Rivian doesn't cost less to drive on long trips

[irfan]

I don’t intend to ever take a long trip in our cars. We are fully electric. Anything over 3 hours we just fly. If we took long drives we definitely would have kept a gas car.

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[Spork8]

Now that I've observed the vehicle on longer trips I'm realizing that there isn't much difference in cost per mile vs our V8 powered 2007 Lexus GX470 here in CA.

GX: $5 per gal / 20mpg= .25 per mile
R1S: $.50 per kw dcfc / 2 mi per kwh = .25 per mile

What's everyone else seeing? Home charging costs about half as much so it's like a 40mpg SUV in that case. Although it's classified as 75mpge, you have to fill it with $8-$16 per gal "gas."

Here's a good site for calculating cost of ownership (via fuels). I used it when trying to justify buying my R1T and ditching my F-150. Tool told me that after 3 years I would be saving money.

You are also confusing how MPGe is calculated. One gallon of gasoline contains roughly 34kWh of energy so forgive me here as I know I'm close with the values but 135kWh pack / 34kWh is equal to about 4.05 gallons of gas. If max range the EPA got during testing was 300 miles then it is 74 MPGe (300 / 4.05).

If you're trying to compare MPG by cost, which I think is the goal of your post, you're going to have to do some extra math. Divide your $/gal and $/kWh, 5/0.5 = 10 kWh/gal. Now divide this rate by the capacity of the battery, 10 kWh/gal / 135 kWh = 0.074 units/gal. Finally, multiply this by the range of the vehicle, 300 miles * 0.074 units/gal = 22.22 mpg.

So by your numbers, you got better gas mileage than your 2007 Lexus GX470 with the R1S but you are correct that there isn't a lot of difference. If I were to do the same for where I'm at, I get 15.7 MPG by using DCFC but 38.2 MPG charging at home.

All in all, there are a lot of different ways to look at this and where you live has a heavy impact - both good and bad.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I'm 12 cents per kWh here. It is much cheaper at home and that savings more than makes up for any costs on a road trip especially considering the road trip costs about the same. Regardless I didn't buy a hundred thousand dollar car to save money I bought it because I wanted it.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

It is also worth pointing out that this car is far more fuel efficient than any other vehicle with over 800 HP by a large margin. This truck has supercar performance yet gets reasonable fuel economy. See how much a TRX, which is slower, costs on a road trip.

 

[Fred6v]

The OP bought a Rivian to save money on travel costs. Huh? Would doubt that’s a motivation for many of us buyers. Though going all electric and investing in PV with net metering on my roof I can cover 100% of my energy needs even here in Maine! With no bill.

 

[coffeefirst]

Yeah, if you're paying $0.50/kWh sure. I think a lot of people, myself included, pay somewhere between $0.10-$0.20/kWh.

 

[Rainman]

Economics were not part of my decision to buy a Rivian. We could build a pivot table with enough variables to make anyone feel good or bad. If economics are top of mind a 7000 pound vehicle from a new auto manufacturer probably isn't the best idea - IMO.

PS - I like and enjoy driving my R1T

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

This can be true. Even at $3 a gallon it's probably a break even. It is cheaper to run though if you have home charging because the home charging is typically about 1/3 the cost of public charging. This is why in many of my videos I recommend folks who don't have access to either home or workplace charging to wait before purchasing a fully electric vehicle.

With all that said, these vehicles are close to $100,000 in some cases. I know when I set out for the purchase I did not do so for cost savings. Although I do see some savings over running a comparable ICE truck. My main reasons are no gas station, time wasting trips and no oil changes and I love the power instant torque and smooth quiet operation of electric vehicles.

When towing our travel trailer it's actually on par expense wise with an 8 to 10 miles per gallon ICE truck so you're not saving any cost there. If you're getting an EV to save costs, you want something that has the highest possible efficiency that will make public charging much cheaper.

 

[vandy1981]

Now that I've observed the vehicle on longer trips I'm realizing that there isn't much difference in cost per mile vs our V8 powered 2007 Lexus GX470 here in CA.

