Great video Scott, as usual. Thanks for all the data gathering and your unique viewpoints. It was really great meeting you, your wife and the kids for the Rocky Mountain Rivian Club Meetup on Saturday. Thanks again for the opportunity to meet a ton of other Rivian owners, my wife and I had a blast!
A few times, but not much. The Rivian has a big disadvantage in that you can’t add stops or change the route. You get what you get. That will surely improve with software updates though.
@@RivianDad i think this is a major bummer that you cant add stops or change the route. more reason to add Apple Carplay or Android Auto. aside from the fact that the mapping isn't consistent or even correct sometimes. seems a bit silly to have to use my phone for that in a brand new 2022 vehicle. they need to add one or the other soon.
@@DavidLeee - And on top of that, Rivian did not provide a convenient place to add a phone holder/cradle, at least I haven't found a good spot yet. Even placing it on the front part of the center arm rest (wireless charging pad), the phone slides around, and even if it didn't, driver has to practically look down to see the phone taking their eyes way off the road.
Heh. I see that you stopped at the overlook to Mono Lake. Was there just last June, also en route to Bishop. Glad to know all the DCFC stations worked for you! The miles-per-kWh were spot on for the EPA estimates, to be expected with a large, heavy EV.
@@robinlunt2535 We were coming from the Sacramento area back home to Southern Utah in our Model 3. Really enjoyed seeing the backside of the Sierra Nevada all the way down Hwy 365.
More chargers are coming for sure. Thanks for your video. Waiting for my quad motor r1s delivery in December, and moving to Colorado next year. Very excited about clear dry cool weather all year long~
Thanks for this video and all your other videos!! I'm waiting for my R1S delivery and wondered what a road trip would be like given it will be my first EV. Curious if you know how it will perform to sleep in it overnight with AC or Heater on all night. I'm worried about some of the posts I've seen about it losing range will just sitting in garage with nothing even on. I hope it will be like Tesla camp mode where I can be comfortable temp-wise all night without losing much range otherwise I might have to rethink.
Thanks! I haven't slept in it yet, but will do that eventually. A little cold here in Denver at the moment. With Camp Mode, I think the battery drain will be manageable but can't know for sure. I'll keep you posted!
@@RivianDad - I look forward to your camp mode video as I'm planning/hoping to do some in-car camping with my R1S. I'm also concerned about the battery usage / range reduction when using camp mode especially considering how much is lost even when it's parked over night in the garage with climate control and gear guard off. I'm surprised by the amount of phantom drain that occurs as my Mach-E barely has any.
I would say the sound insulation is pretty good. Yes you can have a conversation between front and back, maybe you’d have to raise your voice a little bit but not a huge amount. It’s mostly wheel noise on the road.
@Rivian Dad - From your spreadsheet, I'm curious how you ended up paying $0 at the RAN and Charge Point chargers, or you did pay and just didn't enter any amount? If the latter, what was the RAN per kWh price? Also, what phone EV driving apps do you use to compliment your route planning? ABRP? PlugShare? If so, the free or paid versions?
All RAN chargers are free for now (no idea for how long). The Charge Point charger for some reason didn't charge me, or at least I don't think so. Not sure why. The Green River item is blank because I missed recording that one (it only shows on the screen for a second when you stop). I learned my lesson and took photos of all the others so I didn't miss another.
@riviandad, where did you pick up the Canvasback covers? I have my R1S on preorder, Ive been waiting for a year and will probably need to wait one more year. :-( hoping that by the time I take my order, there will be additional accessories
Of course I'm kidding... it would really be a Sophie's choice because they are both good for different reasons. For driving: the truck. For road trips: the R1S. For all around, probably the truck, but my wife would say probably the R1S. The only catch is that the R1S would get pretty beat up pretty quickly because I'm always carting stuff around.
This is a marital conflict!! And TBH we also have a eGolf that we love for the daily commute. We definitely don’t need 3 cars for 2 drivers and a family of 4. But each of them has its place.
Hey Scott. I couldn't find that video about window tinting. I'm curious what kind of film you used. Did you tint the rear windows and hatch as well? What shade of tint did you use for the windshield and the front windows. Does the front window color and shade match the rear? Thanks.
I had good intentions of publishing a vid all about window tinting, then came a very long and cold winter so tinting fell in priority. Apologies. This is a good reminder to get that together asap. To answer your question, I only had the driver and passenger windows and the windshield tinted. 3 windows. The others were already tinted. I’ll have to look up the tint percentages to verify but I believe the passenger and driver windows are 30% and the windshield is 70%. I think the factory tint for the other windows is something like 27%.
The cold weather is a major problem the most power is used heating up the car interior and batteries if it was already warm it’s not the same thing at all
It’s a beautiful full-size SUV. But here is my issue, my BMW X7 40i, also a full-size SUV can make that same 2443 mile trip for $291 in gas, and 4 quick stops to fill up. Why go electric?
I explain it all here: ua-cam.com/video/WuEX-PYwi3M/v-deo.html If you're ONLY concerned with how far you can go without stopping on a road trip, then the Rivian isn't your jam (and remember, I don't ever go to gas stations any more, even for all of the rest of the around-town driving, which is 99% of what we all do anyway. Also remember, that even though you could do it in fewer stops, doesn't mean you won't stop anyway - bathroom, food, sleeping, etc. Especially with kids. We just time those stops to overlap during a charge, making the charge time duplicative.). But, for virtually every other category IMO, the Rivian beats it - comfort, performance, tech, efficiency, and biggest of all, no exhaust. That for me is why. Thx for watching!
Thanks for the video. How comfortable were the third row seats for your kids after several hours because they look pretty flat. Also, what audio recorder do you use?
The kids were the only ones to spend a lot of time in the 3rd row. My daughter especially. She never complained of discomfort and seemed pretty much fine the whole way. She spent 90% of the drive back there (almost 40 hours total). For audio I use the DJI mic which I LOVE: amzn.to/3P0Iudg it connects to the iPhone and is super user friendly. For inside the vehicle, it's usually just the iPhone mic. I have a mic setup for the studio, but rarely use that one. That reminds me that I need to do a video about videos! Thx
Thanks for the review. I like your gear choices. Currently don’t have the spare on our configuration, hopefully we can add it to our locked config. Looked like a fantastic roadtrip. Looking forward to the window tint video as we are in south Texas. We loved our canvasback in our GLE300d, it was great for the dogs after hiking, etc. Waiting on our R1S, hopefully in Feb/Mar.
Thanks Chris! You will be very glad to have the windshield tint. I'm already itching to get the windshield done on the R1T now that I'm used to it. Yes, get the spare. It works well and takes up a relatively small amount of space. I'll have that video done very soon. Hope you get yours soon!
Is this a Rivian Quad Motor Large Battery Pack? If so 2 miles per kwh aint too bad for mostly highway driving, packed car, and in some cold weather. Roughly 260 miles on a full charge.
@@RivianDad I think that's pretty solid and usable highway range! I'm sure the max pack with dual motors could do 300+ which is quite impressive. Now with Rivian able to supercharge it's hard not to pick the Rivian over the Tesla when prices are identical
Aha. I now know why you had no problems when charging in Salt Lake City. EA have removed the old junk chargers and replaced them with the new units that work.
Great video! Thank you! I am in a 2019 Model 3 and wanting to go to Rivian but worried about the fast charging. What did you do on the spots you mentioned that there weren’t Rivian chargers?
Most of the chargers were Electrify America (EA). They are well placed, although we wish there were more of them. The EA chargers worked just fine with only minor glitches that were easily solved. Others have had more challenges but we had smooth sailing. The network is improving every day. The Rivian chargers were very easy and fast as well. Thx for watching!
Hey Scott, did you drive the whole time in conserve mode? If you did, what are your thoughts on doing such a long trip in conserve mode and using only the front wheel drive and unequal usage between the front and back?
Much of it (most?) was in conserve mode if I recall. I also drive in All Purpose pretty often. I feel fine about using conserve mode as much as I need to. As far as I can see, it's just less wear on the rear motor anyway. I don't really see a down side. Am I wrong?
@@RivianDad I'm not an EV owner myself, but I hope to get one someday. I've just seen a lot of videos that say don't use conserve mode all the time because it will cause more wear on the front motor, which means unequal wear between the front and back. But if someone does long road trips, or even multiple long road trips, using just conserve mode, would that not eventually lead to the same issue?
@@KHuyPh I suppose it could, but that isn't a concern for me. I'm guessing that the amount of wear is similar in a motor like this if it is the solo motor versus working in tandem with another motor. On the other hand, I figure the bigger difference is between an engaged motor and a non-engaged motor. Thus on net, the amount of wear is less with only one motor running. This is an assumption based on a few things, so to be sure we'd have to do some of our own testing or ask the engineers.
