Next gen Rivians should NEVER have the charge port in the rear!

[ssincl3]

I’ve spent thousands of miles doing road trips in my R1S and R1T, and after charging at various types of chargers and locations, and facing all sorts of challenges…it would totally frustrate me if the charge port was in the rear. I usually have a packed car and bikes on the back thus backing up into stalls in tight parking spots and trying to navigate a cable would be a major annoyance.



Rivian’s adventure lifestyle assumes many people are camping, biking, roadtripping, etc, and having access to your bed or hatch is vital especially when waiting for a charge to complete. I was at a Tesla charger in Moab this past weekend and all the Rivians there had bikes, cargo boxes, etc hanging off the rear. Trying to get to your cargo when backed up to a charger in a corner is not ideal.



In general anywhere on the front of the car is preferred compared to the rear. However I do prefer the front driver side more because of the convenience for me. I’ve been able to tuck my nose at any charger, even Tesla, while taking up just one spot and not hindering others. Most people, like me, I assume have tight spaces in their garages and have only made enough space to get the driver in/out of the car at the very least, so getting out and plugging in is easier for me in a tight garage. Also the overall convenience for the driver who is always using the car and plugging in so it should accommodate their ease of use and access.



So with my overall limited experience and preference it is is way better to have and keep the charger port exactly where it currently is! …or maybe front dead center??



Edit: And now that Elon has fired the whole supercharger team I definitely would make plans based on Elon’s plans. The supercharger network prolly won’t get much bigger nor get retrofitted much. Him “giving it away” to other car manufacturers was a sign of him no longer interested in it.

This spot was a challenge!

We normally try to prep meals while we wait. Moab.

This hummer had a little parking snafu.

Cable long enough to reach. Would never work if I had to back up.

Sponsored

 

[evguy]

I think you make a great point! But I remember Rivian saying that placing it in the back saves costs for R2/R3? Maybe they'll reconsider.

 

[909phillyman]

I’ve spent thousands of miles doing road trips in my R1S and R1T, and after charging at various types of chargers and locations, and facing all sorts of challenges…it would totally frustrate me if the charge port was in the rear. I usually have a packed car and bikes on the back thus backing up into stalls in tight parking spots and trying to navigate a cable would be a major annoyance.



Rivian’s adventure lifestyle assumes many people are camping, biking, roadtripping, etc, and having access to your bed or hatch is vital especially when waiting for a charge to complete. I was at a Tesla charger in Moab this past weekend and all the Rivians there had bikes, cargo boxes, etc hanging off the rear. Trying to get to your cargo when backed up to a charger in a corner is not ideal.



In general anywhere on the front of the car is preferred compared to the rear. However I do prefer the front driver side more because of the convenience for me. I’ve been able to tuck my nose at any charger, even Tesla, while taking up just one spot and not hindering others. Most people, like me, I assume have tight spaces in their garages and have only made enough space to get the driver in/out of the car at the very least, so getting out and plugging in is easier for me in a tight garage. Also the overall convenience for the driver who is always using the car and plugging in so it should accommodate their ease of use and access.



So with my overall limited experience and preference it is is way better to have and keep the charger port exactly where it currently is! …or maybe front dead center??



Edit: And now that Elon has fired the whole supercharger team I definitely would make plans based on Elon’s plans. The supercharger network prolly won’t get much bigger nor get retrofitted much. Him “giving it away” to other car manufacturers was a sign of him no longer interested in it.

This spot was a challenge!

We normally try to prep meals while we wait. Moab.

This hummer had a little parking snafu.

Cable long enough to reach. Would never work if I had to back up.

Totally agree with your entire post!

And great looking rig! Nice to see other adventure/camp ready R1S's out there! A++

 

[CharonPDX]

I never say "never" on these kind of things - but for vehicles that make towing a main use-case, it seems *VERY* shortsighted to move the charge port to the rear, when they have put a ton of effort into their own charge network with dispensers placed expecting the charge port at the front of the vehicle.

I went on a big towing trip last year, and the RAN stations with their trailer-optimized stalls were a relief when I got to use them. But more than half are set up in such a way that a vehicle with a rear charge port *can't* use the tow stall.

 

[shandel]

I agree with you 100%, especially for Rivian drivers who do tend to have stuff on the back. But even without that, the idea of backing into a spot vs. pulling in front-wards seems idiotic. Why back in when you can just drive straight in. Much easier for the average driver to navigate without hitting the other cars around them.

 

[zefram47]

Throw towing in the mix and the port should always be in the front. Port in the rear means you have to disconnect at pretty much every station save for the handful of pull-through spots that exist.

 

[Singletracker]

Port on front right gets my vote. This will make using the Tesla chargers easy, as well as allowing for curbside charging, where applicable. Of all the places for the charger port to be located, the driver’s front seems to me to be the least functional place to have it. The passenger side rear isn’t much better. Who thinks this stuff up, anyway.

 

[Riviaenz]

I completely agree! Most of our road trips have been towing (in 8 months of ownership have already towed 5987miles) and it would be more than annoyance to have to unhitch to charge EVERY time even at RAN since they’ve been deployed with front right charging in mind. We have had to do it twice to squeeze into tight grocery store/Walmart EA parking lots to charge but it’s often super easy to slide into a spot with a trailer without impeding traffic. I still want Rivian to deploy many more RAN sites. They’re the best for speed and convenience.

