Trip from San Francisco bay area to Indio, CA

[jkahlon]

Just completed this trip from SF bay area to Indio, CA. Completed the trip in ~ 9.5 hours with stops for lunch,...

Used Driver+ extensively for the trip - on I-5 almost all areas are covered, I-10 some areas it will drop off - you can still steer and let it monitor the speed and gaps. After lane change driver+ pickup works like a charm - was updated in the latest update.

You have to stay attentive with driver+, did experience overpass phantom braking once, also handoff in unavailable areas could be improved. Other than this vehicle worked as expected - really like the new detailed view on driving mode screen - gives you a lot of detailed information. Ran with conserve mode for the to & fro trip.

Took a day trip into Joshua Tree National Park with a range of around 125 miles. Was nervous as it is around ~30 miles from Indio to the park. The park is fairly large and no cellular signal once you enter inside. However the R1S is pretty good with gaining back range while going downhill so turned out to be fine but would suggest to go with at least 200+ miles of range.

Made three stops
1. Santa Nella - this appears to be a newer Rivian charger installation right next to Tesla chargers, picture attached. Great place to stop - Hotel with restaurant and public access to rest rooms. Walking distance to Starbucks and McDonalds, .... 6 chargers always have a few open

2. Buttonwillow - This is an older location, number of places to eat around, 6 chargers always will find a slot.

3. Duarte - This was the tricky part, no Rivian chargers in this area, had to go with Evgo (multiple 350 KW) was nervous but the place is next to Target (Starbucks inside), always a few chargers available.

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[Gee Bee]

Next rivian charger coming to San Bernardino

I suggest you carry an iridium sat phone as I do for safety.

GB

 

[sfvR1S]

I charged at the same EVgo in Duarte on my way back from Indio a few weeks ago. Fast charging, a lot of chargers, and numerous dining options nearby, which I think checks all the boxes.

 

[DevSecOps]

1. Santa Nella - this appears to be a newer Rivian charger installation right next to Tesla chargers, picture attached. Great place to stop - Hotel with restaurant and public access to rest rooms. Walking distance to Starbucks and McDonalds, .... 6 chargers always have a few open

2. Buttonwillow - This is an older location, number of places to eat around, 6 chargers always will find a slot.

As someone who goes from Sac to OC all the time, I can tell you that neither of these locations will "always have a few open". I've seen both full a number of times.

Also, I really hope that Rivian doesn't continue with the handicap EV charging stalls (Santa Nella). Legally we can be towed from those while using them. There's no reason that someone with a disability should get charging priority over anyone else and the stalls are no closer to the hotel or restroom than the general use ones. We don't have handicap gas station pumps so I'm not sure why this is a thing in Santa Nella. I notice you're parked in one. To be clear, I'm not against ADA compliant stalls (i.e. having loading space to the side) with verbiage that says "use last", but they don't say that and the law states that you can't charge in those stalls unless you display the placard.

Santa Nella is in a 2:1 config, which is good but it's setup like this:

2:1 - 2x Handicap Stalls
2:1 - 2x Normal use Stalls
2:1 - 2x Pull through

The pull through stalls you should leave open in case someone needs them, you should avoid using the second of the 2:1 normal use unit if the first is in use and the handicap ones you can legally be towed from. This makes for a stupid situation and every time I've been there no one honors any of those "rules".

As a side rant ... more and more I see Rivian owners using a second unit of a 2:1 or 3:1 config when one is in use and others are open. Please be courteous and avoid using a second or third unit of the same series when others are wide open. Same goes for EA stations which are normally in 2:1 configs on the 350 shared units.

 

[Anxious_Carrot]

I’m making a trip from Sacramento to Long Beach and back at the beginning of Feb. looking forward to it from these posts.

we are also looking at doing one from Sac to Seattle and back in March.

 

[DevSecOps]

I’m making a trip from Sacramento to Long Beach and back at the beginning of Feb. looking forward to it from these posts.

we are also looking at doing one from Sac to Seattle and back in March.

The OP did the trip with more stops than what's needed. You can easily get from Sac to Kettleman City in the winter on a full charge and then from Kettleman to LB on the 80% from Kettleman. In the warmer temps you could go from Sac to Buttonwillow on a full charge. Coming back it requires 2 stops because of the 80% rule. So coming back I stop at Buttonwillow and then at Santa Nella. Going down there's really no need to stop more than once unless you want to.

 

[Anxious_Carrot]

The OP did the trip with more stops than what's needed. You can easily get from Sac to Kettleman City in the winter on a full charge and then from Kettleman to LB on the 80% from Kettleman. In the warmer temps you could go from Sac to Buttonwillow on a full charge. Coming back it requires 2 stops because of the 80% rule. So coming back I stop at Buttonwillow and then at Santa Nella. Going down there's really no need to stop more than once unless you want to.

Oh for sure. I have already planned it out and was not doing this many stops. I have just seen a few posts now from NorCal to SoCal so it seems to be consistent results.

 

[DevSecOps]

Oh for sure. I have already planned it out and was not doing this many stops. I have just seen a few posts now from NorCal to SoCal so it seems to be consistent results.

Just a couple of weeks ago I did Palm Springs to Sac, which is even longer and only stopped twice to charge. Below is the data. The only reason there's 3 charges is because someone in Santa Nella came and plugged in right next to me so they reduced my rate. I moved to an open unit so I could charge faster, but it's only 2 stops.

I didn't need to charge as long as I did in Santa Nella. The only reason I left it plugged in that long was because we went to eat at In-N-Out.

