[MilesK]

According to a recent survey taken by Polestar, 55% of drivers in the U.S. bought an EV for reasons other than it benefitting the environment.

Was that your reason for ordering a R1T or R1S? Or was it another reason? It'll be interesting to see the results given how much Rivian prides itself as a company that embraces the outdoors. Cast your votes and let's see if we get similar numbers to the survey.

Here's the link to the Polestar press release about the survey:

Polestar Cars Finds Majority of US Drivers Don’t Purchase Electric Vehicles for Environmental Reasons

Polestar, the Swedish premium electric performance car brand, has conducted research that has found that 55 percent of US drivers purchase electric cars for reasons other than environmental benefits. In-vehicle technology, seamless connectivity and infotainment system offerings have been named...

media.polestar.com

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

It certainly is a reason, for me; but it is not the only reason.

 

[Livinginkaos]

It was partly so, but not in itself the only factor. I do like Rivian's objective on the planetary matter. I also like the fact that it is American made.

 

[GringoFeo]

I just wish I was w/ you on that drive!

 

[lethargic_wombat]

The environment was definitely my main reason for buying it. We added solar to our home last year and bought over our needs to account for charging the R1T. I am fortunate to be able to charge it at home when the sun is out. I have learned that the Rivian wall charger at 48amps, combined with normal home energy demand, will draw more than our solar produces. As such, I usually drop the charge rate down to 36amps using the charge settings in the vehicle. Then using the Enphase app, I can see that I am not using more than we produce. When I need a faster charge, I crank it back up to 48amps and take solace in the thought that when not running the EVSE, we dump a fair amount of energy back to the grid. Haven't gone down the path of home battery storage as of yet. Our grid is pretty stable here in Tucson. . . knocking on wood . . .

 

[O. horridus]

Who cares about the environment - the only important factor to consider is whether it has CarPlay or not.

 

[ColeAK]

Who cares about the environment - the only important factor to consider is whether it has CarPlay or not.

Haha. Are you on the Land cruiser forums. That is pretty much the overall message for everyone that isn’t an enthusiast. No car play and mpg sucks… over and over…

 

[LoudMusic]

1) Convenience of 'refueling' at home.
2) I need a truck in the family.
3) I am so done with car maintenance.
4) *$#! dealerships.
5) It'll make all the knuckle-dragging fossil-burning truck-morons angry.

 

[John Corringer]

I joined this forum just to comment on this thread. The environment is probably the lowest reason for me buying a Rivian. I drive an Audi SQ5 now and I love it. It's quick and cool looking and fun to drive. The problem with it is you can't haul or move anything. If I need to go to the garden store and get plants, they don't fit. Rocks, I need those delivered. Move my tractor around, yeah right.

So I wanted a vehicle that I can use as a truck to do truck type things but wasn't giant with a sky high center of gravity. Something that was fun to drive on winding roads. I like that my car is fast, the Rivian is faster. I like how my car looks, I like the Rivian better. I like the high tech in my car, the Rivian has more. I just hope the interior quality and features are as well put together as Audi because I'd hate to feel like I was taking a step backwards in luxury.

Second to all that is the fact that I don't have to go to a gas station or deal with a dealership. I tried buying a Mercedes during the pandemic and ran head long into an ADM. I refuse to pay a dealer to soak me for over MSRP, and personally would rather not have to deal with the whole lets make a deal haggle all day dealership model. It's much nicer to just pay the same price everyone else does and get the car delivered to my house.

 

[Moncho]

I joined this forum just to comment on this thread. The environment is probably the lowest reason for me buying a Rivian. I drive an Audi SQ5 now and I love it. It's quick and cool looking and fun to drive. The problem with it is you can't haul or move anything. If I need to go to the garden store and get plants, they don't fit. Rocks, I need those delivered. Move my tractor around, yeah right.

So I wanted a vehicle that I can use as a truck to do truck type things but wasn't giant with a sky high center of gravity. Something that was fun to drive on winding roads. I like that my car is fast, the Rivian is faster. I like how my car looks, I like the Rivian better. I like the high tech in my car, the Rivian has more. I just hope the interior quality and features are as well put together as Audi because I'd hate to feel like I was taking a step backwards in luxury.

Second to all that is the fact that I don't have to go to a gas station or deal with a dealership. I tried buying a Mercedes during the pandemic and ran head long into an ADM. I refuse to pay a dealer to soak me for over MSRP, and personally would rather not have to deal with the whole lets make a deal haggle all day dealership model. It's much nicer to just pay the same price everyone else does and get the car delivered to my house.

Coming from an Audi S7 myself and knowing that Audi has some of the best interiors in the business you will not be disappointed at the quality of the materials. Of course the R1T is much more simplistic in its layout but the materials are first class. My S7 was a fast car, but 2 days in and I don’t even remember my Audi. The performance in this Rivian is intoxicating!

 

[John Corringer]

Coming from an Audi S7 myself and knowing that Audi has some of the best interiors in the business you will not be disappointed at the quality of the materials. Of course the R1T is much more simplistic in its layout but the materials are first class. My S7 was a fast car, but 2 days in and I don’t even remember my Audi. The performance in this Rivian is intoxicating!

Thank you for this comment. It means a lot coming from someone with a similar car to what I currently drive and like. I'm even more excited now that I just confirmed configuration and am in the next set of vehicle builds.

