Another First EV Roadtrip Post / Oregon to SoCal

[donaldbyrd]

Hi everyone,
We used our R1S for a proper roadtrip for the first time and I wanted to share some thoughts. They’re probably similar to trip reports already shared here, but this is the first time we roadtripped in an EV, with our first EV, so hopefully helpful to someone… even the mistakes.

Again, these are our thoughts based on our experience. Your mileage/opinions/thoughts may vary.

Background:
This is our annual spring break road trip from Portland, OR to Orange County, CA. Late March. 2 adults and 2 teens (well, one preteen). We did this trip last year in my wife’s ‘22 Volvo V60 CC and, besides a bit of anxiety with heavy snow near Mt. Shasta, it was an easy trip. A fun trip, actually. 2 days. An overnight stop in the Bay Area. 2-3 gas stops each day.
Coincidentally, we started and completed the digital purchase process for the R1S during last year's drive. Until then, I was ready to cancel. With the delay and the expenses it prompted (including buying the Volvo), I felt burnt by Rivian. I just hadn't cancelled the reservation, yet. On our way out of town, were alerted that "our" R1S was onsite at the Portland service center, and then my wife and kids starting watching YouTube reviews in the car. They made the call. After a year, I’m glad we did.

This year, we took the R1S. Here are our thoughts:

Thought 1: The right mindset.
The first thing we learned is that before departing, we needed to have the right mindset for this type of travel experience. We both have stressful jobs and hadn't really given ourselves time to prepare ourselves for the differences.
A first-time EV roadtrip experience requires a bit more chill and patience because it takes longer because there are more stops. We just wanted to pack up and head out. We assumed just getting out on the road would be enough shed the stress. If it were in our ICE car, it would have because we're so used to it. This required a far more open mind.
While the first leg was a lot of "again?" and "why is the batter ALWAYS preparing for a charge", the second leg of the trip saw our patience and mindset steadily improve to more appropriate levels.
On the way back, with less stress and more clear expectations, we had a much better experience.
Maybe next time we give ourselves a day or two to chill out … maybe dedicate that time to packing and treat is as a hard disconnect from work... and future models will have more range.

Thought 2: High speed charging availability.
Taking charging frequency out of the equation, we were pleasantly surprised by the experience. The onboard route planner did a good job of mapping out functional routes. It didn’t take long for us to start to adjust it as we went due the fact that:

1. It tends to bias toward RAN, which made sense, but many of them aren’t in areas where we liked the food options. Easy problem to solve, though. See '3'.
2. On a couple of occasions where we went with the RAN recommendation, we got there only to find a long line of Rivian’s already there. I think it was an anomaly though, and perhaps it was a caravan of Rivians that was traveling together that we were unlucky to end up behind… Like being next in line at Starbucks only to realize that the person in front of you is ordering for a bagillion people. Jokes aside, we would have been there for a few hours, which leads me to…
3. Fortunately, there were generally other high speed charging options within a few minutes of the site that had a stalls available. Contrary to comments I’ve heard about EA, we had very positive experiences and soon began to use the nav to see generally where we needed to stop and then use the EA app to look up their chargers in the same areas for actual availability (the Rivian nav didn’t provide availability data… only whether or not a charger of a certain speed was in the vicinity). It didn’t always work, but enough to prompt us to try each time we needed to start prepping. There was always something.

Stating the obvious here, but it should be even easier once the Tesla adaptor arrives. There sites were never full.

Thought 3: It was more expensive than the same trip in our ICE car.
Perhaps with the larger capacity battery now available it may have been cheaper, but with our version (‘22 R1S Adventure Pack, Quad motor) and our desired charging range (20-80%), the frequency yielded more cost, yadda yadda yadda… as many have already snarked, I mean posted, you don’t get into this for cost savings… and I have a lead foot, and the topology was far from flat in OR and NorCal. It was what it was.

