Need more range for skiing

[Cycliste]

Sounds like @Yossarian is in a catch. Charging infrastructure along your routes is the main variable. After 150 km of travel, I’m ready for a brief rest and leg stretching I get during a fast charge. All of the RANs in California really make it simpler.

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[jjswan33]

Similar situation here regarding range. Our kid's school does ski Fridays. Last year was no issue with
Looking forward to any fairing suggestions. The whistling reduction would be welcomed as the R1S is our daily school driver/grocery getter and the ski rack stays on all winter.

Did you look at the Yakima Fairings? Maybe @wicked2112 can recommend a size for an R1S or confirm that one will fit/not fit on the Rivian crossbars.

 

[underkuver]

Did you look at the Yakima Fairings? Maybe @wicked2112 can recommend a size for an R1S or confirm that one will fit/not fit on the Rivian crossbars.

Glanced at it and saw the 'Does not fit your 2023 Rivian R1S' message. Further down it suggests it fits most factory square and aero bars so don't see why it wouldn't?

Might give it or the Thule one a try and listen.

Quick edit. Clicked the dropdown on Yakima site to change to the 52" fairing and it fits. Fingers crossed its quieter.

 

[Captain JB]

In my industry, aviation, parasite drag (the drag from a rooftop carrier) INCREASES with an increase in speed and actually at a faster rate than the increase in speed. If you really need the carrier for room, drive at 60mph instead of 75-80 (I know it is hard as it just drives so nicely and is effortless) and it should help big time. JB

 

[Supratachophobia]

This has been an interesting, and in some sense, eye-opening discussion for me.

I won't bore everyone with the mundane details as to why, but like the OP, I have a top box that is essential for travel to ski country. The distances I need to cover are much greater that that of the OP however. What I'm seeing posted in the Rivian forums lately, and particularly the comments in this thread, gives me substantial pause about my decision to go to an EV at this juncture.

I planned to replace my Telluride with the R1S, and thought I had a reasonable understanding of the challenges that going EV meant. For example, I put a great deal of effort into trip planning with the Telluride, and thought that the additional effort that the R1S will require would be manageable. And and as retiree, I don't really face many time constraints in traveling. Even so, it's looking more and more that my thinking may be overly optimistic.

Fortuately, any Rivian delivery is at least a few months in the future, and so no immediate decision is necessary. I will use the time to carefully contemplate whether an EV this year the right choice, or if waiting another couple of years would be the better option.

I got a real shocker here. EVs aren't for everyone. But here's the part 2, that's ok.

I get really frustrated with people that try to force EVs on everyone. There are some truly serious downsides to EV ownership and while there are ways to mitigate those downsides, it's acceptable to say "it's not worth it".

Now, there are some serious upsides as well. And for others, it is worth it, that's ok too.

 

[Sethsak]

appreciate the comments from those that understand the objective is skiing, not maximizing range. AT tires, cold temps, snow covered roads and a box to carry gear are fixed variables to accomplish the mission of getting sendy on the mountain. Variables I can/would change are speed, box placement (or addition of a fairing) and starting SOC. Unfortunately I don’t have off street parking which complicates things. I am probably worrying unnecessarily, but I don’t like the idea of charging to 100% the day before then having the car sit with a full SOC all night, my understanding is that’s not good for the battery and making this trip is a weekly ritual in the winter.

The Inno Wedge that I got is already the lowest profile box available from what I can tell. It will barely fit two pairs of skis stacked on top of each other (maybe 10” tall at most), but thankfully is plenty wide to fit the advertised 6-8 pairs in total. I have it mounted as far back as it will go without hitting the lift gate, so I’ll play around with moving it up to achieve more of a teardrop profile overall and see if that makes a measurable difference.

 

[RealBillNye]

appreciate the comments from those that understand the objective is skiing, not maximizing range. AT tires, cold temps, snow covered roads and a box to carry gear are fixed variables to accomplish the mission of getting sendy on the mountain. Variables I can/would change are speed, box placement (or addition of a fairing) and starting SOC. Unfortunately I don’t have off street parking which complicates things. I am probably worrying unnecessarily, but I don’t like the idea of charging to 100% the day before then having the car sit with a full SOC all night, my understanding is that’s not good for the battery and making this trip is a weekly ritual in the winter.

The Inno Wedge that I got is already the lowest profile box available from what I can tell. It will barely fit two pairs of skis stacked on top of each other (maybe 10” tall at most), but thankfully is plenty wide to fit the advertised 6-8 pairs in total. I have it mounted as far back as it will go without hitting the lift gate, so I’ll play around with moving it up to achieve more of a teardrop profile overall and see if that makes a measurable difference.

You mention not having off street parking. Where do you charge?

