Tips for using Rivian as power bank for storm

[ahoover]

My best solution for emergency power outage was a Lincoln Electric Ranger 9 LPG welder/generator (9000 watts) with a break out panel and a break before make switch. It could power my entire house in the dead of winter in Connecticut. The break before make switch also included led indicators for the presence of A/C utility power. The Ranger 9 had electric start and auto throttle.

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[Tim-in-CA]

on a prior thread i read that someone just ran an extension cord from their vehicle to the house. That's not the interesting part, it was that they took off the door knob and used that hole to run the cord through so they can keep the door closed. I thought that was a great tip.

I have Solar and Powerwalls and as long as there's sun, I should be OK, but agree if there was ever a very prolonged outage, this is a great idea vs keeping the garage door to the house open!

 

[Libby]

Years ago, when we used our Honda generator for any sustained outages, I cut a pass-through hole in the drywall between the garage and our utility room. I have two flip down circular pieces of wood covering both ends of the hole (which is next to the door into the garage). Any extension cords from the Rivian in the garage to the house interior, are run through the hole. The exterior doors remain shut tight. I just tuck a bit of fiberglass insulation around the extension cord as it enters the garage side hole to prevent any air, or critters, from accessing the house interior.

Just waiting for Rivian to provide a V2H unit. I need to get a solution for capturing the power off of our solar array that doesn't require a separate stand alone battery lke a Tesla power wall or two. We are 1 to 1 net metering with our electric company, so any solar power we produce is unavailable to us if the Grid goes down.

 

[Thedude]

For those with 120v boilers/furnaces, wire this switch in. It’s simple and only takes about 30 minutes to watch a few videos and get it installed

https://ezgeneratorswitch.com/product/ez-generator-switch/

 

[Frisbee]

I used a heavy duty RV shore power plug with weather flap to connect my R1T through the garage wall to the refrigerator in the kitchen.

 

[GA_Rivian]

The main problem with all of these solutions is they are only 120VAC. If you live in a rural area and have a well, your well pump is generally 240VAC. You need V2H for that.

We've used the Rivian 120 for fridge and freezer and it works great, but we have to watch water and fill toilets with a bucket.

 

[Singletracker]

Yup. I’m also on a well and the Rivian can’t help with that. No well pump, no agua. I always have a fair amount of stored water around that I use for camping trips. So, I’ve got plenty to last me for days, but no showers I’m afraid. Another thing that can be done, if expecting the possibility of a power outage, is to fill a bathtub with water. This can then be used for toilets or for other non-drinking purposes.

 

[Virtio]

Would something like this work on my 2023 R1S? It's rated at 10KW. What's the max I can draw from the R1S? It says the input voltage is within the 290–450V range.

 

[Jeff B.]

I have two delta pro ultra units from ecoflow as well as the smart home panel. I had them installed two years ago prior to hurricane season and they performed flawlessly thought Hurricane Milton.

I upgraded the system this past year to include the eco-worthy charger which can input 120v or 240vAC and output 36 to 64 vDC. Using the eco-worthy charger to feed the low voltage PV inputs on the delta pro ultra, I can pull about 945 watts from the Rivian outlets to recharge the ultra's while still having loads used in my house through the smart home panel. I have the option to still ad some additional solar through the other PV inputs on the ultra. It is working very well for my needs.

 

[Jeff B.]

Yup. I’m also on a well and the Rivian can’t help with that. No well pump, no agua. I always have a fair amount of stored water around that I use for camping trips. So, I’ve got plenty to last me for days, but no showers I’m afraid. Another thing that can be done, if expecting the possibility of a power outage, is to fill a bathtub with water. This can then be used for toilets or for other non-drinking purposes.

I can run a well pump, welder, dryer, etc.. all from my delta pro ultra noted in my previous post.

 

[beatle]

The main problem with all of these solutions is they are only 120VAC. If you live in a rural area and have a well, your well pump is generally 240VAC. You need V2H for that.

We've used the Rivian 120 for fridge and freezer and it works great, but we have to watch water and fill toilets with a bucket.

You need a 240v battery power station to "buffer" the output from the Rivian to your house. An EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 or Ultra will take 120v from the truck and output both 240v and 120v. These aren't cheap though.

Would something like this work on my 2023 R1S? It's rated at 10KW. What's the max I can draw from the R1S? It says the input voltage is within the 290–450V range.

The Rivian doesn't (yet?) support backfeeding power out of the charge port, so this won't do anything. The only output is via the 120v outlets and the 12v cigarette port.

 

[KBabione]

Would something like this work on my 2023 R1S? It's rated at 10KW. What's the max I can draw from the R1S? It says the input voltage is within the 290–450V range.

As @beatle said, until Rivian gives us an option to export power from the charge port this won't do anything for you, but would you mind posting the link to that? It's exactly what I want when Rivian does turn that function on. I don't need V2H, but V2L would be huge for me...

 

[Virtio]

As @beatle said, until Rivian gives us an option to export power from the charge port this won't do anything for you, but would you mind posting the link to that? It's exactly what I want when Rivian does turn that function on. I don't need V2H, but V2L would be huge for me...

Here it is. It's expensive compared to a generator but silent so that's a plus.

https://tlyard.com/products/10kw-v2...s-nema-standard-tlyard?variant=57550938407293

 

[KBabione]

Here it is. It's expensive compared to a generator but silent so that's a plus.

https://tlyard.com/products/10kw-v2...s-nema-standard-tlyard?variant=57550938407293

Thanks, but yikes - That's way more than the $499 I was thinking it might be! As I was looking for it I found some other options that I'll go back and find and post here. I don't need the 220v output so I can probably go with something smaller (and less expensive). My use case is camping and tailgating 10-12 times a year. I currently use a Bluetti AC180 (1800W) to get me through the 1500W limitation of the R1S. We still have to wait for Rivian to give us an option to have the juice through the charging port go the other direction. Hopefully that will come out with the R2 release...

 

[GA_Rivian]

https://tlyard.com/products/10kw-v2...s-nema-standard-tlyard?variant=57550938407293

I'm wondering what you have used this for. The website says
"The 14-50 outlet provides pure 240V (no neutral) and is not compatible with RVs or systems requiring split-phase 120V/240V power." That seems to me to imply you could not use it in a V2H scenario, since all the 120v circuits in a house require split-phase.

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