Story: Rivian Adventure Network (RAN) Scaling for R2 and Beyond

[Administrator]

R2: Scaling the Rivian Adventure Network

How Rivian’s charging infrastructure is scaling for R2 and beyond

https://stories.rivian.com/ran-charging-infastructure-scaling-r2-rivian

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[vandy1981]

This is kind of disappointing. They talk about expanding existing stations but don't say anything about new locations.

It implies that there's not going to be much growth in the network going forward, otherwise they would have mentioned that.

 

[Dark-Fx]

It implies that there's not going to be much growth in the network going forward, otherwise they would have mentioned that.

Currently listed coming soon stations.

 

[VandalSibs]

This is kind of disappointing. They talk about expanding existing stations but don't say anything about new locations.

It implies that there's not going to be much growth in the network going forward, otherwise they would have mentioned that.

Scaling the network isn't just making current sites bigger, but making more sites too!

Did you watch the video - they talk about adding more sites. She says "We are not only growing the network this year..." (emphasis mine).

Additionally, expanding the overall network has been talked about many times in the past. And there's sites in development that aren't on their 'coming soon' map.

 

[DuoRivians]

I don’t know of an alternative. But it just seems like Rivian is employing the same Tesla playbook from 10 years ago, when EV tax credits/discounts and regulatory credit sales were big tailwinds.

Now that these govt policies don’t exist, I just don’t know if sticking to this same Tesla playbook is a winning strategy.

 

[VandalSibs]

I don’t know of an alternative. But it just seems like Rivian is employing the same Tesla playbook from 10 years ago, when EV tax credits/discounts and regulatory credit sales were big tailwinds.

Now that these govt policies don’t exist, I just don’t know if sticking to this same Tesla playbook is a winning strategy.

If Rivian is focusing more on gaps that Tesla or others haven't filled, or offering amenities that other networks don't (lots more Rivian locations have trailer spots!), then I say let them.

One of the things talked about in the video is trying to locate sites at places that fit the adventure theme like state and national parks. How successful they are at that is a whole other thing, but it's a goal that other networks don't necessarily focus on. I would love them to get a RAN in West Yellowstone for example (the only DCFC there is a nearly ancient Tesla supercharger, early V2 site).

And considering one of the last reports about the network that close to half the about 40% of the charge sessions at RAN sites were from non-Rivians, it's clearly contributing to the bottom line.

 

[DuoRivians]

If Rivian is focusing more on gaps that Tesla or others haven't filled, or offering amenities that other networks don't (lots more Rivian locations have trailer spots!), then I say let them.

One of the things talked about in the video is trying to locate sites at places that fit the adventure theme like state and national parks. How successful they are at that is a whole other thing, but it's a goal that other networks don't necessarily focus on. I would love them to get a RAN in West Yellowstone for example (the only DCFC there is a nearly ancient Tesla supercharger, early V2 site).

And considering one of the last reports about the network that close to half the charge sessions at RAN sites were from non-Rivians, it's clearly contributing to the bottom line.

My point is that all of these steps feel very incremental. -$2B operating loss per year feels like a huge hurdle, which I’m not sure it’s surmountable without govt support, if Rivian is mostly following Tesla’s playbook—from chargers to car models

 

[Rade]

It's a shame that they can't promote a rate discount for RIvian owners, or even a monthly subscription like Tesla offers. The (only) RAN station in region is considerably more expensive than the Tesla supercharging station ONE BLOCK AWAY, more so if I used the Tesla monthly Supercharger subscription.

 

[VandalSibs]

It's a shame that they can't promote a rate discount for RIvian owners, or even a monthly subscription like Tesla offers. The (only) RAN station in region is considerably more expensive than the Tesla supercharging station ONE BLOCK AWAY, more so if I used the Tesla monthly Supercharger subscription.

And in some places it's the other way around. Plus, RAN is 100% renewable energy powered and I consider that a premium worth paying.