Takes a minute to get used to, but once you do, it's about as easy as doing it manually. So, I'd say it's a net positive since it helps to streamline the design. Also, one less thing to break.
@@RivianDad thanks I appreciate the response, I know it's small, but that was a borderline deal breaker for me, haha. It seemed cool when. I test drove the R1T but afterwards I got to thinking, maybe this might be more of an inconvenience than a convenience. Thanks!
@@chimaebinama3192 generally speaking, with respect to the interface and the comfort level of the cabin, I would rate it very high. Sure, there are little things here, or there that I would tweak (add a glove box!) as but one comforting thing about the fact that those items are done through the interface is that they can always change over time, whereas the broken vent in my other car is never going to fix itself. :-) yes, it is a little bit different than we’re used to with other cars, but I think overall, it’s a net gain.
windshield tinting is applied on the inside of the windshield just like the other windows. Only difference is that it is a very light tint (70%) so it's barely noticeable. After driving it for a while, I can't even tell it's on - except that it works well to reduce the glare and heat coming through the windshield. I believe the Rivian does not have a heat pump.
Don't get pulled over in CA, AZ and other states with front windshield tinting, if the officer notices it (too dark on side window tint too) you get a rather large ticket and in some cases immediate fix requirement.
Awesome Scott. I noticed you were able to stop at EA in SLC but that location had been down for a while the week before thanksgiving. Did you have any problem charging through northern utah?
The EA station in Central Salt Lake City, and the one in Provo/Spanish work worked fine for us. I don’t remember any problems, there were a couple of times where I had to switch stalls, not sure if it was at one of those stations or not.
@@RivianDad great. Yeah I had a similar trip but SLC Sam’s club EA was offline so had to stretch from Spanish Fork to Wendover. EA needs to open many more in SLC-Provo area.
nope. The compressor is audible when it's doing its thing, but not annoying (maybe so in the back row). I also noticed that I can hear the compressor in the truck (which I hadn't noticed before I heard it in the S). I haven't heard anything in the suspension. The R1S is a bit more wobbly (front to back) than the truck, but just to be clear, that's comparing two very good drives to each other. The R1S drives very well.
@@RivianDad - I've noticed the R1S when in Conserve mode (front 2 motors only) is somewhat unstable, wobbles if you may, from side to side when accelerating. TBH, it's a little unsettling. Have you guys experienced any of that yet?
Thank you Scott for your reviews- my R1S arrives in Q2. What’s the latest on the drive sensation with the latest updates? I’ve heard some people talking about “porpoising/floating” sensation specific to the R1S. Thoughts?
we would typically drive about 150-200 miles in a stretch then stop to charge and rest. The battery would be about 25% or so when we stopped. But, the truck could go up to 250 miles before I'd start to get nervous. Really, it's all about having a good plan in place and you can get most everywhere you want. I prefer to keep enough charge to always have a backup plan in case there is a broken charger or something goes wrong.
The kit includes double sided tape that’s pretty strong. It’s not necessarily the best way to attach it, but I’m confident that it won’t do any damage to the upholstery, so I’m good with it. But the tape isn’t quite as strong as I want it to be. It does work though.
I am in Rivian waitlist. I have 2022 Tahoe and and made a 3650 miles from Austin, Texas to Key West, FL round trip and spend $665 on gasoline. It’s not much different what you spend.
Except at home we pay less than a third of that and that is almost all of our day-to-day driving. Gas cars will pay more for city driving than highway because of the starting and stopping without regen. Never mind the carbon/exhaust part of the equation. Thx for watching.
I have an 06 Opel with a signal mechanism similar to the R1s. For lane changes, a half click in either direction might cause your signal to flash a few times then stop. No need to do a full motion unless you're actually doing a full turn
Thanks. Yeah, the R1 has the same mechanism. The problem is when you need a "full" turn (say you're changing lanes but not a quick change) then you go to turn it off and accidentally go too far, which is very easy to do. So, naturally you want to turn off the signal that has gone too far (so now you're signaling three flashes back in the other direction). You push it back to turn it off, but then it just signals back in the first direction for three more flashes. You can't stop the three flashes. The whole system is a bit hard to get used to. It's also telling when I let someone else drive who has never driven a Rivian and watch them struggle with the signal light for the first time.
Moral of the story, we need more chargers.. I know there are a ton planned and more coming on line every day, but with Rivian, Fisker, Polstar, VW, and BMW really ramping up production, we're going to need 10x the amount of chargers we have today by 2025. I have an R1S on order, probably early 2024 delivery so hopefully this next year we'll see more stations pop up. Can't wait to take delivery.
agree! Although the other moral is that it's still possible (you might even say "comfortable") with the current system if you're willing to endure some glitches. thx for your thoughts
@@HEKTO3 yuck. Once you live with an EV for a bit you realize they’re just better. Yeah, there are growing pains, but still. Here’s an interesting take from a seasoned car reviewer who is ready for all cars to go electric. flip.it/Sa_c7E
Denver Auto Shield! They’re the best. Tell them I sent you and they’ll give you a break. Also reach out to me before you do - I can help you decide exactly what to get.
20s for sure. I don't love the 22s, although the dark wheels do look pretty sweet. Other than looks, I don't see the real value over the 20s, which are more of an all-purpose tire - particularly useful in the mountains and the CO winter weather.
I have an R1 S on order. Been looking at every review, and several have said it doesn't "ride" well, not as well at the R1T. They say it's "bumpy". What is you take on this? Thanks in advance
I'm of two minds. On one hand, I agree with the reviewers who have said it's a bit of a bumpier ride than the R1T. It is. But only a bit and only noticeable when you drive them one after the other. On the other hand, the wheelbase is shorter so it will be less stable just by a pure physics point of view. And, the whole comparison overall is a bit of a fallacy because it's like comparing apples and oranges. If you compare the R1T (which is the MOST stable truck I've ever driven) to the R1S (which is a VERY smooth ride), you'll see a difference, but a minor one. If you compared the R1S to perhaps a more appropriate comparison, like, say a Bronco, I think you'd find that the R1S does very well in that comparison. I would like to find a good way to relate this to the UA-cam audience, but I'm still thinking about that. The main point is that the R1S is a very nice drive and you won't be disappointed.
Try towing. The Lightning is a major disappointment in the towing category. And please Rivian, redesign that cartoonish front end. Very adolescent looking.
Hi Scott, nice video! I agree with your assessment of the turn stock, it’s odd and takes some getting use to. Not sure why they made it this way as something like Honda’s have great switch gear. PPF? Did you say you got PPF on the S? I’ve contemplated it back and forth a hundred times. I think I’m leaning towards I’m just going to detail it myself as I’ve done every vehicle I’ve owned, put ceramic on and call it a day.
Thanks. Yes we did a full XPEL PPF on the R1S. I decided to do it based on our experience with the R1T which is also wrapped. It’s a “protect the investment” kind of decision. I do recommend it but the cost is high so may not be worth it for everyone.
price is somewhere in the 80+ range depending. Having driven both of their vehicles for several thousand miles, I can say that if they do fail, it won't be because of poor vehicle quality. Other than that, there's no way to answer that question unless you have a magic crystal ball. It seems like they're set up well for the long term
Quick question, when using adaptive cruise control, did you have any issues with it randomly shutting off or applying the brakes even though no one was in front of you? I went on a 200 mile round trip recently in my R1T down I-5 and the adaptive cruise control worked most of the way, however it did have issues with shutting off saying the camera was blocked even when the road ahead was wide open (sunny day no rain). Wondering if this is an issue with the camera/software system or if it’s just my R1T.
Oops, looks like you're not getting as great mileage as you think. I'm guessing you forgot to add 1 or 2 charger stops between Grand Junction and Denver. Glenwood Springs and/or Edwards. maybe? We just tripped from Grand Junction to Palm Springs, CA and back (1700+miles) and I applaud you for your bookkeeping stats! I started out good but 2 stops later I said nuts to that... In an R1T and of course the RAN charges were flawless, but our EA stops were a little hit but mostly miss. Oh well, it's what's available. Thanks for the info! And Happy Trails! :)
@@gregvalunas6342 no, just Glenwood Springs and a quick stop in Frisco just to pee/charge for a minute (needed to pee, didn't need to charge). We had a half-tank when we got home.
@@gregvalunas6342 the EA station is at the Walmart in Frisco (just across from Silverthorne). Yes, we charged there, but only because we wanted to stop, not because we needed to. I forgot to add that to the spreadsheet.
