RivianTrackr: "Stop Buying EVs for the Trip You Take Twice a Year"

[forestwalker]

By this argument, we should all settle for an EV that gets 200 mile range and charges at 100kw peak. Such EV could cost under $30K.

Of course, we don’t because we *want* the freedom and flexibility to do many things, not to be limited by the car.

And far far majority of people will never take their R2 off pavement, so the extra ground clearance and “off-road” features are basically unnecessary and could have been stripped out or optimized for something else.

I guess what I’m saying is that this editorial seems to be trying to excuse R2’s shortcomings and why people should still buy it. And if you truly bought the editorial’s message, one probably shouldn’t be buying an R2, but some other cheaper EV. Seems heavily biased, to say the least.

I read it as simply don't place more importance on one particular metric than makes sense... Don't let range anxiety deter you if it isn't an actual, logistical roadblock for you.

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[Dennisis]

Correct, I thought in 2026 I won't need to figure out range and charging

It’s easy, you just need some experience.

 

[kanefsky]

I find this, well, deeply disingenuous. Rivian is constantly pitching the off-road capability and the higher clearance as a core reason to buy and R2 vs a Model Y. What do most people use more often: longer range or off-road capability?

People use the off-road capability much more than they use the range. Not because they actually go off-road, but because they want to look and feel adventurous even if they're just going to the corner grocery store. They don't want to drive around in something that looks like an alien space pod, or one of the ugly vehicles from legacy auto makers who haven't really figured out EVs yet and produce weird mutated versions of their ICE cars.

 

[Utah-Jay]

If you are concerned with range anxiety, go play with the ABRP app and you can see lots of options, sometimes you need to extrapolate a bit and think 20 minutes rather than the 12 minutes the app suggests. Lots of ways to play the game

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

I find this, well, deeply disingenuous. Rivian is constantly pitching the off-road capability and the higher clearance as a core reason to buy and R2 vs a Model Y. What do most people use more often: longer range or off-road capability? If we follow @RivianTrackr to the logical conclusion and stop buying vehicles based on capabilities we do not use very much, the R2 is probably dead as a product. Its entire pitch is offering a vehicle that can handle your occasional "adventures."

That aside, a 250 mile 70 mph range means that at Rivian's recommended charging rate you are at 175 miles of range when it is fully charged to 70% in the morning. In the cold? You are at less than 150 miles.

If the basic premise of the R2 is that the range should be "good enough for you" and "you ought to value the style and adventure capabilities more than additional range," Rivian has a big problem.

This is where I think Rivian is making a mistake. Expecting ICE buyers to understand the difference between EPA range and real-world 75 mph highway range isn't realistic. Most buyers simply want to know how far the vehicle will go on a road trip. Even experienced EV owners on this forum have been surprised by the highway range difference compared to the Model Y, which RJ himself has positioned as the primary competitor.

Range matters, but so does perception. Don't try to redefine efficiency by pointing to EPA numbers if the real-world highway experience tells a different story. Tesla learned this lesson the hard way after years of criticism for overstating real-world range. They eventually adjusted their messaging. Rivian would be wise to do the same.

 

[forestwalker]

Correct, I thought in 2026 I won't need to figure out range and charging

I am confused how anyone thinks they need to calculate

This is where I think Rivian is making a mistake. Expecting ICE buyers to understand the difference between EPA range and real-world 75 mph highway range isn't realistic. Most buyers simply want to know how far the vehicle will go on a road trip. Even experienced EV owners on this forum have been surprised by the highway range difference compared to the Model Y, which RJ himself has positioned as the primary competitor.

Range matters, but so does perception. Don't try to redefine efficiency by pointing to EPA numbers if the real-world highway experience tells a different story. Tesla learned this lesson the hard way after years of criticism for overstating real-world range. They eventually adjusted their messaging. Rivian would be wise to do the same.

Non-stop 75MPH doesn't really sound like real world to me...