My point is that all of these steps feel very incremental. -$2B operating loss per year feels like a huge hurdle, which I’m not sure it’s surmountable without govt support, if Rivian is mostly following Tesla’s playbook—from chargers to car models

Someone (or many someones!) at Rivian has done the math & market research and decided that continuing to invest in the charging network is worth the cash burn. And Tesla's playbook of high-end model first, mass market model later isn't really specific to them, as plenty of other auto manufacturers do the same thing.

 

[DuoRivians]

And in some places it's the other way around. Plus, RAN is 100% renewable energy powered and I consider that a premium worth paying.



Someone (or many someones!) at Rivian has done the math & market research and decided that continuing to invest in the charging network is worth the cash burn. And Tesla's playbook of high-end model first, mass market model later isn't really specific to them, as plenty of other auto manufacturers do the same thing.

So far, Tesla is the only new automaker to make this approach work, and they had tons of govt subsidies to support them.

 

[BigSkies]

It was a marketing video designed for future Rivian buyers. It wasn't a news segment on future plans for RAN. I wouldn't confuse those two things.

I wouldn't consider Rivian's approach the same as Tesla's. There's similarities, but Rivian isn't trying to build a proprietary nationwide network that can be used without interacting with 3rd party stations. That was Tesla's original playbook.

Rivian seems to be focused on two types of stations. The first is high-traffic stations in EV dense cities. These are stations with high utilization that become profitable quickly. The other type is stations in rural outposts that allow access to places other charging networks can't.

I suspect the first type of station is subsidizing the second type. Both are important for different reasons.

The "coming soon" RAN map is disappointingly light. Although maybe they just haven't updated the map in a while.

 

[VandalSibs]

So far, Tesla is the only new automaker to make this approach work, and they had tons of govt subsidies to support them.

My apologies, you may be correct - I thought that there was a bigger history of 'low-volume to high-volume models' in the auto manufacturer world, but I'm not seeing many others beyond Tesla, Rivian & Lucid (talk about a cash burn there!)

That being said, Rivian seems to be navigating the market better than most, and there's enough goodwill out about the brand that their chance of success is better than other companies. Plus, I'm pretty sure they have forecasted for gross profitability this year, which is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[VandalSibs]

The "coming soon" RAN map is disappointingly light. Although maybe they just haven't updated the map in a while.

That one and the service centers comping soon maps don't get updated very quickly.

There's a RAN permitted and approved about an hour away from where I live that isn't on their map (but is on Plugshare) which will be quite the site when it's built - it'll have two different trailer pull-thru chargers!

 

[DuoRivian]

If Rivian is focusing more on gaps that Tesla or others haven't filled, or offering amenities that other networks don't (lots more Rivian locations have trailer spots!), then I say let them.

One of the things talked about in the video is trying to locate sites at places that fit the adventure theme like state and national parks. How successful they are at that is a whole other thing, but it's a goal that other networks don't necessarily focus on. I would love them to get a RAN in West Yellowstone for example (the only DCFC there is a nearly ancient Tesla supercharger, early V2 site).

And considering one of the last reports about the network that close to half the about 40% of the charge sessions at RAN sites were from non-Rivians, it's clearly contributing to the bottom line.

The RANs I have used in the mid-Atlantic are usually in the same area as EA, Tesla etc. Very few that would be classed as filing gaps. There is a reason for that - those are the popular sites along I95 etc.

 

[SANZC02]

It's a shame that they can't promote a rate discount for RIvian owners, or even a monthly subscription like Tesla offers. The (only) RAN station in region is considerably more expensive than the Tesla supercharging station ONE BLOCK AWAY, more so if I used the Tesla monthly Supercharger subscription.

The RAN chargers I’ve used has a lower rate for Rivian vehicles compared to other vehicles. You can see pricing in the Rivian app. 2 examples are Barstow, CA and Quartzite, AZ, they 53 cents for Rivian and 62 cents for other vehicles.

Here is another example in Atlanta, GA

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