Keep in mind you need to order an EV specific adapter otherwise it won't work. I tried a couple from Canadain Tire and HomeDepot, and neither would work, ordered on off Amazon for 30cdn and it worked flawlessly. Highly recommended especially if you decide to pop into a campsite with RV power hook up.
I’m lucky to live near the Eastvale SC. Everyone there is amazing and always a pleasure to deal with.Yes, great write up, thank you! I just returned from a 2300 mile trip that took me from the Portland OR Metro Area to Borrego Springs, CA and back. Slillie, you saved me a lot of keyboard time.... TY. I concur with every observation you posted. For what it is worth, here are some of my own:
- Some of the mega Tesla charging station along I-5 in Calif's Central Valley have washer stations, just like gas stations for doing windows and anything else that needs cleaning.
- On my trip south, I charged to 80% SOC. On the way home, I charged to 70% SOC. Same number of charging stops both ways (5) but reduced my time per charge on average by 12 min. charging to 70% SOC. Even though I had a lower start SOC, the lower finishing SOC save me time. The Tesla Supperchargers consistently delivered > 200 kW up to ~ 60% SOC. After that, they would start dropping. But at 70% SOC they were still at 130 - 150 kW. > 70% SOC, they would be between 90-110 kW.
- Concur, Tesla monthly membership pays for itself after 1 charge session.
- On my trip south, my bike was inside. On the way home, I had it on the hitch bike rack (see pic). It did not seem to impact my efficiency. Difference in efficiency was 0.11. 2.86 mi/kW going south and 2.75 mi/kW coming North. But there were enough other variables that could account for the difference. For example, I had a tailwind on the way down, and some headwind on the way home.
- I kept my speed at ~ 65 mph for the majority of my trip, even in the 70 mph zones (there were a few exceptions). I just not in a hurry and found it more relaxing. I also found that following in a semi's draft with driver assist on and setting the following distance on either of the two farthest positions (I counted them as 3 sec & 4 sec) improved my efficiency, as one would expect. On a bike, being in the draft of other cyclist reduces your energy requirements on flat roads on average by 30%. Interestingly, I saw about a 10% - 15% improvement in the Rivian. This was easy to test on the long flat straights of Calif's. Central Valley. Just move to the other lane and watch the 15 min efficiency avg. change. The biggest challenge was finding a semi going the right speed.
Finally, a HUGE thank you to Ronnie and Samual at the the Rivian Eastvale SC. On my trip south, I noticed an alignment issue. The vehicle was drifting to the right which required counter steering to the left. Pretty annoying. Oddly, driver assistance still worked fine which was great since I didn't have to battle the vehicle. My wife suggested calling a Rivian SC in the area to see if they could help. Since I had stopped to do some rides in the San Gabriel Mtn's over the weekend, I saw that the Eastvale SC was on my way to Borrego Springs. So on Tuesday morning 2/11 before I headed off to Borrego Springs, I stopped off at the Eastvale SC and explained my situation. They were so gracious. They took care of it that morning. I even had time to go for a 2 hour ride in the Chino Hills while they serviced the vehicle. ?
The A2Z nacs to j1772 plug is almost double what others go for on Amazon. Any particular reason why I should go with them over others? Thanks.You can't use your Level 3 DCFC adapter on a Level 2 AC charger.
I would recommend the A2Z Stellar NACS to J-1772 adapter which is available for $88, compact build, has a built in lock, good customer service / warranty and overbuilt for futureproofing.
This adapter is used with Tesla destination chargers commonly found at hotels / shopping center / parking lots.
The level 2 Stellar adapter will pay for itself overtime by avoiding an expensive fast charge on the road every night while you sleep at the hotel with Tesla destination charging.
You can use the same Tesla Find Us link to locate Tesla Level 2 destination chargers.
Feel free to use the forum discount code “RIV” to save $$$ and get free shipping too.
NACS To J1772 adapter (Tesla Destination Charger for Hotels / Shopping centers) | Up to 80A | 20kW | 12 Months Warranty
A2Z Stellar Adapter NACS to J-1772 for Destination and Home charging. This adapter literally pays for itself
Tesla Find Us Superchargers available with adapter / Magicdock location Chargers
I personally bought the 48 amp Lectron and gave it away to a forum member and prefer to use the 80 amp A2Z Stellar with built in lock and compact design.
I would never trust a cheap knockoff adapter on my $100k vehicle. Or even a $40k one. People have reported serious damage using poorly built adapters. Just spend a few dollars more and get something reliable. A2Z is a very reliable company and their products are definitely worth the premium.
