OC to Zion & Moab w/ Rooftop Tent on our R1S

[Karltrep]

Hi all,

Just completed this trip with my R1S, used RAN, EA and Tesla chargers. Below my findings for those interested:

The roof top tent was not the drag on efficiency and range I dreaded. Where it really came into play was in areas of high wind, namely the stretch of I-15 between St-George and I-70 both ways. Also, the steep elevation gain getting up to Salina both ways, same as any EV.

in such conditions, efficiency averaged 1.4-1.5mi/kWh, going 75mph. Otherwise, I would average 2.1-2.2mi/kWh in conserve mode.

Used RAN in Barstow and Las Vegas. Charging speeds were:
<60% SoC = 200kW
60-70 = 170kW
70-80 = 90-100kW
>80 = 50kW

used EA stations in Hurricane, Beaver, Richfield and Salina. All worked the first time. Best combo I found is to plug in, pull up the EA card in Apple wallet, tap phone to the EA reader (flat white sticker next to NFC card reader). This would initiate session fastest (but still slower than RAN or Tesla).
Max Speed was 170kW no matter how low SoC was at start. Rest of tiers were same as above

in Moab, I used the Tesla station with Magic docks and they work flawlessly! Same speeds as EA stations (max 170kW). Connection is through the Tesla app (settings/ charge your other EV) and fast.
chatted with other Rivian owners every time we pulled up here, in fact saw more Rivian than Teslas here over the 4 days.

Camping
The sky camp 3.0 is super roomy and comfortable even in mid 30s at night. It is a breeze to setup and take down and made early morning departures really easy to pull off. It is a big, heavy (!) and unwieldy thing when off the truck but if you can manage this, it is a game changer.

the camping mode, with self leveling made a lot of campers jealous.

We used an induction cooktop off the 110v outlet for cooking (boils a pot of water in <1min) to complete the electric experience.

Planning/itinerary
Used ABRP app combined with PlugShare to confirm viability of the charging stations proposed. Only avoided Cedar City EA doing so. All EA stations worked 1st try and left check ins to share in PlugShare.

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[jplblue]

Awesome, thanks for sharing! I need to find a job out west...

 

[hikerneil]

I love this area, was just in Kanab last week. Here's my question: I currently drive an Audi Q7 AWD, and when I go to Southern Utah I like to drive in to the really remote areas to see places like The Wave and White Pocket. These areas require 4WD and high clearance. Lately I have been renting a 4WD Jeep or 4Runner for these trips but now I am going to make the plunge and buy a R1S. I drove one yesterday with the 20" offroad tires and I was disappointed with the rugged nature of the drive - I don't know how much my wife would like that ride for around town driving.
Do you think your tires would get you to these places (deep sand, dirt roads, no rock crawling) and do you think your tires would offer a better around town ride quality??

Love your pictures!

 

[Captain JB]

rugged nature of drive?? I am a 4 month newbie of an R1S-Quad, Large Pack with 20 inch off road all terrain tires and the drive is very smooth. My wife loves the vehicle. I am confused. JB

 

[beyondgravity]

Thank you! Nice trip. I wish Rivian would do a minimalist kitchen for R1S

 

[hikerneil]

rugged nature of drive?? I am a 4 month newbie of an R1S-Quad, Large Pack with 20 inch off road all terrain tires and the drive is very smooth. My wife loves the vehicle. I am confused. JB

I test drove a new R1S yesterday and it had 20 inch all terrain tires and I was very disappointed in the ride quality. I do like that you say your ride quality is acceptable because that setup would be best for me. I am going to do another test drive, and see if there are some ride settings that I can make to soften the ride - believe me, that would be best for me. I am willing to give up range mileage if I can get an acceptable ride AND have the ability to off-road in soft sand, etc.

 

[FooF]

I test drove a new R1S yesterday and it had 20 inch all terrain tires and I was very disappointed in the ride quality. I do like that you say your ride quality is acceptable because that setup would be best for me. I am going to do another test drive, and see if there are some ride settings that I can make to soften the ride - believe me, that would be best for me. I am willing to give up range mileage if I can get an acceptable ride AND have the ability to off-road in soft sand, etc.

I had the 22 inch wheels with factory AS tire and switched to 20 with factory AT tires and I think the ride is much better on the 20 inch with AT than the 22 with AS. I drive in All purpose drive mode, auto height and soft suspension setting.

 

[Brad Foster]

Good info. I’m doing this same trip with my daughter in three weeks. Sure wish I had a roof-top tent!

 

[elatrickWheels]

Thanks for an excellent and inspiring post. Looks like a great trip!
I notice that you used the front and rear crossbar mount points. Did you consider using other pairs or even a third crossbar?
(I suppose the second, related consideration is how much flex can the tent shell tolerate when the pitch of the bars is relatively long, as with your setup?)

 

[Karltrep]

Thanks for an excellent and inspiring post. Looks like a great trip!
I notice that you used the front and rear crossbar mount points. Did you consider using other pairs or even a third crossbar?
(I suppose the second, related consideration is how much flex can the tent shell tolerate when the pitch of the bars is relatively long, as with your setup?)

The floor of the tent rests on 2 C-shaped extruded beams. These beams have the clamps that latch onto the crossbars of the truck. The whole setup is quite stiff. So much so that, when you move around in the tent, you can get the truck to rock.

 

[Thunderbolt Adventure]

Thank you! Nice trip. I wish Rivian would do a minimalist kitchen for R1S

Check out the Thunderbolt R1S Adventure Kitchen. It fits behind the third row so you can still use all of your seats. It also tips up to maintain access to your spare tire well.
https://www.thunderboltadventuresupply.com/collections/r1s-gear/products/r1s-adventure-kitchen

 

[iansriv]

I test drove a new R1S yesterday and it had 20 inch all terrain tires and I was very disappointed in the ride quality. I do like that you say your ride quality is acceptable because that setup would be best for me. I am going to do another test drive, and see if there are some ride settings that I can make to soften the ride - believe me, that would be best for me. I am willing to give up range mileage if I can get an acceptable ride AND have the ability to off-road in soft sand, etc.

You might want to do another test drive. I did one with 21" and one with 20" and they both felt close to me. It might have been the tyre pressure or something else like the settings. I have a R1S with 20" AT and it rides very smooth. However, all I've driven are sports cars.

 

[foxerson]

I test drove a new R1S yesterday and it had 20 inch all terrain tires and I was very disappointed in the ride quality. I do like that you say your ride quality is acceptable because that setup would be best for me. I am going to do another test drive, and see if there are some ride settings that I can make to soften the ride - believe me, that would be best for me. I am willing to give up range mileage if I can get an acceptable ride AND have the ability to off-road in soft sand, etc.

I can feel a noticeable difference between the soft/moderate/firm suspension settings. Try them out if you get a chance for a 2nd test drive.

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