Rivian doesn't cost less to drive on long trips

[iansriv]

I bought the R1 to look cool like Ben & Alan (jk). I agree with the OP that there isn't much difference between an ICE car and an electric car IF the charging rates are higher. I also agree with others here. The main variable seems to be the local rates. Then there are some of us who have solar and free charging at work. There is also the variable of how you drive. I tend to drive the speed limit plus the local tollerance (ie +10). I just went on a trip where some portions of the hwy speed limits were 85. Not a great idea for efficiency. We all have different reasons for buying these cars. Just have fun. Life is short mate.

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[Glongo]

Now that I've observed the vehicle on longer trips I'm realizing that there isn't much difference in cost per mile vs our V8 powered 2007 Lexus GX470 here in CA.

GX: $5 per gal / 20mpg= .25 per mile
R1S: $.50 per kw dcfc / 2 mi per kwh = .25 per mile

What's everyone else seeing? Home charging costs about half as much so it's like a 40mpg SUV in that case. Although it's classified as 75mpge, you have to fill it with $8-$16 per gal "gas."

Very similar for me on the long trips. I don’t mind it when I am charging at RANs, but when I am at EAs with long waits etc It’s hard to swallow the pill.

The good to maybe great payoff for me is that my calculation changes when I charge at home to .17/mile (higher than average home electric rates in my California area) and with vampire drain in the mix. And the tank’s always full in the morning!!

I am still stoked with my decision to switch from F250 to R1S even on the finite variable of electric vs diesel. And my dcfc/home charge ratio for the 7.5k miles so far is probably in the 70% range.

Thanks for sharing your calculations.

 

[md2023]

Y

I've looked around in LA and many level 2 chargers are over 40 cents. On the weekend I found a charge point L2 that was $1 per hour which sounds good for 6kwh at .16 but they charged a $10 connection fee! You'd have to be there all day to make it

I'm just trying to point out the hype of 75mpge vs 20mpg. It's not a very good comparison metric. Sometimes it's a deal. Sometimes you get screwed. Arguably I can also get 2.5 m/kWh on the highway so being loose with math can vary.

Yep, definitely depends on context.

 

[Florida Panhandler]

It's only that way because we depend on importing oil instead of doing it all here. We could easily be energy independent and never depend on OPEC and South America ever again. If gas prices were solely based on the evil oil companies demands, why didn't they just raise prices to $4-5 gal under the previous administration? Burdensome regulations and importation of oil are why gas prices are high, even after depleting our strategic petroleum reserve.

The oil market is a worldwide market. There is no such thing as a completely independent oil/gas market in the world. Oil and gas suppliers here in the US will sell to any highest paying buyer around the world, and they do. It is a fantasy thinking if we drill drill drill it will mean $1 gas ever again. As proof, more recently we have seen that corporate domestic oil drillers will limit their own production in order to keep prices high at a constant level.

Specific countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran keep their consumer gas prices artificially very low by government command, not free market conditions. Both governments take a big loss on every liter of gas they sell within their own country in order to keep the people happy and remain in power. They make tons of money selling their oil to outsiders. If you want full command oil markets that orders American oil companies to drill drill drill and refiners to produce at full volume and hurt their profits like Saudi Arabia does,, that’s not how the American free market system has usually worked.

 

[Birdowin]

For me it's not about the money it's about climate change. (And my R1t is so awesome to drive)

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

A lot of good data points already mentioned. Just to add one more, here in my area (Northern Virginia, outside Washington DC), cost to charge at home is .05, whereas all the nearest EA and EVGO stations are charging .48. Obviously a huge difference, since "filling up" at an EA station can cost over $40 it is approaching the cost of a gas "fill up" with my old Chevy (at current gas prices). Charging at home is a huge savings, by comparison.

But as others have mentioned, avoiding the oil changes, differential fluid changes (front & rear), transfer case fluid change, power steering fluid change, transmission fluid change, radiator fluid change, significantly fewer brake fluid changes, spark plugs, fuel system pumps & lines, timing chain, injectors, dodgy smog pump / AIR pump systems that were always throwing codes, emissions sensors, and a literally massive list of other maintenance my old vehicle required... as much as I loved "turning wrenches" on all my old vehicles, I don't miss this on the Rivian at all. ?

 

[White Shadow]

True. But if my Kia EV6 GT-Line FE with 28K miles is any comparison, the total maintenance cost would be $30 for a cabin filter.

Let's be realistic here....maintenance costs on pretty much any new vehicle is minimal. In fact, a lot of new ICE cars come with "free" maintenance (which is usually baked into the price of the car) to some extent. But most of the stuff you mentioned prior is stuff that's not going to need to be address for several years. Brakes? I'm still on the factory brakes on both my current cars (2016 and 2019 model years. Oil changes? On my Jeep, the first few were free, but instead, I do them myself every 5,000 miles for less than $50. Smog checks? Required after 5 years and free at the state inspection station. Stolen catalytic converters? Good look stealing mine. Both of my vehicles have their cats up under the hood, not under the vehicle. They are virtually impossible to steal because they aren't easy to access without getting under the hood and disassembling stuff to even reach them.

