Mobile charger recommendations?

[josh0]

The Rivian portable charger that came with my R1T appears to be crapping out. What are the best options for alternatives?

I’m leaning towards a Grizzl-E Mini, but I don’t want to discount any good options. Being able to plug into a variety of receptacles is a major selling point, as charging at campsites is a must.

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[DeafPug]

If it were me, I would buy the following 3 items:

https://shop.tesla.com/product/mobile-connector
https://shop.tesla.com/product/nema-adapter-bundle
https://a2zevshop.com/collections/charging-adapters/products/a2z-stellar-plug
Total price: $606

If you also want to be able to charge using the 30-amp TT-30 outlets at RV parks, that would use a https://evseadapters.com/products/tt-30-adapter-for-tesla-model-s-x-3-gen-2 at $69.90.

The benefit of this setup over other potential solutions is that you'll never have to manually select a lower amperage to charge safe. It is "spouse-safe" or "parent-safe" in that someone that doesn't care to understand the intricacies of amperage limits is not able to mess up.

If you use commonly suggested adapters that convert 15/20/30 amp outlets into an 14-50 outlet, you NEED to manually lower amperage to safely charge the vehicle.

 

[VSG]

If it were me, I would explain what "crapping out" means ... I know of at least one issue that has a trivial "fix" if it stops working and you think it's broken.

If it's really broken, I would see if Rivian would replace your portable charger under warranty.

I have used mine for several hundred entire days of charging over the past two years, including many many nights plugged in at campgrounds, and it's still in great shape.

 

[josh0]

If it were me, I would buy the following 3 items:

https://shop.tesla.com/product/mobile-connector
https://shop.tesla.com/product/nema-adapter-bundle
https://a2zevshop.com/collections/charging-adapters/products/a2z-stellar-plug
Total price: $606

If you also want to be able to charge using the 30-amp TT-30 outlets at RV parks, that would use a https://evseadapters.com/products/tt-30-adapter-for-tesla-model-s-x-3-gen-2 at $69.90.

The benefit of this setup over other potential solutions is that you'll never have to manually select a lower amperage to charge safe. It is "spouse-safe" or "parent-safe" in that someone that doesn't care to understand the intricacies of amperage limits is not able to mess up.

If you use commonly suggested adapters that convert 15/20/30 amp outlets into an 14-50 outlet, you NEED to manually lower amperage to safely charge the vehicle.

Nice, I like that. This is also my favorite feature of the Rivian charger, though I wish there were more connector options. Having to use the NACS adapter is a bit annoying, though.

 

[josh0]

If it were me, I would explain what "crapping out" means ... I know of at least one issue that has a trivial "fix" if it stops working and you think it's broken.

If it's really broken, I would see if Rivian would replace your portable charger under warranty.

I have used mine for several hundred entire days of charging over the past two years, including many many nights plugged in at campgrounds, and it's still in great shape.

This is fair. I haven’t ruled out the possibility that the Rivian charger could be repaired, as I have been on the road for the past week and unable to test it under any sort of controlled condition (or charge my R1T with it in multiple locations). I will definitely look into that possibility, but I also want to be prepared for the possibility that I will need to buy a replacement.

I’ve seen many reports of people complaining about the Rivian charger failing, but have not seen anything about this simple fix you mention. I’ll call my local service center about it when I get home, but unless it’s something they can address without a service appointment that’s of limited use, as they have no appointments available until January.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

I reviewed the J+ Booster recently. It’s a very durable unit with many adapters and a quick disconnect system. It has adjustable amperage from 6-40 amps and will auto adjust based on the adapter that is attached.

there are videos online of this thing being run over by a ww2 tank but I didn’t attempt that ?.

https://shop.electrifiedoutdoors.co...e-etl-certified-nema-14-50-carrying-case-21ft

Is The J+ Booster 2 The Best Mobile EV Charger For Adventure?

 

[josh0]

I reviewed the J+ Booster recently. It’s a very durable unit with many adapters and a quick disconnect system. It has adjustable amperage from 6-40 amps and will auto adjust based on the adapter that is attached.

there are videos online of this thing being run over by a ww2 tank but I didn’t attempt that ?.

https://shop.electrifiedoutdoors.co...e-etl-certified-nema-14-50-carrying-case-21ft

Is The J+ Booster 2 The Best Mobile EV Charger For Adventure?

So it will automatically set the amperage based on the connector used? That was the one question I was trying to figure out and couldn’t find a clear answer on. The price is definitely high, but the UL listing is nice, and it checks all the other boxes.

I’ll have to watch your review, thanks!

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

So it will automatically set the amperage based on the connector used? That was the one question I was trying to figure out and couldn’t find a clear answer on. The price is definitely high, but the UL listing is nice, and it checks all the other boxes.

I’ll have to watch your review, thanks!

Yes, it automatically sets a limit and you can also manually adjust it down. For example, one campground by a creek that we visit annually has a lot of voltage drop and so we lower amperage way down when charging on the TT-30. During the day we might only pull 8 amps and then at night we bump it up a little.

Yes, its not an inexpensive charger...but...if your camping, offroading, etc. its a good choice. I have another charger that is less expensive but one drop and that thing will likely not function. The Rivian mobile charger has already had issues with water ingress and Rivian actually has a TSB for replacing the seals in it. Plus, this one can charge at 40 amps. That's huge for us when we are pulling the travel trailer. 40 amps vs 32amps is the difference from being able to recharge overnight at a campground.

