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Rhidan

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Here is the video from the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission approving the MoU with Rivian for L2 charging stations in Colorado State Parks. This was not immediately available last week.

Discussion starts at ~4:30:





Rivian's presentation starts at ~4:40:





I took away a couple nuggets from the hearing. Rivian first approached Colorado P&W seven months ago about installing L2 stations in the state parks. (Makes you wonder what other efforts Rivian has been making that are not yet public.) Rivian also proposed to put a minimum of two L2 stations in each state park. That means we may get more than two waypoints at some of the busier parks.

There was also a substantial period of questions by the Commission, including several questions about the perception of BEVs being toys for the affluent.
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Rhidan

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(Makes you wonder what other efforts Rivian has been making that are not yet public
And specifically, Corey Ershow from Rivian describes The Rivian Parks Program as a proposal to place L2 stations in parks and other outdoor recreation areas before he ever mentions Colorado specifically. Sounds like a pretty clear statement that Rivian is working on other government partnerships to install Waypoint stations beyond Colorado.
 

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Thanks, Rhidan!

It's great to see and hear all that went on behind the scenes to make this happen. It makes me all the more convinced that we're hitching our wagons to the best horse out there. Rivian's commitment, persistence, and patience to making this partnership happen are to be celebrated. FWIW, Corey was part of the driving force in partnering with the City of Salida to help them become the first home to the Rivian Adventure Network. From listening in on some of their conversations, he's developed a nice rapport with Mayor Wood and his Council.

I'm not surprised by your last comment in the attached post. It seems that every time a new technology comes out, it's perceived as being something for the well-to-do, at least initially. That's understandable given the cost that comes with every new technology. It happened with the initial rollout of automobiles, and it happened with refrigerators, telephones, televisions, cell phones, laptops, and now EVs. That the Commission would weigh the public perception carefully against the long-term benefits to the State, its residents, and Mother Earth in general, is to be expected. I'm just glad for all parties that they made the decision they did. It'll be fun to try out your parks' charging stations when visiting your beautiful State.

Thanks again for sharing the link and Info!
 
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Pixelshot

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And specifically, Corey Ershow from Rivian describes The Rivian Parks Program as a proposal to place L2 stations in parks and other outdoor recreation areas before he ever mentions Colorado specifically. Sounds like a pretty clear statement that Rivian is working on other government partnerships to install Waypoint stations beyond Colorado.
Thanks Rhidan - wow, 4:30 in - now that's a deep cut!

Not only is this exciting (I'm already planning my tour of CO state parks) but I think we'll see a lot more of this soon - particularly if there are more federal grants in the future as have been proposed. But, as this is "no cost" to CO, that's even sweeter.
 

Pixelshot

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Thanks, Rhidan!

It's great to see and hear all that went on behind the scenes to make this happen. It makes me all the more convinced that we're hitching our wagons to the best horse out there. Rivian's commitment, persistence, and patience to making this partnership happen are to be celebrated. FWIW, Corey was part of the driving force in partnering with the City of Salida to help them become the first home to the Rivian Adventure Network. From listening in on some of their conversations, he's developed a nice rapport with Mayor Wood and his Council.

I'm not surprised by your last comment in the attached post. It seems that every time a new technology comes out, it's perceived as being something for the well-to-do, at least initially. That's understandable given the cost that comes with every new technology. It happened with the initial rollout of automobiles, and it happened with refrigerators, telephones, televisions, cell phones, laptops, and now EVs. That the Commission would weigh the public perception carefully against the long-term benefits to the State, its residents, and Mother Earth in general, is to be expected. I'm just glad for all parties that they made the decision they did. It'll be fun to try out your parks' charging stations when visiting your beautiful State.

Thanks again for sharing the link and Info!
So, I finally watched through all 45 min of the P&W Commission meeting on the Rivian item. Exciting. Yes, I also noticed the several comments about opportunities for the "affluent." But reminder that that these Waypoint stations are available for any EV, even the VW eGolf I drive, which was under $20k (used). Sure, that's still a lot of gumballs, but it's less than a lot of ICE cars. And, in many ways the "affluent" (or, you might say the "early adopters") who choose to pay more now are helping to bring the cost down later. Or at least that's a side benefit. I wish it were just cheap enough for everyone, but the cost will only come down when the infrastructure is in place and more buyers drive EVs.

The one issue that was NOT discussed that I wanted Rivian or Heather Dugan (CPW) to answer is how they will keep people from ICEing the stalls. Many of the parks I've been to are pretty tight for parking so I can imagine how tempting it will be to take that spot, when there is only one or two left. The answer will probably have to be an enforcement mechanism of some kind (traditionally fine or towing). Also there was no mention of expansion if more stalls are needed.
 

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DuckTruck

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So, I finally watched through all 45 min of the P&W Commission meeting on the Rivian item. Exciting. Yes, I also noticed the several comments about opportunities for the "affluent." But reminder that that these Waypoint stations are available for any EV, even the VW eGolf I drive, which was under $20k (used). Sure, that's still a lot of gumballs, but it's less than a lot of ICE cars. And, in many ways the "affluent" (or, you might say the "early adopters") who choose to pay more now are helping to bring the cost down later. Or at least that's a side benefit. I wish it were just cheap enough for everyone, but the cost will only come down when the infrastructure is in place and more buyers drive EVs.

The one issue that was NOT discussed that I wanted Rivian or Heather Dugan (CPW) to answer is how they will keep people from ICEing the stalls. Many of the parks I've been to are pretty tight for parking so I can imagine how tempting it will be to take that spot, when there is only one or two left. The answer will probably have to be an enforcement mechanism of some kind (traditionally fine or towing). Also there was no mention of expansion if more stalls are needed.
Pixelshot,

Thanks for your insights. I agree with your comments regarding the eventual affordability of BEVs and PHEVs as more become available on the used market. As others here have pointed out, many of smaller units out there have extremely inexpensive leases being offered in addition to much lower sales prices than a few years ago.

You also bring up a good point regarding the failure to at least broach the subject of ICEing. I'd think the CPW already has policy to handle parking violations for disabled spots and other no-parking areas, such as for staff, Law Enforcement, and Emergency vehicles. There should be simple signage/painted outlines, but most importantly, solid enforcement to keep them available for Rivians and other EVs.

Thanks again for taking the time to listen in, but especially for sharing what you took away from the meeting and the process in general. Let's hope the program gets high use and high marks so as to serve as a role model for other States and other use cases, including the private sector.
 

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Update on the charging situation in Salida, CO:

https://www.cpr.org/2021/04/12/how-...ght-in-the-battle-over-electric-car-chargers/

One quotation from the article that I hope gets some traction:
"The strategy has worked for Wood as a business owner. In 2013, he installed a charger just inside Wood’s High Mountain Distillery, a watering hole he owns on the edge of downtown. At the time, Wood said it was the only free, public charger anywhere in central Colorado. Drivers started plugging in daily and buying whole cases of spirits in exchange.

“It was wild,” Wood said. “One of the better marketing things I’ve ever done.” "

And, hmmm. Distillery. Wonder if I should cross post this here:
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...tter-drinks-travel-photos-anything-goes.1290/
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