Charge time is a weakness of electric vehicles, however, as I mentioned in the video, it isn’t really a pain point for us. And, in a lot of times we could be in and out in less than a half an hour. With kids, it’s almost mandatory to stop for that long anyway on these kinds of long road trips. It’s a bit counterintuitive to me, but the longer the road trip, the more important is to stop midway through and rest. It worked well for us.
@@RivianDad I took a few scripts from Dr. Denton during my rotations as a student when I worked retail some 15 years ago. Dr. Denton is a hometown Hero !
I've only used it a couple of times. It was fine. The chargers were not as fast but still better than level 2. On this road trip, there was never a need for EV go as the EA stations were well spaced for us. Thx for watching!
Its such a contrast experience from latest R1T journey in Rich Rebuilds channel... Im kind of hope he bought R1T from yours in that video, but it is not of course. Still.,I would love you both collaborate some day because despite of that video, He still loves His R1T. he is just like another Rivian Dad for me
This truck recently lost a vs. match against a BMW iX M60. The reviewer said the driving dynamics, ride, range and handling were all better in the BMW. The only thing that the Rivian beat the BMW was the third row. The review specifically mentioned a floating sensation like a boat, especially under hard acceleration.
Saw that. Thx. Yeah, it's got competition to be sure. But that third row is pretty important. I'll have to see if I can get in the M60 and do a review!
Depends on what you compare it to. The average efficiency of the R1T and R1S over their lifetime (so far) is around 2mi/kWh. Other cars get better efficiency, like the Tesla which I believe is around 4. And others get worse. But yes, it would be great to improve efficiency. On the other hand, the MPGe of the Rivian is over 70 miles per gallon, so there's that.
Scott you brave man taking the family thru Tonopah and Ely. Hope you checked the clown motel! Can’t agree more Ely, hwy 50 and Tonopah need 200kw chargers not little 50kw. Great video and details.
Hi Matt! Yes, at least Ely because it also has a cross highway. But both would be ideal. We stay far away from the clown motel. As for the decision to go through Ely, we calculated that it saved us about 2 hours of drive time. I only did it because we had two possible backups. 1) charge to 100% in Tonopah and eek out the stretch to Wendover, which may not have been possible. 2) A couple of nearby towns to Ely had slow chargers we could fall back on if we had to. Plus, we could stay overnight if needed. So, we did not charge to 100 in Tonopah and rolled the dice. It worked out, but it was down to only one fail point before motel time.
Terrific video. I have a delivery date of Q3 '23. Can't wait for my R1S. This video also pointed out something I had not really understood. Your cost of driving is roughly half that of an ICE. I have an RX400h that gets 22mpg. At $5.50/gal, the trip would have cost $610.80, plus about $50 toward the next service. So $660. Your cost was half!
Yeah, and it could have been less were it not for the crazy overcharge in Ely ($78 for only a few kWh!). Of course, we also got three free charges at the RAN stations. Note also that charging at home is about half again the cost. (14c per kWh versus 28) Thx for watching!
@@RivianDad As a future owner... I really appreciate these videos. Any tips to improve the driving experience will be greatly appreciated! Thanks again for taking the time to make these videos. Subscribing now!
@@rudigerwolf9626 Thank you for subscribing. Great to have you along on the journey. Stay tuned for lots more. I try to put out a video a week (or more) but it's tough with kids, life, etc, but I'll do my best!
I love EVs, but there’s no way I’m buying one for at least another 5-7 years, just for the sole reason of there not being enough charging locations yet. Hopefully in 5 years, charging stations will be even easier to find than gas stations. I’d love to see “truck stop” style charging centers built up, with little coffee shops and convenience store areas and bathrooms and such where you can stretch your legs and such while charging. Hopefully charging times improve too by then.
I calculated if you got 25 mpg on average for a gas suv traveling the same distance @ $3.50 a gallon it would have cost $342. You have a savings of only $11.00 at that price point. My gas suv will generally average a higher highway mpg, so even if gas is at a higher price the savings is minimal. Given the higher price of the vehicle at this time, it would take a long, long, long time to make up the overall efficiency of getting a fully electric vehicle at this time. That said, I have followed the Rivian platform for many years before they were available to the public and I think they are a great concept. I do understand and respect the environmental part of owning a fully electric vehicle. I just don’t think we are ready for it. By “we”, I mean the general public. In Florida where we are charging stations are not very prevalent yet. Plus where we see them they are packed with people waiting, as there are not enough making a trip of any length a very time consuming venture. We are faced with hurricanes which mean sometimes weeks without power, so again until they address these and other issues, it is only practical for a small percentage of people. Plus, the average person just can’t afford $70-100,000 for a vehicle like this. The other issue is, if you have a mechanical failure, where and who is going to service it? Good review but, a lot of questions and issues need to be addressed to make it practical.
All good points, however, in your calculations, you might want to adjust for the fact that nearly every mile driven on this vehicle is going to be around town on electrons provided from home. Around town I get higher efficiency than on the highway. Also I charge entirely at home, which (soon) will get energy provided entirely from solar panels. Even if I pay my current rate for electricity, it is about 1/3 of the cost of buying electricity from the supercharger network when on a road trip. Also, for now, the Rivian adventure network chargers are free. I am not trying to argue dollar for dollar which is cheaper. But, in my opinion, dollar for dollar the Rivian is better. Particularly when you consider environmental concerns, and future expandability of things like home solar arrays and a greener electrical supply.
@@RivianDad I agree with your assessment and comments. I am not putting it down, as I like the idea. I am just saying, that most people can not afford to do what you have done. Nor do they live in a single family home. I am just saying that the infrastructure is not ready for the masses yet. Toyota has backed away from full electric realizing that the world over all, is not equipped to handle full electric yet. I think hybrids are more reasonable and sensible at this time as the technology and infrastructure is being developed. You have an ideal situation and I think that is great and I enjoyed your review in a real world situation.
Nice time we're living when YT is full of videos of brand new cars doing thousands of miles without a problem 🤭 Also it is SO nice that we still have drivers who like do steer while driving...🤣 Nice video🚘
Electrify America has built a pretty robust network across the USA that can get you most places. Of course, there are a lot of gaps, but not terrible. LA is lucky because they have a route of Rivian chargers up and running to get you to norCal and back.
Generally speaking, I hate cars. People should rely on public transit ( don't hate me. Here in Europe, it works ), and bicycles. But I can't get over how cool the rivian is 🤣
I’m with you on both fronts Martino, yes the Rivian is pretty amazing, but a better public transit system would be awesome. I’ve lived in two large cities San Francisco and Washington DC that both have very good public transit systems. We used them a lot. I also spend a lot of time on a bike, or at least I do during the spring and summer months. The issue here in the USA is simply how far apart things tend to be, and a lack of a decent train system between cities. I’ve taken a train from Denver to Sacramento, California, which was great, but took a very long time. And it was pretty expensive to boot. so, it would be nice to add a better train system to get around, but there’s just simply so much distance between places with very few people that it’s prohibitive. So, this is one reason that I am all in with Rivian: the next best thing is a very good electric vehicle infrastructure. Thanks for your comments!
Also, curious what your home country is? We spent some time in Spain in an electric vehicle, it was a bit challenging, but totally doable. ua-cam.com/video/t_DHyzlCXzo/v-deo.html I hope we’ll go back someday.
Informative and well produced video but probably somewhat biased as most of the negatives are push the side as minimal and even the most mediocre areas are presented as overwhelmingly positive. We have three little ones ourselves and are definitely interested in a vehicle like this, but I think it's also important to see some of the negative aspects. For example, stopping 10 times for 30, 40 or 60 minutes to charge. Probably is something of a negative compared to probably half as many stops and 5 or 10 minutes in a gas powered vehicle.
Thanks for your thoughts. As you know I’m a parent as well and I actually found this road trip more pleasant than the many other road trips we’ve taken where we tried to cram in 12-15 hours of drive time in a day. Yes, we stopped less frequently and for less time during those other trips but I don’t agree that it’s better that way. On this trip, I arrived more rested and the kids were better travelers when we stopped for longer stops. Part of that was the comfort of the vehicle and part was the longer stops. So for me it wasn’t a negative. Sure it would be nice to have more options but keep in mind that several times we overstayed our needed charging time, which tells you we rarely waited for the chargers (or at least that we could have charged less if we were in more of a hurry). Also, that’s 10 stops over three days and 1200 miles (counting the end and sleep stops) so the number of “en route” stops was not all that much different than the same drive we took in a minivan only a couple of years ago. It’s very physically hard for my kids to ride in a car for more that 2.5 hours in a stretch so we would have stopped about that often anyway. Sure, less, but not by much. I try not to sugar coat things. No, I am not going out of my way to find things to complain about, so it may seem unfairly positive, and my tolerance as an early adopter for glitches may be above average, but that was our honest experience: road tripping this route in an EV was not perfect, but very good. The main downside being that you just don’t get there as fast. A downside to be sure but not one we were overly concerned about. Take it for what it’s worth. Thx.
while this is effortless, I find EVs do not have any or very minimal driver input. Its not engaging for me and I like manual for the reason where car you give you feedback on your input.
