Am I the only one who thinks anything less than 400mi of range is legacy at this point?

[Mark_AZR1T]

I’m an experienced Rivian owner with 68,000 miles and four full years in an R1T, and I know how to hyper‑mile an R1S on 21s. Stopping every 125 to 170 miles on the freeway just isn’t practical.

On my 1,000‑mile‑each‑way trip to Austin for the R2 reveal, my 2022 LE R1T on 20-inch ATs averaged 2.21 mi/kWh. In Arizona at 75 mph posted I ran 72, and in Texas at 80 mph posted I ran 76–78, and it still required six to seven charging stops each way.

That’s the reality of efficiency, battery size, weight, charger spacing, and the need to charge from 10–80 percent or even 85 percent just to make the next real stop. And those 12 to 85 percent sessions take more than 50 minutes.

Give me 800‑volt architecture, true sub‑20‑minute 10–80 percent charging, and a real 400‑mile EPA pack, and long‑distance travel becomes dramatically better. That’s why 400 miles has always been the benchmark for me. It's what I bought at the 2018 LA Auto Show, 400-mile Rivian range was the ONLY vehicle available.

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[hsctiger]

I've never quite understood those (even in ICEV) that don't use as much of the tank/battery when road tripping... it's just a waste of the capacity of the vehicle. Yeah, don't stretch yourself - but if there is charging/gas available in an area when you are approaching empty, make it work. I've gone down to as little as 4% when towing with my R1T. Made it to the charger just fine.

Guess what I'm saying is that those who say the 20%-80% capacity of their EV's battery is the "real" range are incorrect and are just limiting themselves for no good reason.

OK, so I'm partially with you on this having driven about 160k miles in my EV. On one side, use the dadgum battery. It's there, it has range.

On the other, and I've noticed this happening now with my Tesla Nav, short bursts of charging are better tolerated by those who have shorter attention spans and just want to get moving. The math turns out roughly the same (charge once for a long time vs. charge 2-3x for shorter time) but I've found my wife tolerates the latter more than the former.

IOW, I like having the choice to do either. But I view my range as whatever the car says it is and on road trips I watch it closer than I do a gas tank just to make sure I don't screw up the trip. Charging stations aren't as ubiquitous as gas stations yet.

I guess the other point is people new to EV's tend to experience range anxiety quite a bit before they get comfortable. Definitely a fear of running out of charge in the middle of nowhere with no options.

 

[VandalSibs]

OK, so I'm partially with you on this having driven about 160k miles in my EV. On one side, use the dadgum battery. It's there, it has range.

On the other, and I've noticed this happening now with my Tesla Nav, short bursts of charging are better tolerated by those who have shorter attention spans and just want to get moving. The math turns out roughly the same (charge once for a long time vs. charge 2-3x for shorter time) but I've found my wife tolerates the latter more than the former.

IOW, I like having the choice to do either. But I view my range as whatever the car says it is and on road trips I watch it closer than I do a gas tank just to make sure I don't screw up the trip. Charging stations aren't as ubiquitous as gas stations yet.

I guess the other point is people new to EV's tend to experience range anxiety quite a bit before they get comfortable. Definitely a fear of running out of charge in the middle of nowhere with no options.

Yeah, when I started my EV journey in 2019 there was some anxiety (and this was a Standard Range+ Model 3, so 250-mile rated pack).... but I learned that if you just trust the route planner things will be fine. And since then the DCFC situation around me has gotten so much better that I can skip a charger that my truck is suggesting, as I know that there will be another one I can use before running out of electrons..... just like my ICEV days.

Even in the current political climate we are in, the DCFC situation is getting better and better - just look at the number of locations Ionnia has opened and how many Tesla keeps adding!

 

[2kwik4u]

Getting worried with the amount of people in this thread with bladder issues. You definitely should not have to use the restroom every 3 hours. Some of you need to get your PSA levels checked. Does everyone on Rivian forum live in senior living?

You should drink more water

 

[macb00kemdanno]

Getting worried with the amount of people in this thread with bladder issues. You definitely should not have to use the restroom every 3 hours. Some of you need to get your PSA levels checked. Does everyone on Rivian forum live in senior living?

When I reached about 43 years old, my bladder-holding ability took a hit But seriously, after about 3 hours, I'm ready to get out and stretch.

When I was younger (in my teens and 20s), I was all about "I need to make good time, let's see how fast I can get there... no stops." Now, IDGAF. I leave with plenty of time and don't rush myself.

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

Getting worried with the amount of people in this thread with bladder issues. You definitely should not have to use the restroom every 3 hours. Some of you need to get your PSA levels checked. Does everyone on Rivian forum live in senior living?

