Tesla engineer urges Rivian to move charge port location on R2, R3, R3X for Supercharger access

[Rividiculous]

Having a charge port in the passenger rear side is the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Tesla has valid concern. We should adopt to Tesla standard since we are using their chargers. You don't want to follow Tesla standard? then build your own 10000 chargers otherwise don't whine.

If that’s the “stupidest idea [you’ve] ever heard” you obviously don’t follow Elon on Twitter (or whatever they call that online cesspool now).

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[Axel]

We have three EV's.. each has the charge port in a different location:

Front left - Rivian
Rear left - Model 3
Rear right - BMW i3

We make it work regardless.

Yes, most people will make it work.

Another user wrote it out better than I can over here so I'll just quote from there:

It’s not a matter of driver’s side being helpful, it’s a matter of passenger side making some parking locations unusable for charging. Nobody has proposed a viable work-around of an extension, pulling in a different direction, etc. which address this. The curbside L1/L2 charging issue has viable work-arounds but constrained width parking doesn’t. At least nobody here has proposed a solution that I’ve seen. If you have a space narrow enough that there is only enough room to open the driver’s door by placing the passenger side against a wall or other obstacle which prevents port access or ability to connect, how do people work around that?

I’m not saying that the driver’s side is universally better in all circumstances, but that the passenger side can create situations which make charging impossible which the driver’s side does not. Inconvenient, maybe, but not impossible.

If there is a there work-around for the width issue then I have no other objections. I really don’t care where the port is as long as it doesn’t render a significant number of spaces unusable.

It's the 'unusable' scenarios that make passenger-rear the wrong location. Driver-rear would solve for those scenarios.

 

[Handb94]

Clearly people need to learn how to reverse into a parking spot. Easier and safer to leave

 

[Axel]

Clearly people need to learn how to reverse into a parking spot. Easier and safer to leave

Yes, I reverse into my parking spot.

The parking spot is narrow, so when I reverse the passenger side and rear side of the vehicle are very close to the wall. Less than 6 inches clearance. I have to park like this because it’s the only way to open by driver side door.

That’s the issue with passenger-rear. When I reverse into my parking spot, it’s is the least accessible. .

 

[RivianRunner]

Tesla made Superchargers pubic chargers. Now its time to adjust to your customers because only jerks expect their customers to adjust to them. So, perhaps Tesla could have added longer cords before they opened to everyone, but they care more about the bottom line instead of Tesla owners.

Tesla cares about making EVs affordable enough for mass market adoption. Shorter charge cables are part of that. Long cables get run over and are left in an unsightly mess. Supercharger customers never have to touch a cable that has been lying in the filth on the ground. Longer cables require more frequent replacement and cost more to replace. The cost is significant.

EVs (in the collective) consume HUGE amounts of electricity. If a longer cable has 1% more resistance, that makes all the miles travelled by Superchargers 1% less efficient. Tesla made an optimum decision to keep the cables short and RIvian should avoid making decisions that could reduce future sales and lead to bankruptcy. To be successful Rivian needs to make 99% optimum decisions. Charge port location is part of that.

 

[RivianRunner]

What am I missing on the first point? The charge port is now located at the furthest corner from the current location. My charger is right next to the front/driver’s side. Now I need to have a cable long enough to reach the far back/passenger side. Isn’t it in the worst location (note: doesn’t matter to me, I am not getting one) but it seems to be the worst of all worlds.

I agree, it's like RJ is subconsciously trying to run Rivian into the ground. I'm not sure he is cut out to be a CEO of an EV company.

 

[RivianRunner]

Not surprised a Tesla employee thinks the entire world revolves around Tesla.

Well, 75% of EVs in North America are Tesla.

There's a reason for that and it's not because a Tesla employee thinks the world revolves around Tesla, it's because Tesla has made optimal decisions. Every penny matters when it comes to building quality EVs at affordable prices. That's how Tesla sells in enough volume to afford the Supercharger Network. Also, the design and manufacture of Superchargers in-house is an important cost savings to making it all work.

And 75% of all high-powered DCFC in America are Superchargers. All the other charging companies combined can't match that. Because they have sub-optimal cost structures. People are paying big bucks to charge at some of them, cost efficiency matters.

 

[RivianRunner]

I can't wait to upset people at a supercharger because I don't have the extension cable that Tesla is probably going to charge an arm and leg for.

Tesla charges peanuts for their recently released CCS to Supercharger adapter, I don't know why the extension will be any different (other than it will have a lot of copper in it and copper is expensive).

 

[RivianRunner]

What if I want to be a jerk to Tesla customers?

The world has always had perennial jerks that just want to be disruptive, but it does seem like they are breeding faster than considerate people. It's sad.

 

[RivianRunner]

They took government money in exchange for opening the chargers to other manufacturers. That's not debatable.. it's a fact. So yet again, it's a Tesla problem to fix.

Maybe Tesla should solve the problem in the most efficient manner possible - only open new government subsidized Superchargers to EV's with incompatible port placement.

 

[RivianRunner]

The Evgo stations near me seem to have it all figured out. Charger is directly in the middle of the parking spot, with cables long enough to go to either side

I can see how this would still be an issue with a rear port location if you have anything mounted behind, but it's not a problem with our R1 and I don't mind backing out of the spots

Did you ever wonder why EVgo charges so much and has such poor dependability? It costs a lot to keep all that tangled mess working.

 

[RivianRunner]

I have no direct evidence of the additional cost. I agree my guesstimate may be low. However we are talking about approximately 10 feet of additional wire, acquired at wholesale and in bulk. Consequently, the cost won’t be that significant given the importance of this item.

Aluminum is a better, lighter, cheaper conductor for applications like this (charge port to battery) where the cable can be rigid. That's what Tesla uses to save on weight and cost.

 

[RivianRunner]

Automotive designers need to consult with Architects and Urban Designers. They would quickly realize where the charging ports need to be located. For maximum flexibility, front passenger side works best. This location accommodates all types of parking from surface lots (both 90 degree and angled) to on-street, both angled and parallel. Rear passenger or front driver are probably next best choice, limited by the compromise of angled on-street and parallel spaces respectively. Driver rear doesn’t work well anywhere, except for off-street suburban lots. I’m not sure why Tesla chose that, but hamstringing all future EV integration simply because Tesla stepped in it 10 years ago makes no sense.

Probably because Tesla realized a long time ago that charging on American streets was always going to be a low volume activity. And guess what? It still is not popular.

 

[Fmc]

Metairie, La superchargers are on an island. This design should accommodate most charge port locations. Although I am not sure why the did not put them in the back for cars to back in to

 

[Hillbilly]

Front passenger side is objectively the best location but rivian and Tesla didn't get the memo.

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