Is This A Mall Cruiser…?

[DuckTruck]

interesting…do you have a link? That’s something that would be interesting to see the info on. Agreed on everything else you said.

This makes some sense to me as I have a Cadillac ELR and it charges in the same way the Chevy Volt does. When I picked it up in Cincinnati from the dealership, it was fully-charged and ready to go. That charge was gone in the first 35 miles, at which time the engine kicked in. The engine is nothing more than a power generator. As the car detects the depletion of the usable range of the battery, the engine ("Range Extender") kicks in and the vehicle functions much like a diesel-electric locomotive. For the most part, even at top freeway speeds from Cincinnati to Oregon, the engine remained at about 1500 RPM to provide the charge for the battery to turn the wheels.

For most of that 3,000-mile trip, the engine remained in this 1,500 RPM hold. I can't say RPM range, as it was specifically at 1,500 RPM. For those instances where greater acceleration or speed was needed, especially when climbing the Rockies, the Uintas, the Cascades, and many mountain passes, the "generator" under the hood would switch to about 3,000 RPM, until it detected enough charge to drop back to 1,500.

The funny thing was coming off of freeways occasionally after being under heavy acceleration or climbing a mountain pass, I might come to a complete stop and while sitting at a stop sign or red light, the engine would still be grinding away at 3,000 RPM. Other times, it would be humming away at 1,500, and still others, it would shut off.

The point being, the engine is nothing but a generator, and it has been designed (much like the aforementioned diesel generator) to operate as efficiently as possible in providing electricity for the battery. Consequently, in coming across the country with only about 70 miles of charge from a plug, I averaged over 38 MPG while never failing to take advantage of posted speed limits that might cause many Oregonians to experience nocturnal emissions. In fairness, some of that high MPG outcome is because of the ELR's great aerodynamics and relatively light weight, because the battery is small, but the efficiency of that little 1.4 liter, 84 H.P. generator/engine under the hood is amazing!

Although the thought of charging an EV with a fuel-based generator might seem ludicrous to many, using one (especially the aforementioned diesel unit) may not be so bad for the occasional emergency charge.

So as not to be labeled a hijacker of this thread, I must admit that the ELR easily qualifies as a Mall Cruiser, with an occasional Highway run thrown in for good measure. ?

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[thrill]

interesting…do you have a link? That’s something that would be interesting to see the info on. Agreed on everything else you said.

Sorry for the delayed response. Here's what I was able to find, but it was from a few years ago: https://thedriven.io/2018/12/14/diesel-charge-evs-remote-locations-greener-than-you-think/

The main point is that (especially compared to gasoline, greatly because they can be run at higher compression ratios much easier) diesel motors are much more efficient when run smoothly and are right-sized to the load, but generally bigger is better, up to some limit of course. Using such a system to charge an also efficient electrical storage system (a big battery) and to then charge an EV works out to higher efficiency than just burning the diesel directly, and diesel is already more fuel efficient than good old gasoline. This makes sense to me as the efficiencies of electrical transfer are in the 90%+ range without much effort, and even inductive charging can be done at 94% with a 10-inch gap according to the SAE https://www.greencarreports.com/new...e-standard-will-harmonize-systems-up-to-11-kw

Wireless charging at every parking space is great goal I think, and would really simplify providing top-up power to quite inexpensively since retrofitting spaces would be fairly easy. That'd allow us to concentrate on cleaning up the power source upstream (I'm going to coin the word "upgreening"). The opportunities of clean up the whole *system* is appealing to me.

 

[crashmtb]

I enjoy backpacking in Montana which is bear country. I think some of the same principles could be applied to camping with the Rivian. The camp kitchen is not designed to store food but to cook. So just like backpacking clean it good and wash all surfaces. Then if it is bear country hang your food a distance from your tent. I do not sleep with one eye open or carry a shotgun. But my snoring might be just as effective.

My snoring scared a bear away from my tent in Jasper, the bear running off woke me up ?

 

[dleewla]

You're probably not far off. Lets be real. Rivian is going after the same demographic as Land Rover. Wealthy folks who want the image more than the actual lifestyle they portray on their website. A few times a year it might actually be used for the type of adventures its capable of.

