Rivian charger vs 3rd party charger?

[mtdibart]

I have an R1T LE pre order w/April May window (11/2019 pre order).
I have a wall charger ordered from Rivian. My intent was to let them take care of supplying this and getting it set up.
I chatted with CS yesterday and the said they were "hoping" that these would all be supplied prior to the R1T but that I will get more details from my guide (no contact yet).
What chargers are you all looking into for your home? I'm sure there are previous threads on this, so sorry for any duplication. But I may want to control my own destiny with a charger.
Thanks

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[crashmtb]

I am buying the charger with the truck as it is well priced.
Not having it installed by their partner as that is overpriced and seems onerous. Nothing an electrician can’t handle

 

[lefkonj]

I went with a Juice box, had it installed a few weeks ago.

I was going to get the Rivian charger but I do not want a hardwired charger. Personal choice as I don't want to bring in an electrician to change out the charger. Additionally the extra AMPs in HW vs Plug isn't really that big of a time saver.

 

[mtdibart]

I went with a Juice box, had it installed a few weeks ago.

I was going to get the Rivian charger but I do not want a hardwired charger. Personal choice.

Thanks! I'll have to look into this. Sounds like I need to do some more reading.
But CS "hoping" language made me a bit worried I get the RIT and don't have the charger yet.

 

[Diddy123]

Double check with your city/state/utilities provider for incentives as well. I know in Denver the utility company offers a $500 rebate on the purchase of a Juice Box or ChargePoint EVSE (but only those specific chargers). Makes them both significantly cheaper than the Rivian charger.

 

[DeafPug]

I you can’t get a wall charger from Rivian when your R1 is eventually delivered, ClipperCreek, Juice Box, OpenEVSE, ChargePoint, and WattZilla all make nice equipment. Many of those are available with a 14-50 plug on them.

I wouldn’t bother looking at alternatives until after delivery because your vehicle will come with a portable EVSE that will work at 240V. It will work good enough to bridge the gap until you can source something else.

Recently, Tesla even had a Wall Charger with a J1772 connector on it instead of the Tesla-specific connector. I don’t see that right now.

 

[Scott]

Double check with your city/state/utilities provider for incentives as well. I know in Denver the utility company offers a $500 rebate on the purchase of a Juice Box or ChargePoint EVSE (but only those specific chargers). Makes them both significantly cheaper than the Rivian charger.

I went with the Chargepoint Homeflex for this reason. My utility company gave a $500 rebate for it. I also had it hardwired in so it is on a 60amp circuit and can deliver 48amps to the car. More expensive than plugging it in to an existing outlet, but I didn't have an existing outlet anyway. Very happy with the charger at this point, and because I have it set up to charge overnight at off peak hours, my utility company also takes $100 a year off my power bill.

 

[BrayBay]

EVSE, like many other Rivian details (e.g., wheels, colors, etc...), is something I am bouncing and forth on all the time. I really want the Rivian charger since I think it looks the best out of any charger and there is supposedly some tight integration with the vehicles. On the other hand, it is hardwired only, and I really don't want to depend on an electrician to come out if something went wrong with the Rivian wall charger. That would leave me without a decent way to charge until it can be replaced "professionally."

If Rivian released a plug-in version of the wall charger, that would be ideal. Currently, I think I'm willing to concede aesthetics and integration convenience to go with a plug-in charger. If anything goes wrong with the plug-in charger, I can always fall back on the supplied Rivian portable charger while waiting for a replacement unit to come in. It should be "plug-and-play" without having to hire an electrician.

 

[OEVA]

If Rivian released a plug-in version of the wall charger

The problem with plug in versions is that to meet code, they must produce a separate unit for each plug type/circuit rating. Hardwired units can have adjustable amperages and one model could cover everything from 8 to 80 amps.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

The problem with plug in versions is that to meet code, they must produce a separate unit for each plug type/circuit rating. Hardwired units can have adjustable amperages and one model could cover everything from 8 to 80 amps.

I know Rivian won't recommend it, but there's really no reason you couldn't buy a hardwired Rivian EVSE and install a NEMA 14-50 pigtail on it.

 

[opnwide]

I went with the Chargepoint Homeflex for this reason. My utility company gave a $500 rebate for it. I also had it hardwired in so it is on a 60amp circuit and can deliver 48amps to the car. More expensive than plugging it in to an existing outlet, but I didn't have an existing outlet anyway. Very happy with the charger at this point, and because I have it set up to charge overnight at off peak hours, my utility company also takes $100 a year off my power bill.

Exact same setup here. I signed up with Xcel energy for their install. No upfront cost for the charger itself. Renting it for $13 a month on my power bill. Their suggested electrician came out and they take the immediate $500 rebate off my cost. My sub panel needed upgrading as my main panel was full, so the $1300 charge to run wire capable of continuous 48amps on a 60amp circuit hardwired (slightly more miles gained per hour than 40amp/50 breaker) cost me $800 out of pocket, and I can get the federal tax credit on it for 2021. (In CO we get $50 back per year from Xcel for charging at night, but you can override this if needed). ChargePoint Flex app notifies on your phone about charging status etc, I’m not missing any Rivian specific features here with their proprietary charger. It’s a battery, you plug it in and charge-no mystery here. I charge my iPhone on a non Apple charger every night, so. Anyway, I immediately removed the Rivian charger from my configuration, and saved a bunch of money in the process.

 

[BrayBay]

I know Rivian won't recommend it, but there's really no reason you couldn't buy a hardwired Rivian EVSE and install a NEMA 14-50 pigtail on it.

Interesting! I'm guessing any reputable electrician would know how to do that? While I'm personally not afraid to DIY some things here and there, major electricity work is something I avoid especially if it is something that will interface between $80,000 vehicle and a house.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

Interesting! I'm guessing any reputable electrician would know how to do that? While I'm personally not afraid to DIY some things here and there, major electricity work is something I avoid especially if it is something that will interface between $80,000 vehicle and a house.

Yes, the electrical connection is identical to hardwiring. The only caveat is to ensure you have some strain relief so the lugs in the EVSE aren’t stressed when the pigtail is pulled.

 

[svet-am]

I had a pre-order on the Rivian EVSE because it's an _amazing_ value for what you get. It's capable up to 48KW charging (somewhat future proofing) and has the app for management.

I ended up cancelling it and going with a Clipper Creek HCS-50 because my wife's Volvo XC40 Recharge came in sooner than we expected and we needed an EVSE _right now_. The HCS-50 is the same one Rivian is using at the service centers so I felt confident in it for my own at-home use.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

I pre-installed a Wallbox Pulsar Plus unit to take advantage of the 30% tax credit for this year. It’s small and has lots of features from within the app. Tested with my Tesla and seems to work great.

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