A2Z road trip report

[NC-Rivian]

Had to do a splash-and-dash on my road trip home yesterday and I had the chance to use my A2Z adapter at the Commerce, GA, Tesla SC location. after coupling the SC handle to the A2Z, I plugged my R1T in and charging began automatically after a small time spent handshaking between vehicle and SC. It was just as seamless as when I road trip in my Model Y. Grabbed 90 kWh in 38 minutes for a grand total of $25.20 (0.28/minute). When I unplugged at 80%, charge speed was still a robust 54 kWh. (Since I walked over for a sandwich and bathroom break, I failed to notice the top speed but it was at least 178 kWh before I left.) Advice: some SC rates are relatively low (e.g. 0.28 at Commerce, GA, and Newnan, GA) but some are a little hefty (0.50 at Piedmont and Spartanburg) so shop around a bit and make a judicious stop or two to save money. You also "buy down" the rate by paying $12.99/month to join the Tesla charging club.

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[Ddowns2050]

I have a tesla and went ahead and bought the $12.99 monthly plan in the app as I am on about a 1500 mile road trip in the rivian. The first charge was almost 100 kWh at .18 per kWh cheaper with the plan which more than paid for itself the first charge. You must start the charge from the tesla app before you plug in or rivian will start charging you the higher rate. But if you start the app first it only charges you from tesla.
The only issue I have with the A2Z is it is hard to lock and it won't charge unless it is locked.

 

[Redline]

I must have been lucky, or it was the location I went to, but the SC charger handle went right into my A2Z and the lock was smooth. I'll try it again this weekend.

 

[NC-Rivian]

I have a tesla and went ahead and bought the $12.99 monthly plan in the app as I am on about a 1500 mile road trip in the rivian. The first charge was almost 100 kWh at .18 per kWh cheaper with the plan which more than paid for itself the first charge. You must start the charge from the tesla app before you plug in or rivian will start charging you the higher rate. But if you start the app first it only charges you from tesla.
The only issue I have with the A2Z is it is hard to lock and it won't charge unless it is locked.

As with all things Tesla, you can start and stop the monthly service plans at will so I only subscribe for the months that I know I'll be using the service and then cancel. First use is the tightest locking mechanism experience. I happened to have a tin of light sewing machine oil in my toolkit and I dropped just a skosh of oil on the locking trigger and it has worked flawlessly since.

 

[Kenmecca]

We are seeing .70c kWh here in Northern CA, I think it saves .18c on the mo plan. I was in Central CA (Paso Robles) and the non membership pricing was .55, so just charging 2x on a trip pays for it. Good to know you can turn off/on when needed as I dont do roadtrips every month

 

[djsider2]

We are seeing .70c kWh here in Northern CA, I think it saves .18c on the mo plan. I was in Central CA (Paso Robles) and the non membership pricing was .55, so just charging 2x on a trip pays for it. Good to know you can turn off/on when needed as I dont do roadtrips every month

Did you use the recently opened SC in Paso? How was the location?

 

[Kenmecca]

Did you use the recently opened SC in Paso? How was the location?

I was routed to the one that is near town, but had gotten off on the wrong exit and found that newer one. Didnt even check to see if compatible, plugged in and didnt work. That one is much nicer as has many more SC, more space and not quite as busy. Had to use the one near town that only has 8, and took the handicap space so I could fit. Good question for everyone, was I legally allowed to use that spot? It had a handicap sign that says Van Accessible or something like that, not the regular Handicap sign that says "reserved" for only handicap. Used it 2x and didnt get a ticket. Without that extra space for the Van assessible spot there would be no way to fit without taking 2 spots, and with limited SC there I wouldnt feel comfortable leaving. Liked the location as we walked up the 2 blocks to Paso town and had lunch on our way into town and out the next day.

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