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Autolycus

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Autolycus

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Well, maybe I should think about TN for retirement ?
No state income tax on wages or pensions, so there’s that too. (1-2% on dividends is it, IIRC)
 

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DuckTruck

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https://www.tn.gov/environment/news...er-on-electric-vehicle-charging-stations.html

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) announced today it is partnering with electric vehicle (EV) automaker and automotive technology company Rivian to install Rivian Waypoint EV charging stations at Tennessee State Parks.
The goal is to have charging stations available at all 56 state parks systemwide, depending on the availability of electricity and planned future park upgrades.
“Tennessee is at the forefront of innovation and infrastructure development, and we're committed to the future of the automotive industry,” Governor Bill Lee said. “This collaboration will support Tennessee jobs and enhance our already unmatched state parks.”

“As Tennesseans increasingly rely on electric vehicles, our state parks can play a significant role to enable recreation in all corners of our state,” TDEC Commissioner David Salyers said. “TDEC is committed to clean air, and the shift toward electric vehicles is an excellent step forward for air quality.”
“Tennessee’s State Parks will be home to some of our very first Rivian Waypoints and at the forefront of our plan to provide accessible EV charging to those adventuring in America’s most beautifully preserved environments,” Matt Horton, executive vice president of Energy and Charging Solutions at Rivian, said.

Rivian will oversee the design and installation of the Level 2 chargers, which are compatible with all EV models currently on the road. The open-network chargers can provide up to 11.5 kilowatts of power, enabling EV drivers to top up on miles while enjoying a day trip or an overnight campout. EV charging at Tennessee State Parks will initially be free and drivers will be able to easily monitor their vehicle’s charging session via the Rivian app. Any potential future cost to drivers may be dependent on systemwide utilization to recover electricity costs.
In addition to overseeing design and installation, Rivian will provide any necessary utility upgrades associated with the charger installation at no cost to the state or taxpayers. Rivian will also cover all network access fees, equipment service, and maintenance for 10 years.

Under the estimated timeline, Rivian will begin site surveys and engineering over the summer, with installation beginning as early as fall 2021 and stretching into March 2022.
“We are very excited for this partnership, and for TDEC and Tennessee State Parks’ commitment to sustainable travel, ensuring residents and visitors enjoy the state for generations to come,” Mark Ezell, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, said. “Tennessee offers unsurpassed natural beauty, and we’re thrilled this project will bring visitors to state parks, rural communities and cities.”
Founded in 2009, Rivian has development centers in the United States, Canada, and England, including a 3.3-million-square-foot manufacturing plant in Normal, Ill. More information is available at rivian.com.



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The agreement with Rivian is the latest development stemming from TDEC’s commitment to power the growth of EVs across Tennessee and reduce barriers to transportation electrification. Earlier this year, TDEC and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced a partnership to develop a statewide EV charging network that will provide fast-charging stations every 50 miles along Tennessee’s interstates and highways. The initiative is designed to add approximately 50 new fast-charging locations throughout the state.


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I think the combination of this partnership, the plan to have TVA charging stations every 50 miles, and Tennessee's growing footprint in automotive manufacturing increases the likelihood we'll hear that they'll be home to Rivian's next production facility(ies).

I hope we continue to see additional State Park partnerships across the land. More importantly, I'd like to see all States step up to the plate to fill in the holes in our charging network. As we move forward with upgrading our national power grid, it's the perfect time to provide increased capacity and facilities in addition to improving transmission efficiencies and reliabilty. What happened in Texas last Winter and the annual Summertime blackouts around the country should be a thing of the past. Also, we need to grow the infrastructure needed to support the increasing EV charging needs in both single and multi-family setttings.

I know the anti-nuke crowd won't be happy, but modern nuclear plants may be exactly what we need to help clear the atmosphere of fossil fuels' greenhouse gasses. It also would help us gain greater energy independence. Wind and solar are great in many respects, but you can't dial up the wind when you need it. Also, the last time I checked, the Sun still hides behind the Earth for an average of twelve hours a day. West of the Cascades, we can go weeks without seeing our shadows outside.

