ajdelange
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- A. J.
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2019
- Threads
- 9
- Messages
- 2,883
- Reaction score
- 2,317
- Location
- Virginia/Quebec
- Vehicles
- Tesla XLR+2019, Lexus, Landcruiser, R1T
- Occupation
- EE Retired
There are no certainties at this point but the indications are pretty strong as to what the answers to some of these questions are.
Body Dings: Get them repaired at a body shop. There was originally a problem with this with Tesla as you had to go to a Tesla approved shop in order to maintain your warranty but that was because Tesla's use lots of aluminum. Don't know whether Rivian is made of the same stuff. This might be a problem with Rivian at least initially.
Towing: It is going to eat your lunch. What does it do to gas mileage on your current vehicle? It is going to do about the same to your EV. I used to tow a small trailer behind a Lexus. I had to fill up 4 times in a trip as opposed to 3 times without it. I expect if I towed it behind my Telsa consumption would go up by about the same amount i.e. from 300 wH/mi to 400. There is a You Tube about some guys who towed a horse trailer behind a Tesla X. Consumption went from 330 to over 500. You can expect about the same. WRT cold weather you can expect a further increase in consumption especially if there is snow on roads.
Charging Connector: Putting Telsa's proprietary standard aside there is really only one charging standard out there. That is CCS/combo and that is what Rivian will be using and that is what all the home EVSE offerings use now (or the J1772 which is the combo part of the standard).
Charging in parks: Get PlugShare and see what's available. Most any park that accommodates RVs has 40A level II charging available. Some hotels/motels/campgrounds/attractions have this too and many have Tesla destination chargers which can charge Rivians. Remember, this is today. Rivian may decide to install Rivian destination chargers at such locations. Rivian would have to be crazy not to provide or at least make available a set of adapters for the common 240 receptacles.
Home charging: There are several offerings currently available that will charge the Rivian. Using the Rivian as a backup source isn't going to happen as the NEC currently prohibits use of EV's for that purpose. EVSE must be equipped with circuitry that prevents it. It has already been stated that the onboard charge will accept 48 amps from mains. The only way to charge faster is to have a DC charger and I don't see those coming for the home market any time soon.
Bells and Whistles: Rivian is perfectly aware of what Tesla offers in terms of entertainment, range/fuel condition monitoring, internet and so on. They may drop a few things from Tesla's list (but not, we hope Emissions Testing) and they may add a few unique things of their own but I think you'll get most of what you get with a Tesla (or other modern BEV) if, perhaps, in a different format. No Falcon Wing Doors, though.
AC in the bed: This is going to be tough one for them to decide. At the unveilings they have shown a couple of 120V outlets. That will satisfy most of the urban cowboys but Elon has promised 240V with some muscle behind it.
Spare Tire: It's included.
Body Dings: Get them repaired at a body shop. There was originally a problem with this with Tesla as you had to go to a Tesla approved shop in order to maintain your warranty but that was because Tesla's use lots of aluminum. Don't know whether Rivian is made of the same stuff. This might be a problem with Rivian at least initially.
Towing: It is going to eat your lunch. What does it do to gas mileage on your current vehicle? It is going to do about the same to your EV. I used to tow a small trailer behind a Lexus. I had to fill up 4 times in a trip as opposed to 3 times without it. I expect if I towed it behind my Telsa consumption would go up by about the same amount i.e. from 300 wH/mi to 400. There is a You Tube about some guys who towed a horse trailer behind a Tesla X. Consumption went from 330 to over 500. You can expect about the same. WRT cold weather you can expect a further increase in consumption especially if there is snow on roads.
Charging Connector: Putting Telsa's proprietary standard aside there is really only one charging standard out there. That is CCS/combo and that is what Rivian will be using and that is what all the home EVSE offerings use now (or the J1772 which is the combo part of the standard).
Charging in parks: Get PlugShare and see what's available. Most any park that accommodates RVs has 40A level II charging available. Some hotels/motels/campgrounds/attractions have this too and many have Tesla destination chargers which can charge Rivians. Remember, this is today. Rivian may decide to install Rivian destination chargers at such locations. Rivian would have to be crazy not to provide or at least make available a set of adapters for the common 240 receptacles.
Home charging: There are several offerings currently available that will charge the Rivian. Using the Rivian as a backup source isn't going to happen as the NEC currently prohibits use of EV's for that purpose. EVSE must be equipped with circuitry that prevents it. It has already been stated that the onboard charge will accept 48 amps from mains. The only way to charge faster is to have a DC charger and I don't see those coming for the home market any time soon.
Bells and Whistles: Rivian is perfectly aware of what Tesla offers in terms of entertainment, range/fuel condition monitoring, internet and so on. They may drop a few things from Tesla's list (but not, we hope Emissions Testing) and they may add a few unique things of their own but I think you'll get most of what you get with a Tesla (or other modern BEV) if, perhaps, in a different format. No Falcon Wing Doors, though.
AC in the bed: This is going to be tough one for them to decide. At the unveilings they have shown a couple of 120V outlets. That will satisfy most of the urban cowboys but Elon has promised 240V with some muscle behind it.
Spare Tire: It's included.
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