Yeah, I can see that. For me, especially on a long road trip I want to just be able to relax a little bit. So those extra driver features are important. I would love to have a massaging seat to go with it. :-)
hard disagree. Do I also subtract the time I took to hike through the mountains and enjoy the scenery (I could have been charging a client during that hour)? Do I discount the time I sleep? Gotta draw a line somewhere. And don't forget that gas car is spitting out exhaust every second it is running. Should I add on the cost of breathing that?
for us, 2.5 hours is more than enough in a stretch. No way to do it with kids without stopping at least that often, unless your kids are sleeping, then, Murphy's law will dictate that you have a full bladder just about the time they fall asleep so you have to stop anyway.
Yes, seems so. I'm hoping we get to use the Supercharger network some day. I know that a lot of Telsa owners won't love that, but it would be a game changer. thx
True, but as I point out in the video, it didn't really bother us. YMMV but I think a new frame of mind can help. I'm trying to ditch the "gotta make good time!!" mentality in lieu of "gotta HAVE a good time" mentality. Also, we charged for longer than we needed in many cases, and charging will get faster in the future, particularly as more stations come online which would allow for more frequent but much shorter stops.
lots more than just money in the equation for me. Plus, most of the miles on the vehicle are around town from electrons at home. I spend zero time at gas stations. So, if you add up all the gas station stops for around town driving, then subtract out what you need for charging on a highway on road trips (which is less than what we charged on this trip), it's probably a break even or even a net gain in time.
@@bigmacdaddy1234 In that highly unlikely event, I'd hit the fast charger nearby and be ready to go in under an hour. However, this situation has never happened to me and is very unlikely unless it's at the END of a long day of driving. I can go from near zero to 100% overnight while charging at home (which is also very cheap), so as long as I didn't forget to plug in the evening before (which does happen, but if I were often in this situation, I'd be in a habit of plugging in every night) I wouldn't need a fast charger at all until I was on the road. Even at a half charge, I can get quite a ways. Another way to think of it is this: with 100% charge in the R1S or R1T from Denver, I can reach another state in any direction I travel (except west to Utah) without having to charge a single time (I could easily get to Wyoming New Mexico and Kansas, and to Grand Junction, CO which is close to the UT border). That's how big the range is. More or less the entire state of Colorado - one way. Of course, I'd have to charge again to get home or continue on, but when you think about it that way, it's clear that the vehicle will take you a long ways without having to stop. In our case, we stop more frequently because we want to (not because we need to). If you cross state lines driving every day, then you'd probably be better off with a Tesla or Lucid with longer range and faster charging, but on the other hand, if you're driving that much, you'd be saving a lot of money on fuel. Thx for your comments.
@@bigmacdaddy1234 I would think if you're driven for that dollar you are pretty tight on running your ship. In the scenario where you need to go somewhere far and now you would keep your BEV charged up while at home. It's bone simple. In your case you would back in or pull in depending on your make set the charge limit (In a Tesla set it and leave it), get out and plug in. All of about 10 seconds. Unplug before you drive away and all's good. Come to think of it if your hourly rate is what you imply, you'll be driving a Lucid with a 500 mile range. Depending on what you do for that hourly rate, you'll be boosting your battery while working. In fact I met a Hollywood consultant while researching what EV to get. He did all his business out of his model S. Unless you're going to Eeeeeleeey NV you should do just fine in an EV.
2-1/2 hrs between stops…..are you kidding me? You think that’s all the farther you can/should go? That’s pathetic…..I’ve reserved the new Scout SUV but with the range extender engine so I’m doing some research on real world range/charging. I hope the hell the Scout can go more than 2-1/2 hours 😂😂😂
Great video Scott, as usual. Thanks for all the data gathering and your unique viewpoints. It was really great meeting you, your wife and the kids for the Rocky Mountain Rivian Club Meetup on Saturday. Thanks again for the opportunity to meet a ton of other Rivian owners, my wife and I had a blast!
Thanks for coming! Here's the event wrap video I just posted: ua-cam.com/video/F2inkrUv3NM/v-deo.html
SPOILER: the R1S is pretty sweet on a road trip.
My home town! I may have seen you that holiday stretch, Rivians stand out in our little mountain paradise.
Thanks for the overview! Glad you had a good road trip.
Thanks!
Nice video! Any chance you're able to share a read-only version of that Google Spreadsheet?
Email me a message (contact info in the "about" section) and I'll be happy to email you a copy.
Did you rely on the in vehicle navigation to select your chargers, or did you have to supplement with charging apps on your phone?
A few times, but not much. The Rivian has a big disadvantage in that you can’t add stops or change the route. You get what you get. That will surely improve with software updates though.
@@RivianDad i think this is a major bummer that you cant add stops or change the route. more reason to add Apple Carplay or Android Auto. aside from the fact that the mapping isn't consistent or even correct sometimes. seems a bit silly to have to use my phone for that in a brand new 2022 vehicle. they need to add one or the other soon.
@@DavidLeee - And on top of that, Rivian did not provide a convenient place to add a phone holder/cradle, at least I haven't found a good spot yet. Even placing it on the front part of the center arm rest (wireless charging pad), the phone slides around, and even if it didn't, driver has to practically look down to see the phone taking their eyes way off the road.
Heh. I see that you stopped at the overlook to Mono Lake. Was there just last June, also en route to Bishop. Glad to know all the DCFC stations worked for you! The miles-per-kWh were spot on for the EPA estimates, to be expected with a large, heavy EV.
Cool. Where were you coming from? It’s true that the Rivian is big and heavy!!!
@@robinlunt2535 We were coming from the Sacramento area back home to Southern Utah in our Model 3. Really enjoyed seeing the backside of the Sierra Nevada all the way down Hwy 365.
Having a good time with the family is always a huge plus.
indeed
More chargers are coming for sure. Thanks for your video. Waiting for my quad motor r1s delivery in December, and moving to Colorado next year. Very excited about clear dry cool weather all year long~
How is your Rivian going?
Thanks for this video and all your other videos!! I'm waiting for my R1S delivery and wondered what a road trip would be like given it will be my first EV. Curious if you know how it will perform to sleep in it overnight with AC or Heater on all night. I'm worried about some of the posts I've seen about it losing range will just sitting in garage with nothing even on. I hope it will be like Tesla camp mode where I can be comfortable temp-wise all night without losing much range otherwise I might have to rethink.
Thanks! I haven't slept in it yet, but will do that eventually. A little cold here in Denver at the moment. With Camp Mode, I think the battery drain will be manageable but can't know for sure. I'll keep you posted!
@@RivianDad - I look forward to your camp mode video as I'm planning/hoping to do some in-car camping with my R1S. I'm also concerned about the battery usage / range reduction when using camp mode especially considering how much is lost even when it's parked over night in the garage with climate control and gear guard off. I'm surprised by the amount of phantom drain that occurs as my Mach-E barely has any.
How is the sound insulation at highway speeds? Can a rear seat passenger hear what the front seat people are saying at a normal talking volumes?
I would say the sound insulation is pretty good. Yes you can have a conversation between front and back, maybe you’d have to raise your voice a little bit but not a huge amount. It’s mostly wheel noise on the road.
@Rivian Dad - From your spreadsheet, I'm curious how you ended up paying $0 at the RAN and Charge Point chargers, or you did pay and just didn't enter any amount? If the latter, what was the RAN per kWh price?
Also, what phone EV driving apps do you use to compliment your route planning? ABRP? PlugShare? If so, the free or paid versions?
All RAN chargers are free for now (no idea for how long). The Charge Point charger for some reason didn't charge me, or at least I don't think so. Not sure why. The Green River item is blank because I missed recording that one (it only shows on the screen for a second when you stop). I learned my lesson and took photos of all the others so I didn't miss another.
@riviandad, where did you pick up the Canvasback covers? I have my R1S on preorder, Ive been waiting for a year and will probably need to wait one more year. :-(
hoping that by the time I take my order, there will be additional accessories
Links to all the gear are in the description. You can order them directly on their web site.
Hang in there with the wait!! It’s so hard. But worth it!!
So if you had to make a Sophie's choice between the two, which one do you keep?
I'd give away one of the kids and keep both the Rivians.
