[amoncur]

I'm about to take my first road trip in the R1T (first time I'll be charging somewhere other than home, that is) and as I was planning out my route (using the navigation screen in the Rivian) noticed the system directed me to an Electrify America charge station but also indicated all four of the available stations were in use. This was in a remote area and I thought it was odd that 1pm on a Monday all four stations would be in use so I double checked this against the EA app. When I looked in the EA app it indicated all four stations were available. I'm assuming the EA app is more accurate than the Rivian "app" when it comes to its own stations - does anyone have experience with commercial charging stations actual status (vs what Rivian says the status is...)? Is the Rivian navigation often incorrect when it comes to charging station status (at least outside of its own Adventure Network)? Or is it pretty accurate and more likely the EA app is inaccurate?

 

[Gamarsh]

Use the native app for the Charger you are intending to use. The Rivian app is great to get an overall sense of where the charging stations are located but status is most accurate using the specific charging station app. Do not count on getting the amount of charge the station advertises however, Also, in cold weather you aren't going to get the range the display initially provides when you type in your destination. On a full charge the advertised vs actual could be 50 to 70 miles less. Plan a stop earlier than you might expect.

 

[amoncur]

That's super helpful, thank you! Glad you mentioned the drop in range. Rivian's FAQ make it sound like the range isn't diminished in cold weather...guess that's not really the case?

 

[Gamarsh]

I drove from LA to Vancouver in Canada in early December. Learned a lot. Get snow socks btw, chains aren’t approved for Rivian and tire size is not standard

 

[O. horridus]

Chains are approved for 21" and 22" wheels. Only the 20" require snow socks. See the owners manual.

 

[O. horridus]

I was planning out my route (using the navigation screen in the Rivian)

I would not do that with any vehicle's navigation system. I've never met one yet that would make the same route choices as me, and many times even the best mapping software gives bad (and sometimes dangerous) advice. With the Rivian navigation system you're also not going to see all charger networks and you're not going to have access to availability on all networks.

I recommend using ABRP for overall route planning, including choosing overnight stops where you can charge, then using Plug Share to explore availability and choose backup/secondary locations and services, then use Rivian navigation to route to just the next charger. And always check the route before you drive (again, this goes for any navigation system) and use your judgement when following the suggested route. Use the charger's native app to have the most up-to-date information about the status of the next charger, and use Plug Share to see the recent history of charges (history is not always recent or available, depending on the location).

 

[amoncur]

Awesome, thank you for the recommendation. I had not heard of ABRP.

 

[BrotherBFlo]

Ageee to using the native charging network apps, they have more updated info than the nav system in my R1T.

A caution though with a pattern I have been seeing within the EA app and at the chargers. On my last trip from Ventura, CA up to San Luis Obispo (not that far, but we were up there for a few days so needed a charge before coming home) we stopped at 2 different EA chargers that were suppose to be 350kw and they were only putting out 40-60kw while charging. I called customer support and they said the chargers were only rated for 50kw despite the stickers on the chargers and the app both saying they were rated for 350kw. I submitted photos per instructions from the agent I was speaking with… two days later I received an email saying that EA had “temporarily reduced” the power.

“Thank you for reaching out to Electrify America. The power at charger 02 of our Target T0309 (Santa Maria, CA) charging station has been temporarily reduced.”

So if you’re relying on their network along your route… you might want to factor in a time buffer.

 

[solard532]

The most annoying thing about Rivian's map/navi app is that it's great that you can select and get info on chargers but as soon as you being navigation, it does not let you select on any other chargers. IE in my tesla if I'm navigating to a supercharger but along the way find a more suitable one, I can touch on it and see the details and decide if I want to navigate to that one instead. In my Rivian I'm not able to do that. Hope this gets dealt with soon.

 

[Dr. W.]

I agree with amoncur.... ABetterRoutePlanner.com.... never leave home without it. Never plan a trip without it. A with premium, it will adjust its maths for actual temperatures along the way. Solard makes a good point that I have raise with my service center and guide... the chargers displayed on the map should be accessible with a tap to display number of chargers uses and status, and all other info. Tesla does do this a lot better. IMHO, Rivian's systems are where Tesla was three or four years ago. The software will "evolve", I expect, as time, experience and user demands accumulate. Ahhh... the joys of being an early adopter. Until then... ABRP is the only way to travel!