We are way too obsessed with range

[the long way downunder]

Why are we so obsessed with Range? Unless you drive 100+ miles per day, I see no concern on a 260-320+ mi battery pack even with cold weather losses. That still leaves 150-200 miles of range which is plenty.

Driving a vehicle like this at max 65mph, not warming the cabin enough because of battery range, charging only on certain times due to battery degradation seems to me like way too much range anxiety.

Drive the truck at the speeds you want , heat up the cabin to what makes you comfortable, charge when needed and enjoy your Rivian.

Worrying so much about range and battery degradation takes the fun out of this. Enjoy in good health.

"we sounds like a lot of people" … : )

I think "range" is a nebulous fear of the unknown

When Porsche introduced the Taycan, they offered the idea of "how far can you drive in a day?" metric. I think that's a good way to look at the compound performance of efficiency in terms of mi/kWh, charge curve and the real world practical reality of the network … "is there a charger right where you need it when the vehicle is at the optimal SoC to charge and you want to stop?"

It's this last question that should really be the first question. It's great that a Tesla has a great network, but does your route include a Supercharger situated right where you need it, right when your vehicle is in that "Goldilocks" SoC range of 5% to 15% with the next Supercharger situated at just the right distance that you can charge from (say) 5% to 70% at maximal kW and no thermal limits.

That optimal scenario doesn't begin to take into account the practical reality that when you want optimal range is probably a day when "everyone else" wants optimal range, resulting in a holiday weekend with charging locations overcrowded, people charging for too long instead of moving on, people stopping for lunch instead of charging and getting out of the way, etc.

Otherwise, for most days of the year, "nobody" drives so many miles per day that they need their EV to be charged to 100% and then fret about where to find the time to charge enough to make it through the day without adversely impacting their business or recreation.

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[SASSquatch]

For those of us that started 10 years ago with a Nissan Leaf, 80 miles of range, and no charging infrastructure, the EVs today seem way beyond what most people need. But I completely acknowledge range anxiety exists and people new to EVs will be sold on the idea of more range is necessary.

Well said, brother! My first BMW i3 had 88 miles of advertised range which was a lot less than that in the winter.

As a daily commuter, it still answered the mail since my commute was about 30 miles roundtrip. My i3s now has an advertised range of 154 miles and that feels almost excessive. I literally only plug in once a week.

Everyone's situation is going to be different. Bigger battery packs have now made EV's more than just a commuter car and are pushing them into the zone of all around vehicle. We are overly obsessed with range, however, to the OP's point.

The infrastructure that is required for ICE vehicles factored into the size of vehicle tanks early on, especially considering that MPG for cars in the 50's was around 13 miles per gallon. So to travel 260 miles, you needed a 20 gallon tank! And gas stations weren't nearly as ubiquitous as they are now, so people wanted those big tanks to feel like they wouldn't get stranded somewhere.

Well, most new EVs these days are giving you 260 miles of range (or thereabouts) and we are in the same boat as we were in the 50's with infrastructure not nearly being as ubiquitous as it will be 50 years from now.

The difference is, that you can plug an EV at home! Or pretty much anywhere that has an electrical outlet. You can't refine petroleum in your garage, last I checked.

Because EV's give you the freedom to fuel at home, we really don't need the same amount of range that most gas cars have these days.

As a road-tripping vehicle, being able to start a charging session, and then walk away and go do what you need to do means that you can be very efficient with your stops.

Yes, a gas vehicle can be filled up in 4-8 minutes depending on the size of the tank, but those are minutes that you have to ADD to your rest-stop because you have to supervise the process.

With an EV, the 20-30 minutes you spend fast charging can be INCORPORATED into your rest stop.

Personally, I believe that anything over 300 miles of range is excessive, even for a road-tripping vehicle. Having a larger battery pack means you are also carrying a lot more weight that is unnecessary for the majority of your use cases and is lowering your efficiency.

