Tesla opens North American Supercharger network for Rivian
According to the announcement, Rivian will not start delivering the adapter required for charging until April. However, individual Rivian customers have already received the adapter, as social media posts show. A current Rivian customer is also quoted in the announcement: “Supercharger access will help alleviate range anxiety by providing many more fast, reliable, and available chargers.”
Rivian currently has the R1T and R1S models on the market, both of which still have the CCS1 port and rely on that adapter to use the NACS charging stations. However, production of the existing models is to be switched over and the two recently introduced R2 and R3 series are designed for NACS from the outset – with a significantly smaller, better-integrated charging flap.
Rivian claims to integrate the Superchargers “seamlessly” into its own charging ecosystem, because “we handle our charging hardware and software in-house.” “Our unified digital platforms make it easy to transition between our mobile app and in-vehicle infotainment. This allows Rivian owners to enjoy an end-to-end experience where they can do their trip planning, filter chargers, set route preferences, navigate, and add stops without missing a beat,” the manufacturer writes. Compatible Superchargers are displayed in the Rivian navigation when planning journeys, with information on charging speeds and availability. At the charging location itself, the cable can simply be plugged in – authorisation and billing are handled automatically.
However, Rivian does not provide any information on the conditions for charging. Ford already knows that its own customers do not pay the same price as Tesla drivers, but around 30 per cent more per kilowatt-hour. Only when they take out a Supercharging membership for 13 dollars per month, similar to the third-party brands in Europe, will the kWh prices fall to Tesla customers’ level. It is not yet known what the deal looks like at Rivian.
To this end, Rivian has announced that it will open its own ‘Rivian Adventure Network‘ to third-party brands later in 2024. The company currently operates 424 charging stations at 70 locations in 22 US states – prioritised at locations “where Rivian drivers are most often on the road”. Large flagship locations are located near the US national parks Yosemite and Yellowstone.
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