Thought 4: Such a comfortable ride.
It was such a nice place to be. Plush, solid and a demon when you need it. I love driving, and despite its size and being in conserve mode, I STILL enjoyed the heck out of driving it. Whoever there is to thank for that, “Thank you”. Truly.
The kids enjoyed it, too. My son owned the second row, using one folded seat as a mid compartment table, and my daughter owned the back row and did teenagery things.
The perfect amount of space without anyone being cramped and, two words: Power. outlets. Again, “Thank you”.

Thought 5: Would we do this again?
The short answer is … no.
The less short answer is … no, not this particular trip, and not this particular EV. It’s not worth it to us to do it again with an EV or this size, capacity and range. The time it adds takes too much away from time at our destination, grandma and grandpa’s house. I might feel differently if our R1S had more range/capacity.
However, we’ll continue taking it on:

1. Shorter trips; trips that we can complete in a day and don't feel pressed for time, including all stops.
2. Trips where the purpose of the roadtrip is the roadtrip, especially if we have the time to actually take our time, and
3. Trips to places where a typical family car can’t go.

A lot up there. If it’s helpful, cool. If not, thanks for reading anyway.

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[Christo]

Fascinating! Did you map out any of your destinations in advance? Which applications were helpful during your journey? I’d recommend using ABRP for trip planning and PlugShare for locating charging stations. We usually opt for accommodations or visit spots that provide complimentary charging, such as Airbnb, hotels, or parks. Additionally, some charging services have subscription plans that offer discounts, which can lower the total expense. We’re planning to embark on that journey later in May, so we’re eager to see how it unfolds. Our vehicle is the R1S with a quad motor and 20-inch wheels

 

[donaldbyrd]

Our vehicles are the same build, down to the 20in wheels.

Yes, we did map out the trip in advance using the onboard nav, which automatically builds in charging stops. I was under the impression that Rivian had already purchased ABRP and its tech was already integrated. I could be wrong. It was still helpful, but as a guide, not as the complete solution.

We built the trip incorporating the hotels where we usually stay; one in SF on the way down, and one in Redding on the way back. The latter had overnight charging which was great.

Using the onboard nav recommended route as a baseline, we then started to look in the general vicinities around the places it recommended to see if 1) there was anything we wanted to eat there, and 2) if so, what other charging options there were close to them. That became a normal part of our routine.

If there was nothing we wanted to eat in those locations, we just pulled out google maps and searched nearby. Once we found a destination, we then edited our route in the nav to see it had a recommendation nearby. It would show different sites, number of chargers and speed, but we'd then consult those company's apps to see what was actually available. We'd then edit our route toward that charging site.

The experience of it all was fine. I think there's a limit to the amount of data these companies allow Rivian to show. It just means a few more steps toward certainty for us.

In terms of apps, we used:
* electrify america
* ev go
* ev cs
* BP pulse (Rivian's nav didn't show these, we just happen to see them and ended up using one because it was available)

Our "go-to" became electrify america.

Fascinating! Did you map out any of your destinations in advance? Which applications were helpful during your journey? I’d recommend using ABRP for trip planning and PlugShare for locating charging stations. We usually opt for accommodations or visit spots that provide complimentary charging, such as Airbnb, hotels, or parks. Additionally, some charging services have subscription plans that offer discounts, which can lower the total expense. We’re planning to embark on that journey later in May, so we’re eager to see how it unfolds. Our vehicle is the R1S with a quad motor and 20-inch wheels

 

[CharonPDX]

Quad 20" is the worst config for efficiency. You're comparing a full size performance SUV with off-road tires to a station wagon with presumably road tires.

Longer range road tripping in an EV takes some getting used to. One thing is in ICE vehicles, it's far more common to "drive to near empty, then fill up to completely full." That is the *LEAST* time-efficient way to handle an EV.