GX: $5 per gal / 20mpg= .25 per mile
R1S: $.50 per kw dcfc / 2 mi per kwh = .25 per mile

What's everyone else seeing? Home charging costs about half as much so it's like a 40mpg SUV in that case. Although it's classified as 75mpge, you have to fill it with $8-$16 per gal "gas."

I agree that public charging has gotten more expensive, but I don't think your calculations are accurate.

I doubt a 2007 V8 GX is getting 20 mpg on the highway, especially if the R1S is getting 2.0 mi/kwh with the same route and conditions.

You're also omitting the amount of energy you have from home charging at the start of your trip.

 

[GogglesPisano]

PG&E is doing their damnest to eliminate any incentive to get solar or an EV in California. It’s super frustrating.

fortunately, I can charge at work which has basically eliminated my gas bill. However, financially speaking, I made a poor decision buying any ev as my paid off pathfinder cost less to operate than the new car payment. For me, it was more about the rest of the features of the Rivian with the ev aspect being a bonus. That and my driveway will get a break from oil spots now that I’m no longer driving an old rig.

 

[JamuJoe]

Now that I've observed the vehicle on longer trips I'm realizing that there isn't much difference in cost per mile vs our V8 powered 2007 Lexus GX470 here in CA.

GX: $5 per gal / 20mpg= .25 per mile
R1S: $.50 per kw dcfc / 2 mi per kwh = .25 per mile

What's everyone else seeing? Home charging costs about half as much so it's like a 40mpg SUV in that case. Although it's classified as 75mpge, you have to fill it with $8-$16 per gal "gas."

My total charging cost for my current long trip towing a 7500 Airstream is $0.15/mi. That at twice the consumption (and worse in freezing windy conditions).
1. With EA’s Plus pass ($7.00/ mo.) my cost is about 25% less than retail at DCFC.
2. I charge in campgrounds at no additional cost. This may change someday, and I’ll be happy to pay for my consumption.
3. At home, I primarily charge from my rootop solar.

 

[md2023]

The OP bought a Rivian to save money on travel costs. Huh? Would doubt that’s a motivation for many of us buyers. Though going all electric and investing in PV with net metering on my roof I can cover 100% of my energy needs even here in Maine! With no bill.

The OP bought a Rivian to save money on travel costs. Huh? Would doubt that’s a motivation for many of us buyers. Though going all electric and investing in PV with net metering on my roof I can cover 100% of my energy needs even here in Maine! With no bill.

Similar set up (with a 12.95 kw system), but not near $0 bill, especially in winter. How are you doing it? Do you charge at a slower rate? Not drive much?

RE: OP, cost benefit definitely depends on context and charging options. With solar it's not close (but solar install isn't cheap either). My overall cost savings will be small, but fine with that while also making a small contribution to the planet. Millions of small contributions will add up.

 

[rockandrollray]

This is a little misleading; prices for electricity vary more drastically than gasoline. Many of the DCFC are $.36 per kWh , and home charging for many is $.14 or less per kWh.

Exactly! I’ve never paid more than $.36 per KWH on a long road trip.

 

[milliemc]

@HaveBlue, that is the same for me in the Bay Area paying PG&E rates, but my prior vehicle was a Subaru Impreza versus an R1T. The R1T is just so much more comfortable.

My home PG&E bill has gone up by the same amount my gasoline bill went down. I also no longer have oil and filter changes for the Impreza.

I am responding to your comment that the R1T is so much more comfortable than your Subaru. We have an R1T reservation and are thinking of ordering. We currently have a Tesla Model 3, which I love but it is getting harder to get in and out of--I am 77. And we want the heated and ventilated seats.

 

[runwithscissors]

Public charging prices with EA have already gone up and will continue to skyrocket as more EVs hit the road because the grid can't support it all. The integration from Rivian is awful and requires multiple apps to plot a long trip because you don't know the availability of chargers from the interface. "Free" charging from manufacturers causes public chargers to be full from people who will never invest in a home charger and don't want to pay thousands to upgrade their old panels.

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