Of course I'm kidding... it would really be a Sophie's choice because they are both good for different reasons. For driving: the truck. For road trips: the R1S. For all around, probably the truck, but my wife would say probably the R1S. The only catch is that the R1S would get pretty beat up pretty quickly because I'm always carting stuff around.
This is a marital conflict!! And TBH we also have a eGolf that we love for the daily commute. We definitely don’t need 3 cars for 2 drivers and a family of 4. But each of them has its place.
Hey Scott. I couldn't find that video about window tinting. I'm curious what kind of film you used. Did you tint the rear windows and hatch as well? What shade of tint did you use for the windshield and the front windows. Does the front window color and shade match the rear? Thanks.
I had good intentions of publishing a vid all about window tinting, then came a very long and cold winter so tinting fell in priority. Apologies. This is a good reminder to get that together asap. To answer your question, I only had the driver and passenger windows and the windshield tinted. 3 windows. The others were already tinted. I’ll have to look up the tint percentages to verify but I believe the passenger and driver windows are 30% and the windshield is 70%. I think the factory tint for the other windows is something like 27%.
I use an iPhone. I just got the proclip mount that goes anywhere in the center space with MagSafe attachment. Really liking it so far.
oh nice. I'll have to check that out
The cold weather is a major problem the most power is used heating up the car interior and batteries if it was already warm it’s not the same thing at all
It’s a beautiful full-size SUV. But here is my issue, my BMW X7 40i, also a full-size SUV can make that same 2443 mile trip for $291 in gas, and 4 quick stops to fill up. Why go electric?
I explain it all here: ua-cam.com/video/WuEX-PYwi3M/v-deo.html
If you're ONLY concerned with how far you can go without stopping on a road trip, then the Rivian isn't your jam (and remember, I don't ever go to gas stations any more, even for all of the rest of the around-town driving, which is 99% of what we all do anyway. Also remember, that even though you could do it in fewer stops, doesn't mean you won't stop anyway - bathroom, food, sleeping, etc. Especially with kids. We just time those stops to overlap during a charge, making the charge time duplicative.). But, for virtually every other category IMO, the Rivian beats it - comfort, performance, tech, efficiency, and biggest of all, no exhaust. That for me is why.
Thx for watching!
Good short review, thank you! I can see that this would be pretty pleasant with my kids too!
thanks! Hope you had a great holiday.
Evgo is going to have chargers every 50miles in Texas starting 2023 at the pilots
that's very good to hear. Tell them to work on central Nevada or Wyoming next!
@@RivianDad I think they already are let me double check
Thanks for the video. How comfortable were the third row seats for your kids after several hours because they look pretty flat. Also, what audio recorder do you use?
The kids were the only ones to spend a lot of time in the 3rd row. My daughter especially. She never complained of discomfort and seemed pretty much fine the whole way. She spent 90% of the drive back there (almost 40 hours total).
For audio I use the DJI mic which I LOVE: amzn.to/3P0Iudg it connects to the iPhone and is super user friendly. For inside the vehicle, it's usually just the iPhone mic. I have a mic setup for the studio, but rarely use that one. That reminds me that I need to do a video about videos! Thx
Thanks for the review. I like your gear choices. Currently don’t have the spare on our configuration, hopefully we can add it to our locked config. Looked like a fantastic roadtrip. Looking forward to the window tint video as we are in south Texas. We loved our canvasback in our GLE300d, it was great for the dogs after hiking, etc. Waiting on our R1S, hopefully in Feb/Mar.
Thanks Chris! You will be very glad to have the windshield tint. I'm already itching to get the windshield done on the R1T now that I'm used to it. Yes, get the spare. It works well and takes up a relatively small amount of space. I'll have that video done very soon. Hope you get yours soon!
Is this a Rivian Quad Motor Large Battery Pack? If so 2 miles per kwh aint too bad for mostly highway driving, packed car, and in some cold weather. Roughly 260 miles on a full charge.
Yes. Quad motor 135 kWh large pack
@@RivianDad I think that's pretty solid and usable highway range! I'm sure the max pack with dual motors could do 300+ which is quite impressive. Now with Rivian able to supercharge it's hard not to pick the Rivian over the Tesla when prices are identical
Great Video Scott! Glad you had fun!!
Would have been more fun with you behind in sweep. :)
@@RivianDad yea it would!
I have seen most of your videos @Rivian Dad. Would love one that talks a bit more about ride quality
Thanks for watching! Good idea.
Thanks for the honest video. You did real world tests that 99% of us Rivian owners expect and need.
Thank you. And thanks for watching and commenting. Helps a lot.
great information. that 2 miles / kw is not so great huh. i hope the R2 efficiency is similar to Model y
4:55 charging speed was perfectly fine. . . And what is that charging speed ??
Aha. I now know why you had no problems when charging in Salt Lake City. EA have removed the old junk chargers and replaced them with the new units that work.
Oh nice. Yeah they were new units. Worked fine.
Great video! Thank you! I am in a 2019 Model 3 and wanting to go to Rivian but worried about the fast charging. What did you do on the spots you mentioned that there weren’t Rivian chargers?
Most of the chargers were Electrify America (EA). They are well placed, although we wish there were more of them. The EA chargers worked just fine with only minor glitches that were easily solved. Others have had more challenges but we had smooth sailing. The network is improving every day. The Rivian chargers were very easy and fast as well. Thx for watching!
Hey Scott, did you drive the whole time in conserve mode? If you did, what are your thoughts on doing such a long trip in conserve mode and using only the front wheel drive and unequal usage between the front and back?
Much of it (most?) was in conserve mode if I recall. I also drive in All Purpose pretty often. I feel fine about using conserve mode as much as I need to. As far as I can see, it's just less wear on the rear motor anyway. I don't really see a down side. Am I wrong?
@@RivianDad I'm not an EV owner myself, but I hope to get one someday. I've just seen a lot of videos that say don't use conserve mode all the time because it will cause more wear on the front motor, which means unequal wear between the front and back. But if someone does long road trips, or even multiple long road trips, using just conserve mode, would that not eventually lead to the same issue?
@@KHuyPh I suppose it could, but that isn't a concern for me. I'm guessing that the amount of wear is similar in a motor like this if it is the solo motor versus working in tandem with another motor. On the other hand, I figure the bigger difference is between an engaged motor and a non-engaged motor. Thus on net, the amount of wear is less with only one motor running. This is an assumption based on a few things, so to be sure we'd have to do some of our own testing or ask the engineers.
How’s the reliability of the vehicle? Have you had to make any repairs?
Great video. Looks like you and the family had a great time.
Thanks for watching! Yes, we did. Helps to have some beautiful scenery and yummy food!
Having to control the air vents via the screen seems like it would be quite annoying, how do folks that own an R1S or R1T feel about this?
Takes a minute to get used to, but once you do, it's about as easy as doing it manually. So, I'd say it's a net positive since it helps to streamline the design. Also, one less thing to break.
@@RivianDad thanks I appreciate the response, I know it's small, but that was a borderline deal breaker for me, haha. It seemed cool when. I test drove the R1T but afterwards I got to thinking, maybe this might be more of an inconvenience than a convenience. Thanks!
@@chimaebinama3192 generally speaking, with respect to the interface and the comfort level of the cabin, I would rate it very high. Sure, there are little things here, or there that I would tweak (add a glove box!) as but one comforting thing about the fact that those items are done through the interface is that they can always change over time, whereas the broken vent in my other car is never going to fix itself. :-) yes, it is a little bit different than we’re used to with other cars, but I think overall, it’s a net gain.
How does the windshield tinting work? And does the Rivian use a heat pump or the more traditional style?
windshield tinting is applied on the inside of the windshield just like the other windows. Only difference is that it is a very light tint (70%) so it's barely noticeable. After driving it for a while, I can't even tell it's on - except that it works well to reduce the glare and heat coming through the windshield. I believe the Rivian does not have a heat pump.
@@RivianDad no issues at night?
@@rustinroy9911 not at all. In fact the tint reduces eye strain from the oncoming headlights.
Don't get pulled over in CA, AZ and other states with front windshield tinting, if the officer notices it (too dark on side window tint too) you get a rather large ticket and in some cases immediate fix requirement.
Awesome Scott. I noticed you were able to stop at EA in SLC but that location had been down for a while the week before thanksgiving. Did you have any problem charging through northern utah?
The EA station in Central Salt Lake City, and the one in Provo/Spanish work worked fine for us. I don’t remember any problems, there were a couple of times where I had to switch stalls, not sure if it was at one of those stations or not.
@@RivianDad great. Yeah I had a similar trip but SLC Sam’s club EA was offline so had to stretch from Spanish Fork to Wendover. EA needs to open many more in SLC-Provo area.
