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Advice Max Pack or Not

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Gytis

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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
I just received an email from Rivian stating that I will be contact regarding getting R1T soon.
Here's the problem:
I am a Max Pack reservation holder (Jan 2019). I was told 1st half of 2023.
The main reason for my interest in the Max Pack is that we often travel from Ann Arbor, MI (home) to our cottage in Marquette MI (450 miles).
I know the infrastructure is growing, but I'd like some feedback whether to wait it out for the Max Pack, or should the large pack suffice. We currently have a Tesla MY long range, and the range has not been as impressive as I was expecting.

Any advice from the members would be appreciated!
Gytis
 
ERivTruck

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#3 ·
Welcome fellow Michigander!

As with any "promised" mileage depends on certain vehicle and environmental and driving conditions. Are you driving in Conserve Mode in the Lowest Setting? Do you have the 21" On Road tires with the least amount of rolling resistance.

While the claim is 400 miles, real world my be 350-375 miles. And if that is the case, is $10,000 more worth 50-75 more miles? Probably not. As you stated Tesla has been under performing its range estimates. There is really no guarantees that getting the Max Pack you will meet or EXCEED range estimates.

Also, know the I75 north highway north of Gaylord, you start to get a lot of terrain changes which will greatly affect your range. THEN to add insult to injury, we live in Michigan which means weather extremes! That said, batteries don't like running in cold temps, so if you go up north it would only be in the summer months as fall and winter you will see decreases in range.

Just my $0.02, $10,000 for a delayed product with marginal returns is really not worth it.
 
Gytis

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Discussion Starter · #4 ·
My thought was more as a larger buffer, not thinking I would make it in 1 shot. Heading North, the last charger (at the moment) is in Mackinaw City, which is 165 miles from the cottage. And, yes, we will be going in the fall and winter when the gales and snows are blowing :)
 
O

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#5 ·
No one has ever said "I wish I had less range". So if you can wait a year (or more), and can afford the extra $10k (which is $6k less than what they are charging now, so represents a real bargain), then I would wait for the Max pack. But the Max is not available now and until they ship the first one we won't know when it will be available, so waiting is an uncertain prospect.

With your reservation date, you would probably already have your R1T if you chose the Large pack. I'm sure you could get it very quickly if you switch to Large.

I personally reserved an LE and not a Max pack because I want my truck sooner. But if my Ocean Coast interior gets delayed much longer (now projected for Oct/Nov) then it may get to the point where the Max pack is available and I still don't have my truck - at that point I would switch to Max too.
 
J

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#6 ·
Regardless of their overstating range, there’s a big difference between a Tesla that has a Supercharger network with dozens of chargers in a given radius and any other EV with maybe a dozen chargers in that same radius. And that’s before we consider how many are working at any given moment, or their kW charging rates.
 
Epicloop

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#7 · (Edited)
I would most certainly wait for the max pack in this circumstance, it has 33% more range and you have the locked in price at a significant discount to what any current or future orders will pay which will also increase its market value. Better to have the range and not wish you had it. With the variables mentioned and potential extra load and maybe wind drag from a bike rack or other loads it is highly likely that with the large pack you would need to charge 2x after leaving home, the Max would likely make it a one stop trip. Once it is time to sell anyone wanting to tow or overland will be looking for the maxpack once people start selling them.
I am not ordering with the 21" wheels due to the lack of tire selection and I doubt the increased range will outweigh the exorbitant cost of replacing the tires and EV's are harder on tires.
 
S

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#9 ·
Gytis said:
The main reason for my interest in the Max Pack is that we often travel from Ann Arbor, MI (home) to our cottage in Marquette MI (450 miles).
Click to expand...
Generic discussion is not helpful. It's the very specific situation that matters. If you don't have a specific need for the extra tens of miles of range (such as towing, which kills up to 50% of range) there's no good reason to spend the extra $$ on the MaxPack.

In your specific case, you will have to make one charging stop regardless, in Gaylord. I assume you can L2 charge at your cabin. If not you'll probably have to install it.

Even if you had to make an additional stop the MaxPack will not save you time. The charging rate curve is the same for both packs. Ironically, the Large pack may save you time because the same distance noodles the Large battery down to lower charge than the Max, and the charge rate will be higher.
 
ERivTruck

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#10 ·
Gytis said:
My thought was more as a larger buffer, not thinking I would make it in 1 shot. Heading North, the last charger (at the moment) is in Mackinaw City, which is 165 miles from the cottage. And, yes, we will be going in the fall and winter when the gales and snows are blowing :)
Click to expand...
Are you sure they are not Tesla chargers? The ones I have see in Mack City are in the parking lot at Shepler's Ferry dock. And I am not 100% sure any R1 can charge in a Tesla charger.
 
Yossarian

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#15 · (Edited)
I think you're making the right choice to wait for the Max Pack. I'm not presently an EV owner, but the number of times I've heard some version of what @O. horridus posted ("I wish I had less range" said no one, ever) has pretty much convinced me that more range is nearly always the right choice. Having the lower Max price locked is also part of the "pro" argument.

The fly in the ointment is the wait. While Rivian is presently saying the R1T Max will start to deliver in 2023, I'd be willing to bet that deliveries in substantial numbers will not happen until late next year. In my case, the Dec 2021 email from Rivian gave me a 1H2023 delivery window and while I hope that happens, the stars don't seem to be aligning to make that a reality.
 
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