I was playing in the Columbia River Gorge this past Tuesday, and from the area around the Stonehenge replica near Maryhill, Washington, I was looking at the John Day Dam on the Columbia River, several giant windmill farms, a number of solar arrays, the upper glaciers on Mount Hood (which feeds the rivers that flow into the Lower Columbia River and it's dams), and the tide-driving Moon. Not far upstream from the John Day Dam is Oregon's lone (and recently-decommissioned) coal-fired power plant and the Hanford Nuclear facility in Washington. Hanford serves as one of several symbols as to what can go wrong with nuclear. That said, every form of power has its downsides and its limitations. Just ask any neighboorhood bird what it thinks of wind and solar stations. You'll likely get a similar answer to that from a native Columbia River salmon about their feelings related to the dams and their turbines.

Rather than drone on longer about sources of eletricity, there's no denying that we're always going to need more of it, especially if our fleet of vehicles is going to be electrified. Luckily, I-84 runs along the Oregon side of the Columbia River and is home to several Electrify America stations. Thanks to addressing the gap in Wyoming, that I-84/I-80 network now stretches all the way from the West coast to NYC. That said, all of the other areas explored around here in my gas-powered cars the past two weeks would make my backside pucker with range anxiety in an EV, due of the lack of additional stations off the beaten path.

We need more zip for the trip!

I'm sure in 20 years, if I'm still around, these types of trips in my then-20-year-old (OK, maybe 19-year-old) R1T will be a piece of cake. As soon as I get it, I'm going to take the same group of friends on the same wine-tasting trip using only electricity. I'll just have to plan out the trip meticulously to keep the pucker factor to a minimum. I rolled back into my driveway at 10 p.m. with exactly 250 miles on the odometer, and that was pretty much there and back without any detours.

Cheers! :champagne:??

Rivian R1T R1S Tennessee  State Parks & Rivian Partner on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations 20210720_181754

Rivian R1T R1S Tennessee  State Parks & Rivian Partner on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations im

Rivian R1T R1S Tennessee  State Parks & Rivian Partner on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Wind-Turbines_Maryhill_shutterstock_476591437_web

Rivian R1T R1S Tennessee  State Parks & Rivian Partner on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations 20210720_181410
 

DuckTruck

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Don’t sleep on Tennessee, y’all!

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RT,

I love your State, and I love Dolly, but It's gonna take awhile to "unsee" that. Maybe next time, a video of Faith, Amy, or Sheryl?​
Your State has more musical talent per capita than pretty much any other place on the planet! Furthermore, it seems to be a magnet for people trying to escape less-friendly or decaying locales.​
Rivian R1T R1S Tennessee  State Parks & Rivian Partner on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations faith-hill-recording-artists-and-groups-photo-u42
Rivian R1T R1S Tennessee  State Parks & Rivian Partner on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations user_node_img-1
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RforRivian

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Thanks to @kanundrum for posting the details on the ribbon cutting! I ended up going by and getting to see the truck and the waypoint chargers! I also got to speak to the Rivian folks briefly. From what I gathered, the waypoint chargers that are a part of this program (installs in all 56 state parks) in Tennessee will be free for all EVs. The chargers will also be made available in the future for businesses that want to install them and set there own rate. Not sure that I have any useful info that hasn't already been discussed but I'll be happy to answer any questions if I can.
Rivian R1T R1S Tennessee  State Parks & Rivian Partner on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations IMG_20211001_144243~2
Rivian R1T R1S Tennessee  State Parks & Rivian Partner on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations IMG_20211001_142238~2
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Rivian R1T R1S Tennessee  State Parks & Rivian Partner on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations IMG_20211001_141926
Rivian R1T R1S Tennessee  State Parks & Rivian Partner on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations IMG_20211001_142416
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Rivian R1T R1S Tennessee  State Parks & Rivian Partner on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations IMG_20211001_142810


Rivian R1T R1S Tennessee  State Parks & Rivian Partner on Electric Vehicle Charging Stations IMG_20211001_142820
 

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SeaGeo

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Thanks to @kanundrum for posting the details on the ribbon cutting! I ended up going by and getting to see the truck and the waypoint chargers! I also got to speak to the Rivian folks briefly. From what I gathered, the waypoint chargers that are a part of this program (installs in all 56 state parks) in Tennessee will be free for all EVs. The chargers will also be made available in the future for businesses that want to install them and set there own rate. Not sure that I have any useful info that hasn't already been discussed but I'll be happy to answer any questions if I can.
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How many evse they installed there?

What'd you think of the truck?
 

Blur1t

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$1000 towing charges would fix that and bring a few pennies to the NPS.
That’s what that winch is for… ?
 