There was one stall out at EA Spanish Fork and the SLC Sam’s was full- but working. Agreed that more chargers would be fully utilized quickly!
What would make it so effortless to drive compared to any other car? Do you usually drive an older car without power steering? I don’t get it. 🤷🏻♂️
Did you tint the entire windshield or just the top portion? Curious as I’ve never tinted a windshield before
Entire. I highly recommend. I don’t even see it any more but I can tell on the other truck that it doesn’t have tint.
I've been hearing a lot of reviews w/ folks complaining about how noisy the R1S is namely the suspension air compressor. What have you noticed?
nope. The compressor is audible when it's doing its thing, but not annoying (maybe so in the back row). I also noticed that I can hear the compressor in the truck (which I hadn't noticed before I heard it in the S). I haven't heard anything in the suspension. The R1S is a bit more wobbly (front to back) than the truck, but just to be clear, that's comparing two very good drives to each other. The R1S drives very well.
@@RivianDad - I've noticed the R1S when in Conserve mode (front 2 motors only) is somewhat unstable, wobbles if you may, from side to side when accelerating. TBH, it's a little unsettling. Have you guys experienced any of that yet?
Thank you Scott for your reviews- my R1S arrives in Q2.
What’s the latest on the drive sensation with the latest updates? I’ve heard some people talking about “porpoising/floating” sensation specific to the R1S. Thoughts?
I can’t say for sure but it seems like the drive is better with the update. It’s already very good. I’ll keep you posted. Thx.
@@RivianDad thanks for the continued updates on the R1S as deliveries accelerate. Much appreciated
Great and helpful video! How far could you drive without charging, and how low the does the battery charge level drop?
we would typically drive about 150-200 miles in a stretch then stop to charge and rest. The battery would be about 25% or so when we stopped. But, the truck could go up to 250 miles before I'd start to get nervous. Really, it's all about having a good plan in place and you can get most everywhere you want. I prefer to keep enough charge to always have a backup plan in case there is a broken charger or something goes wrong.
Hilariously we also named our R1S - Rosie! When I saw her I thought of how tough she was and thought of Rosie the Rivetter... Thanks for the video.
How are the 22” wheels/tires working for you? Did you use them in the snow?
22s are a great 3-season tire. Sucks for Colorado winter.
Thank you so much for the information. For the Canvasback, how does it adhere to the backs of the seats and the floor?
The kit includes double sided tape that’s pretty strong. It’s not necessarily the best way to attach it, but I’m confident that it won’t do any damage to the upholstery, so I’m good with it. But the tape isn’t quite as strong as I want it to be. It does work though.
@@RivianDad Thank you
I am in Rivian waitlist. I have 2022 Tahoe and and made a 3650 miles from Austin, Texas to Key West, FL round trip and spend $665 on gasoline. It’s not much different what you spend.
Except at home we pay less than a third of that and that is almost all of our day-to-day driving. Gas cars will pay more for city driving than highway because of the starting and stopping without regen. Never mind the carbon/exhaust part of the equation. Thx for watching.
I have an 06 Opel with a signal mechanism similar to the R1s. For lane changes, a half click in either direction might cause your signal to flash a few times then stop. No need to do a full motion unless you're actually doing a full turn
Thanks. Yeah, the R1 has the same mechanism. The problem is when you need a "full" turn (say you're changing lanes but not a quick change) then you go to turn it off and accidentally go too far, which is very easy to do. So, naturally you want to turn off the signal that has gone too far (so now you're signaling three flashes back in the other direction). You push it back to turn it off, but then it just signals back in the first direction for three more flashes. You can't stop the three flashes. The whole system is a bit hard to get used to. It's also telling when I let someone else drive who has never driven a Rivian and watch them struggle with the signal light for the first time.
Tesla has the same turn signal stalk mechanism as well, and I think maybe even Mercedes, so it’s fairly common.
@@iamdaviddoliver I guess that’s not surprising. Still, it’s a step away from where I would like it to be.
I find the R1s alot more useful and comfortable than the pickup version. Nice video!
thx
Great video. Thanks for all the info
I'm glad you found it useful. Thanks!
Moral of the story, we need more chargers.. I know there are a ton planned and more coming on line every day, but with Rivian, Fisker, Polstar, VW, and BMW really ramping up production, we're going to need 10x the amount of chargers we have today by 2025. I have an R1S on order, probably early 2024 delivery so hopefully this next year we'll see more stations pop up. Can't wait to take delivery.
agree! Although the other moral is that it's still possible (you might even say "comfortable") with the current system if you're willing to endure some glitches. thx for your thoughts
Or we just stop reinventing the wheel and stick with ICE
@@HEKTO3 yuck. Once you live with an EV for a bit you realize they’re just better. Yeah, there are growing pains, but still. Here’s an interesting take from a seasoned car reviewer who is ready for all cars to go electric. flip.it/Sa_c7E
Hi Rivian Dad... Can you tell me where you wrapped your R1S? I will pick up my R1S in August of this year and I will need to wrap my car. Thanks.
Denver Auto Shield! They’re the best. Tell them I sent you and they’ll give you a break. Also reach out to me before you do - I can help you decide exactly what to get.
@@RivianDad roger!!! Thank you very much!!!
You said you’ll talk about the wheels. 20” vs the 22”. Which do you like better?
We decided not to switch the tires for this trip (ran out of time!) so we rolled the 22s on the trip. More tire stuff for another day!
20s for sure. I don't love the 22s, although the dark wheels do look pretty sweet. Other than looks, I don't see the real value over the 20s, which are more of an all-purpose tire - particularly useful in the mountains and the CO winter weather.
I have an R1 S on order. Been looking at every review, and several have said it doesn't "ride" well, not as well at the R1T. They say it's "bumpy". What is you take on this?
Thanks in advance
I'm of two minds. On one hand, I agree with the reviewers who have said it's a bit of a bumpier ride than the R1T. It is. But only a bit and only noticeable when you drive them one after the other. On the other hand, the wheelbase is shorter so it will be less stable just by a pure physics point of view. And, the whole comparison overall is a bit of a fallacy because it's like comparing apples and oranges. If you compare the R1T (which is the MOST stable truck I've ever driven) to the R1S (which is a VERY smooth ride), you'll see a difference, but a minor one. If you compared the R1S to perhaps a more appropriate comparison, like, say a Bronco, I think you'd find that the R1S does very well in that comparison. I would like to find a good way to relate this to the UA-cam audience, but I'm still thinking about that. The main point is that the R1S is a very nice drive and you won't be disappointed.
@@RivianDad thank you so much! I’m looking forward to my first drive! Enjoy your videos. I watch them all!
@@pslawing Thanks!!
How was the ride quality? Smoothness, bumps, side to side/lateral movement?
Ride quality is excellent. Little bit of rocking motion on the bumps, but not uncomfortable in any way. Quite the contrary. Thanks.
Great video! Do you get 250 real-world miles on your R1S? Is that because of your tire configuration?
250 for sure. Could go a bit more depending on the factors. Haven’t pushed it to zero yet.
Try towing. The Lightning is a major disappointment in the towing category. And please Rivian, redesign that cartoonish front end. Very adolescent looking.
Nice video. Not really getting "what I need to know" though?
Does the second row recline?
Yes, and it's pretty comfortable. The third row does not recline.
Thanks Scott! Very helpful.
Thx for watching!
Hi Scott, nice video! I agree with your assessment of the turn stock, it’s odd and takes some getting use to. Not sure why they made it this way as something like Honda’s have great switch gear.
PPF? Did you say you got PPF on the S? I’ve contemplated it back and forth a hundred times. I think I’m leaning towards I’m just going to detail it myself as I’ve done every vehicle I’ve owned, put ceramic on and call it a day.
Thanks. Yes we did a full XPEL PPF on the R1S. I decided to do it based on our experience with the R1T which is also wrapped. It’s a “protect the investment” kind of decision. I do recommend it but the cost is high so may not be worth it for everyone.
Does R1S has cross traffic alert?
It will alert you if you’re backing up and something is approaching fom the side. Not sure what the range is though.
@@RivianDad thanks, what about front? It also has this function?
Price out the door ?
And do you think Rivian will survive?
price is somewhere in the 80+ range depending. Having driven both of their vehicles for several thousand miles, I can say that if they do fail, it won't be because of poor vehicle quality. Other than that, there's no way to answer that question unless you have a magic crystal ball. It seems like they're set up well for the long term
Quick question, when using adaptive cruise control, did you have any issues with it randomly shutting off or applying the brakes even though no one was in front of you? I went on a 200 mile round trip recently in my R1T down I-5 and the adaptive cruise control worked most of the way, however it did have issues with shutting off saying the camera was blocked even when the road ahead was wide open (sunny day no rain). Wondering if this is an issue with the camera/software system or if it’s just my R1T.
