What NOT To Do at Tesla Superchargers With Your Rivian

[@BernardMolloyII]

I just did the trip from the San Diego area to Monterey this weekend in my R1T and used Tesla Chargers for most of it. I have an R1T Dual with a Long Range Battery for reference, and I have the same adapter as you do in your video (A2z). I left my house and our first night was in Ventura. I charged at the Tesla Charger in Ventura even though I was still over 50%. In San Luis Obispo I stopped for about 20 minutes and charged at the Tesla Chargers there (I did not want to rely on our hotel charger in Cambria - which it turns out was open and an 11KW charger, so I could have charged from empty to full overnight). The next day we went to Monterey via the 101 because they closed the 1 at Big Sur again, and our hotel charger did not work, so I charged at the Tesla Charger in Sand City right next to Monterey. For the drive home, we crossed over to I-5 and stopped at the VERY BUSY Rivian Adventure charger in Buttonwillow. We charged almost to full there because we were having lunch, and were able to make it all the way home on that charge. Here are some things I figured out for this first go with Tesla Chargers. 1. It is worth it to subscribe for the month you are traveling. The cost is $12.99 + Tax, so call it $15.00. You can cancel any time. I did the math and depending on the cost at the specific charger you are on, you make it up in one charge. The chargers on this trip are very expensive, most of them were $0.70+ per kWh, which was usually about $0.41 with the subscription. 2. To Navigate to the Tesla Charger I found it best to find the available chargers in the Tesla app, then select that charger on the Rivian Nav, and it would precondition. You can do all of this from the Rivian Nav too, but only in the Tesla app can you see the prices you will pay, so I found it worth it to start there. 3. When you get to the charger make sure you select the charger you are parked in front of in the app to get the subscription pricing, don't just plug in. If you plug in without activating the charger through the app, you get charged full price. 4. I was surprised to find that if a charging station had any chargers that were not V3, it did not show up in the app to activate. An example is the Tesla Charging Station that is in the center of Monterey. It does have some V2 chargers and some V3. I could not bring that one up in the app to activate, so I had to drive a few miles up to the Sand City Charger. No big deal if there are a lot of chargers around, but it could be if you were somewhere with sparse charging options. I did not try to plug in to a V3 that was not listed in the app and see if it would charge at the higher cost, but I should have for the sake of science. 4. I did not have a single issue blocking chargers, at every site I found and end charger or a charger mounted horizontally to the parking space like in your video. 5. I expected some stink eye, but did not have a single issue. This was a very easy experience. Great Video Ben. I am a long time viewer, but this is the first time I had something to contribute that was on topic!

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

Amazing, thanks for sharing!

[@lamrof]

Thanks video guy for getting right to the point of the subject you put on the video. Thanks Thanks Thanks.

[@lamrof]

NACS, CCS, Majic dock, Super Charger, Destination Charger, ChadeMo, J1772, etc... etc...., lol. Can this be a bit complicated please. It is so simple. I thought at least Tesla was better than the rest.

[@brianweathers7026]

I’ve signed up for the Tesla monthly charger discounted rate plan. To use this, have the Tesla app open and ready to select the actual charger you will be charging at. As soon as you plug the adapter/NACS charger into your Rivian, select the charger to bypass the Rivian handshake, and charge directly from your Tesla account. Works every time for me. If you don’t, it will perform the handshake with Rivian and bill your Rivian account, I believe, at the higher non-discounted rates.

[@dennisbird5901]

A2Z is also working on a DC extension cord that will solve a lot of the issues for non tesla's.

[@ElectrifiedOutdoors]

Hey Ben! Love your content! I just wanted to chime in with a couple of quick notes. If you navigate to the address of the charger the truck will not precondition, at least at the time of this writing. You need to select the charger on the map in the navigation. When you do that, it will precondition as expected. It will also do it if the charging stop is added automatically as part of your trip. The Tesla site is great for planning, however the Rivian navigation will display Tesla superchargers that are compatible so long as you deselect the option to "hide sites that require an adapter" which is enabled by default. Lastly, you can select preferred networks. In my case I like to select Rivian and Tesla. If you want to plan out your trip ahead of time the Rivian app has a trip planner as well 😎. You can tell which Tesla sites are magic dock vs NACS as well. The NACS sites will have a blue message that says "adapter needed". The Tesla supercharger option is truly a game changer!

[@ChrisLeiter]

I’ve seen a few Fords and Mercedes at the Superchargers so far, but not a Rivian yet. Glad to see that the network is opening up because that will push more and more locations into the future - as well as drive the adaptation of different lot configurations. As a driver of model 3/Y and CT, I’m really excited to see all the changes that are coming down the road. More pull through spots please!

