Rivian opens first charging park for third-party brands
Rivian is planning more of these charging locations in Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Montana, Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York this year, according to the company. Unlike Tesla, which was also able to activate existing charging stations for third-party brands via software, Rivian is only dealing with newly constructed charging parks at which a new generation of the company’s charging stations will be installed.
Rivian does not specify the charging power of the new charging stations, only mentioning that they support up to 900 volts. What is somewhat surprising is that although Rivian itself was one of the first car manufacturers after GM and Ford to announce the switch to Tesla’s NACS plug, it is initially still a CCS charging station – NACS charging is currently only possible using an adapter. ‘Support for native NACS connections, also known as SAE J3400, will come with a future hardware update,’ Rivian announced.
Rivian announced its ‘Adventure Network’ in 2021. Similar to Tesla’s Superchargers, a proprietary fast-charging network for Rivian vehicles was planned to supply important long-distance and main roads with fast chargers. In addition, the ‘Adventure Network’ with locations near excursion destinations is intended to “encourage more people to drive electric on their next adventure.” The new Joshua Tree Charging Outpost location, for example, is less than a mile from Joshua Tree National Park.
As the new charging stations are no longer just for Rivian vehicles, they are also eligible for “relevant federal and state infrastructure funding,” according to Rivian. The car manufacturer intends to use the funding to further expand its charging infrastructure, “with a keen focus on reliability and access for all EV drivers.” This should also become ‘an important source of revenue for the company’.
“Since the beginning, we’ve understood that creating great products like the R1T and R1S only made up half the equation,” says RJ Scaringe, founder and CEO of Rivian. “To achieve widespread electrification, you also need a really good charging network. Now, we’re excited to bring the Rivian Adventure Network–with its ease of use and exceptional reliability–to other EV drivers around North America, investing in a future where charging on the road will be simple, sustainable, and convenient.”
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