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Future of All Charging Locations? What would you want to see at them?

2021R1T

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The Tesla charger spot in Silverthorne, Colorado is setup nice. Next to Starbucks, restaurants, nice public bathrooms and outlet stores. The only issue is it is tight with too few spots. Every time I have gone by it is full with others waiting in the wings.
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Eeyore

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just get some Taco trucks or have a bunch of food trucks with covered dining area. No need to complicate it ?
Don't forget the restrooms. At almost retirement age, that's the limiting factor for how far I can drive without stopping, not the range left in the vehicle.
 

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Don't forget the restrooms. At almost retirement age, that's the limiting factor for how far I can drive without stopping, not the range left in the vehicle.
Eeyore,

I used to think that was funny, but didn't really get it.
Now, I really get it, but don't think it's so funny.

It would be nice to have plenty of Level 3 charging capability with plenty of restrooms to handle, dare I say, level 1 & 2 discharging.

O.K., I said it..... ??
 

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This is a location in Wisconsin. No Supercharger. One slow DCFC at 35kW and multiple level 2 charger units.

Rivian R1T R1S Future of All Charging Locations? What would you want to see at them? cluster 2


Rivian R1T R1S Future of All Charging Locations? What would you want to see at them? cluster 3


Rivian R1T R1S Future of All Charging Locations? What would you want to see at them? cluster wisconsin
 

BoltEVowner

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This is a location in Wisconsin. No Supercharger. One slow DCFC at 35kW and multiple level 2 charger units.

cluster 2.jpg


cluster 3.jpg


cluster wisconsin.jpg
Roof over charging area has 72 solar panels. That's a lot of free charging energy when the sun is shining! I like it. Fairly big initial investment in the panels and roof, but fairly low maintenance thereafter. Would like to see more higher power level 3 CCS chargers, but its a start. Simply no reason this cannot be done in many areas of the country. I am a conservative, but believe federal and state tax incentives can nudge investments like this. I know it did when I put the 56 solar panels on my home 4 years ago. Let's keep it going!
 

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TessP100D

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I think you have missed the point that Rivian is aimed at the adventure travel market which wants to go beyond where one drives normally. Where you drive normally is already pretty well covered (though improvement is clearly still needed). Thus Rivian wants coverage in out of the way places so that its buyers have the same confidence that they can get to those places that Tesla drivers enjoy when they go to the places they go normally.
No I did not miss the point. The whole adventure thing is just marketing. The truth is everybody will be driving their Rivians like everybody else. To work, to the store, to gramas house etc. in the end. charging stations will be needed on the streets just like Tesla already has. I just crack up when I read adventure and wilderness talk. Maybe 1/2 of 1 percent. Maybe.
 

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No I did not miss the point. The whole adventure thing is just marketing. The truth is everybody will be driving their Rivians like everybody else. To work, to the store, to gramas house etc. in the end. charging stations will be needed on the streets just like Tesla already has. I just crack up when I read adventure and wilderness talk. Maybe 1/2 of 1 percent. Maybe.
Tess,

Way to lob a turd into the punch bowl! While we know the vast majority of all licensed vehicles will be driven on pavement, that these things are designed to allow us to go far after we reach the end of the pavement necessitates chargers in off-beat places.

I have friends in Idaho with a cabin that's approximately 7 miles off of the pavement, deep in the woods. The last mile of that is on a road strewn with very sizable rocks. It's close to a 700-mile one-way trip to get there. That puts me close to your approximation of only 1% of that trip being off pavement. That said, I can't even get to where the pavement ends without those more-remote chargers. The ones along I-84 won't get me there.

They don't need to be where the pavement ends, but they do need to be in places other than solely along Interstates and other major routes. In my example, my goal isn't simply just to reach the cabin. It's the get up the next morning, load up my friends, and go further up the gravel and dirt roads towards the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. I want to show them places in their own back yard that they've never been able to access. Their recent connection to the electrical grid will help to trickle-charge the R1T once I get there, but first I need to get there.

It will be stations like Salida's that will make those 1 or 2% of our off-road Adventure miles possible. You may even get many here to agree that they will never need anything more than the Interstate, US Highway, and urban chargers for all of their travel needs. But for those who want to see all of the country, the RAN and its more remote locations will allow us to do just that.
 
