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trmaier

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We took delivery of our El Cap Granite/BM w/ 21" wheels on September 1st, and almost immediately took it on a road trip from Central Iowa to the North Shore of Lake Superior (via Sioux Fall, SD!) to test it out.

Our very first charge, away from home, was at at MidAmerican Energy (AKA Shell Recharge) 150 kW Fast Charger at the Casey's in Early, Iowa. For our first charge, could not have asked for a better experience. There were two CCS and two CHAdeMO stations, all available. We hooked up and were surprised to see it was a free charge. Later, we learned this was not all that unusual (at the moment). I was not savvy enough, at the time, to calculate my trip efficiency. Still a noobie at this point. We charged for around 20 minutes, enough to get us to around 70% and enough range to reach our destination for the night.

Feeling somewhat less apprehensive about the whole on-the-road charging experience, the remainder of our trip, which wound from Sioux City to Sioux Falls to Minneapolis and, finally, the Duluth area was mostly painless, charging-wise. The first overnight stop was suppose to yield a level 2 charger at a hotel, but of course, only one of the two 11 kW CCS chargers were working and occupied, so we had a quick side trip to another Shell Recharge 150 kW station. The next day, we stopped at our first EA at a Casey's in Worthington, MN, which was a 350 kW charger (R1T maxed at 195 kW) before getting to Minneapolis. That night in Minneapolis yielded 2 - 7 kW CCS chargers and a Tesla Destination charger. Thanks to some very good advice from friends with an Audi E-tron, we purchased a Tesla DC to CCS adaptor and used it that night at 11kW. In the Duluth area, we used a combination of level 2 chargers, ranging from 10-11 kW for overnight/long term charging, as well as a 50 kW charging station at the Duluth Canal Park to charge the battery to near 100% to start the trip back to central Iowa. On the way back, we used a 350 kW CCS station at the Woodbury, MN Walmart (maxed out at 212 kW by the R1T) and then a 125 kW CCS charger at the Northwood, IA Kum and Go. I think the grand total for charging for this trip was $37. We were in Conserve mode for a vast majority of the trip.

Major observations from this trip:

1) One pedal driving will take about a day to get use to, but after that, it seems second nature. I worry about hopping back into an ICE vehicle!
2) Again, the fun factor of driving can not be underestimated.
3) Major gripe- How has no one commented on the lack of "dumb" cruise control. Cruise is linked to Driver+, meaning it uses and relies on the camera system. Multiple times during the trip our adaptive cruise control failed. First, when we were driving into the sunset. Then, at least two other times when the front camera got covered in bugs, a common occurence in the midwest! I can only image what will happen in the winter! I would think that enabling a cruise setting that doesn't rely on the camera would be that hard. Has anyone else had these issues?
4)The Driver+ system in general is underwhelming. Other than adaptive cruise control, with it's own issues, we really didn't use it for anything else. Lane keeping seemed a bit over-aggressive at times, enough to not want to use it in heavy traffic.
5)The wireless charging mat is useless, as has been widely reported. I do like having this area to set my phone however, so this is a shame they didn't get that right.

Since our first long road trip, I've been using the R1T as my daily driver, commuting to work with a 12 mile trip each way, charging from 20%-85% every 2-3 days. Charging at home has been very easy with the Rivian Home Charger installed on a 60A breaker.

Daily and weekend driving has been nothing short of fantastic. It's such a joy to drive. Have experimented with all driving modes and heights, with the exception of Tow mode. Have not towed (or needed to tow) anything yet. I have found myself leaving it in All-purpose mode most days, not really worrying about range for my daily commute. It is fun to occasionally put it in Sport mode, however. ;)

The sheer number of positive comments and looks have been nothing short of phenomenal. Be prepared to be Rivian's best advocate. You will get questions everywhere!

Modifications/accessories added, so far:

1) During our road trip, we noticed that our cooler that was placed in the bed of the truck slid all over the back of the composite bed liner. Not good. So much so that we made a pit stop at a Home Depot and purchased a 4'x6' rubber floor mat, which fit the width of the bed perfectly. We later cut it to exact length as well. It was the perfect solution. The rubberized mat holds everything perfectly in place. Our items from our Sam's Club runs amazingly stay put. Very good purchase!
2)We ditched the aero inserts for our 21" wheels, but were left with the open hub, which was not visually appealing. Via other Rivian Forum posts, we found that there were various solutions on Amazon. We purchased these, which fit perfectly: RTRHINOTUNING 4pcs 59mm(2.32in)/53mm(2.08in) Wheel Hub Center Caps for XV Crosstrek 2013-2015 Forester 2006-2016 Impreza 2006-2014#28821SA030. The description would not lead you to think these fit the Rivian, but they do! These are gloss black, but I spray painted them with Krylon Fusion Metallic Dark Metal, which matched the 21" rims almost exactly. I topped these with the Rivian sticker logos from TWraps.com and it was a low cost alternative to the $35 a piece caps available from Rivian.
3)I would also highly recommend the TWraps matte screen protectors. They make the high gloss screens much more user friendly, and really look good.
4)Finally, an almost forgotten accessory that seems to have almost daily use:
From Amazon: Sunglass Holder for Car Visor, Magnet Adsorbed Sunglasses Holder for Car Accessories Parts, Leather Car Sunglass Holder, Car Visor Sunglasses Clip for Glasses Cards (2PCS, Black)
Brand: Sufilux
The beauty of this product is that it gives you a place for your sunglasses AND slots for your insurance card/registration. An added benefit given the lack of a glove box.

All-in-all, over the moon happy with our Rivian R1T. Have looked forward to hopping in this vehicle every single day we've owned it. I hope you enjoy yours as much as we do ours! Looking forward to seeing more of these on the roads!






Rivian R1T R1S One month and 2500+ miles with our R1T - some observations and impressions PXL_20220905_231601747~2
Rivian R1T R1S One month and 2500+ miles with our R1T - some observations and impressions PXL_20220907_200932205
Rivian R1T R1S One month and 2500+ miles with our R1T - some observations and impressions PXL_20220908_135946509~2
Rivian R1T R1S One month and 2500+ miles with our R1T - some observations and impressions PXL_20220908_135955327
Rivian R1T R1S One month and 2500+ miles with our R1T - some observations and impressions PXL_20220915_230404960
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Sully151

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Free charging is always a nice surprise. I do worry about the hotel chargers though. They are often full or not working. Hopefully, you don’t really need them and they are just a luxury if available.

Sounds like you are loving your Rivian.
 

Rivian_Hugh_III

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Thanks for sharing your experiences! I agree that dumb cruise control would be a nice addition
 

SteveHeinz

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Great post thanks for the information. I agree a "dumb cruise control" would be nice. Is this your first EV? You seem well versed in the different charging options. What Tesla DC to CCS adaptor did you purchase? Will this allow you to charge at their supercharger locations?
Thanks again for sharing!
 
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trmaier

trmaier

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Free charging is always a nice surprise. I do worry about the hotel chargers though. They are often full or not working. Hopefully, you don’t really need them and they are just a luxury if available.

Sounds like you are loving your Rivian.
I think hotel chargers will become more than just a luxury. As EVs become more common (which exacerbates the problem) more people will want their hotels to have this feature.
 

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trmaier

trmaier

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Kia Niro Hybrid, R1T El Cap, BM
Clubs
 
Great post thanks for the information. I agree a "dumb cruise control" would be nice. Is this your first EV? You seem well versed in the different charging options. What Tesla DC to CCS adaptor did you purchase? Will this allow you to charge at their supercharger locations?
Thanks again for sharing!
Yep, our first EV. Have learned a lot from Rivian Forums ;-)

We purchased this Tesla DC to CCS adapter from Amazon:

Lectron [Only for J1772 EVs Tesla to J1772 Charging Adapter, Max 48 Amp & 250V - Compatible with Tesla High Powered Connectors, Destination Chargers, and Mobile Connectors (Black)

This is not compatible with the Tesla supercharging stations, just the destination chargers (overnight chargers). I'm guessing when Tesla finalizes opening the superchargers, another wave of adapters will be made available.
 
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trmaier

trmaier

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Tom
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Iowa
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Kia Niro Hybrid, R1T El Cap, BM
Clubs
 
We took delivery of our El Cap Granite/BM w/ 21" wheels on September 1st, and almost immediately took it on a road trip from Central Iowa to the North Shore of Lake Superior (via Sioux Fall, SD!) to test it out.

Our very first charge, away from home, was at at MidAmerican Energy (AKA Shell Recharge) 150 kW Fast Charger at the Casey's in Early, Iowa. For our first charge, could not have asked for a better experience. There were two CCS and two CHAdeMO stations, all available. We hooked up and were surprised to see it was a free charge. Later, we learned this was not all that unusual (at the moment). I was not savvy enough, at the time, to calculate my trip efficiency. Still a noobie at this point. We charged for around 20 minutes, enough to get us to around 70% and enough range to reach our destination for the night.