 

[jkahlon]

The OP did the trip with more stops than what's needed. You can easily get from Sac to Kettleman City in the winter on a full charge and then from Kettleman to LB on the 80% from Kettleman. In the warmer temps you could go from Sac to Buttonwillow on a full charge. Coming back it requires 2 stops because of the 80% rule. So coming back I stop at Buttonwillow and then at Santa Nella. Going down there's really no need to stop more than once unless you want to.

You are correct Santa Nella going down could have been avoided. Was going with Rivian 's GPS trip calculations it had a small charging stop. Somewhere close to Santa Nella the trip advisor did pop up an option to keep going however I ignored it, if I recall correctly I did switch from All purpose to conserve within the first 30 min not sure if that had something to do with it. I am around 250 miles from Buttonwillow so it is doable.

 

[mikehmb]

I have found that I am often exceeding 80% at RANs (or other DCFCs), particularly when lunch is involved.

Bathroom breaks - aim for 80%. Lunch - prepare to keep raising the charge limit until the tacos are safely stored in my belly (if I can use the >80% - otherwise, have someone guard said tacos while I move the truck).

 

[rockandrollray]

Just completed this trip from SF bay area to Indio, CA. Completed the trip in ~ 9.5 hours with stops for lunch,...

Used Driver+ extensively for the trip - on I-5 almost all areas are covered, I-10 some areas it will drop off - you can still steer and let it monitor the speed and gaps. After lane change driver+ pickup works like a charm - was updated in the latest update.

You have to stay attentive with driver+, did experience overpass phantom braking once, also handoff in unavailable areas could be improved. Other than this vehicle worked as expected - really like the new detailed view on driving mode screen - gives you a lot of detailed information. Ran with conserve mode for the to & fro trip.

Took a day trip into Joshua Tree National Park with a range of around 125 miles. Was nervous as it is around ~30 miles from Indio to the park. The park is fairly large and no cellular signal once you enter inside. However the R1S is pretty good with gaining back range while going downhill so turned out to be fine but would suggest to go with at least 200+ miles of range.

Made three stops
1. Santa Nella - this appears to be a newer Rivian charger installation right next to Tesla chargers, picture attached. Great place to stop - Hotel with restaurant and public access to rest rooms. Walking distance to Starbucks and McDonalds, .... 6 chargers always have a few open

2. Buttonwillow - This is an older location, number of places to eat around, 6 chargers always will find a slot.

3. Duarte - This was the tricky part, no Rivian chargers in this area, had to go with Evgo (multiple 350 KW) was nervous but the place is next to Target (Starbucks inside), always a few chargers available.

Buttonwillow is still fairly new, it opened Mid November but it has 9 chargers not 6. Also 1 of them is a pull through for people towing. Also for Joshua Tree if you go in through the Twenty Nine Palms entrance. There are 5 or 6 Chargepoint Chargers at the Community Center before you enter the main road for the park. There's food and restrooms so it makes it easy (and comfortable) to charge up right before you explore the park!

 

[SDH]

Interesting ... i just got back from the exact same trip and as I mentioned on this forum before, I left the R1 at home and took my Jeep. Did the trip in 8 hours.

I just couldn't face messing around trying to find chargers and hoping they'd be working or vacant. I was solo so it was all about fastest time A-B.

I also noticed coming back yesterday how the head wind really killed my mpg (admittedly I'm driving a brick-shaped Jeep) and got me wondering how I would have fared in the Rivian (plus the cold temps).

 

[superfly_snook]

Also, I really hope that Rivian doesn't continue with the handicap EV charging stalls (Santa Nella). Legally we can be towed from those while using them. There's no reason that someone with a disability should get charging priority over anyone else and the stalls are no closer to the hotel or restroom than the general use ones. We don't have handicap gas station pumps so I'm not sure why this is a thing in Santa Nella. I notice you're parked in one. To be clear, I'm not against ADA compliant stalls (i.e. having loading space to the side) with verbiage that says "use last", but they don't say that and the law states that you can't charge in those stalls unless you display the placard.

I have noticed this also. I would feel like I couldn’t leave the vehicle unattended while charging at one of these stalls for fear of getting towed by an ambitious tow company. Also give your other point of not “doubling up” on a unit what does one do when that means using the handicap stall vs an open regular stall? Is this only a thing in California?

 

[superfly_snook]

Also to OP thanks for the write up - I take trips from SoCal up to the Bay Area and Sacto from time to time so helpful to hear how the charging stops are doing.

 

[DevSecOps]

I have noticed this also. I would feel like I couldn’t leave the vehicle unattended while charging at one of these stalls for fear of getting towed by an ambitious tow company. Also give your other point of not “doubling up” on a unit what does one do when that means using the handicap stall vs an open regular stall? Is this only a thing in California?

In California there's laws against predatory towing so a tow company can't just tow your vehicle without a complaint. But, who says that a Rivian owner who wants the spot wouldn't call and report it. The likelihood of a tow operator getting there in less than ~30-40min is low but still, it's dumb. It's essentially being "ICE'd" by a sign.

The use of multiple units in a series is just common courtesy and charging etiquette. Unfortunately, most people who charge don't know, or care to have, charging etiquette, but you echo my point nonetheless. What do you do? The pull through ones have language "Only for towing", but that's not legally enforceable. The handicap stalls are legally enforceable, which is what I have issue with. I go with the first rule of thumb, don't use another unit in series. If someone pulls up and they have a trailer while I'm in a pull through I'll move if others are open. If someone pulls up and requires a handicap spot and no others are open, I'm not moving. Just like in an ICE vehicle, a gas pump is a gas pump, get in line!

They're making an already bad situation worse.

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