[@jacksonbangs6603]

I charge my 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV on a conventional 110 volt outlet in my carport. For me this is convenient because I don't drive long distances everyday. As a matter of fact I am less than 3 miles from work which makes bicycle commuting pretty easy. Awsome video.

[@JeremySchoen]

i figured out a way to not take 2 spaces by parking a bit diagonally. In talking with tesla driver parked next to me they were all very understanding and appreciated the fact that i was not taking 2 spots, especially when the charger was busy

[@mosbys7062]

I have a friend who is an electrician and he installed it for me for a six-pack of beer. We bought the high end NEMA 14-50 online for $89 and the rest was about $65 in parts we bought at home depot. My install was simple and it took 1 hr. - so yes, it is possible to not cost that much depending on your circumstances. I'm in CA as well

[@mrgadawg73]

Mine cost $65, but it was installed directly below the panel by a friend. It took him 30 minutes and even if I had to pay him for labor it would still have been less than $200.

[@markmuir7338]

I installed my own hardwired 48A OpenEVSE for about $200 in parts (+$500 for the charger itself), but it took me countless hours to learn how to make it adhere to code.

[@springhillfitness6837]

To navigate my R1T to Tesla chargers, I have to use the Rivian app and send the route to the vehicle. Worked flawlessly for several road trips!

[@wch2186]

Great video thank you for going back to basic info about living with EV , like it educational specially for newbie’s

[@wch2186]

I think people need more info about connectors different levels and what is coming in the future also charging networks

[@ryancarlson1494]

Nice video man! I don’t speak for all Tesla drivers, but I can tell you I’m thrilled that Rivian, Ford and Mercedes are able to use the Supercharger network! Not all Tesla drivers are Elon fan boys. Some just love EVs. Thanks for advocating for courtesy as we share these chargers. Love the Rivian! I want one!

[@andarwalker]

Looking into a R1T myself, learning about home electrical capacity the fun way. In the chance that you're in an old home, consider the worst cost case of updating your breaker box and meter. My local electric company gave me a rough estimate of $3k, but I believe that is the high end AND it would still save me money over going to a Supercharger 24/7. Oh, and it'll look good when I sell it :)

[@alecstetzer2018]

Had a Rivian road trip this weekend, used the lectron adapter and it conked on us twice.. eventually made it to the Electrify America one.... have the A2Z also so will give it a try next time... (own 3 Teslas, so not only a rivian person)

[@ChrisSmith-tc4df]

I recently just witnessed a Rivian R1S owner attempting to Supercharge using that A2Z adapter. He spent well over a half-hour working that manual latch back and forth in an attempt to loosen it up enough that it would fully latch onto the Supercharger connector to allow charging to happen. It seemed like it was locked, but it was just not quite enough due to stiff internal components within the A2Z adapter. He did peak at over 200kW though once it happened.

[@carmenskamc4601]

Hey Ben, it’s nice that you cover all these electronics and solar devices. There are so many EVs now. How about having a show on comparison between the vehicles. Sometimes I can’t get the info I need to choose from. Like heat pumps and interior clean up Hope you’ll get it done.

[@Radium3D]

I'm lucky I had a friend who works at a solar company hook me up with a 75ft run of wire to our garage! Was $400 for a 50 amp NEMA 14-50 socket install, plus the free Tesla Mobile charger that came with my model 3 and I charged that way for 4.5 years without issue. We upgraded to a Tesla wall charger last year using the same wiring. Here in San Diego

[@LarsDennert]

Just park centered with the station if there isn't one convenient. The cable will reach for the rivian and will reach for a tesla next to you without blocking two stations in most cases.

[@tibo-qc]

Hey Ben, could you do a video explaining life with a Rivian compared to the Tesla experience? Tesla owner looking into alternatives, I'm afraid to lose too much on the experience, but looking for a pickup or bigger SUV.

[@TommyMulr]

By default in the navigation, it hides chargers where an “adapter is needed”. Once you change that, compatible Tesla chargers will show up.

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

spotty results for me, regardless of toggles. Rivian reached out to me and confirmed it's a bug they're working on

[@Sylvan_dB]

A dryer outlet is only 30 amps, for a max charging rate of 24 amps (20% off the 'maximum' is NEC requirement for continuous loads). If getting a new outlet installed, definitely consider a 50 amp outlet, for a max charging rate of 40 amps. However, that will cost more because it requires much larger wire (#6 instead of #10) from the panel to the outlet. The breaker and outlet itself are about the same, as is the labor. You might consider even larger wiring, but the cost goes up quickly and charging at 40 amps is already a major improvement over 24 amps (40 amps allows over 70kwh in a 8 hour charge).