But after all is said and done, buying a Rivian isn't about saving money. The cost of entry alone should illustrate that. And it's great to charge from home and save a few bucks compared to buying gas, but it seems like DC fast charging is pretty similar to paying for gas on a long road trip.

 

[White Shadow]

For me it's not about the money it's about climate change. (And my R1t is so awesome to drive)

Exactly. I'd say it's not about the money for anyone in a Rivian.

 

[Technowizzard]

Unlike your other vehicles, the Rivian doesn't need oil changes, service sessions in the hundreds of dollars, smog checks, regular brake jobs, a laundry list of mechanical repairs - and nobody is going to steal your catalytic converter. (My last Audi was my biggest money pit.)

Your "long trip" comparison is accurate but is taken way out of context. Most charging is done at home. Most of my destinations are at low/no cost L2 hotel chargers.

My last AUDI SQ5 (supercharged and fast) was my last money pit. Oil change sessions cost $1,000. It could easily be ”chipped up” to 500 Hp however, once you did that the smog hardware was not covered under warranty Anymore. The dealer could easily identify it by monitoring the ECU.

 

[White Shadow]

just bear in mind that we’re at any point one day away from the next world crisis that sends gasoline to $5/$6 per gallon . It’s going to happen again, and the crush to buy EVs will be real.

Gas prices spike, and then they go back to normal, it's not a big deal. The most I've ever paid in my entire life for gas is just a few cents over $4/gallon. Last week I paid $2.90/gallon to fill my tank. Unless gas goes up to $10/gallon, I'm not even going to concern myself with gas prices because price volatility will always be a thing.

 

[White Shadow]

My last AUDI SQ5 (supercharged and fast) was my last money pit. Oil change sessions cost $1,000. It could easily be ”chipped up” to 500 Hp however, once you did that the smog hardware was not covered under warranty Anymore. The dealer could easily identify it by monitoring the ECU.

No. We have an SQ5 in my household that is dealership maintained. OIl and filter change costs less than $200. There's nothing exotic car about an SQ5 where oil changers are $1,000. Sorry, but I'm calling BS on that silliness.

 

[Spork8]

Don’t forget the winter range loss. I consistently do a trip that is 350 miles away with 3500 feet of elevation gain. When temps are about 70 it’s one 45 minutes charge. When it’s below 50 degrees it’s 75-80 minutes of charging.

I believe OP was looking at the cost of driving either vehicle in terms of energy alone. I was just adding the cost comparison if you wanted to say that your R1 was getting 22.2mpg when comparing to a DCFC and current gas prices, as opposed to looking at MPGe which is a completely different metric. But to your point, there's winter range loss in ICE vehicles too due to the winter additive(s) which for some ICE can be greater than the loss seen in the R1's. Sadly, not everyone knows about both range loss issues from the cold.

 

[kylealden]

Now that I've observed the vehicle on longer trips I'm realizing that there isn't much difference in cost per mile vs our V8 powered 2007 Lexus GX470 here in CA.

GX: $5 per gal / 20mpg= .25 per mile
R1S: $.50 per kw dcfc / 2 mi per kwh = .25 per mile

What's everyone else seeing? Home charging costs about half as much so it's like a 40mpg SUV in that case. Although it's classified as 75mpge, you have to fill it with $8-$16 per gal "gas."

It's highly variable based on region but I always tell people, road trip charging is approximately the same price as gas, maybe even more expensive. DCFC rates are priced to what the market will bear, it's not a coincidence that that's pretty close to the price of gas.

Home charging is anywhere from slightly to significantly to radically cheaper than gas. (For example, I pay $0.07/kWh in OR, closer to $0.15 in Seattle, and it's fully renewable to boot. But in the Bay Area, it's probably closer to parity.) In my experience L2 charging is as cheap or cheaper than home charging, and often free, though this is definitely shifting in big cities and is certainly not true in, say, Seattle or the Bay Area anymore.

Fortunately, something like 95+% of typical driver-miles are probably home charging.

(Also, notably, R1s are very efficient compared to a similarly equipped and capable truck, which are rarely actually delivering in the 20mpg range with AT tires and similar performance specs.)

 

[Beer Traveler]

But it's really fun to drive my R1S!

 

[NY_Rob]

I am responding to your comment that the R1T is so much more comfortable than your Subaru. We have an R1T reservation and are thinking of ordering. We currently have a Tesla Model 3, which I love but it is getting harder to get in and out of--I am 77. And we want the heated and ventilated seats.

OT, but have you tried getting in and out of R1T yet? In standard ride height, I (at 5'11") have to kind of hop up in to the driver seat, and my wife at 5'3" has to struggle to get up in to the passenger seat.
Just putting this out there in case you haven't tried an R1T yet...

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