 

[jjswan33]

The Inno Wedge that I got is already the lowest profile box available from what I can tell. It will barely fit two pairs of skis stacked on top of each other (maybe 10” tall at most), but thankfully is plenty wide to fit the advertised 6-8 pairs in total. I have it mounted as far back as it will go without hitting the lift gate, so I’ll play around with moving it up to achieve more of a teardrop profile overall and see if that makes a measurable difference.

Kudos on the Inno, I love that box. I had the larger Inno Wedge on my conversion van build and have been thinking about getting one for my Ioniq 5 when they come back into stock at REI.

If it makes you feel any better my back window shattered on my car while I was getting sendy at Ski Bowl yesterday. Not really sure how.. Luckily it was my Ioniq 5 and not my R1T, as the cost is $375 (Ioniq 5) vs $4200 (R1T) for the replacement

 

[Sethsak]

You mention not having off street parking. Where do you charge?

At home, but not in a setup/configuration that I leave out overnight.

 

[Singletracker]

No need for certain posters to be so harsh on the OP. It's a learning opportunity for them and others. Knowing a few basic factors can go a long way:

Agreed. Some posters are more into being judgmental and snarky, than actually helpful. To many of us, traveling in an EV is a totally new experience. There is definitely a learning curve. IMHO, the OP had legitimate concerns and questions - nothing unreasonable, at all.

 

[superfly_snook]

I don’t blame anyone for being a little squirmy about having to charge at an EA stop on the way home from skiing.

Being down in San Diego my ski trips are all at least a long weekend and not park and ski day trips so I went with a hitch mounted ski/board carrier which I think will be good for longer trips (we stay close enough to walk to the lodge or a shuttle stop) but is much less practical for a park-and-ski day trip where a roof box is pretty much the ideal option.

It is also possible to put the middle section of the second row down and use it as a ski pass-thru if you have up to four skiers/riders. I did this before getting the hitch carrier and just put a $6 plastic tarp down to keep the sticks from contacting the seats. Not ideal but it got the job done.

 

[sub]

appreciate the comments from those that understand the objective is skiing, not maximizing range. AT tires, cold temps, snow covered roads and a box to carry gear are fixed variables to accomplish the mission of getting sendy on the mountain. Variables I can/would change are speed, box placement (or addition of a fairing) and starting SOC. Unfortunately I don’t have off street parking which complicates things. I am probably worrying unnecessarily, but I don’t like the idea of charging to 100% the day before then having the car sit with a full SOC all night, my understanding is that’s not good for the battery and making this trip is a weekly ritual in the winter.

The Inno Wedge that I got is already the lowest profile box available from what I can tell. It will barely fit two pairs of skis stacked on top of each other (maybe 10” tall at most), but thankfully is plenty wide to fit the advertised 6-8 pairs in total. I have it mounted as far back as it will go without hitting the lift gate, so I’ll play around with moving it up to achieve more of a teardrop profile overall and see if that makes a measurable difference.

You should add new tires to your list of things you can do without hindering your ability to ski.

Road tires(or snow tires) will get you better snow traction than the factory 20" tires in addition to having better range.

Pirelli's all-terrain tires are really bad in the snow.

https://www.tire-reviews.com/Article/2023-Best-All-Terrain-Tires-In-Snow.htm

 

[Sethsak]

You should add new tires to your list of things you can do without hindering your ability to ski.

Road tires(or snow tires) will get you better snow traction than the factory 20" tires in addition to having better range.

Pirelli's all-terrain tires are really bad in the snow.

https://www.tire-reviews.com/Article/2023-Best-All-Terrain-Tires-In-Snow.htm

Noted for when it’s time to replace tires, but I’ll at least run the factory tires until the end of their life.

 

[shamoo]

Being down in San Diego my ski trips are all at least a long weekend and not park and ski day trips so I went with a hitch mounted ski/board carrier which I think will be good for longer trips (we stay close enough to walk to the lodge or a shuttle stop) but is much less practical for a park-and-ski day trip where a roof box is pretty much the ideal option.

What hitch mount ski/board solution are you using?

I've seen a few over the years, but they stick up so high. They're also not cheap. Makes me want to splurge on the $400-500 Rivian branded crossbars and toss on my existing Thule ski/snowboard carriers. Probably less drag than a big box and maybe the same as skiis/snowboards sticking up 2 feet above the vehicle haha.

 

[DTown3011]

You should add new tires to your list of things you can do without hindering your ability to ski.

Road tires(or snow tires) will get you better snow traction than the factory 20" tires in addition to having better range.

Pirelli's all-terrain tires are really bad in the snow.

https://www.tire-reviews.com/Article/2023-Best-All-Terrain-Tires-In-Snow.htm

Great article - and this is precisely why I put X-Ice Michelin's on my 22's and it's been an absolute beast in the snow!

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