Rivian Adventure Network - Deep Dive / Analysis (Four Corners region)

[godfodder0901]

and why Gatorade doesn't sell a "yellow" version.

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[Rhidan]

Also of note I feel like thy are missing locations to get from Texas to Denver. Lubbock, Amarillo, and or maybe Raton (Just before the pass)

From this Forum site and other sources, it looks like Texas and Colorado are sizable strongholds of Rivian reservation holders. Being able to connect the two, other than on Saturdays during college football season, would seem to make sense.

RAN makes it difficult to travel from Texas to Denver? People in Denver might call that a RAN FEATURE rather than a problem

 

[bajadahl]

RAN makes it difficult to travel from Texas to Denver? People in Denver might call that a RAN FEATURE rather than a problem

Where else am I supposed to wear my Ski Texas t-shirt....? ?

 

[Pixelshot]

Seeing quite a bit of looking only at potential RAN locations for charging. Plugshare/ABRP are your friends.
And sometimes shorter isn't faster.

The extra 30 minutes on the longer route could be easily offset by more frequent charging at lower SOC given the availability of chargers

Ah, yes. For this, I'm thinking ONLY RAN stops. But, if I were to actually drive it, I would certainly be taking all options.

 

[Pixelshot]

oh man, must have subconsciously skipped that one.

 

[DuckTruck]

Right, that area up by Steamboat is a big miss in my opinion. For folks who have spent time there, they would know it's not only a nice destination in itself, it's a beautiful through-way toward Dinosaur, and northern Utah. Lots of "Adventure" possibilities up there. Steamboat area is one of our favorite camping destinations. (Great for road cycling in the summer as well.)

Not sure if EA is planning more stations up there. But, honestly, I don't know how well the EA chargers will fit into the Rivian system (esp. route planning in vehicle) so not sure how much I want to rely on that system until we know more.

I noticed that scarcity across Northern Colorado and the backroads through Eastern Utah. I meandered from Rifle, on I-70 NW to Roosevelt, Utah, five years ago, and noticed nothing from around Frisco until SLC (I-70 now looks pretty well covered). I was in a hybrid electric, so it wasn't a problem, but I don't think I could have done it in a BEV.

I thoroughly agree that US40 in Western Colorado and Eastern Utah would be a great stretch for some R.A.N. love in the future. I think you nailed it. Stations in Craig and Dinosaur, Colorado, and Vernal Utah, would open up the Dinosaur National Monument and provide for non-Interstate Freeway connections between I-70 and I-80.

For those not familiar with Dinosaur National Monument, it's amazing:

https://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm

 

[bajadahl]

For those not familiar with Dinosaur National Monument, it's amazing:

https://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm

I am probably one of the few who have taken my kids to all 50 states.... I grew up during the age of the great American road trip and wanted my kids to experience some of that as well. Yellowstone and Dinosaur Monument was one of our favorites back in 2009.

 

[barsaec]

Analyzing the route from Denver to central Texas, it's a big problem. Say you want to hit a Cowboys game in Dallas - looks like you'll have to drive down to El Paso then over, or Salina, KS then down. That's a lot of extra driving. Take a look at this stretch. There's no getting to Sweetwater, TX even with the Max Pack (509 miles between RAN chargers). This argues for a RAN stop in Raton, Amarillo, and possibly even Lubbock to keep to the approx 100 mi average runout between stops.

That is our route to Breckenridge from S.Texas. Totally agree.

 

[azbill]

That is our route to Breckenridge from S.Texas. Totally agree.

Why are you not considering the existing Electrify America sites? Sweetwater, Midland and Amarillo have exiting chargers. Trinidad has an EA site and is 236 miles from Amarillo (shortest route), or if you take I-40 to I-25 there are three other chargers in between.

 

[Pixelshot]

Why are you not considering the existing Electrify America sites? Sweetwater, Midland and Amarillo have exiting chargers. Trinidad has an EA site and is 236 miles from Amarillo (shortest route), or if you take I-40 to I-25 there are three other chargers in between.

I'm happy that those chargers are available, but I am evaluating the RAN as if it were the only option. If the goal for Rivian is to build out the best network it can build, then I want to point out the best places for improvement. Sure, if I were actually going on a trip in an EV through that area I'd look up all of the available options.

Other reasons include: convenience (integrated route planner), loyalty to Rivian brand, and faster charging speeds. Since the RAN is Rivian exclusive there are perks to that as well, such as more charger availability. The software integration for Tesla cars to their network is pretty great, and I assume the same for the RAN.

Since EA and the other networks are for-profit, they have to maximize usage, possibly meaning fewer chargers open.

But, I do hope that EA and other networks can build out a great network and make it even easier to road trip in an EV.

 

[SHPEV]

I was thrilled when Rivian posted the RAN map. Occasionally, I’ll be driving from Telluride to ABQ or Santa Fe - 330 miles. With a 400 mile battery, maybe I could do it without charging, but I would never count on it. I ordinarily grab a bite in Aztec. Tesla has a SuperCharger in Farmington and I was thinking perhaps they’d open it up to Rivian. Now, I won’t need to worry about that. It looks like Rivian will have a fast charger in Aztec. It also looks like they’ll have one in Pagosa Springs if I go that route.

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