I have not had that issue in either the S or T. However, I have seen that alert come up when using driver plus.
@@RivianDad hmm… thanks for getting back to me. Looks like I’ll have to submit a help ticket and see what Rivian says.
Oops, looks like you're not getting as great mileage as you think. I'm guessing you forgot to add 1 or 2 charger stops between Grand Junction and Denver. Glenwood Springs and/or Edwards. maybe? We just tripped from Grand Junction to Palm Springs, CA and back (1700+miles) and I applaud you for your bookkeeping stats! I started out good but 2 stops later I said nuts to that... In an R1T and of course the RAN charges were flawless, but our EA stops were a little hit but mostly miss. Oh well, it's what's available. Thanks for the info! And Happy Trails! :)
You know what, you’re absolutely right. We had a charge in Glenwood Springs that I didn’t include! No wonder my mileage was a little off. Thanks.
@@RivianDad Not Silverthorne too? The bottom line on your sheet shows 75 miles. Anyway, thanks again for the info!
@@gregvalunas6342 no, just Glenwood Springs and a quick stop in Frisco just to pee/charge for a minute (needed to pee, didn't need to charge). We had a half-tank when we got home.
@@gregvalunas6342 the EA station is at the Walmart in Frisco (just across from Silverthorne). Yes, we charged there, but only because we wanted to stop, not because we needed to. I forgot to add that to the spreadsheet.
The price per mile is not great, plus the wait time to charge is a no go for me. I like to fill up in a few minutes and go.
Charge time is a weakness of electric vehicles, however, as I mentioned in the video, it isn’t really a pain point for us. And, in a lot of times we could be in and out in less than a half an hour. With kids, it’s almost mandatory to stop for that long anyway on these kinds of long road trips. It’s a bit counterintuitive to me, but the longer the road trip, the more important is to stop midway through and rest. It worked well for us.
How random, I'm looking at a Rivian and click on this Video and you drove to my home town ! I live in Bishop, Lucky me :)
Do you know former mayor Betty and Dr. Bob? That’s our fam.
@@RivianDad McGovern?
@@PharmD109 Denton/Jensen clan.
@@RivianDad I took a few scripts from Dr. Denton during my rotations as a student when I worked retail some 15 years ago. Dr. Denton is a hometown Hero !
@@PharmD109 that’s him! Love Bishop.
How does ev go charging work with rivian ?
I've only used it a couple of times. It was fine. The chargers were not as fast but still better than level 2. On this road trip, there was never a need for EV go as the EA stations were well spaced for us. Thx for watching!
I was wondering if anyone besides me thought that the front of the Rivian looks like Rosy the robot from the Jetsons.
Ha, I can see that. :-)
Its such a contrast experience from latest R1T journey in Rich Rebuilds channel... Im kind of hope he bought R1T from yours in that video, but it is not of course. Still.,I would love you both collaborate some day because despite of that video, He still loves His R1T. he is just like another Rivian Dad for me
Oh nice. I actually haven't caught up with that. I'll check it out!
What color is your exterior?
Limestone
This truck recently lost a vs. match against a BMW iX M60. The reviewer said the driving dynamics, ride, range and handling were all better in the BMW. The only thing that the Rivian beat the BMW was the third row. The review specifically mentioned a floating sensation like a boat, especially under hard acceleration.
Saw that. Thx. Yeah, it's got competition to be sure. But that third row is pretty important. I'll have to see if I can get in the M60 and do a review!
2 miles/kWh at 60mph? That's not very good even in the cold, is it?
Depends on what you compare it to. The average efficiency of the R1T and R1S over their lifetime (so far) is around 2mi/kWh. Other cars get better efficiency, like the Tesla which I believe is around 4. And others get worse. But yes, it would be great to improve efficiency. On the other hand, the MPGe of the Rivian is over 70 miles per gallon, so there's that.
By the time they get enough charging stations the cost of charging at a station will be about the same as gas stations.
True. But we can always charge at home which is much cheaper.
Scott you brave man taking the family thru Tonopah and Ely. Hope you checked the clown motel! Can’t agree more Ely, hwy 50 and Tonopah need 200kw chargers not little 50kw. Great video and details.
Hi Matt! Yes, at least Ely because it also has a cross highway. But both would be ideal. We stay far away from the clown motel.
As for the decision to go through Ely, we calculated that it saved us about 2 hours of drive time. I only did it because we had two possible backups. 1) charge to 100% in Tonopah and eek out the stretch to Wendover, which may not have been possible. 2) A couple of nearby towns to Ely had slow chargers we could fall back on if we had to. Plus, we could stay overnight if needed. So, we did not charge to 100 in Tonopah and rolled the dice. It worked out, but it was down to only one fail point before motel time.
We missed the clown motel! 🤣
Terrific video. I have a delivery date of Q3 '23. Can't wait for my R1S. This video also pointed out something I had not really understood. Your cost of driving is roughly half that of an ICE. I have an RX400h that gets 22mpg. At $5.50/gal, the trip would have cost $610.80, plus about $50 toward the next service. So $660. Your cost was half!
Yeah, and it could have been less were it not for the crazy overcharge in Ely ($78 for only a few kWh!). Of course, we also got three free charges at the RAN stations. Note also that charging at home is about half again the cost. (14c per kWh versus 28) Thx for watching!
@@RivianDad As a future owner... I really appreciate these videos. Any tips to improve the driving experience will be greatly appreciated! Thanks again for taking the time to make these videos. Subscribing now!
@@rudigerwolf9626 Thank you for subscribing. Great to have you along on the journey. Stay tuned for lots more. I try to put out a video a week (or more) but it's tough with kids, life, etc, but I'll do my best!
How comfortable are the seats
Very. Stiff but supple. Nice adjustment options. I like them a lot.
I like road trips and Rivian R1S is on my short list to replace my Tesla Model X Performance.
I love EVs, but there’s no way I’m buying one for at least another 5-7 years, just for the sole reason of there not being enough charging locations yet. Hopefully in 5 years, charging stations will be even easier to find than gas stations.
I’d love to see “truck stop” style charging centers built up, with little coffee shops and convenience store areas and bathrooms and such where you can stretch your legs and such while charging. Hopefully charging times improve too by then.
You would be happy in a Tesla today. Everything you are saying you are waiting for is already in place- Tesla Superchargers.
How the hell the f150 lightning has a higher efficiency than this?
Great video!
Thanks for watching!
I calculated if you got 25 mpg on average for a gas suv traveling the same distance @ $3.50 a gallon it would have cost $342. You have a savings of only $11.00 at that price point. My gas suv will generally average a higher highway mpg, so even if gas is at a higher price the savings is minimal. Given the higher price of the vehicle at this time, it would take a long, long, long time to make up the overall efficiency of getting a fully electric vehicle at this time. That said, I have followed the Rivian platform for many years before they were available to the public and I think they are a great concept. I do understand and respect the environmental part of owning a fully electric vehicle. I just don’t think we are ready for it. By “we”, I mean the general public. In Florida where we are charging stations are not very prevalent yet. Plus where we see them they are packed with people waiting, as there are not enough making a trip of any length a very time consuming venture. We are faced with hurricanes which mean sometimes weeks without power, so again until they address these and other issues, it is only practical for a small percentage of people. Plus, the average person just can’t afford $70-100,000 for a vehicle like this. The other issue is, if you have a mechanical failure, where and who is going to service it? Good review but, a lot of questions and issues need to be addressed to make it practical.
All good points, however, in your calculations, you might want to adjust for the fact that nearly every mile driven on this vehicle is going to be around town on electrons provided from home. Around town I get higher efficiency than on the highway. Also I charge entirely at home, which (soon) will get energy provided entirely from solar panels. Even if I pay my current rate for electricity, it is about 1/3 of the cost of buying electricity from the supercharger network when on a road trip. Also, for now, the Rivian adventure network chargers are free.
I am not trying to argue dollar for dollar which is cheaper. But, in my opinion, dollar for dollar the Rivian is better. Particularly when you consider environmental concerns, and future expandability of things like home solar arrays and a greener electrical supply.
@@RivianDad I agree with your assessment and comments. I am not putting it down, as I like the idea. I am just saying, that most people can not afford to do what you have done. Nor do they live in a single family home. I am just saying that the infrastructure is not ready for the masses yet. Toyota has backed away from full electric realizing that the world over all, is not equipped to handle full electric yet. I think hybrids are more reasonable and sensible at this time as the technology and infrastructure is being developed. You have an ideal situation and I think that is great and I enjoyed your review in a real world situation.