The exception is towing. Towing crushes range (and gas mileage!) and if you will be regularly towing, then a bigger battery pack is a must - but realistically - how much towing do most people who tow really do? I would say unless you are towing a few times a month, it still doesn't make sense.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I have 0 range anxiety because I'm keeping my Audi for road trips. My Rivian will be my daily.

 

[Dark-Fx]

We are NOT too obsessed with range. We are too obsessed with FAST. Tell me any normal driver that wouldn't want to go 500miles on one charge and take 6 or 7 seconds 0-60 vs MAYBE 300 and 3 seconds.

For those of us who don't just want a "daily driver" - AKA a Nissan leaf (because you just said you don't need 100 miiles a day), we need the range for trips, and ADVENTURES (since Rivian is an ADVENTURE vehicle).

There are literally hundreds of threads on here about "can I make it to" and a dozen or more apps designed to squeak you to the next charging station.

Signed,
Max pack bitter.....

I'd rather go fast.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

This is a 1%er thread........

 

[RBR1S]

This is a 1%er thread........

Doesn't that by proxy make Rivian a 1%'er company/vehicle?

*cancels order* I'll never be a 1%'er

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I'd rather go fast.

That's one reason why I'm spending the 80K on the Rivian when I can get an ICE truck much cheaper that satisfies my needs.

 

[Zoidz]

I forgot to mention BIBLICAL WIND. ALL THE FSCKING TIME.

That impacts range too.

You just need to plan your route so you have a tail wind in both directions! ?

 

[s4wrxttcs]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm personally excited about the range.

A vehicle that actually achieves its rated range.

Who would have thought.

What's funny is I kinda regret getting Street tires instead of the AT tires. I was just worried about the range hit.

Maybe Winter will tell a different story.

We shall see.

 

[crashmtb]

You just need to plan your route so you have a tail wind in both directions! ?

Not possible. Headwind in both directions though, yep!

 

[White Shadow]

Range is my #1 priority in an EV. Charging infrastructure is my #2 priority. Why? Road trips. We do them often and a truly long range EV makes road trips more tolerable and will make owning an ICE car unnecessary. Unfortunately, we aren't there yet, but I think we're making progress.

 

[JayinNJ]

I have 0 range anxiety because I'm keeping my Audi for road trips. My Rivian will be my daily.

Which is kind of backwards. For me the reason to get a bigger SUV is for road trips. I will drive my Model 3 as a daily because it gets better mileage. But when I need to pack a lot of stuff I want to use a long range SUV.

 

[williescout]

On road trips, I've enjoyed pretty much every public charging station experience I've had and now with the Riv that has become even more the case b/c most everyone wants to chat about it and check it out. I've met some great people and had interesting convos that make the time charging fly by and it's helped me stop worrying as much about broken or slow chargers. I also now keep two baseball gloves and a couple soft baseballs in the truck in case anyone wants to have a catch...that has really negated range anxiety!

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Which is kind of backwards. For me the reason to get a bigger SUV is for road trips. I will drive my Model 3 as a daily because it gets better mileage. But when I need to pack a lot of stuff I want to use a long range SUV.

My Audi is an SUV, my Rivian will be the T. Having the truck versatility will help and it’s a cool truck that is more high performance and energy efficient than my Audi is so it makes sense to drive it as a daily.

For you driving a little model 3 to maximize efficiency is the most important thing in a daily driver. For me being fun to drive and having good performance are above efficiency and the Rivian has more of both than mh current daily.

It’s not at all “backwards” it’s just a decision made as the result of different priorities

 

[JayinNJ]

My Audi is an SUV, my Rivian will be the T. Having the truck versatility will help and it’s a cool truck that is more high performance and energy efficient than my Audi is so it makes sense to drive it as a daily.

For you driving a little model 3 to maximize efficiency is the most important thing in a daily driver. For me being fun to drive and having good performance are above efficiency and the Rivian has more of both than mh current daily.

It’s not at all “backwards” it’s just a decision made as the result of different priorities

Makes sense. I find a smaller car to be more fun to drive and probably better performance as well, not to mention easier to maneuver, park.

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