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kanundrum

kanundrum

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Thanks to @kanundrum for posting the details on the ribbon cutting! I ended up going by and getting to see the truck and the waypoint chargers! I also got to speak to the Rivian folks briefly. From what I gathered, the waypoint chargers that are a part of this program (installs in all 56 state parks) in Tennessee will be free for all EVs. The chargers will also be made available in the future for businesses that want to install them and set there own rate. Not sure that I have any useful info that hasn't already been discussed but I'll be happy to answer any questions if I can.
IMG_20211001_144243~2.jpg
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IMG_20211001_135535.jpg
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Ty for the awesome shots!!
 

RforRivian

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How many evse they installed there?

What'd you think of the truck?
2 charges at this location. They said they were the first two chargers that were accessable to the public. I'm not sure of this is true though because I thought I saw where there were a couple in Moab UT.

So, thoughts...

In general the truck is beautiful and has a very nice athletic stance. It doesn't look aggressive like a Raptor or the new Silverado but looking at it you can tell that it is a sporty truck. I think this is due to the smaller length that is more in line with a Tacoma but it has the width of a full size truck.

Rivian Blue is the color to get if you think you'd like blue. Everyone there was talking about the color and there really isn't another vehicle that is this shade of blue. I can confirm that there is significant color shift depending on the lighting and can see now how it could look like two completely different colors depending on if it's cloudy or sunny out. Those were the two standout things that were immediately apparent.

Now, on to the small things that I myself haven't seen others mention on this forum.

The feeling of the exterior door handles was very solid and substantial. The doors are mechanically latched even though the electronically "present" when unlocked. I really like this as it is one less thing to break and I like the feeling of a "real" door pull. The doors, the rear ones at least (I didn't mess with the front), have a nice "thunk" to them when closed. They aren't super heavy but still are very satisfying to close.

The gear tunnel doors are damped (moistened, as I like to say) like the tailgate. The storage compartment of the gear tunnel door is actually big enough to be useful for storing smallish items. I think we will use it for storing some ratchet straps for when we need them to tie something into the bed.

Speaking of the bed and specifically the corner tie down locations... They use a d-ring that folds out of the way when not in use. They seemed plenty strong enough to hold pretty much anything you want to throw back there.

I was impressed by the hinge design that they came up with for the tailgate. With the tailgate down there is a lot of usable length there if you need to get a dirt bike or 4 wheeler in the bed.

The "chirp" sound that the truck makes when you lock it does actually sound like a bird as mentioned in other reviews. To me it is a little bit too feminine for my taste but I like it much better than a horn honk. Even though I am not particularly found of the sound it seemed very natural and it might grow on me. We plan for this to be our hunting truck to get us close to the deer fields and having a natural sounding lock chime might mean that I can actually lock the truck without disturbing the wildlife.

The scroll wheels on the steering wheel have a good feel to them are rubberized. They aren't as premium as nice aluminum or chrome ones would be but I think I actually prefer this. The steering wheel itself is what I would consider a perfect size. I wish I had gotten to close the the door while I was in it and find my "driving position" (I like to rest my left elbow on my door when cruising) but I don't have time to do that.

The screens sit very naturally in the dash.

The 20" ATs looking excellent! If you don't mind the range hit and the slight loss in acceleration (I assume this due to these being a 34 instead of a 33) then I can't imagine either of the other options looking any better.

My 32oz hydro flask did not fit in rear door panel but I didn't get to try it in the front ones. I briefly looked at the cupholders in the front and found them to be sturdier than I expected.

This truck had the rubber floor mats in it and they looked really nice. I didn't note the coverage they provided in the rear but the actually quality seemed good and the Rivian logo contrasted well against the black.

Alrighty... Finally my thoughts on the Adventure package as someone planning on getting the Explore package.

After seeing this truck I actually feel more confident in getting the Explore package than before. The draw to this vehicle for me is the functionality and capability not the luxury (even though that stuff is nice). My eyes were drawn to the screens when I was in the cabin more than the wood trim and yellow accents. I found myself more interested in figuring out how this vehicle will suit my needs more so than how nice it actually is. I don't want to hate on Rivian's premium offering so won't get into the stuff I think I will actually prefer on the Explore package over the Adventure but there are a couple of those things. I think Rivian knocked it out of the park with the design of the R1T and clearly there was a lot of thought and effort put into every aspect of this truck. I am even more excited to get mine after seeing one in person!
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