Creative ways to extend range and/or charge your Rivian

[joesimonsen]

Hey all new to the forums. I have been an EV owner for a few years with a Chevy Bolt and took delivery of an R1S a few months ago. Hands down the nicest car I've ever owned! With this it makes our entire family an EV family. Kind of fun!

I am wondering what are some peoples most creative ways they have used to extend range or even charge on the go. I've never really had an issue with charging myself, but the very idea of it just makes me interested from an intellectual perspective. I went down the rabbit hole a bit lately with portable batteries, propane/gas generators, solar panels, portable wind etc. etc. etc. And roughly came to the conclusion that finding a random wall outlet is better at the end of the day. But would love to hear if anyone else has thought the same. For example, you can re-gain some power through regenerative braking meaning you can charge the batteries in a sense while driving. So, why not sned power in the same way this does to the battery with a "something" to help extend the range?

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[Kgautam28]

Scheduled cabin climate setup

 

[RedRaiderRivian]

Hey all new to the forums. I have been an EV owner for a few years with a Chevy Bolt and took delivery of an R1S a few months ago. Hands down the nicest car I've ever owned! With this it makes our entire family an EV family. Kind of fun!

I am wondering what are some peoples most creative ways they have used to extend range or even charge on the go. I've never really had an issue with charging myself, but the very idea of it just makes me interested from an intellectual perspective. I went down the rabbit hole a bit lately with portable batteries, propane/gas generators, solar panels, portable wind etc. etc. etc. And roughly came to the conclusion that finding a random wall outlet is better at the end of the day. But would love to hear if anyone else has thought the same. For example, you can re-gain some power through regenerative braking meaning you can charge the batteries in a sense while driving. So, why not sned power in the same way this does to the battery with a "something" to help extend the range?

My tricks are 1. Slow Down. 2. Draft behind a large vehicle. 3. Always have an alternate charging location planned and lots of adapters.

The number of CCS charging locations is increasing so fast that even without a NACS to CCS adapter, I really don't have much concern any more sbout traveling.

 

[Riviot]

So, why not sned power in the same way this does to the battery with a "something" to help extend the range?

https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/what-is-energy/laws-of-energy.php

 

[joesimonsen]

https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/what-is-energy/laws-of-energy.php

Sure, I know what "energy" is on a sort of deep level actually. I was a physics major for a bit and read a lot of books on power generation for fun. The "Something" was kind of just there to say like a generator you are running to supplement your battery kind of like how the RAM Ev truck will work in theory. A BEV with a Diesel generator onboard to supplement the battery

 

[Riviot]

Sure, I know what "energy" is on a sort of deep level actually. I was a physics major for a bit and read a lot of books on power generation for fun. The "Something" was kind of just there to say like a generator you are running to supplement your battery kind of like how the RAM Ev truck will work in theory. A BEV with a Diesel generator onboard to supplement the battery

Ah I see... I stick to power-line roads for the wireless charging.

 

[joesimonsen]

Ah I see... I stick to power-line roads for the wireless charging.

K sounds good.

 

[RedRaiderRivian]

Sure, I know what "energy" is on a sort of deep level actually. I was a physics major for a bit and read a lot of books on power generation for fun. The "Something" was kind of just there to say like a generator you are running to supplement your battery kind of like how the RAM Ev truck will work in theory. A BEV with a Diesel generator onboard to supplement the battery

A generator of some sort would be the most cost effective way to carry extra power around with you. Otherwise, swappable batteries are the answer to quick stops with an EV. I keep hoping someday we will standardize battery formats across a wide range of vehicles similar to what Ample is working on.

 

[joesimonsen]

A generator of some sort would be the most cost effective way to carry extra power around with you. Otherwise, swappable batteries are the answer to quick stops with an EV. I keep hoping someday we will standardize battery formats across a wide range of vehicles similar to what Ample is working on.

Seems like the industry is moving to standardize the plug at least first. I wonder how standardizing batteries would work at scale. Like, would this help adoption and bring costs down or hamper innovation? I could see a real benefit to companies having the freedom to competing fully on energy density and charging speeds right now.

Nevertheless, it's still a cool idea. But now I also wonder what the best king of generator for charging an EV truly off grid would be. There are a lot of out there places on the east side of California that would make fun fun exploring.

 

[f1racer328]

Tow charging if you have a friend with a capable vehicle and are about to be screwed.

 

[AllInev]

Hey all new to the forums. I have been an EV owner for a few years with a Chevy Bolt and took delivery of an R1S a few months ago. Hands down the nicest car I've ever owned! With this it makes our entire family an EV family. Kind of fun!

I am wondering what are some peoples most creative ways they have used to extend range or even charge on the go. I've never really had an issue with charging myself, but the very idea of it just makes me interested from an intellectual perspective. I went down the rabbit hole a bit lately with portable batteries, propane/gas generators, solar panels, portable wind etc. etc. etc. And roughly came to the conclusion that finding a random wall outlet is better at the end of the day. But would love to hear if anyone else has thought the same. For example, you can re-gain some power through regenerative braking meaning you can charge the batteries in a sense while driving. So, why not sned power in the same way this does to the battery with a "something" to help extend the range?

Drive the speed limit on the highway. Huge!

 

[joesimonsen]

Drive the speed limit on the highway. Huge!

I drive 35mph everywhere regardless of what the government tells me how fast I should be driving.

 

[BCondrey]

Lots of cables & adapters, lots of planning, and always be charging. And most importantly, don't overthink charging.

 

[RedRaiderRivian]

A generator that works off of gas

Could be gas, diesel, hydrogen, or fuel cells. You are basically creating a fuel powered eletric drivetain similar to a the diesel-eletrics in a locomotive at that point. I would suspect cost and weight are the reason we see plug in hybrids instead.

 

[MidnightRivian]

Lots of cables & adapters, lots of planning, and always be charging. And most importantly, don't overthink charging.

This is it.

Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

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