on I5 was awesome.
-handled snow and ice way better than anything I’ve ever driven.
-plenty of storage for all the ski stuff.
-a little cramped for 4 of us (2 adults and 2 mid to late teen boys)

Ha. We were in Sunriver with our R1S at the same time! Some stormy ski days, but some amazing powder days too!!! Would you mind sharing your dyer set up for our next trip? Thank you.

 

[Riviot]

nervous about locking/access issues (hoping this gets sorted at the service center)

Did you try cycling the "unlock driver only" setting? After updates, I've noticed random settings get flipped and you have to cycle them to fix.

 

[Tejkalra]

Documenting my trip from SF Bay Area, California to the Mt. Bachelor ski area in Bend, Oregon. First road trip with family of 4.

Going into this trip with a roughly 1.5 year old R1T with 15k miles. Updated tires for snow to the Bridgestone Blizzak and carrying ski/snowboard gear on the rack on the bed. Starting both ends of trip with 100% charge.

Also going in with several known issues I am waiting on repairs later this month:
-dead 12v battery - jumped this myself and everything was working.
-rear gate latch not recognizing being closed.
-rattling front suspension.

None were serious enough to stop the trip.

We averaged roughly 1.7 miles per kWh for the trip. I attribute this to the less efficient snow tires, colder temperatures, and hill climbs.

On the way north we stopped 4 times to charge though could have easily made it with 3. The last stop was near our destination and I did not know what the charging situation would be at the rental so wanted to top off as we would be heading out early to the mountain the next day.

Starting in Marin County CA at just after 8:30am we had our first stop at a Tesla supercharger in Red Bluff, CA. 187 miles and showed up with 21%. Charged up to 70% and headed on. The tab on that charge was nearly $50. Ouch.


80.8940 kWh added in 33 min 17 sec
$47.73 total

I decided to stick with Rivian chargers the rest of the way.

Next stop was Mt. Shasta where we didn’t need to stop but did and charged as far as it would go while we ate lunch. 91 miles - roughly 1.5 miles per kWh.


84.7520 kWh added in 1hr 2 min 57 sec
99.77kW DC max rate
$31.36 total

Next was Kalamath falls which was mostly just a top off before getting on the 97 which can be known to get very icy and accident prone.


31.6543 kWh added in 13 min 24 sec
220.44kW DC max rate
$13.93 total

Final stop was in Crescent which was not needed but wanted to top off.


57.7541 kWh added in 22 min 32 sec
219.24kW DC max rate
$20.79 total

Arrival in Sunriver, OR at just after 5pm with roughly 65% charge. Total time 8 hours 45 minutes 483 miles

It is a 50 mile round trip from where we stayed to Mt. Bachelor and it was storming every day. The truck handled like a champ on the roads and was super fun to drive. I tried all purpose, snow, and rally modes. All handled well. The clearance helped on the snowy days getting in and out of the parking lot with more than a foot of fresh snow.

I also had to figure out a 220 charging solution at our rental and managed to plug into the dryer 30A outlet and was able to get 7kwh to top off overnight while there. Saved runs to bend to spend big $ at Tesla SC! This was a bit complicated as the Rivian supplied 220 plug is for RV setups not home dryer receptacles. Happy to share my setup if anyone is interested.


During our stay I experienced several new issues.
-doors other than driver door not unlocking and handles not deploying. Locking and unlocking from the app reset this.
-odd behavior with tailgate, the latch previously stopped registering it being closed but it would now show in the dash as broken and would not open unless I restarted the vehicle.
-key FOB stopped working. Fresh battery and showing 100% in the dashboard. Nothing. Dead.

I spoke to Rivian about these issues and they setup a mobile appointment very quickly to come to me as this could be related to the dead 12v battery issues that is supposed to be fixed later this month at the service center.

On the way back we left at 6am and targeted a first stop at Kalamath to take advantage of the better energy rates in Oregon before crossing back into CA. The blizzaks were an asset on the 97 as a storm was rolling in and ice and snow were abundant. No traction issues whatsoever and saw several cars off the road.