Taking I-5 down may be the "fastest road speed" but if it's a vacation, I'd recommend taking the scenic route. either the coast or the Eastern route down US-97. Both have good charging, and the slower speeds will cause you to be more efficient than lead-foot-I-5. But if you really want to get the most out of charging, keep your battery low. Plan your charge stops. Aim for charge stops close to the freeway that have amenities (food/bathrooms) as often as possible. Plan to arrive to the next possible charger as close to 10% as possible. When you get there, charge up to just enough to get to the next one at 10%.

EVs have 'charge curves' - the charge fastest when close to empty. Imagine blowing up a balloon - when you start, there is little resistance to expanding, but as it gets closer to full, it takes a lot more effort to add a little more air. This is how EV batteries charge. You want to spend as little time as possible charging the battery beyond 60%, and on road trips you basically never want to charge past 80%. (The exact % can vary from EV model to model, those are generally good numbers for Rivian.)

Yes, additional stops have more "not spent charging" time (time to drive to the station, plug in, unplug when done, drive back to the highway,) but that's even where the non-interstate routes shine, too. Most of the charge stops are a dozen or so feet from the main road, the "pull-off/plug-in/unplug/get-back-on" can take as little as one minute.

Obviously, if you're truly set on getting to the destination as quickly as possible, just put the destination in your nav and follow the directions. But if it's a vacation and "the journey is part of the adventure" - think about taking it slower on purpose. It makes the journey far more enjoyable than just cannonballing to the destination. (I used to be a "cannonball it as quickly as possible to the destination" - I enjoy the trips a lot more now than I did then.)

 

[strykerwsu]

I agree need a set of road tires and wheels if decide to use R1s for trips. 30+ miles adds up to reduce amount of stops.

 

[majorfriend]

Ya, charging from 10-40% or so at each stop will drastically decrease the travel time.

We drove from Ontario, CA to northern CO last month and I estimated it only took us about 10% more time than an ICE car and we weren't trying to optimize time.

If you optimize properly you can get pretty close to ICE dive time.

That being said...

I often look at our time driving as a good chance to get some quality time together. So to me the extra stops and extra time isn't wasted, but a way for us to see places we wouldn't otherwise see and get some time together we'd probably otherwise spend on our phones.

If the time is really important we're going to fly.

 

[COdogman]

Great trip report!

One thing I would say is that RAN chargers are cheaper than the 3rd party chargers. Sometimes by quite a bit. On a road trip I try to always hit them for that reason and because I know they will always be reliable. If the food options nearby are not great I will order food to go on the way there and eat sitting on my tailgate. You meet some nice people doing that.

 

[Gee Bee]

Portland Rivian to Palm Springs, first trip No problem, the network is better now and better in the future.

I would rather do the trip along the coast in a Porsche convertible though.

 

[100Million]

Ya, charging from 10-40% or so at each stop will drastically decrease the travel time.

We drove from Ontario, CA to northern CO last month and I estimated it only took us about 10% more time than an ICE car and we weren't trying to optimize time.

If you optimize properly you can get pretty close to ICE dive time.

That being said...

I often look at our time driving as a good chance to get some quality time together. So to me the extra stops and extra time isn't wasted, but a way for us to see places we wouldn't otherwise see and get some time together we'd probably otherwise spend on our phones.

If the time is really important we're going to fly.

Can you please explain to me how you optimize your time and how you get better travel time? It would be nice to understand that in detail. Thank you

 

[majorfriend]

Can you please explain to me how you optimize your time and how you get better travel time? It would be nice to understand that in detail. Thank you

Ya, check out how Out of Spec does their road trips (here's the YT channel: (359) Out of Spec Motoring - YouTube ).

Basically, it all has to do with the charging curve. You get the fastest charging when the battery pack is at the lowest start of charge.

So, you should arrive at the charger with as low as a state of charge as possible (Out of Spec usually arrives with 1-3%, I'm not that gutsy on a family road trip and usually shoot for ~10%). Then you should only charge up as much as you need to get to the next fast charger so you arrive at that one with as low a state of charge as possible.