Nice time we're living when YT is full of videos of brand new cars doing thousands of miles without a problem 🤭
Also it is SO nice that we still have drivers who like do steer while driving...🤣
Nice video🚘
Ha, as soon as I said that, I knew it sounded funny. But hey, I like to steer, what else can I say. :)
Great video, do you get 7500$ tax credit on R1S?
I should but I bought two EVs this year so I’m not sure how it works.
@@RivianDad thank you
What if you don't live in LA?
Electrify America has built a pretty robust network across the USA that can get you most places. Of course, there are a lot of gaps, but not terrible. LA is lucky because they have a route of Rivian chargers up and running to get you to norCal and back.
And yes, Ely, NV is pronounced EEE-LEEE. We were gruffly reminded of that at the local McDs. Bless her heart.
oh...man!
Ho else waiting for Cyvertruck?🤔
Generally speaking, I hate cars. People should rely on public transit ( don't hate me. Here in Europe, it works ), and bicycles.
But I can't get over how cool the rivian is 🤣
I’m with you on both fronts Martino, yes the Rivian is pretty amazing, but a better public transit system would be awesome. I’ve lived in two large cities San Francisco and Washington DC that both have very good public transit systems. We used them a lot. I also spend a lot of time on a bike, or at least I do during the spring and summer months. The issue here in the USA is simply how far apart things tend to be, and a lack of a decent train system between cities. I’ve taken a train from Denver to Sacramento, California, which was great, but took a very long time. And it was pretty expensive to boot. so, it would be nice to add a better train system to get around, but there’s just simply so much distance between places with very few people that it’s prohibitive. So, this is one reason that I am all in with Rivian: the next best thing is a very good electric vehicle infrastructure. Thanks for your comments!
Also, curious what your home country is? We spent some time in Spain in an electric vehicle, it was a bit challenging, but totally doable. ua-cam.com/video/t_DHyzlCXzo/v-deo.html
I hope we’ll go back someday.
Informative and well produced video but probably somewhat biased as most of the negatives are push the side as minimal and even the most mediocre areas are presented as overwhelmingly positive. We have three little ones ourselves and are definitely interested in a vehicle like this, but I think it's also important to see some of the negative aspects. For example, stopping 10 times for 30, 40 or 60 minutes to charge. Probably is something of a negative compared to probably half as many stops and 5 or 10 minutes in a gas powered vehicle.
Thanks for your thoughts. As you know I’m a parent as well and I actually found this road trip more pleasant than the many other road trips we’ve taken where we tried to cram in 12-15 hours of drive time in a day. Yes, we stopped less frequently and for less time during those other trips but I don’t agree that it’s better that way. On this trip, I arrived more rested and the kids were better travelers when we stopped for longer stops. Part of that was the comfort of the vehicle and part was the longer stops. So for me it wasn’t a negative. Sure it would be nice to have more options but keep in mind that several times we overstayed our needed charging time, which tells you we rarely waited for the chargers (or at least that we could have charged less if we were in more of a hurry). Also, that’s 10 stops over three days and 1200 miles (counting the end and sleep stops) so the number of “en route” stops was not all that much different than the same drive we took in a minivan only a couple of years ago. It’s very physically hard for my kids to ride in a car for more that 2.5 hours in a stretch so we would have stopped about that often anyway. Sure, less, but not by much. I try not to sugar coat things. No, I am not going out of my way to find things to complain about, so it may seem unfairly positive, and my tolerance as an early adopter for glitches may be above average, but that was our honest experience: road tripping this route in an EV was not perfect, but very good. The main downside being that you just don’t get there as fast. A downside to be sure but not one we were overly concerned about. Take it for what it’s worth. Thx.
Great info.
while this is effortless, I find EVs do not have any or very minimal driver input. Its not engaging for me and I like manual for the reason where car you give you feedback on your input.
Yeah, I can see that. For me, especially on a long road trip I want to just be able to relax a little bit. So those extra driver features are important. I would love to have a massaging seat to go with it. :-)
2 1/2 hour stops no way I’m stopping that much
if you give it a try, I believe you'd change your mind. It's nice to stop a little more than just having a "gotta make good time" mentality.
It'll be interesting to see how Rivian holds up with the higher interest rates and long term with competition catching up.
we'll be watching also!
The only vehicle with worse efficiency would’ve been a hummer.
Beautiful color though
Yep. But it’s only up from here.
If you calculate the cost of sitting there to charge vs how much money you can make an hour, it justify using gasoline engine cars………
hard disagree. Do I also subtract the time I took to hike through the mountains and enjoy the scenery (I could have been charging a client during that hour)? Do I discount the time I sleep? Gotta draw a line somewhere. And don't forget that gas car is spitting out exhaust every second it is running. Should I add on the cost of breathing that?
You only got 2.5 hours of driving time? You will have Tesla charging soon but 200 miles is not enough
for us, 2.5 hours is more than enough in a stretch. No way to do it with kids without stopping at least that often, unless your kids are sleeping, then, Murphy's law will dictate that you have a full bladder just about the time they fall asleep so you have to stop anyway.
How do you afford a 90,000$ car?
Loans and savings. I wish it were cheaper!!
Except for charging that is not reliable inconsistent and doesn't exist. Tesla is a decade ahead of everyone else.
Yes, seems so. I'm hoping we get to use the Supercharger network some day. I know that a lot of Telsa owners won't love that, but it would be a game changer. thx
A lot of time spent recharging
True, but as I point out in the video, it didn't really bother us. YMMV but I think a new frame of mind can help. I'm trying to ditch the "gotta make good time!!" mentality in lieu of "gotta HAVE a good time" mentality. Also, we charged for longer than we needed in many cases, and charging will get faster in the future, particularly as more stations come online which would allow for more frequent but much shorter stops.
“Rivian dad “
you just haven’t have driven Tesla, that’s what call effortless on road trip
I have and I agree it’s very good.
@@RivianDad You have a much sweeter setup for the kids in the R1S than you would in a Model X for $130,000 +.
@@cre8tvedge thanks. Yes, I agree. I don’t think the X would work for us anyway since it’s more like a (very expensive) minivan than a true SUV.
Charging times x $ my hourly rate = too expensive to own an EV. Time is money.
lots more than just money in the equation for me. Plus, most of the miles on the vehicle are around town from electrons at home. I spend zero time at gas stations. So, if you add up all the gas station stops for around town driving, then subtract out what you need for charging on a highway on road trips (which is less than what we charged on this trip), it's probably a break even or even a net gain in time.
@@RivianDad So what do you do if you are home, very low on charge, need to go somewhere far and you don't have a backup vehicle?
@@bigmacdaddy1234 In that highly unlikely event, I'd hit the fast charger nearby and be ready to go in under an hour. However, this situation has never happened to me and is very unlikely unless it's at the END of a long day of driving. I can go from near zero to 100% overnight while charging at home (which is also very cheap), so as long as I didn't forget to plug in the evening before (which does happen, but if I were often in this situation, I'd be in a habit of plugging in every night) I wouldn't need a fast charger at all until I was on the road. Even at a half charge, I can get quite a ways.
Another way to think of it is this: with 100% charge in the R1S or R1T from Denver, I can reach another state in any direction I travel (except west to Utah) without having to charge a single time (I could easily get to Wyoming New Mexico and Kansas, and to Grand Junction, CO which is close to the UT border). That's how big the range is. More or less the entire state of Colorado - one way. Of course, I'd have to charge again to get home or continue on, but when you think about it that way, it's clear that the vehicle will take you a long ways without having to stop. In our case, we stop more frequently because we want to (not because we need to). If you cross state lines driving every day, then you'd probably be better off with a Tesla or Lucid with longer range and faster charging, but on the other hand, if you're driving that much, you'd be saving a lot of money on fuel. Thx for your comments.
@@bigmacdaddy1234 I would think if you're driven for that dollar you are pretty tight on running your ship. In the scenario where you need to go somewhere far and now you would keep your BEV charged up while at home. It's bone simple. In your case you would back in or pull in depending on your make set the charge limit (In a Tesla set it and leave it), get out and plug in. All of about 10 seconds. Unplug before you drive away and all's good. Come to think of it if your hourly rate is what you imply, you'll be driving a Lucid with a 500 mile range. Depending on what you do for that hourly rate, you'll be boosting your battery while working. In fact I met a Hollywood consultant while researching what EV to get. He did all his business out of his model S. Unless you're going to Eeeeeleeey NV you should do just fine in an EV.
2-1/2 hrs between stops…..are you kidding me? You think that’s all the farther you can/should go? That’s pathetic…..I’ve reserved the new Scout SUV but with the range extender engine so I’m doing some research on real world range/charging. I hope the hell the Scout can go more than 2-1/2 hours 😂😂😂