Austin to Anchorage in my R1T [trip updates coming]

[hammick]

Sounds like an awesome trip. I’m headed thru Wyoming and Montana in a couple of months. Biggest issue will be Wyoming. Only fast chargers north is on I-25 near Casper and I-90 in Gillette. They both have a Tesla and EA charger. Then the next fast charger isn’t until Billings Montana 240 or 270 miles away. There is a 50kw charger in Sheridan Wyoming buts only one at a Jeep dealership. So I’ll be going from Denver to Cayenne to Gillette to Billings in conserve. Tesla has a charger coming soon in Buffalo Wyoming that would greatly help but I don’t think it’s under construction yet. When are you going?

That Buffalo SC has been coming soon forever. I spoke with the owner of Miller's Sinclair in Buffalo and he didn't have any info on when/if construction will start. Tesla needs to kick muskrat to the curb and get going on expanding and upgrading the SC network. That charge point at the Jeep dealer in Sheridan only does 50kw and you might find yourself waiting hours to use it.

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[emoore]

That Buffalo SC has been coming soon forever. I spoke with the owner of Miller's Sinclair in Buffalo and he didn't have any info on when/if construction will start. Tesla needs to kick muskrat to the curb and get going on expanding and upgrading the SC network. That charge point at the Jeep dealer in Sheridan only does 50kw and you might find yourself waiting hours to use it.

Yep I'm trying to skip the Jeep dealer charger by going from the RAN in Cheyenne to Gillette since that's closer than Casper to Billings.

 

[RomanN]

I'll be driving from Austin to Jackson, WY in June, so please post updates often!

 

[hammick]

Yep I'm trying to skip the Jeep dealer charger by going from the RAN in Cheyenne to Gillette since that's closer than Casper to Billings.

That's an option. Or you could charge to 100% in Evansville/Casper and probably make it to Billings no problem (assuming you have a max pack). That SC is desperately needed in Buffalo or they could upgrade the SC in Sheridan.

 

[dcleon]

Yep I'm trying to skip the Jeep dealer charger by going from the RAN in Cheyenne to Gillette since that's closer than Casper to Billings.

Gillette is a long way out of the way.

That's an option. Or you could charge to 100% in Evansville/Casper and probably make it to Billings no problem (assuming you have a max pack). That SC is desperately needed in Buffalo or they could upgrade the SC in Sheridan.

Be sure to check the winds before taking that bet. You can easily end up bucking a 40+ MPH headwind across the Crow Agency and especially once you’ve turned west around Hardin… and there’s nothing on 90 to save you before you get to Billings.

 

[Budman]

I am having a minor freak out this morning because ABRP is acting up! First I have never been able get my MacBook to allow geolocations on ABRP inspire of allow locations in the settings! Previously I just added my address and it seemed to work. Also this morning ABRP planner is planning routes that are significantly different than yesterday! I realize ABRP planner uses the status of charging stations to help with planning but after accessing my initial route multiple times before today and it never changing until this morning, I am loosing faith in the app! Maybe I need to access it on my phone??

You can consider using PlugShare for trip planning. It is actually my first choice for trip planning. Even if you use ABRB you end up double checking charger status in Plugshare so I figure, just do everything in PlugShare.

I wrote a forum post on how to use it here;
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/how-to-use-plugshare-for-route-planning.29911/

Have a great trip. I am planning to do that same trip too some day soon (from Minneapolis). Looking forward to your updates.

 

[emoore]

Gillette is a long way out of the way.

Be sure to check the winds before taking that bet. You can easily end up bucking a 40+ MPH headwind across the Crow Agency and especially once you’ve turned west around Hardin… and there’s nothing on 90 to save you before you get to Billings.

Kind of. Just driving north and Gillette is right there. if it's really windy I guess I can take the southern route through I-80.

 

[hammick]

Gillette is a long way out of the way.

Be sure to check the winds before taking that bet. You can easily end up bucking a 40+ MPH headwind across the Crow Agency and especially once you’ve turned west around Hardin… and there’s nothing on 90 to save you before you get to Billings.

Yep. That’s why I use ABRP premium. There is a DCFC at one of the dealers in Hardin. I’ve never used it.

 

[emoore]

Gillette is a long way out of the way.

Be sure to check the winds before taking that bet. You can easily end up bucking a 40+ MPH headwind across the Crow Agency and especially once you’ve turned west around Hardin… and there’s nothing on 90 to save you before you get to Billings.

Guess I'll have to make a game time decision on how to get through Wyoming. Now that the EA in Rawlings is back online it might be safer to go through southern Wyoming rather than try to go north.

 

[hammick]

Guess I'll have to make a game time decision on how to get through Wyoming. Now that the EA in Rawlings is back online it might be safer to go through southern Wyoming rather than try to go north.

What is your final destination? Another option (but it adds miles) is to go to the SC in Miles City, MT from the SC in Evansville, WY. Then to Billings from Miles City. We had to do that a couple of winters ago in our Lightning Lariat ER.