Heck even our Volvo was convenient with it’s port in the front, battery in the middle and motor in the back.

 

[Gully]

I’ve spent thousands of miles doing road trips in my R1S and R1T, and after charging at various types of chargers and locations, and facing all sorts of challenges…it would totally frustrate me if the charge port was in the rear. I usually have a packed car and bikes on the back thus backing up into stalls in tight parking spots and trying to navigate a cable would be a major annoyance.



Rivian’s adventure lifestyle assumes many people are camping, biking, roadtripping, etc, and having access to your bed or hatch is vital especially when waiting for a charge to complete. I was at a Tesla charger in Moab this past weekend and all the Rivians there had bikes, cargo boxes, etc hanging off the rear. Trying to get to your cargo when backed up to a charger in a corner is not ideal.



In general anywhere on the front of the car is preferred compared to the rear. However I do prefer the front driver side more because of the convenience for me. I’ve been able to tuck my nose at any charger, even Tesla, while taking up just one spot and not hindering others. Most people, like me, I assume have tight spaces in their garages and have only made enough space to get the driver in/out of the car at the very least, so getting out and plugging in is easier for me in a tight garage. Also the overall convenience for the driver who is always using the car and plugging in so it should accommodate their ease of use and access.



So with my overall limited experience and preference it is is way better to have and keep the charger port exactly where it currently is! …or maybe front dead center??



Edit: And now that Elon has fired the whole supercharger team I definitely would make plans based on Elon’s plans. The supercharger network prolly won’t get much bigger nor get retrofitted much. Him “giving it away” to other car manufacturers was a sign of him no longer interested in it.

This spot was a challenge!

We normally try to prep meals while we wait. Moab.

This hummer had a little parking snafu.

Cable long enough to reach. Would never work if I had to back up.

What table brand is in pic #2? We usually use the tailgate (R1T) with a fridge in the back, but sometimes it puts you into the way of traffic. That table looks like just the right size.

 

[Riviaenz]

I went on a big towing trip last year, and the RAN stations with their trailer-optimized stalls were a relief when I got to use them. But more than half are set up in such a way that a vehicle with a rear charge port *can't* use the tow stall.

Maybe that’s why Tesla deploys 8+ superchargers per site. So when you show up with an ApocalypTruck towing you can pull up across and take up 7 of the spots and still have one left over for a regular Tesla. I’ve only ever seen one TSC site that has a tow spot and the few times we’ve been by it on a road trip there’s been a Tesla with bikes on the back using it. I’m sure they wish their port were in the front, too!

 

[ssincl3]

Totally agree with your entire post!

And great looking rig! Nice to see other adventure/camp ready R1S's out there! A++

Thanks a lot! It’s a work in progress. Do you have a build? If you do like it enough I’ll shamelessly solicit a subscription from you at my amateur YouTube channel. Lol! @rivilanding.

 

[iansriv]

I’ve spent thousands of miles doing road trips in my R1S and R1T, and after charging at various types of chargers and locations, and facing all sorts of challenges…it would totally frustrate me if the charge port was in the rear. I usually have a packed car and bikes on the back thus backing up into stalls in tight parking spots and trying to navigate a cable would be a major annoyance.



Rivian’s adventure lifestyle assumes many people are camping, biking, roadtripping, etc, and having access to your bed or hatch is vital especially when waiting for a charge to complete. I was at a Tesla charger in Moab this past weekend and all the Rivians there had bikes, cargo boxes, etc hanging off the rear. Trying to get to your cargo when backed up to a charger in a corner is not ideal.



In general anywhere on the front of the car is preferred compared to the rear. However I do prefer the front driver side more because of the convenience for me. I’ve been able to tuck my nose at any charger, even Tesla, while taking up just one spot and not hindering others. Most people, like me, I assume have tight spaces in their garages and have only made enough space to get the driver in/out of the car at the very least, so getting out and plugging in is easier for me in a tight garage. Also the overall convenience for the driver who is always using the car and plugging in so it should accommodate their ease of use and access.



So with my overall limited experience and preference it is is way better to have and keep the charger port exactly where it currently is! …or maybe front dead center??



Edit: And now that Elon has fired the whole supercharger team I definitely would make plans based on Elon’s plans. The supercharger network prolly won’t get much bigger nor get retrofitted much. Him “giving it away” to other car manufacturers was a sign of him no longer interested in it.This spot was a challenge!We normally try to prep meals while we wait. Moab. This hummer had a little parking snafu. Cable long enough to reach. Would never work if I had to back up.

Great point! Very well written, if I might add. You and I seem to have a lot in common. You have treked thousands of miles in the Rivian doing what it was built for. I have thought about doing that. Everything you have done-I wish I could have. Good going mate!

 

[R1SFamilyGuy]

Fwiw, I responded to their R2 survey saying I prefer it in the same place as the R1s so I’d think the preview isn’t final

 

[Cascadian]

+1 on keeping port at the front.

I agree with everything you said.

 

[ssincl3]

Great point! Very well written, if I might add. You and I seem to have a lot in common. You have treked thousands of miles in the Rivian doing what it was built for. I have thought about doing that. Everything you have done-I wish I could have. Good going mate!

Thanks! It’s definitely an adventure (no pun intended) having it live up to life it was intended for. Your time will come.

Sponsored