webfootdawg
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Paul
- Joined
- May 31, 2022
- Threads
- 15
- Messages
- 291
- Reaction score
- 398
- Location
- Portland, OR
- Vehicles
- Q5, A4
- Thread starter
- #1
Took the Rivian on its first winter road trip. Complete with all the weather. Plan was Portland to Cannon Beach, OR. Distance is relatively short, 84 miles each way. Didn't plan on much driving at the destination. 2-5 miles. Grocery story, restaurants. Staying at a rental, only have access to 110V charging. Storm is coming. Portland area is on tap to get high winds, unseasonably cold temperatures, and snow. On the coast, cold, but not as cold, windy but not as bad. Might snow. Outside of the 110V at the rental, charging options aren't great in Cannon. One 50kw station that's been offline for a while, with no scheduled return to service based on last email to EVCS, although plugshare people reports maybe making it work. Handful of L2 options, but at hotels where we're not staying. Leave home Friday afternoon with 100% SOC and blue skies. Get to Cannon. Arrive with 60% charge. Worst case, looks one charge round trip is doable. Make a grocery run, then leave the car on the 110 at 10 amps. Popped the GFI breaker thing on the plug at 12.
Saturday the rain starts. The wind howls. Rain turns to freezing rain. Between all of that, power is knocked out for the whole town just after lunch. Prior to power going out, 110 charging has me to about 68%. Rental has a toasty gas fire place. Temps drops and the wet ground and falling rain turns to ice. Everything outside is slick as whale snot. Restaraunts all closed. Ventured out and found a random mini mart keeping the lights on with a portable generator and making pizza to go. Plus decent wine selection. Sold. Eventually power comes back and put the Rivian back on the 110 for the night.
Sunday morning time to come home. Charge is back to about 70%. Road reports are showing ice and block ice on the 101 and the lower portions of US26 (coastal and sea level) , turning to snow and packed snow during the short climb. Give the sun a chance and leave around 1200. Chains required on the 101 and a large portion of 26. 3 mountain peak tires also count on the Rivian. Ice was ice. Once we got to snow the Rivian was a champ. Last snow whip was a Q5 and I ran Nokian Hakkas (non-studded) in the winter. Rivian Scorpion combo was on part.
Lessons learned
-ABC. Always be Charging. Glad I didn't count on one of the other local L2 or L3 charger. Power outage took them all out too.
-110V charging isn't the end of the world. I could count on 1-2 miles per hour. Not the worst, but if little driving at destination for a few days it makes a difference.
-When on ice, use snow mode, and keep regen on min. Learned that the hard way on the black ice stretch.
-The new 50.1 preconditioning and blended regen was helpful. I used it prior to outings to melt the ice off the front window and prep the battery, regen was never limited and window was clear. Lows weren't crazy, high 20s. But have the pack warmed up to the 50s was helpful for efficiency.
-Avoid leaving the charging port door open in freezing rain
-The door handle design is less than idea for freezing rain, but seemed to deal with the inability to fully close just fine when ice found its under the handle
-The frunk won't stay open when its covered with a sheet of ice
-Rear wipe design sucks in these conditions. Wiper fluid, and running the rear window heating element (repeatedly) weren't enough to make the wiper blade functional.
-The OEM ATs do well on snow. Guessing there aren't many all weather 3MSP options that are notably better. Short of going to dedicated winters, they do well.
-Temps on the way home were in the teens. Given my own risk management calculus, I don't think I'd want to do a trip like that with good charging options at least very 120 miles or so. May not always need them, but given the impact of cold on efficiency and impact of being marooned in those conditions seems like a safe place to be. Especially hauling my kids around.
My in-laws brought their Jeep. It never moved until departure. 0.25+ inches of ice from the freezing rain.
Saturday the rain starts. The wind howls. Rain turns to freezing rain. Between all of that, power is knocked out for the whole town just after lunch. Prior to power going out, 110 charging has me to about 68%. Rental has a toasty gas fire place. Temps drops and the wet ground and falling rain turns to ice. Everything outside is slick as whale snot. Restaraunts all closed. Ventured out and found a random mini mart keeping the lights on with a portable generator and making pizza to go. Plus decent wine selection. Sold. Eventually power comes back and put the Rivian back on the 110 for the night.
Sunday morning time to come home. Charge is back to about 70%. Road reports are showing ice and block ice on the 101 and the lower portions of US26 (coastal and sea level) , turning to snow and packed snow during the short climb. Give the sun a chance and leave around 1200. Chains required on the 101 and a large portion of 26. 3 mountain peak tires also count on the Rivian. Ice was ice. Once we got to snow the Rivian was a champ. Last snow whip was a Q5 and I ran Nokian Hakkas (non-studded) in the winter. Rivian Scorpion combo was on part.
Lessons learned
-ABC. Always be Charging. Glad I didn't count on one of the other local L2 or L3 charger. Power outage took them all out too.
-110V charging isn't the end of the world. I could count on 1-2 miles per hour. Not the worst, but if little driving at destination for a few days it makes a difference.
-When on ice, use snow mode, and keep regen on min. Learned that the hard way on the black ice stretch.
-The new 50.1 preconditioning and blended regen was helpful. I used it prior to outings to melt the ice off the front window and prep the battery, regen was never limited and window was clear. Lows weren't crazy, high 20s. But have the pack warmed up to the 50s was helpful for efficiency.
-Avoid leaving the charging port door open in freezing rain
-The door handle design is less than idea for freezing rain, but seemed to deal with the inability to fully close just fine when ice found its under the handle
-The frunk won't stay open when its covered with a sheet of ice
-Rear wipe design sucks in these conditions. Wiper fluid, and running the rear window heating element (repeatedly) weren't enough to make the wiper blade functional.
-The OEM ATs do well on snow. Guessing there aren't many all weather 3MSP options that are notably better. Short of going to dedicated winters, they do well.
-Temps on the way home were in the teens. Given my own risk management calculus, I don't think I'd want to do a trip like that with good charging options at least very 120 miles or so. May not always need them, but given the impact of cold on efficiency and impact of being marooned in those conditions seems like a safe place to be. Especially hauling my kids around.
My in-laws brought their Jeep. It never moved until departure. 0.25+ inches of ice from the freezing rain.
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