Thank you for this cautionary tale, and the prompt to check EVERYTHING before heading out.
You inspired me, as I recently had a trailer come off the hitch at 55-60 mph on the freeway. I credit my good outcome to the fact that—just ONE WEEK earlier—a neighbor saw my trailer setup and made this...
Safety.
I agree it feels like a setback to not have that feature while towing. But I recently dodged a near disaster towing a trailer, and if I hadn't been forced to be 100% mentally engaged, it could have been really, really bad.
Towing stuff can turn bad in the blink of an eye.
A professional electrician friend of mine told me to step down the amps to preserve the cable. If you're charging overnight, you won't notice any difference anyway.
Forgot to mention... I'm not a newby. I've been driving an EV for more than six years. This isn't my first rodeo. My Rivian is new, but I had a Tesla Model Y for five years and went on a LOT of road trips in it. Just not as deep into the abyss as this trip.
I don't know about "most people," but...
As the OP, I'm going to clarify something about my use of ChatGPT on that trip. It's important.
I don't use Chat for navigation, ever. I use the Rivian app first, send to the car, etc. Or I just use the car's navigation.
My mistake on this trip, not Chat's...
My mistake was that I didn't map...
Not me. I just happened to have it with me and asked if they could use some video and photos, since I was going to be stuck there a while. I also offered tractor work or firewood splitting, but they had that already. :)
This is the story of how my R1S behaved when I didn't plan far enough ahead, and what I learned from it.
For context: I’m a 65-year-old woman road tripping alone with my dog in my 2026 R1S.
I was staying at The Lodge at Summer Lake when I realized I had a charging problem. I asked to use an...
Recent road trip to find the headwaters of the Klamath River, Oregon. I got very close, but the road was closed for winter. I could see on my car's display I was right there! So I got out the drone instead and got these shots. See me?
Location: Jackson F. Kimball Recreation Area, Chiloquin...
As a matter of fact, part of this odyssey WAS buying a heavy duty extension cord. But when I was talking with Rivian support, they said, "DO NOT USE AN EXTENSION CORD FOR CHARGING THE CAR!"
So I unplugged and figured out another option, which was basically micro-charging and hopscotching from...
Empty nester here. Two kids, large dog.
If it were me, I'd do what I did 20 years ago... Toyota Sienna minivan. Why?
Nothing will EVER beat those remote sliding side doors and tailgate. The R1S has the tailgate, of course, but to be able to open both sides of the car from across the parking...