 

[forestwalker]

If people are too simple-minded to figure est range in their vehicles, or are some kind of maniac, who absolutely must push their vehicle to absolute zero fuel/energy every trip, they should probably just lock themselves indoors and stay there.

 

[rvnxyz001]

I am confused how anyone thinks they need to calculate


Non-stop 75MPH doesn't really sound like real world to me...

ICE owners don't look at range at all during road trips. They don't plan trips around range and recharging at all. If you decide you need to add gas, you get it within the next 5 minutes after your decision and spend a few minutes doing so.

But even with gas availability people think twice before they buy something like new land cruiser that has range like an ev - 300 miles . Everyone you see reviewing this car is complaining about it's range. Now imagine what people think about EV that has same or worse range and extremely slow charging compared to gas and requiring to do a long detour to reach charging station

 

[Dennisis]

Rivian missed an opportunity to under promise on range and over deliver but this is not the sole data point for most. I predict the R2 will be a huge hit - I know I was sold after my demo drive having had 3 Teslas with FSD previously. These will be flying off the shelves, so to speak, driven in part by former Tesla owners like me.

 

[Dennisis]

ICE owners don't look at range at all during road trips. They don't plan trips around range and recharging at all. If you decide you need to add gas, you get it within the next 5 minutes after your decision and spend a few minutes doing so.

We’re all former ICE owners, adjusting to EVs isn’t hard and is very rewarding.
I learned to drive on a farm in the early 70’s on an International Scout 4x4 with manual steering and no power brakes. I’ve evolved over time, you can do it too. Stop thinking of reasons it won’t work and figure out how it will, just takes a change of mindset to be open to possibilities.

 

[forestwalker]

ICE owners don't look at range at all during road trips. They don't plan trips around range and recharging at all. If you decide you need to add gas, you get it within the next 5 minutes after your decision and spend a few minutes doing so.

But even with gas availability people think twice before they buy something like new land cruiser that has range like an ev - 300 miles . Everyone you see reviewing this car is complaining about it's range. Now imagine what people think about EV that has same or worse range and extremely slow charging compared to gas and requiring to do a long detour to reach charging station

I never worried about it in my Tundra or other ICE vehicles, and don't think about it in my EV either. If someone can't manage to avoid running completely out of fuel/energy over the course of 200-300 something miles, they've got problems bigger than their vehicle.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

I am confused how anyone thinks they need to calculate


Non-stop 75MPH doesn't really sound like real world to me...

It's enough of a real-world issue that nearly every EV YouTube channel is running almost identical nonstop highway range tests.

It's also why these threads keep appearing. We make these drives every month.

 

[forestwalker]

It's enough of a real-world issue that nearly every EV YouTube channel is running almost identical nonstop highway range tests.

It's also why these threads keep appearing. We make these drives every month.

Doing something a lot in "testing" does not equate to it being realistic...

I can't drive on the freeway without being stuck behind a sea of drooling morons refusing to go over 60mph. It's the literal norm for the majority of the two western states I travel on a daily basis.

*EDIT* I put testing in quotes, for obvious youtube reasons.

 

[TexasBob]

It's enough of a real-world issue that nearly every EV YouTube channel is running almost identical nonstop highway range tests.

It's also why these threads keep appearing. We make these drives every month.

Agree and 75 mph is kind of slow. The speed limit from Houston to Dallas is 75 mpg and traffic flow is 80-85. Speed limit on I-10 west of San Antonio is 80 mph and 85+ is the norm.

Rivian has a bigger problem IMO: we keep comparing this to a model y performance but the OOS data says that it has range and charging comparable to a $42k base AWD. Yes, it goes 1 second faster to 60 (3.6 vs 4.6) but it is $17k more expensive for the same range and charging.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

They’ll be stopping constantly, and most of their trips will probably be to the nearest playground anyway.

We do this when we're traveling without kids ...

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