We targeted 3 stops total:

1. Kalamath falls, OR - 123 miles. Roughly 1.6 miles per kWh.

55.5526 kWh added in 26 min 11 sec
220.44kW DC max rate
$24.44 total

2. Cottonwood, CA -157 miles. Roughly 1.75 m/kwh.

84.2560 kWh added in 29 min 43 sec
$50.55 total

3. Dunnigan, CA - 110 miles. Roughly 1.8 m/kwh

67.2660 kWh added in 25 min 40 sec
$39.69 total

Marin County (home) at 3:15 pm - 87 miles with 35% charge remaining.

Total trip time 9 hours 15 minutes. hit traffic getting back to the Bay Area which slowed us down.

Overall impressions.
-not any more cost efficient than driving a gas SUV.
-nervous about locking/access issues (hoping this gets sorted at the service center)
-driving was effortless at highway speeds and use of lane assist on I5 was awesome.
-handled snow and ice way better than anything I’ve ever driven.
-plenty of storage for all the ski stuff.
-a little cramped for 4 of us (2 adults and 2 mid to late teen boys)

Kindly update when you get all your issues resolved. Just wanted to see how bad was everything. And how many parts they replaced. Remeber we all are still in warranty (almost all except few may be). Want to see what happens if all this issues happen after warranty period expires. How much is the cost.

 

[CBRacerX]

Thanks for the informative trip report. I'd say you are brave to make this trip with a jumped 12v battery!

I'm working on repurposing a 30A Generator feed cable to use with 3 prong Dryer outlets - would appreciate seeing how you handled this.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

Kindly update when you get all your issues resolved. Just wanted to see how bad was everything. And how many parts they replaced. Remeber we all are still in warranty (almost all except few may be). Want to see what happens if all this issues happen after warranty period expires. How much is the cost.

It’s going to be expensive. If you have had warranty work done, you have received an invoice with costs, but no charge. I’m thinking these are being sent out pretty conspicuously so that, when out of warranty work is $$$$, folks had notice of sorts.

 

[ThirteenElectrics]

I also have the latch issue, but so far the tailgate has stayed shut.

I recently suffered a bricked R1T due to a 12V battery failure. With mine, there was no warning, only a dead car, and jumping did not fix it.

This is my biggest problem with using the Rivian as an "adventure vehicle"--if it spontaneously bricks on you on an "adventure," you are in serious trouble. I couldn't even get the doors to open. Imagine if I was in the snowy backcountry, hours from anywhere. It's zero degrees out, night is falling, it's snowing heavily, I'm out of cell phone range on a lonely forest road, and I can't get back into my car. If I can't send an SOS via satellite from my iPhone, I might freeze to death (depending on how bad the weather gets)! Even if I can send an SOS, help may take a long time to arrive.

ICE models at least offer a backup key you can use to open the doors in case of 12V battery failure. Not Rivian!

 

[zsherry]

Seriously! Monday 12/30 was the busiest day in Bachelor history.

Thanks for the informative trip report. I'd say you are brave to make this trip with a jumped 12v battery!

I'm working on repurposing a 30A Generator feed cable to use with 3 prong Dryer outlets - would appreciate seeing how you handled this.

I carry a jumper with me and am pretty confident I can get things running if there was another failure. 5th electric car here so almost expect 12v issues at this point. Also need to be confident I can fix things when in remote areas.

Yes. Same approach I took. You’ll need an adapter from the Rivian 50A RV style plug to the 30A generator/dryer cable. Also consider that many newer construction houses will have a grounded 4 prong 30A receptacle which will require another adapter. Both can be purchased on Amazon. (Links below)

It’s worth noting that the 30A generator extension cable is rated for only up to 30 amps at 240v which limits you to drawing roughly 7kw. (30A*240V=7200w) this is slightly less than you would get on a typical home charger but it does the job of topping things off overnight just fine.

The truck seemed to know this was the case (I’m not sure how) and limited the speed to 7kw. If you want to be super safe you can manually bring this down to 5 or 6kw in the charging screen. Minimally check this as this is a lot of power and last thing you want is a fire.

If for whatever reason you create this cable adapter from Home Depot parts be sure to use the 2 hot wires (black and red) and the neutral (white) do not run neutral over the ground wire (green).

links to what I used:

https://a.co/d/3JeDKFd
https://a.co/d/dxaweVA
https://a.co/d/4dkhe5z


Make sure these use real pure copper (not aluminum) and don’t go more than 30’ as resistance (and subsequent heat) are proportional to length (oversimplified).

In no way am I recommending this or indicating that this is an approved way to charge. Use at your own risk!

Sponsored