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Lil'O Annie

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ajdelange

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No I did not miss the point.
Yea, kinda think you did

The whole adventure thing is just marketing.
Yes, we are aware of that. That's what
... Rivian is aimed at the adventure travel market...
means.

The truth is everybody will be driving their Rivians like everybody else. To work, to the store, to gramas house etc. in the end. charging stations will be needed on the streets just like Tesla already has.
Well of course. But you don't sell to the adventure market by telling them that they can find a Rivian charger next to the EA chargers at the Wallmart. You draw them in by telling them there will be a Rivian charger at "Exotic Falls Wilderness Area". You know, I know and they know that they may never go there and that if they do and live in another state that their trips to that spot will be a fraction of a percent of their travel but they want to go there which is why they are buying a Rivian, not a CT.

I just crack up when I read adventure and wilderness talk.
I do too but I see what RJ is up to and I think it's pretty clever. I'll never go to Exotic Falls. Yes, I think you definitely missed the point.
 

ajdelange

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Roof over charging area has 72 solar panels. That's a lot of free charging energy when the sun is shining! I like it. Fairly big initial investment in the panels and roof, but fairly low maintenance thereafter. Would like to see more higher power level 3 CCS chargers, but its a start. Simply no reason this cannot be done in many areas of the country. I am a conservative, but believe federal and state tax incentives can nudge investments like this. I know it did when I put the 56 solar panels on my home 4 years ago. Let's keep it going!
If you have 56 panels on your roof you know that 76 panels is not a lot at all. It's about 22 kW in full sun and if the location gets 6 hrs full sun equivalent per day in mid summer it's 132 kWh/da. That's enough to charge 3 Teslas 44% each. In winter, half that many. But every little bit helps!
 
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:CWL: Thanks for the morning chuckle!! I can always count on you. ?
You're so welcome! It's good to know you're out there.

I had a fun ride along with a childhood buddy in a Porsche rally yesterday. At one stop, I was visiting with another driver and he told me a friend of his retired as a Geologist and went into making wine. I brought up the Missoula Floods and he said his friend talks about how he uses his knowledge of those floods when sourcing grapes. I'm looking forward to touring his winery and sampling his wines one day, and finding out more from him about his experience.

We started talking about Porsche's Taycan EVs, and that led me to bringing up Rivian. With that, I mentioned my conversations with you about the Scablands. He went on to tell me that his friend did the tour I've been dreaming of by starting in the Portland area and following the path of the floods all the way back to the headwaters in Montana, exploring along the way. I told him that trip will be made one day soon in an R1T.

Fun conversation, and now I also understand better R.J.'s love of Porsches. Pretty awesome cars, but they're at their best when they stay on the pavement. They sit so low, parts of me puckered when we'd hit a gravel patch. I'm honestly a little sore from doing the gymnastics necessary for entrance and egress at every stop.

I'm looking forward to the day that those rallies includes Riviots silently gliding through the highways, byways, and backroads, along with a trail or two.

Have a great week!
 

TessP100D

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Yea, kinda think you did

Yes, we are aware of that. That's what

means.

Well of course. But you don't sell to the adventure market by telling them that they can find a Rivian charger next to the EA chargers at the Wallmart. You draw them in by telling them there will be a Rivian charger at "Exotic Falls Wilderness Area". You know, I know and they know that they may never go there and that if they do and live in another state that their trips to that spot will be a fraction of a percent of their travel but they want to go there which is why they are buying a Rivian, not a CT.

I do too but I see what RJ is up to and I think it's pretty clever. I'll never go to Exotic Falls. Yes, I think you definitely missed the point.
Lol. Ok.
if a Rivian finally release their truck, I’m sure some will be looking, searching for a charger isn’t e wilderness, but 99.5% or more will be at Walmart charging. Just like I said.

it’s not a rip, it’s just what it will actually be.
 

TessP100D

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Tess,

Way to lob a turd into the punch bowl! While we know the vast majority of all licensed vehicles will be driven on pavement, that these things are designed to allow us to go far after we reach the end of the pavement necessitates chargers in off-beat places.

I have friends in Idaho with a cabin that's approximately 7 miles off of the pavement, deep in the woods. The last mile of that is on a road strewn with very sizable rocks. It's close to a 700-mile one-way trip to get there. That puts me close to your approximation of only 1% of that trip being off pavement. That said, I can't even get to where the pavement ends without those more-remote chargers. The ones along I-84 won't get me there.