I'm worried about your hydration levels. If you drink an appropriate amount of water daily, you should be using the restroom every 2-3 hours at a minimum. Failing to do so is a great way to develop kidney stones.

 

[Zoidz]

I've never quite understood those (even in ICEV) that don't use as much of the tank/battery when road tripping... it's just a waste of the capacity of the vehicle. Yeah, don't stretch yourself - but if there is charging/gas available in an area when you are approaching empty, make it work. I've gone down to as little as 4% when towing with my R1T. Made it to the charger just fine.

Guess what I'm saying is that those who say the 20%-80% capacity of their EV's battery is the "real" range are incorrect and are just limiting themselves for no good reason.

Because some people want to avoid the possible situation I ran into . I live in a rural area. Multiple roads were closed due to a storm, trees were down and flooding. It's all small mountains, winding roads with no connections between the few that are there. Overall, I added more than 20 miles due to backtracking and detours. If I had assumed I could make it home with 4% remaining, I would have been walking. It's not worth killing the Rivian to save a 15 minute charge session.

 

[2kwik4u]

I have a wife, a 10-year-old, and a 13-year-old. If we don't stop every 2.5 to 3 hours for a breather, it gets pretty untenable in the car

Same. Wife, 14 and 7yr old boys, and a 50lb lab mix.

We can barely make it 2hrs without stopping and/or someone losing their temper. We love each other, but that's a LOT of togetherness.

 

[evguy]

In general, its not an apples to apples $20k more doing comparisons over the Model Y and R2 lines

R2 Perf $58k = Model Y Perf $57.5k (R2 will be more with cost options)

Currently there is a $8k premium from $40k -> $48k for the base RWD trims which is steep!

Rivian needs higher production volume (and better gross margin) before it can afford to sell the base R2 at a more competitive price. They're betting they can get there with good demand for the higher R2 trims over the next 18-24 months. I hope they're laser focused on (i) converting owners of Model Y/3 premium/performance who are ready to abandon Tesla for one reason or another, (ii) getting current R1 owners to trade in or add to their stable, (iii) getting more first time "premium" EV buyers excited about the Rivian brand. I think they are but time will tell.

 

[badger4149]

Living in the northeast, cold climate, I won't buy an EV with less than 400 miles of range at this point. I just think it's too problematic especially in cold and especially as the car (batteries) age. Long drives in winter you get 30-50% range degradation, it's 2026, how is it that all batt packs aren't at least 400miles+?

Whining won't improve currently technology. I recommend a nice Prius for you until it improves. Or, buy a Lucid.

 

[sfvR1S]

Yes

 

[ribuck97]

Rivian needs higher production volume (and better gross margin) before it can afford to sell the base R2 at a more competitive price. They're betting they can get there with good demand for the higher R2 trims over the next 18-24 months. I hope they're laser focused on (i) converting owners of Model Y/3 premium/performance who are ready to abandon Tesla for one reason or another, (ii) getting current R1 owners to trade in or add to their stable, (iii) getting more first time "premium" EV buyers excited about the Rivian brand. I think they are but time will tell.

I agree with the focus points. My TM3 LR AWD is going for either a R1S or R2. The R1S was a vastly superior vehicle imo.

 

[macb00kemdanno]

Same. Wife, 14 and 7yr old boys, and a 50lb lab mix.

We can barely make it 2hrs without stopping and/or someone losing their temper. We love each other, but that's a LOT of togetherness.

Yup, when we take our Mini-Schnauzer on trips, she sits in the middle seat in the back and serves as a referee for the two boys. But even she gets fed up with their and needs a break

 

[evguy]

I agree with the focus points. My TM3 LR AWD is going for either a R1S or R2. The R1S was a vastly superior vehicle imo.

Love our R1S, and love our 2018 Model 3 LR RWD almost as much. Would love to trade in the Model 3 for R2 but I want to see how many miles we can get out of it first (84,000 and counting).

 

[antimatter]

Thorny topic, obviously. One thing I did notice when I was driving across North Dakota in the dead of winter was that there was gas available on average about every 25 miles or so. I know that that's not the case everywhere in the US, but ND (which is supposed to have relatively low population density) doesn't lack for places get get gasoline. Proximity to the Bakken oil patch probably doesn't hurt.

In a perfect world, if we could have 300 miles of range and 10 minute charging, we'd equal what most gas cars and trucks do. I know of some folks who have pickups with 30-gallon auxiliary gas tanks who haul stuff long distance, and I think we're probably a few years away from that. For now, though, I'm only towing a few times a year, so 250 miles of range is enough for me.

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