But thats ok.

Everyone's definition of adventure is different. Think about all the sports cars and decked out trucks and 4x4s you see on the streets. How often are those being used for the way the vehicle was built? Probably not very often.

What's important is that we now have an option to buy a vehicle that's a little better for the environment than a traditional ICE.

 

[DuckTruck]

My snoring scared a bear away from my tent in Jasper, the bear running off woke me up ?

You're fortunate the bear didn't hear your snoring as a mating call. That could have been a grizzly experience. ?

 

[DuckTruck]

You're probably not far off. Lets be real. Rivian is going after the same demographic as Land Rover. Wealthy folks who want the image more than the actual lifestyle they portray on their website. A few times a year it might actually be used for the type of adventures its capable of.

But thats ok.

Everyone's definition of adventure is different. Think about all the sports cars and decked out trucks and 4x4s you see on the streets. How often are those being used for the way the vehicle was built? Probably not very often.

What's important is that we now have an option to buy a vehicle that's a little better for the environment than a traditional ICE.

Your point is well-taken. I have a neighbor with a seven or eight-year old Land Rover. He loves that thing more than he loves his kids, and almost as much as he loves Susan, his dog. He said he once drove it over 600 feet down a gravel road AND back, all in the same day! Even posted pics of his "off-roading" event on Expedition Portal and Overland Discovery, but the plates were blurred out, and the wheels looked a little different. Honestly, between us, I think he faked the whole thing. He still talks about the banjo music he says he heard "at the end of the trail".

Could have been that bear, trying to lure him in.... ???

 

[Gshenderson]

Showing the truck to my wife’s family of hunters and getting a lot of interest. Your animal in the truck photo would likely have company.

I’ll start a new thread “Hunting in your Rivian” and we can all post our pics! ?

 

[bowhunter]

I’ll start a new thread “Hunting in your Rivian” and we can all post our pics! ?

I'll certainly plan on contributing

I spend the majority of Oregon's 4 week bow season in the woods and was really looking forward to heading out in an R1T this season, but alas...

 

[crashmtb]

You're fortunate the bear didn't hear your snoring as a mating call. That could have been a grizzly experience. ?

My wife assures me that would not happen

 

[crashmtb]

I’ll start a new thread “Hunting in your Rivian” and we can all post our pics! ?

With an electric truck, you can just drive right up to a deer and bonk it on the head

 

[ajdelange]

There's an engineer in Australia who's done some tests indicating that because EVs are so efficient you actually save energy by charging from a diesel generator vice driving a diesel or gasoline engine with that same petroleum based fuel.

I'd like to see that. Modern diesel truck engines get fuel efficiencies of 45%. Assuming the generator in question is 90% efficient, the charging process is 90% efficient and the battery to mechanical conversion efficiency 90% the diesel running the generator would have to be
45/.9/.9/.9 = 62% efficient. I have my doubts.

 

[opnwide]

I’ll start a new thread “Hunting in your Rivian” and we can all post our pics! ?

@Gshenderson , no one one this forum will call you “Soy Boy” anymore with a rack poking out of the R1T bed! ?

 

[skyote]

Unless you plan to sleep with one eye open and shotgun.

Wait, that's not how everyone sleeps?

 

[njcoach24]

Wait, that's not how everyone sleeps?

Any place with bears I’ve always kept my food/cooking area separate from my sleeping area. These guys talking about storing food in the frunk will have a bear in their roof top tent.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57763443

 

[Drterreur]

And with some of the “showroom” locations, Brooklyn for example…it seems like this is going to be the truck marketed at the people who aren’t really adventurous but enjoy saying the went to the woods 1 or 2 weekends out of the year. I also get that vibe from the camp kitchen marketing photos.

I know exactly what you mean. I have issues with people calling themselves doctors that only do CPR only once or twice a year ?

I have to confess. My R1S will likely not go in the wood, nor enjoy mud baths. I wanted an electric 7 people mover for my family with CCS to get access to regions without supercharger coverage and some towing capabilities. The Rivian just happens to have that and much more.

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