I wouldn't rely on the EA chargers in WY. Been burned by them too many times. I understand not wanting to use muskrat's network but it's not worth having a stroke.

As far as the headwinds from Buffalo to Billings absolutely can be an issue. But if the winds aren't bad I find it a pretty efficient stretch of road.

Definitely pay the $5 for ARBP premium. It will collect real time data from you R1 and also takes into account wind and temps.

 

[emoore]

What is your final destination? Another option (but it adds miles) is to go to the SC in Miles City, MT from the SC in Evansville, WY. Then to Billings from Miles City. We had to do that a couple of winters ago in our Lightning Lariat ER.

I wouldn't rely on the EA chargers in WY. Been burned by them too many times. I understand not wanting to use muskrat's network but it's not worth having a stroke.

As far as the headwinds from Buffalo to Billings absolutely can be an issue. But if the winds aren't bad I find it a pretty efficient stretch of road.

Definitely pay the $5 for ARBP premium. It will collect real time data from you R1 and also takes into account wind and temps.

Actually headed to Seattle and then Oregon. Wanted to drive through Montana since I haven't done that yet. Miles City looks like a decent option. Need to see how much time that would add. The EA charger in Rawlings is brand new and I would probably need to stop in Rock Springs before I can make it to North Ogden and the Tesla chargers there.

 

[hammick]

Actually headed to Seattle and then Oregon. Wanted to drive through Montana since I haven't done that yet. Miles City looks like a decent option. Need to see how much time that would add. The EA charger in Rawlings is brand new and I would probably need to stop in Rock Springs before I can make it to North Ogden and the Tesla chargers there.

Heading up through Lander, Meeteetse and through the Wind River canyon is an incredible drive but a charging dessert. I won't take that route in an EV until Cody, WY gets a SC which at this point looks less likely than Buffalo. Wyoming is probably the most anti-EV state and has some of the most ignorant politicians ever spawned.

Red Lodge, MT has free community level II chargers (11kw) and the Yodeler Motel in RL has destination chargers. You could take the Beartooth highway through the NE entrance of Yellowstone and then hit the RAN charger in Gardiner and again in Bozeman. I've never done it in our Lightning or R1S but I'm guessing once you get over the summit of Beartooth that you will be getting crazy good efficiency all the way to Gardiner. I've heard the level II chargers in Mammoth in the park are usually full.

I'm curious what the crowds in Yellowstone will be this summer. I'm guess a lot less tourists from other countries this year. But also a lot less workers so not sure how that will play out. The NE entrance is the least crowded.

We've been making the trip between from Kansas City to Red Lodge since the summer of 2022. Before we had SC access it was brutal in the winter in our Lightning and not great in the summer either. It's much easier in our R1S since it's more efficient.

Our new route is across I-70 since we have free RAN charging until the summer of 2027. We use the RANs in Hays, Flagler and Cheyenne.

Feel free to send me a PM if you want to talk on the phone about this. Planning a trip through WY can be nerve racking.

 

[emoore]

Heading up through Lander, Meeteetse and through the Wind River canyon is an incredible drive but a charging dessert. I won't take that route in an EV until Cody, WY gets a SC which at this point looks less likely than Buffalo. Wyoming is probably the most anti-EV state and has some of the most ignorant politicians ever spawned.

Red Lodge, MT has free community level II chargers (11kw) and the Yodeler Motel in RL has destination chargers. You could take the Beartooth highway through the NE entrance of Yellowstone and then hit the RAN charger in Gardiner and again in Bozeman. I've never done it in our Lightning or R1S but I'm guessing once you get over the summit of Beartooth that you will be getting crazy good efficiency all the way to Gardiner. I've heard the level II chargers in Mammoth in the park are usually full.

I'm curious what the crowds in Yellowstone will be this summer. I'm guess a lot less tourists from other countries this year. But also a lot less workers so not sure how that will play out. The NE entrance is the least crowded.

We've been making the trip between from Kansas City to Red Lodge since the summer of 2022. Before we had SC access it was brutal in the winter in our Lightning and not great in the summer either. It's much easier in our R1S since it's more efficient.

Our new route is across I-70 since we have free RAN charging until the summer of 2027. We use the RANs in Hays, Flagler and Cheyenne.

Feel free to send me a PM if you want to talk on the phone about this. Planning a trip through WY can be nerve racking.

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I have a few options just depends if I want to try for the fastest route and trust that at least 2 of the 3 EA stations on I-80 are working. I could also go through I-70 in Colorado since there are a lot of charging options and Utah looks decent too at least once you get close to SLC. Maybe I avoid Wyoming all together due to their anti-EV stance.

 

[mmbmca]

@Nago good luck with the trip, hope brave to do it in a RIvian. All the best! Do capture your charging cost!

 

[Nago]

@Nago good luck with the trip, hope brave to do it in a RIvian. All the best! Do capture your charging cost!

I plan to document as much as I can and share it here

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