[@joshuarosen465]

Bad advice on EVSEs. You don't want a plug, you want your EVSE hardwired. Hardwired is safer and you can get a higher current connection. For a Tesla Wall Connector you will need a 60A line which will give you 48A 11KW charging. If you have a truck then you might want to install an 80A EVSE which requires a 100A line. Installing a 100A line might require a new panel and a service upgrade, that's where the $5000 number comes from. Most people won't require a new panel. It cost me $750 to run a 60A line for my Tesla EVSE. I had already done a panel upgrade several years earlier when I put in my first EVSE. That upgrade to 200A service and a new panel cost me $2800. I don't assign that cost to the EVSE, it was something I should have done 20 years earlier. My electrician told me my panel was a hazard back in the mid 90s. When I had my first EVSE installed in 2016 my electricians son, who is running the business now, said he wouldn't be able to sleep at night if my old panel was in his house. That was the kick I needed to do the upgrade. For anyone with reasonably modern wiring all you need is a 60A breaker and a 60A line run. Don't play games with your electrician, you need the job done right. An EVSE is not a dryer, what's safe for a dryer is not safe for a EVSE. If you think an electrician is applying a Tesla tax just find another electrician but make sure it's someone who knows what he's doing.

[@DemetriusWren]

I got my outlet added in my garage for about $200 including supplies. When I bought my house, the electrician was helping me redo my old outlets in the home. I asked if they could add the outlet (my panel is also in the garage) and he did it in 10 minutes and had the outlet and cables already in his van.

[@ericpeterson1815]

Mine cost quite a bit more because I live in an old condo association, and we had to upgrade the whole circuit board. That’s probably where the $4000 cost comes from, if you have to redo the entire board and add the circuit.

[@ryankibler7973]

Why doesn't Rivian offer an extension to the charger? It's ridiculous to take up two spaces or to worry about how to get to the cord.

[@marquitohartman]

Can Rivian come up with a cord extension for Tesla chargers? That way it wouldn't take more than one space.

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

Rumor has it Tesla is working on one, so yes.

[@B000000B100]

"fanboizzz" is an understatement 😳

[@Yanquetino]

You lucked out with that side mounted Supercharger. My polling of Magic Docks suggests that Rivians get between 140-to-160 kW rates at Superchargers -which is good! E-GMP vehicles get about 97 kWh when they plug in, but the good news is that said rate stays constant all the way to 80% -while yours dropped to ~13 kW. I surmise that their 800V drivetrain makes the difference…? Dunno.

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

good observation, my guess is the State of Charge

[@stevehuthman741]

At first I was very excited about the Supercharger network opening up for my Rivian because in many of the small towns here in the mountain west Superchargers are the only available DC fast chargers. I was very disappointed to discover that almost all of those small town Superchargers are v2 and therefore useless to me.

[@anthonyc8499]

Hey Ben, did the adapter make a big difference for you to easily make the trips to/from Arizona in your Rivian?

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

Haven’t tried yet but last trip I was able to use the Rivian chargers which worked flawlessly

[@Mobile_Dom]

i just did the cost comparisson of average gas price/gallon in san diego vs price per liter in the UK, and it roughly works out at $5.45/gallon ifi did my maths correctly, and sadly, the prices for DCFC here in the UK (outside of tesla) are usually at around the £0.69-£0.79/kWh, and it sucks, however I have to use them like once every three months, so its not too bad

[@PurpleSideBlack]

With all respect, Ben, NEMA 14-50 is an oven plug, not a dryer plug. Dryer plugs are 14-30. Love the channel.

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

Good catch! Math still holds tho

[@joecushman6030]

Only get an industrial rated 14-50 outlet such as a Hubble, which may cost about $100.00. A cheap home center outlet is about $30.00 and might melt under constant load.

[@Lawrence-pv3hg]

Hubble is less than $60 on Amazon. Just installed mine myself two months ago.

[@joecushman6030]

You are correct

[@ericpeterson1815]

Make sure that your electrician knows that this is for a EV. It’s slightly different for a dryer because the dryer is only used periodically whereas you’re using your EV charger consistently, and if they don’t install it correctly, you could have a meltdown. Which would be bad.

[@benj8682]

I don't get why you would be taking up two charging spots?

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

Supercharger cables are short and only made long enough for Teslas which have the port on the opposite side than Rivian and Ford. So in order to plug in with a Rivian or Ford you have to pull into a stall that is adjacent to where a Tesla would pull in. Sometimes there are opportunities, like in this video, where that's not the case however. And there is lots of chatter online about an extension cord option to eliminate this problem all together. So more to come!

[@powertechnical]

Instead of an adaptor, maybe an extension cable with the right plugs will be better.

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

Sign me up whenever it exists!

[@glenraylastimoza8570]

Does that adapter work for my home Tesla charger?

[@chetsaxton1526]

No it it does not have AC pins, only the communication and DC pins.

[@bobkoch3513]

Your Rivian app or Tesla app?

