Trip Report: R1T Moved From Seattle to Maui

[shrink]

Matson imposed several challenges on us. They wanted the vehicle completely empty, so we removed the first aid kit, compressor hoses, flashlight and camp speaker and shipped those in our container separately (but we left the spare with the truck).

I was about to ask you about this. From experience I know that's their requirement; however, again from experience, I have stashed a few things in prior vehicles that they did not detect. I was actually planning on stashing a few small items under the frunk false floor, as well as under the rear seats and gear tunnel (if I ship an R1T. I waffle daily on this) thinking they'd never know to look in those areas.

However, sounds like they're potentially getting more familiar with Rivians. I had no idea there were about 50 on Maui. That's way more than I had previously estimated.

Did you ship installed OEM crossbars by any chance? The last time I shipped on Matson to Hawaii, OEM roof racks were allowed, but I can imagine them giving one a hard time about this. I had to get special approval to ship my Jeep Cherokee over a few years ago because it has a 3rd party roof rack.

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[domoplaytime]

I had no idea there were about 50 on Maui.

The driver I spoke with was estimating 50 across all islands. I'm guessing at least a dozen on Maui. I did not ship the crossbars attached.

Did you ship installed OEM crossbars by any chance?

The truck is supposed to be put in Sport / Lowest suspension for adequate clearance, so I wouldn't risk leaving the crossbars on.

I cleared out our truck, even under the rear seats. Matson seemed quite picky and I didn't want to take chances.

 

[CharonPDX]

Maui really does seem like the perfect place for EVs - small enough that charging at home really should be the only charging anyone ever needs. Heck, completely circumnavigating the coastline (if it were possible) would only be ~150ish miles. All the islands other than the Big Island should be absolutely perfect for even the shortest-range EVs; and the Big Island should be fine on anything with >200 miles range. (And "perfectly usable" for even the shorter range ones.)

 

[domoplaytime]

Heck, completely circumnavigating the coastline (if it were possible) would only be ~150ish miles.

I want my second vehicle to be an EV with only 100 miles of range. Heavy vehicles wear tires faster and pollute via tire dust. Plus the grid here is partially powered by diesel generators, so an inefficient EV like my R1T isn't helping the environment if I have to charge at night. I'm renting my residence so there's no chance I'll install solar plus battery. If EV-to-EV direct charging becomes an option maybe my R1T will be the home battery that I charge during the day on days I'm driving the smaller vehicle.

 

[shrink]

Maui really does seem like the perfect place for EVs - small enough that charging at home really should be the only charging anyone ever needs. Heck, completely circumnavigating the coastline (if it were possible) would only be ~150ish miles. All the islands other than the Big Island should be absolutely perfect for even the shortest-range EVs; and the Big Island should be fine on anything with >200 miles range. (And "perfectly usable" for even the shorter range ones.)

Both Maui and Big Island will have some additional challenges with the volcanoes (Haleakala, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa). Mauna Kea is at 13,800 feet and it only takes about 45-60 minutes to get back to sea level. Haleakala is around 10,000 feet.

Still pretty manageable though.

 

[mikehmb]

I want my second vehicle to be an EV with only 100 miles of range. Heavy vehicles wear tires faster and pollute via tire dust. Plus the grid here is partially powered by diesel generators, so an inefficient EV like my R1T isn't helping the environment if I have to charge at night. I'm renting my residence so there's no chance I'll install solar plus battery. If EV-to-EV direct charging becomes an option maybe my R1T will be the home battery that I charge during the day on days I'm driving the smaller vehicle.

We are considering bringing over the eGolf as our primary island car for that very reason (the Rivian will remain in the bay area for at least a couple of years). It has excellent efficiency, is pretty much dead reliable and has no vampire drain for when we are off-island, and is small and fun to drive.

I can’t recommend that car highly enough - it’s genuinely excellent as a runabout. We got such an incredible deal on it, too - just before the pandemic … but you can get them used for a song, relative to other cars.

 

[citizen]

Great, informative write-up! Would love to get an update on which smart switch / extension cord you went with. Thanks!

 

[iansriv]

Was that you that posted a blow up doll in the frunk? Is that why you had to move?

How do we know for sure you're in Maui without some great background photos?

 

[lefkonj]

Congrats on your move safe travels

 

[jerseyff]

Excited to see Rivians when I am back to visit the island in January! ?

 

[NY_Rob]

TL;DR - The truck made it to Maui safely after 27 days in transit, and lost only 24% of battery (72 miles) while in Shipping Mode.

That loss seems quite high for "Shipping Mode".
I've run several tests in Shipping Mode- from 2-3 days in duration with the longest being 5-days duration and my loss always comes out to about .5kWh/day which equals about 1 mile of range lost per day.

Did you turn the climate control off before putting it in the container, or maybe the driver turned it back on when he was trying to get from 80% SOC to 60%SOC?

 

[kizamybute']

Genuine question...Is fast charging really needed in Hawaii? Seems like you could do a round trip on any of the islands in less than 225 miles, thus a full charge at home should get you wherever you need to go?

 

[domoplaytime]

That loss seems quite high for "Shipping Mode".
I've run several tests in Shipping Mode- from 2-3 days in duration with the longest being 5-days duration and my loss always comes out to about .5kWh/day which equals about 1 mile of range lost per day.

Did you turn the climate control off before putting it in the container, or maybe the driver turned it back on when he was trying to get from 80% SOC to 60%SOC?

The driver had the AC set to max cool. I presume the truck lost some charge when being driven off the ship, onto the barge, etc. combined with AC loss. The loss was higher than I expected but better than I had feared.

 

[domoplaytime]

Genuine question...Is fast charging really needed in Hawaii? Seems like you could do a round trip on any of the islands in less than 225 miles, thus a full charge at home should get you wherever you need to go?

I can't do a full charge at home until my dryer smart switch arrives. It's still a clunky solution that requires I leave my interior garage door ajar for a very long NEMA 14-50 extension cord. I'd rather have been able to rely on fast charging. Many other EV owners here don't even have the option of a dryer outlet.

Hills here kill range. Today my drive home from sea level was 9 miles of distance and 20 miles of lost range.

 

[Chewy734]

Congratulations on the relocation! Loved reading your story… I even laughed about the truck thinking you were in the middle of the ocean and it couldn’t navigate you until you rebooted.

Surprised to hear so many Rivians on the island, but that’s really cool.

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