 

[Tlohrenz]

I bought a Tesla mobile charger and adapter kit. This way I can safely charge from just about anything. I don't know why Rivian doesn't have an adapter kit.

 

[SwampNut]

EVSEs are generic and all about the same (assuming the same rating/size). Buy whatever is cheap. I got this on eBay for $100.

https://www.amazon.com/GODIAG-14-50-Level-Charger-Portable/dp/B0C2CB6VMK?th=1

Then I have a variety of adapters to go from 14-50 to RV (this is a special EV cord), and a bunch of other plug sizes. Whatever was cheap on Amazon. They are all the same.

The J+ is stupidly overpriced with no benefit.

 

[VSG]

I’ve seen many reports of people complaining about the Rivian charger failing, but have not seen anything about this simple fix you mention. I’ll call my local service center about it when I get home, but unless it’s something they can address without a service appointment that’s of limited use, as they have no appointments available until January.

I have not seen any reports at all of the portable charger failing.

The simple "fix" is, don't hang the charger off the plug - the dongle and the charger body will slowly pull apart from each other due to the weight of the body, then the electrical connection will be interrupted. If this happens just push it back in and the charger works again. This is why there are mounting holes on the back of the charger body, so you can hang it on a screw head for strain relief. At campsites, use a bungee to hold the charger body in place so it doesn't pull out.

 

[josh0]

I have not seen any reports at all of the portable charger failing.

The simple "fix" is, don't hang the charger off the plug - the dongle and the charger body will slowly pull apart from each other due to the weight of the body, then the electrical connection will be interrupted. If this happens just push it back in and the charger works again. This is why there are mounting holes on the back of the charger body, so you can hang it on a screw head for strain relief. At campsites, use a bungee to hold the charger body in place so it doesn't pull out.

That would potentially explain the issues I had in one location, but not the other (though I’d be more inclined to suspect the wiring there anyway). Like I said, I’ll have to test it out later when I get home. Hopefully it’s something simple like that, but I’ve got several more long drives coming up, and don’t like hitting the road without the ability to charge away from dedicated infrastructure. Even on this forum there have been multiple people complaining about the Rivian mobile chargers not lasting, but I haven’t read up too much on it, so maybe you’re right and it’s generally just a simple issue.

 

[beatle]

If it were me, I would buy the following 3 items:

https://shop.tesla.com/product/mobile-connector
https://shop.tesla.com/product/nema-adapter-bundle
https://a2zevshop.com/collections/charging-adapters/products/a2z-stellar-plug
Total price: $606

If you also want to be able to charge using the 30-amp TT-30 outlets at RV parks, that would use a https://evseadapters.com/products/tt-30-adapter-for-tesla-model-s-x-3-gen-2 at $69.90.

The benefit of this setup over other potential solutions is that you'll never have to manually select a lower amperage to charge safe. It is "spouse-safe" or "parent-safe" in that someone that doesn't care to understand the intricacies of amperage limits is not able to mess up.

If you use commonly suggested adapters that convert 15/20/30 amp outlets into an 14-50 outlet, you NEED to manually lower amperage to safely charge the vehicle.

+1 to this. Tesla UMC is a great solution. I've been using mine for over 5 years (originally with a Tesla). Since they're so popular you can also find them used to save a few bucks.

The adapters are reasonably priced, but I don't think I'd buy all of them out of the gate, just buy the ones you'll need to charge at friends' and family's homes. For me, that's just a 6-20 and a 14-30.

You can also save money by buying a cheaper NACS >> J1772 adapter like this one.

 

[tsmorrow]

If it were me, I would buy the following 3 items:

https://shop.tesla.com/product/mobile-connector
https://shop.tesla.com/product/nema-adapter-bundle
https://a2zevshop.com/collections/charging-adapters/products/a2z-stellar-plug
Total price: $606

If you also want to be able to charge using the 30-amp TT-30 outlets at RV parks, that would use a https://evseadapters.com/products/tt-30-adapter-for-tesla-model-s-x-3-gen-2 at $69.90.

The benefit of this setup over other potential solutions is that you'll never have to manually select a lower amperage to charge safe. It is "spouse-safe" or "parent-safe" in that someone that doesn't care to understand the intricacies of amperage limits is not able to mess up.

If you use commonly suggested adapters that convert 15/20/30 amp outlets into an 14-50 outlet, you NEED to manually lower amperage to safely charge the vehicle.

OK i Purchased this mobile charger and got the Lectron adapter but the tesla charger is blinking red and the truck is saying "waiting on charger" what am i doing wrong?

 

[DeafPug]

OK i Purchased this mobile charger and got the Lectron adapter but the tesla charger is blinking red and the truck is saying "waiting on charger" what am i doing wrong?

How many red flashes do you see on the mobile connector? Tesla has a troubleshooting guid posted at https://service.tesla.com/docs/Publ...UID-A3E92BEC-5A7A-4092-BAAF-A17B8E863B3F.html

If you disconnect the mobile charger from both the vehicle and the wall, wait 15 seconds, then plug it back into the wall outlet, what are the status lights on the mobile connector before you plug it into the vehicle?

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