Feeling somewhat less apprehensive about the whole on-the-road charging experience, the remainder of our trip, which wound from Sioux City to Sioux Falls to Minneapolis and, finally, the Duluth area was mostly painless, charging-wise. The first overnight stop was suppose to yield a level 2 charger at a hotel, but of course, only one of the two 11 kW CCS chargers were working and occupied, so we had a quick side trip to another Shell Recharge 150 kW station. The next day, we stopped at our first EA at a Casey's in Worthington, MN, which was a 350 kW charger (R1T maxed at 195 kW) before getting to Minneapolis. That night in Minneapolis yielded 2 - 7 kW CCS chargers and a Tesla Destination charger. Thanks to some very good advice from friends with an Audi E-tron, we purchased a Tesla DC to CCS adaptor and used it that night at 11kW. In the Duluth area, we used a combination of level 2 chargers, ranging from 10-11 kW for overnight/long term charging, as well as a 50 kW charging station at the Duluth Canal Park to charge the battery to near 100% to start the trip back to central Iowa. On the way back, we used a 350 kW CCS station at the Woodbury, MN Walmart (maxed out at 212 kW by the R1T) and then a 125 kW CCS charger at the Northwood, IA Kum and Go. I think the grand total for charging for this trip was $37. We were in Conserve mode for a vast majority of the trip.

Major observations from this trip:

1) One pedal driving will take about a day to get use to, but after that, it seems second nature. I worry about hopping back into an ICE vehicle!
2) Again, the fun factor of driving can not be underestimated.
3) Major gripe- How has no one commented on the lack of "dumb" cruise control. Cruise is linked to Driver+, meaning it uses and relies on the camera system. Multiple times during the trip our adaptive cruise control failed. First, when we were driving into the sunset. Then, at least two other times when the front camera got covered in bugs, a common occurence in the midwest! I can only image what will happen in the winter! I would think that enabling a cruise setting that doesn't rely on the camera would be that hard. Has anyone else had these issues?
4)The Driver+ system in general is underwhelming. Other than adaptive cruise control, with it's own issues, we really didn't use it for anything else. Lane keeping seemed a bit over-aggressive at times, enough to not want to use it in heavy traffic.
5)The wireless charging mat is useless, as has been widely reported. I do like having this area to set my phone however, so this is a shame they didn't get that right.

Since our first long road trip, I've been using the R1T as my daily driver, commuting to work with a 12 mile trip each way, charging from 20%-85% every 2-3 days. Charging at home has been very easy with the Rivian Home Charger installed on a 60A breaker.

Daily and weekend driving has been nothing short of fantastic. It's such a joy to drive. Have experimented with all driving modes and heights, with the exception of Tow mode. Have not towed (or needed to tow) anything yet. I have found myself leaving it in All-purpose mode most days, not really worrying about range for my daily commute. It is fun to occasionally put it in Sport mode, however. ;)

The sheer number of positive comments and looks have been nothing short of phenomenal. Be prepared to be Rivian's best advocate. You will get questions everywhere!

Modifications/accessories added, so far:

1) During our road trip, we noticed that our cooler that was placed in the bed of the truck slid all over the back of the composite bed liner. Not good. So much so that we made a pit stop at a Home Depot and purchased a 4'x6' rubber floor mat, which fit the width of the bed perfectly. We later cut it to exact length as well. It was the perfect solution. The rubberized mat holds everything perfectly in place. Our items from our Sam's Club runs amazingly stay put. Very good purchase!
2)We ditched the aero inserts for our 21" wheels, but were left with the open hub, which was not visually appealing. Via other Rivian Forum posts, we found that there were various solutions on Amazon. We purchased these, which fit perfectly: RTRHINOTUNING 4pcs 59mm(2.32in)/53mm(2.08in) Wheel Hub Center Caps for XV Crosstrek 2013-2015 Forester 2006-2016 Impreza 2006-2014#28821SA030. The description would not lead you to think these fit the Rivian, but they do! These are gloss black, but I spray painted them with Krylon Fusion Metallic Dark Metal, which matched the 21" rims almost exactly. I topped these with the Rivian sticker logos from TWraps.com and it was a low cost alternative to the $35 a piece caps available from Rivian.
3)I would also highly recommend the TWraps matte screen protectors. They make the high gloss screens much more user friendly, and really look good.
4)Finally, an almost forgotten accessory that seems to have almost daily use:
From Amazon: Sunglass Holder for Car Visor, Magnet Adsorbed Sunglasses Holder for Car Accessories Parts, Leather Car Sunglass Holder, Car Visor Sunglasses Clip for Glasses Cards (2PCS, Black)
Brand: Sufilux
The beauty of this product is that it gives you a place for your sunglasses AND slots for your insurance card/registration. An added benefit given the lack of a glove box.