More frequent stops for a shorter amount of time will ultimately be faster than less frequent stops for a longer time because as you get higher in the battery pack your charge rate gets slower.

Think of it like this.

If you are travelling 1000 miles you know you'll need about 500kWhr of electricity (avg of 2mi/kWhr, this obviously will vary some depending on weather, elevation, etc.). If you can charge at an average speed of 210kW then you're total charging time would be 2.4 hours.

You can get close to this if you are charging from ~10-~40% at each charging stop.

If instead you are charging from 20%-80% at each stop you're average charge speed would be lower. Maybe around 125kW, (I haven't checked the charge curves lately - this could be wrong). In that case you're total charging time for the trip would be 4 hours.

With the 10-40% strategy, you might have 7 charging stops instead of 5. So you'll lose a little time getting off the highway and back on. Maybe 20 minutes depending on charger location. But you still are about 75 minutes faster overall.

 

[Litup]

I too have done this trip twice... from Bend to LA the first time and had some concern about charging, finding charging, and stopping for extended periods.. It all worked out just fine..

Fast forward to last month I drove from Bend down to San Diego.... With two dogs and I have zero complaints. before the trip I put on BFG KO 2s as I didn't want to drive that far on the ice/snow tires. I now know the system much better... and a couple extra stops were welcome ways to stretch my legs... get the dogs out and do their business. Walk around a bit and back on the road..

This time never had a concern about speed knowing roughly where I would charge up again and having a pretty good idea about how much I would have when I got there.

I'm excited to get the adaptor so I can head East and not wonder where I will be able to charge as I don't see many on the path I would take..

just my .02 cents.. but once you get over your own concerns and just enjoy the experience its really a great ride.. keep in mind my other car is a 2021 Tundra V8 so the cost with the R1S just makes me smile on a longer trip.

anyone get their adaptor yet??

 

[djsider2]

We built the trip incorporating the hotels where we usually stay; one in SF on the way down, and one in Redding on the way back. The latter had overnight charging which was great.

Was this the Sheraton in Redding? If so, how was it and how was the charging they had setup?

 

[Hawkjody]

Great trip report!

One thing I would say is that RAN chargers are cheaper than the 3rd party chargers. Sometimes by quite a bit. On a road trip I try to always hit them for that reason and because I know they will always be reliable. If the food options nearby are not great I will order food to go on the way there and eat sitting on my tailgate. You meet some nice people doing that.

I ALMOST NEVER buy food on the road - but prefer to pack a picnic basket with sandwich and snacks - far cheaper - far more flexible as to when to eat - and never slows the trip

 

[donaldbyrd]

Was this the Sheraton in Redding? If so, how was it and how was the charging they had setup?

Yes, it’s the Sheraton. It has become our go to hotel for this trip because it makes the second leg on the way back home much easier. for this trip it was even better because they had several posts with level two charging available for overnight. If it were busier, we wouldn’t have charged overnight, but we were only one of a couple of EV‘s in the parking lot.

 

[Mathme]

I did a trip from the Bay Area to Tacoma, WA last fall with just doggo and I. I stopped at an EA station once, and then the three RANs up to Portland - 4 charging stops in all with about 2.5-3 hours driving each leg. Total time was about 16 hours each way.

Each charge stop was about 30-40 minutes to do a 25ish% - 85ish% charge. This was enough time to plug in, walk doggo, walk myself, grab a Starbucks/food, and then return to the truck as it's finishing the charge. In an ICE car, the time would be about the same: 10ish minutes to pump & pay for25 gallons of Dino juice, 10ish minutes to walk myself, and 10ish minutes to walk doggo.

The biggest difference is that in the Rivian you need those four stops whereas in an ICE you may be able to do it in two stops....if your (and doggo's) bladder allows you to go that far between stops.

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