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Charger question....

RadDad

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I pick my R1T up on Sat. Probably dumb question here so I apologize in advance. I'm on the fence regarding on whether to utilize the Rivian charger or stick with the plug in. I usually have a 10-20 mile commute and we rarely take trips over 30 miles or so on the weekends, so I'm thinking a 240V outlet with the portable charging cable would be enough for me, for now at least. I'm going to have to run a new line regardless, but if I run a 60-240 line and use a NEMA outlet, can I down the road easily/cheaply convert that line to hook into a charger that will charge faster? I don't want to spend the money to run the line, then realize I need something else for the charger down the line.
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ciber1t

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The portable charger on a NEMA 14-50 connector will probably give you around 6-7KWH charging which on the R1T translates to about 10 miles an hour. Just make sure do the installation the outlet using #4 or #6 wire gauge to support the 60 AMP/240V when you are ready to change it out. I wired a Tesla Destination charger on a 60A/240V and it can provide 11KWH charging or about 22 miles per hour, which is similar to the Rivian Wall Level2 Charger.
 

WSea

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The portable charger on a NEMA 14-50 connector will probably give you around 6-7KWH charging which on the R1T translates to about 10 miles an hour. Just make sure do the installation the outlet using #4 or #6 wire gauge to support the 60 AMP/240V when you are ready to change it out. I wired a Tesla Destination charger on a 60A/240V and it can provide 11KWH charging or about 22 miles per hour, which is similar to the Rivian Wall Level2 Charger.
The portable evse should give you about 16 miles/hr of range using 14-50 at 32 amps
 

Cosmacelf

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The portable evse should give you about 16 miles/hr of range using 14-50 at 32 amps
Yes, that’s a more likely range per hour amount.

I think you’ll be fine with the Rivian portable charger. And yes, converting from a nema 14-50 outlet to a hardwired installation is fairly easy.
 

Ingo B

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I wrestled with the same question when I first got my R1T. Before my Rivian charger was installed, I was using the included EVSE to charge via my dryer outlet (we have a gas dryer, so the outlet is open), and figured I could just do that since the charge rate was fine for my use case. However, someone on here raised a good point in that, those dryer outlets are not meant for constant plug/unplug traffic and could break sooner than later. I couldn't keep it plugged in since I feel better leaving the EVSE in the truck for road trips and "just in cases".

Ultimately, I went with the Rivian charger since it felt more complete systematically, but folks have used Chargepoints, Juice Boxes and others seamlessly. If you want to stick with the EVSE>outlet route, I'd recommend getting a second EVSE so you can leave it plugged indefinitely, or install one of those industrial heavy duty outlets.

Enter "home charger" in the Search field and dive headfirst into the rabbit hole...
 

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Aag12

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I use the included evse and have managed fine over the last year. I have cheaper rates starting 7pm during the week. There was only one time I had to pay peak rates, ~20 cents/kwh. Otherwise I get enough charge. For my usage.

Few tips for wiring

If you decide to do a nema 14-50, make sure the receptacle is industrial grade. I picked one up for 60ish at grainger. They have generic ones that are made by the same company as the more expensive name brand ones, but same quality.

If you run wiring, you need to look at the type of wiring, not just the gauge. It sounds stupid, but there are multiple types. Romex vs thhn I believe. If you want to stay with code thhn gives you more flexibility how much amperage you can push through the cable. I didn't do my research and got 6awg romex which will not allow me to charge at 48amps (60am circuit at 80% usage) . A 6awg thhn would have. My setup is more than fine for a nema 14-50 though.




Also, I'm clearly not an electrician but did enough googling after the fact. Please verify before using my post. Also I'm sure I messed up some terms.
 

240vPlug

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If your spending money to install a circuit go with a hardwired charger. Yes, you can change to hard wired later but you will want to swap out the breaker (more expensive GFCI breaker is required for 14-50) and you will be limited to only 40 amps max because of the 50 amp breaker.

For permanent home charging hard wire a 48 amp charger to a 60 amp circuit. If your driving/charging needs change you will be covered. It also eliminates a failure point from the system.
 

RNFinCA

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I did both. One in one location, the other in the second. The 30A/240 is a breeze to wire and gives me 14-15 miles/hour. Plug it in at night occasionally, and you are good to go. Fair warning, the prongs on the plug get hot enough to burn your skin. The 50-60A charger is a different story. Pulling three, #4 wires even through 3/4” conduit, is a pain. Nice unit when done but a different level of installation effort and cost.
 

Cosmacelf

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I did both. One in one location, the other in the second. The 30A/240 is a breeze to wire and gives me 14-15 miles/hour. Plug it in at night occasionally, and you are good to go. Fair warning, the prongs on the plug get hot enough to burn your skin. The 50-60A charger is a different story. Pulling three, #4 wires even through 3/4” conduit, is a pain. Nice unit when done but a different level of installation effort and cost.
Normally you only need #6 THHN wire in conduit for a 60A breaker. Maybe you had a long run? Personally, I like to use MC cable which has the wire already built into the armored cable … much easier all around.
 

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RNFinCA

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Yes, fairly long. #6 could work, but lots of current flowing through those wires. Took the safer route.
 

junkanoo

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I pick my R1T up on Sat. Probably dumb question here so I apologize in advance. I'm on the fence regarding on whether to utilize the Rivian charger or stick with the plug in. I usually have a 10-20 mile commute and we rarely take trips over 30 miles or so on the weekends, so I'm thinking a 240V outlet with the portable charging cable would be enough for me, for now at least. I'm going to have to run a new line regardless, but if I run a 60-240 line and use a NEMA outlet, can I down the road easily/cheaply convert that line to hook into a charger that will charge faster? I don't want to spend the money to run the line, then realize I need something else for the charger down the line.
Seems like a smart question to me. Certainly, an electrician can give you the difference in price and share the wiring necessary to do a seamless upgrade if you choose that path.

However, you might consider the tax benefits and electrical incentive benefits in your decision. For example, the installation currently qualifies for a federal and/or state tax benefit (if you owe taxes). Additionally, *some* electricity providers provide rebates for both the charger and the installation. Whether these benefits will also be there down the road is anyone's guess, but certainly, there is no certainty. In my case, my electrical utility gave me a $500 rebate on the charger and $600 rebate on the installation, making my decision easy (even before considering the tax benefit).

Whatever you do, please use a licensed electrician and have the work permitted. We all would like to think that there is zero risk in having a very large battery in our garage each night, but that's not the case. Don't be the unlucky guy that has a battery fire. Because the chances that the insurance company(ies) don't pull your permits are Zer0.
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