Have EVs already changed the off-roading mindset?

[MountainBikeDude]

Have you seen @truckedupevs YouTube channel? He just did a trip using a champion inverter generator to extend the distance he could go in the interior of BC. Even though there was charging infrastructure around he was doing more of a proof of concept trip.

I have seen a couple of his videos. I just watched that one out of curiosity, and that genset seems like a solid option. I was hoping to find something that could hit 8kw steady, but also fit under the tonneau. The under the tonneau is where it gets difficult. Even taking the wheels off some of these units, they wouldn't clear it.

Still a back burner, one day project for a trip maybe once my daughter is a little older. Daddy daughter off-road adventures!

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[SwampNut]

Even my 4500 won’t go under the cover.

 

[BigSkies]

I've done camping and some backpacking all of my life. I've never felt the need for a dedicated offroading car. One of my favorite camping trips was with my wife in the Mini Cooper she owned when we first met.

What Rivian changed is they built an amazingly capable offroad vehicle that I also want as my daily driver. I am finding trails and places to go that I could never get to in my other vehicles. I still don't need to be rock-crawling or doing crazy offroad stuff. But it does get me to places my prior cars couldn't.

I think this will impact more people as electrification becomes mainstream and higher-clearance EV's become available.

The R2 is a perfect example. No one is going to mistake it for a dedicated offroad vehicle. But it's going to have the benefits of the EV powertrain. It will do what a 4L gearing will do. It will presumably be able to behave as if it has a locking differential. All without expensive modifications. People's daily drivers will have some capabilities that only specialized ICE vehicles have today.

I've noticed that charging infrastructure has influenced which locations and routes I choose. I don't feel limited by it. But having a nice mountain town with a convenient DCFC near places I want to eat/sleep/walk will draw me in. A trip that involves most of Wyoming just doesn't seem worth it.

PS: Please contact the members of the Wyoming Tourism Board if you think Wyoming's lack of charging infrastructure is limiting your spending in the state. Their individual email addresses are publicly listed here.

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