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A stock Wrangler Rubicon has a 41 degree approach angle and a 36 degree departure angle. The corresponding number for the R1S are 35 and 34 (the R1T is worse at departure). That’s not too much different IMHO; I think I could manage with it given the next point: The Rivian will have adequate...

The Jeep Wrangler is (IMHO) the standard to which street-legal off-road vehicles should be compared and more specifically with the “Rubicon” trim level. That’s what I own today. And yes, a bone-stock Wrangler Rubicon can easily negotiate the Rubicon Trail with a reasonably experienced driver...

Right. I can't think of a circumstance when it would be useful. If the battery is dead and you're some distance from a charging point you could tow for a while to charge the battery enough to drive the rest of the way normally. But it would be more efficient to just tow the whole way.

Yes, but only rarely. The only real use I can see for it is when trying to negotiate a tight switchback (ie Black Bear Pass). Instead of backing up just engage the tank turn mode and then go forward. The difficulty will be when the surface has too much grip for the wheels to slip easily. I spoke...

One knowledgeable Rivian guy I talked to at the Mill Valley event assured me that it is indeed possible to charge the battery by towing.

Here’s a bit of what I learned at the Mill Valley event on Sunday. * the curb weight is close 6000 pounds. Ooof. * there’s no way to fit larger diameter tires or smaller diameter rims. Bigger tires won’t clear the wheel wells especially when turning. Smaller rims won’t clear the brakes. It...

I'm running 37x13.5R17 Cooper STT Pros; my previous Jeep, which also did the Rubicon, had 35x12.5R17. The Rivian specs say 275/65R20 which is approximately equivalent to 34x11R20. That's a lot bigger than 31 and maybe almost good enough? And it's probably not too hard to put 35x12s on a...

I'm kind of into rock crawling, too, albeit not Fordyce-level but I took my Wrangler thru the Rubicon last year quite easily. Do you think a R1S could make it thru the Rubicon? If not, what modifications would be necessary?

I just want an electric 4x4 that can do the Rubicon Trail without any body damage. Rivian is close but not quite there, as far as I can tell. But bigger tires, better approach and departure angles, serious under armor are just about all that’s needed. Should be pretty doable. Sure, not many...

The question there is whether or not the brakes will fit inside an 18" rim.

Yes, I wish RIvian would offer an option that is something like this. But I’m afraid that bigger tires wouldn’t fit under the fenders. Maybe slightly larger tires would fit if the plastic fender surrounds we’re removed ? And while it seems to me that a lift kit would be a much more difficult...

Yes, in a heartbeat. If, that is, I had to make the decision today. By the time the Rivian is delivering the truth may change. Right now the Supercharger network is light years ahead of the rest. But ElectrifyAmerica and others are working to catch up. Somehow I doubt they will but maybe. In any...

I agree. But there's no need for an extra port. A simple cable adapter ought to do the trick. Tesla in the past has offered for any other manufacturer to use the Supercharger network for some "fair" compensation. With the Cybertruck coming that may not be as easy as it was but it's sure...

I should also add that it's very annoying that the rest of the EV world didn't adopt Tesla's charging standard. Anyone who has used a Supercharger and any of the others knows that Tesla's connectors are infinitely superior. That said, I expect that eventually Tesla will have to switch to the...

Well, right now Tesla has a huge advantage in that Tesla owners have access to the Supercharger network PLUS all the others. And furthermore, as far as I can tell almost all of the others are 50kW or less (vs 120 for most of Tesla's). From a Rivian point of view this will probably improve as the...

Perhaps a better and more feasible solution would be to have more charging spots and faster charging. Access to the Tesla supercharger network would go a long way toward that.

The thing about options is that they're optional. If I want a winch and you want side steps we can both be happy. But if they try to make a vehicle that caters to everyone it won't be optimal for anyone.

Tesla is up to 250,000 now. But those are funny numbers and not directly comparable to Rivian's. Tesla requires only a $100 deposit vs Rivian's $1000. That makes a big difference. Lots of folks will put down $100 just for the heck of it. Calculations saying Tesla's orders represent $14 billion...

Rubicon Trail !!

* A way to recalibrate the speedometer/odometer when changing to different size tires. Better yet, do this automatically with the GPS.