 

[paulcoble4827]

View attachment 7237

According to a recent survey taken by Polestar, 55% of drivers in the U.S. bought an EV for reasons other than it benefitting the environment.

Was that your reason for ordering a R1T or R1S? Or was it another reason? It'll be interesting to see the results given how much Rivian prides itself as a company that embraces the outdoors. Cast your votes and let's see if we get similar numbers to the survey.

Here's the link to the Polestar press release about the survey:

Polestar Cars Finds Majority of US Drivers Don’t Purchase Electric Vehicles for Environmental Reasons

Polestar, the Swedish premium electric performance car brand, has conducted research that has found that 55 percent of US drivers purchase electric cars for reasons other than environmental benefits. In-vehicle technology, seamless connectivity and infotainment system offerings have been named...

media.polestar.com

YES, THE ENVIRONMENT WAS THE MAIN REASON FOR PLACING MY ORDER. BUT FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENT I DOUBT THAT I WOULD HAVE PLACED THE ORDER. YES, THE R1S HAS WONDERFUL COMFORT AND PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS, BUT I CAN GET THOSE ELSEWHERE. NO, FOR ME AFTER A 50+ WAIT FOR THIS ALTERNATIVE TO ICE, IT'S ENVIRONMENTAL. WERE IT OUTWISE, I WOULD HAVE BAILED OUT BY NOW. I'M ALL IN.

 

[paulcoble4827]

LET ME ADD: FOR ME THERE ARE TWO ELEMENTS TO MY ANALYSIS AND DECISION MAKING ABOUT PLACING MY RIVIAN ORDER.

ECONOMICS IS AN ELEMENT; DOES THE PURCHASE MAKE SENSE FOR MY FAMILY ON AN ECONOMIC BASIS. GIVEN THE QUALITY OF THE CAR AND THE LIKELY SERVICE LIFE, THE ANSWER IS YES. AND SO LIKEWISE THAT I'LL SAVE MONEY DRIVING PAST GAS STATIONS (ANYONE REMEMBER WHEN THEY WERE CALLED SERVICE STATIONS?).

BUT OF EQUAL OR GREATER IMPORTANCE IS THE ETHICAL ELEMENT OF BEING PART OF DOING SOMETHING TO AID THE ENVIRONMENT. YES, I'M AWARE OF THE CHILDREN WITH DADDY ISSUES RUNNING ABOUT LETTING THE AIR OUT OF SUV TIRES, INCLUDING EV SUVs. THEIR REVOLUTIONARY "LOGIC" IS THAT . . . SORRY, BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER, BUT I THINK IT WAS SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF "SEE WE WHAT I'M DOING DADDY? DOES THIS JUST PISS YOU OFF?"

IS THE EV THE PERFECT SOLUTION? IT IS NOT. BUT IT'S A STEP FORWARD, AND IF WE WAIT FOR PERFECTION WE'LL ALL BE DEAD FIRST. WE'VE CHOSEN TO DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE, RATHER THAN RUN ABOUT IN THE DARK LETTING THE AIR OUT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S TIRES. DOING NOTHING IS A CHOICE. DOING SOMETHING IS A BETTER CHOICE.

 

[sciencegeek]

Great discussion, don't get me wrong, but the poll presents me with a false choice. My reasons: environment and EV experience. EVs are just better cars. And I'm willing to pay a premium because of the environment.

 

[jme]

Is this where the Ted Talk about the Contradictions of Battery Operated Vehicles makes its entrance here?

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I’m a short term thinker who doesn’t care too much about being green. I got into an EV because it saved me money, that got me into solar, which got me into trying to figure out how to move everything to electric so I can buy more solar. The Rivian is a splurge on the end of that cycle.

This is a guy who’s not green and in the past 5 or so years has generated 167MWh of solar energy to power his life. I’m sure that translates somewhere to some number of trees or polar bears I’ve saved.

 

[atebit]

US energy independence. The environmental benefits come along for the ride, so:

 

[iansriv]

My reason was for the environment and by the environment. The Texas-Siberian winter we experienced in 2021 made me think very hard about my impact on the environment and it made me realise that I needed an end-of-times vehicle that could get me through anything.

 

[JimTX]

I agree - it is “a reason” among a number of reasons, but may not be “the main” reason.

 

[Wimberley51]

The environment was definitely my main reason for buying it. We added solar to our home last year and bought over our needs to account for charging the R1T. I am fortunate to be able to charge it at home when the sun is out. I have learned that the Rivian wall charger at 48amps, combined with normal home energy demand, will draw more than our solar produces. As such, I usually drop the charge rate down to 36amps using the charge settings in the vehicle. Then using the Enphase app, I can see that I am not using more than we produce. When I need a faster charge, I crank it back up to 48amps and take solace in the thought that when not running the EVSE, we dump a fair amount of energy back to the grid. Haven't gone down the path of home battery storage as of yet. Our grid is pretty stable here in Tucson. . . knocking on wood . . .

Environmental stewardship is one of the reasons we purchased our Rivian. The other is instability in the energy economy and resulting cost at the pump. We also installed Enphase solar panels, inverter, transfer switch and batteries. The grid in our area (Central Texas) is stretched by growing population, and weeks of 100 degree + temperatures can push our co-op into rolling brownouts. This summer we are off setting about 50% of our consumption with solar. It is interesting to see how the energy graph spikes when the truck is being charged. We feel pretty fortunate to be able to enjoy our truck, reduce our carbon footprint, and actually save money charging it.