All-in-all, over the moon happy with our Rivian R1T. Have looked forward to hopping in this vehicle every single day we've owned it. I hope you enjoy yours as much as we do ours! Looking forward to seeing more of these on the roads!






PXL_20220905_231601747~2.jpg
PXL_20220907_200932205.jpg
PXL_20220908_135946509~2.jpg
PXL_20220908_135955327.jpg
PXL_20220915_230404960.jpg
Sorry, two other observations I forgot to make:

1. In the month we've had it, the Tonneau cover has not had issues. Feels like the kiss of death to write that, but I have been super careful with it, only opening it when I REALLY want to show it off, or when absolutely necessary. I have also used dry lube on the tracks and accessible parts. When opening and closing, I pull slightly on both sides to make sure it is travelling smoothly and equally. Not sure if any of this will really help, but it can't hurt.
2. Alexa has been basically useless to us. Multiple commands tried and not recognized. For SOME reason, it won't recognize my wife's name when asking to call her, but will recognize both of my son's names (same last name).🙄 Maybe Alexa knows I'm a "Google" person 😆
 

tgo10000

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Agreed I’m out on Alexa I’ve tried it multiple over the years so hard pass.

Fwiw Rivian center caps for the wheels are $20 each in the gear shop though currently out of stock but I grabbed a set a month ago and the raised logo definitely looks stellar.

Also in the center console there is an elastic band for registration and papers.

I recommend an extension cable for charging never know on road trips.

Good luck, enjoy the ride!
 

jebinc

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Yep, our first EV. Have learned a lot from Rivian Forums ;-)

We purchased this Tesla DC to CCS adapter from Amazon:

Lectron [Only for J1772 EVs Tesla to J1772 Charging Adapter, Max 48 Amp & 250V - Compatible with Tesla High Powered Connectors, Destination Chargers, and Mobile Connectors (Black)

This is not compatible with the Tesla supercharging stations, just the destination chargers (overnight chargers). I'm guessing when Tesla finalizes opening the superchargers, another wave of adapters will be made available.
Hello!

Are you using a gen 1,2, or 3 Tesla wall connector? 48 amp/220! How many miles per hour are you adding? Does this adapter handicap the charging rate into the Rivian? Thanks for your help. I just ordered this adapter!
 
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trmaier

trmaier

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Clubs
 
Hello!

Are you using a gen 1,2, or 3 Tesla wall connector? 48 amp/220! How many miles per hour are you adding? Does this adapter handicap the charging rate into the Rivian? Thanks for your help. I just ordered this adapter!
Sorry, hopefully didn't mislead you with this. We used this tesla adapter at a Tesla destination charger (hotel) overnight. Unsure which generation it was. Our Rivian indicated it was delivering about 11 kW. I think the Tesla DCs are capable of up to 22 kW, so not sure if it was just this charger or if there was any limiting due to the adapter. I wouldn't think so, given it's listed specs. Still, this worked well for overnight charging.
 

Steve Meister

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Last week's trip from Peoria, IL, to Hershey PA....no issues going, the navigation system on the truck led me to the appropriate charging stations and I had a level 2 charger at the hotel, so pretty cheap trip out with little anxiety. Coming back, however, was not as smooth....the nav system sent me to a Sheetz station which, when I arrived, was completely torn up. Looked up alternatives on the Plugshare app and had to go to Pittsburg PA to a target store and the EVGo charger that was available happened to be working (most of the time, in my experience, they are not). We had very little left "in the tank" at that point and the anxiety for my wife and I were very high, due to concern on getting the truck charge and the fact that a country boy struggles with getting around a town like Pittsburg. The navigation system tells you were to go and how long to charge, and after my latest experience, I will not trust it and probably charge an extra 40-60 miles just in case. Now I am concerned about our next trip from Peoria to Dallas TX this December....may use the car instead of the Rivian. I don't want to, but I think our charging stations need to be more reliable and more in number.
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