[rivian_germany]

Greetings all! I have been lurking here over a year since I ordered around October 2021 and this is my first public post. I gained access to the R1 shop a few weeks ago and selected an R1T that should be ready before the end of the month. I am an American living in Germany (US Army civilian) and planning to ship my Rivian here. I already have a US Spec Tesla but am likely going to sell it if I am able to charge the Rivian at home. I have high confidence that I should be able to charge it with the following EVSE:

Shucko to J1772 charger:

Amazon.de

Also for DC charging/road trips (I know it says CCS2 to CCS1 but if you look at the ends it seems to be backwards so it should work??):

https://www.midaevse.com/duosida-150a-ccs2-to-ccs1-adapter-for-dc-fast-charging-station-product/

But of course I am nervous being thousands of miles from a service center!! Please don't flame me for being adventurous. I KNOW that if it dies (badly) or crashes, I'm pretty much S.O.L. Ok maybe bordering between adventurous and lunacy...but OMG the looks this thing will get when it arrives!!!!

Anyway, I got off topic. I saw a post that an R1T was spotted in Belgium with Cali plates, just wanted to crowdsource and see if I could link up with that crazy guy/gal and see how it's going. And ask for helpful tips regarding the charging...if anyone knows... hopefully Rivian is watching this post LOL. I will be a brand ambassador!!

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

Yes, you’re crazy. There are people in the USA living service nightmares because Rivian has so few service centers. Shipping the truck out of country is insane unless you’re so rich you don’t actually need the vehicle and dom’t care that it is going to be a problem.

 

[Yossarian]

While I'd like to be happy for you @rivian_germany, I think you are likely to regret the decision. As @CommodoreAmiga points out, service is already an issue stateside and you are essentially stranded in Germany with nothing but OTA help available. If you really want the truck. I think you'd be far better off to leave it stateside with friends or relatives. Better still, defer the purchase until your next PCS, which hopefully will be to the US.

 

[RITVT]

There is a very good reason why deliveries have been staged in conjunction with regional Service Center openings, and within 200 - 300 miles (R1 range) of their surrounding radius. I don't think Rivian delivered any initial batches without a SC nearby, or at least 1 opening soon.

 

[IThinkFreely]

You're R1T must be close to 20K VIN I would think - so a bit more refined perhaps than one 6 months ago. I like that you're taking a swing at this. Having the wow factor of being one of the first to drive a vehicle on an entire continent is pretty cool. And, for all the negativity about service issues, I have had an R1T for almost 4 months with no problems. Including a still working power tonneau!

 

[RITVT]

You forgot 1 thing, which was a recall.

I was just trying to be realistic (not negative) based on the fact that the rollout to date has been planned with service centers in mind. I say go for it in EU, as long as you have a back-up plan in the event something bad does happen and with an understanding that you may not be able to obtain service (or in the event of an accident rendering the car undriveable). Could be months before a resolution is realized, so if the R1 is not the primary or only vehicle, then go nutz

 

[NorthernRivian]

@rivian_germany you are crazy but as long as you know what you're getting into, then you'll enjoy being the only Rivian owner on the continent.

 

[IThinkFreely]

You forgot 1 thing, which was a recall.

I was just trying to be realistic (not negative) based on the fact that the rollout to date has been planned with service centers in mind. I say go for it in EU, as long as you have a back-up plan in the event something bad does happen and with an understanding that you may not be able to obtain service (or in the event of an accident rendering the car undriveable). Could be months before a resolution is realized, so if the R1 is not the primary or only vehicle, then go nutz

The 'recall' was guy reaching into the wheel well for 20 seconds with a torque wrench. The word recall was not required for that particular fix.

 

[RITVT]

Except that it was a recall.

 

[rivian_germany]

Thanks for the warm welcome, and the tips! I will post updates as things happen, learning experiences, etc. We (family) do have a small stable of older gas cars as a backup, and my daily driver the Tesla M3LR. I ordered before the price hike so I feel like I would be a fool not to take delivery now. I don't plan on selling unless I just don't like it or I can't use it. Love from Germany to y'all!!

 

[rivian_germany]

You're R1T must be close to 20K VIN I would think - so a bit more refined perhaps than one 6 months ago. I like that you're taking a swing at this. Having the wow factor of being one of the first to drive a vehicle on an entire continent is pretty cool. And, for all the negativity about service issues, I have had an R1T for almost 4 months with no problems. Including a still working power tonneau!

VIN received... 7FCTGAAA0NN015xxx

 

[iansriv]

You are crazy adventurous! Go for it mate! I believe there is a post about a gent in UAE that had one shipped. If all else fails take a look at the Mercedes EQG. Keep us posted on your great adventure. Cheers!

 

[hazelnutz18]

I would do it in your position! Maybe give your Guide a heads up so they can be prepared. Rivian could already be engaged with EU counterparts to plan a build out there. Also have a backup plan and some patience... What does shipping a vehicle to Germany cost? Any safety restrictions the vehicle doesn't meet etc? I know a lot of cars designed for other countries cant be brought to the US without a lot of headaches. Is it easier to bring a US car to Europe?

 

[lg3103]

I'm German and live in the US. Getting my R1S tomorrow. Make sure you are actually allowed to drive this on public roads in Germany. Tesla has a presence in Europe and has vehicles on the road. Rivian doesn't except for a test vehicle or two. This might not be an issue until you are in an accident and you have a vehicle that is not permitted for use in Europe/Germany.

 

[rivian_germany]

I would do it in your position! Maybe give your Guide a heads up so they can be prepared. Rivian could already be engaged with EU counterparts to plan a build out there. Also have a backup plan and some patience... What does shipping a vehicle to Germany cost? Any safety restrictions the vehicle doesn't meet etc? I know a lot of cars designed for other countries cant be brought to the US without a lot of headaches. Is it easier to bring a US car to Europe?

It's pretty easy to bring to Europe IF you register it in the military system. I imagine it would be harder if trying to actually import it. Yes, it is extremely difficult to export a car from Europe to the US unless it is over 25 years old. The cost to ship is about 2000-2500 from the US to EU all told.