They don't need to be where the pavement ends, but they do need to be in places other than solely along Interstates and other major routes. In my example, my goal isn't simply just to reach the cabin. It's the get up the next morning, load up my friends, and go further up the gravel and dirt roads towards the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. I want to show them places in their own back yard that they've never been able to access. Their recent connection to the electrical grid will help to trickle-charge the R1T once I get there, but first I need to get there.

It will be stations like Salida's that will make those 1 or 2% of our off-road Adventure miles possible. You may even get many here to agree that they will never need anything more than the Interstate, US Highway, and urban chargers for all of their travel needs. But for those who want to see all of the country, the RAN and its more remote locations will allow us to do just that.
Creative writing. I like it.

bottom line, all,of you will be chraging at public chargers for a long time. Nothing wrong with that.
and yes… once in a while, a small fraction will be looking in the wilderness for a charger. nothing wrong with that Either. Enjoy if you can. It just won’t be nearly as convenient as you think.
 

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Creative writing. I like it.

bottom line, all,of you will be chraging at public chargers for a long time. Nothing wrong with that.
and yes… once in a while, a small fraction will be looking in the wilderness for a charger. nothing wrong with that Either. Enjoy if you can. It just won’t be nearly as convenient as you think.
You both are correct. Along the interstate we are all gonna be using the EA at the Walmart most of the time, that's just where the infrastructure is built out at the moment. That's fine. What I think the Rivian faithful are looking for in the RAN is something as a L3 solution in the nearest town to the national park, trail head, etc. A place that EA isn't going to view as a priority to building a charger currently, but these are the places that will allow us to take an EV into the park, go to the cabin, or whatever.

I can't see too many L3 chargers too far off paved roads, but I think that is where more plentiful L2 at the campsites, parking down in the parks, or cabins will fill in nicely
 

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Creative writing. I like it.

bottom line, all,of you will be chraging at public chargers for a long time. Nothing wrong with that.
and yes… once in a while, a small fraction will be looking in the wilderness for a charger. nothing wrong with that Either. Enjoy if you can. It just won’t be nearly as convenient as you think.
Tess,

I'm glad you like my prose. I believe you when you say about public charging that "it won't be nearly as convenient as [we] think." Hopefully, once we're able to charge at Rivian's Adventure Network stations, it'll be a great experience. Time will tell.....

As you said, we will be "chraging (sic) at public chargers for a long time. Nothing wrong with that." As long as the RAN build-out moves forward close to schedule, I'm good with that. Every new technology has its hiccups, and Rivian (and the multitudes of other coming CCS-dominated stations) will be no different. Tesla has worked nicely through many issues over the years and I want to see them, and all other EVs and alt-fuel vehicle OEMs grow and thrive into the future.

The vast variety of coming government, private, and collaborative CCS stations blanketing the country will be advantageous for all of the non-Tesla EVs out there, even if we have to have multiple subscriptions to make the system work for us. I'm not sure how old you are, but when I graduated from school, I had at least five different gas credit cards. It wasn't difficult to figure out which one to use. I found it best to use my Mobil card when using a Mobil station, Shell for Shell, Texaco.... well, I know you get the picture. I really don't think it'll be that different, although, as you pointed out, it could be trying at first.

I don't doubt that there will be problems you rarely see when using your Tesla SCs, but such is the nature of new technology. I'd love to have that level of convenience on day one. With CCS, if I'm forced to choose between different vendors to give me a charge rather rely on one great one, I'll be just fine. Better to have more than you need, than to need more than you have.

While we wait for the RAN build-out, I already have active charging cards for EVgo, blink, SemaConnect, and chargepoint. On top of those cards, I have subscription apps to allow (what I hope becomes seamless) charging through ElectrifyAmerica, Greenlots, ChargeHub, and Chargeway. I'm sure all of those will become easier and easier to use over time, as it was for Tesla.

I'm glad I'm not getting a car that requires me to use just one brand of station on the road (absent an adapter). This is especially true if that brand isn't around when and where I need it, or if it's the only station in town. Or if it's full, forcing me to wait without options.

As always, thanks for the feedback!
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