[@pingnick]

Wow I hope Rivian survives - it seems they probably will yeah big truck you do need higher capacity home charging unless tiny commute🤯

[@BigCVlogs]

While I agree, try to find a location to not take up 2 stalls. This type of charger is for a Tesla towing or with a Bike Rack. So try to get an end stall or where the one was with the red model 3 that had "no parking" next to it. Also... Tesla supercharging is MUCH cheaper than EA or EvGo. I showed that in this video. - kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaeueaWMqct3qrc

[@adjust.clinic]

I can’t imagine Tesla owners giving a Rivian driver the dirty look. I love both brands, and I would be excited to see a Rivian pull up (and take up only one spot.)

[@darkroastlefty2803]

5k is was likely including new panel IMO

[@Roachandflasha]

Rivian R1T Rainpure Vyetel RAIN

[@aussie2uGA]

I love the Rivian but hate that it and the Ford Lightning take up two spots. When you are in the Tesla and looking for a supercharger, it will show how many are still available. Arrive with a non-Tesla taking up dual spots and you're now waiting... What I dislike is that we helped build the ultra reliable supercharger network over the years with brand loyalty, only to see it sold out like this into a hodgepodge mess.

[@matthewjohnson6360]

I doubt you will ever do what JerryrigEverything has done with his.

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

😂

[@billjohnson3344]

The battery wants to be the same temperature as us humans. If you are in San Diego, 'preparing the battery for fast charging' isn't warming it - that is what happens in cold climates. In your case it is pre-cooling it a bit since charging creates a temperature rise which can throttle the power.

[@oldblueaccord2629]

I cant see a big deal someone making a 6 foot extension cord for charging.

[@sidzhottake]

Ben... that "stink eye fella", people make weird tribes eh?

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

It's probably an evolutionary trait that helped us survive, but. yeah, this one seems odd. Like only loving one craft beer and shitting on all the others when the real enemy is yellow fizzy crap.

[@nafnaf0]

$0.75/kWh!!! Mother of g*d... My off peak price is $0.04/kWh (nearly free). The average price in the US is $0.16/kWh. I got my NEMA 14-50 installed for $800, but I had to call around to like 5 different places and it took a couple months.

[@berthogendoorn2133]

I disagree with the Nema 14-50 Dryer install, to many Electricians are using substandard sockets, have the electrician install a Industrial grade Hubbell branded socket. To many of the cheap plugs are melting and catching fire as they are not designed for the heavy duty cycle of EV charging. Go cheap and burn down your house or spend a$$100.00 extra for a quality heavy duty socket!

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

Please share where you found that data!

[@mike866]

I would be careful about installing an outlet without saying it's for an EV. If the plug is not rated high enough for the amount of energy needed to charge an EV, you can have a meltdown and a potential fire hazard.

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

Watts are watts, doesn’t matter the use case

[@mike866]

@@BenSullinsOfficial , fair point, the watts are no different; however, there can be a huge difference in the quality of the outlets themselves. The cheapy $10 outlets you can get at Home Depot/Lowes are not designed for constant cycles. It works fine for something like a dryer because you're not constantly plugging and unplugging the appliance. With an EV, the connectors can wear out with regular plugging in/out. You need a beefy (and expensive) outlet to be able to handle these cycles. If you don't tell the electrician it's for an EV, he/she may just install one of those cheap plugs that could result in a fire/electrocution hazard over time. I have a friend who had a meltdown on his 14-50 plug and he said it was installed by an electrician who didn't know anything about EV's.

[@deathab0ve]

I am installing a Plug today for my EV I just got, I am doing it myself as honestly it doesn't seem hard. I haven't bought anything, but I researched and went to homedepot to see costs, I estimate $80-$110 and then the plug, I bought a 32 amp 240 volt plug because it was $140 and cheaper than the $200 40amp and I don't need 40 amp. I have used a level 1 12 amp for a week and it barely gets by, but it does without a problem. I could live off that, but for $80-$110 I can go to 2x voltage and 3x amp then yea I'll do that. 6x speed charging for cheap. So yes $2000 is insane/

[@BenSullinsOfficial]

And this guy was telling me the “average” was $5,000 🤯

[@MansoorAhmed-sq3kt]

💚💚🇵🇰🌷🌷🌷💐💐💐🌹🌹🌹

[@Assassin1959]

I don't think people dislike your truck. The problem is that Tesla built the charge stations for Tesla vehicles, and now non-Tesla People want to use and occupy charge stations designed for Teslas. Buy a Tesla then, or contact Rivian to hurry up and build a network just like Tesla did. Many people dislike Tesla but want to use the Tesla charging network. Now, Tesla owners have to wait for non-Tesla owners to charge their vehicles.

[@BearKat9]

Complain to Tesla. They are the ones opening their chargers to others because they want to make more momey.