Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian sent one of its automobiles to Augusta last week, the first item by the company to be owned in the area.
“I think it’s the way everything is going,” said Wayne Brown, CEO of scuba touring company Aggressor Adventures, who had a 2022 Rivian R1T delivered to him on April 11.
Rivian currently has two vehicles on the market: the R1S, an SUV; and the R1T, a pickup truck. The latter is souped up with cameras, radars and ultrasonic sensors (11, five and 12, respectively) all part of its sophisticated hardware and software system that does not include a combustion engine.
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Each wheel is powered by an electric motor, altogether operating at more than 830 horsepower. The battery pack caps at 300 miles. One can charge it from an outlet via a Rivian Wall Charger and re-up about three miles an hour. A device called a Rivian Level 2 Charger can use about 240 volts to provide the truck around 25 miles worth of power per hour; and the Level 3, or “DC Fast” Chargers, can add up to 140 miles worth of power every 20 minutes, according to the Rivian website.
“There’s a term out there in the electric car market called ‘range anxiety,’” said Brown, referring to the fear among potential electric vehicle drivers of using up power and getting stranded on the road.
Brown notes, however, that for the average driver, a 300-mile range is good for about two weeks, especially if one is charging every night.
“I think as people get used to the fact that you can’t just stop at a gas station for five minutes, but you might have to stop at a Level 3 Charger for 20, I think it might be OK,” he said.
Much like its competitor Tesla, Rivian does not yet have a dealership model. Brown ordered his online three years ago, and it was delivered from Rivian’s manufacturing plant in Normal, Ill., which launched last summer after construction began in 2019. In December of last year, Rivian announced that it was building a manufacturing plant in Georgia, investing $5 billion in a battery-production facility east of Atlanta, in Morgan and Walton Counties, according to its website. That site is scheduled to begin construction this summer, to be complete by 2024.
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The Rivian has a host of other bells and whistles, including an all-digital system that recognizes drivers by their phone, eliminating the need for a key. The R1T has eight modes ranging from off-road and tow mode; a self-driving capability that, between the sensors and regenerative braking system, allows the truck to start and stop behind vehicles and traffic lights; plenty of storage space opened by the lack of an engine; and the ability to go from zero to 60 mph within three seconds.
One reason Brown says he seriously invested in an all-electric vehicle was hearing from friends who owned similar vehicles, like those from Prius and Tesla, about how few practical or mechanical issues arise after going electric.
But Brown chose a Rivian truck, in particular, over Ford’s all-electric model, the F-150 Lightning, for more philosophical reasons, saying, “I’ve always believed, and I would defend this forever, that if you develop a product from the ground up, it’s always going to be a better product than taking something else and trying to try to change.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering education in Columbia County and business-related topics for The Augusta Press. Reach him at [email protected].
First of all, regular working class people can’t afford these vehicles, secondly, they aren’t good for traveling long distances and lastly, what government regulation has ever been good for consumers? I’ll wait…
A used one is a great investment. And because of the charing ports from coast to coast and international it makes it a dream car. My son has driven his Tesla Model S from CA to Augusta three times now. And I have complete solar at my home so it is a win win for me. But because I have the Model S I have a life time of free charging no matter where I travel.
It’s a depreciating asset, not an investment.
I agree with everything Allen said, but here’s my take. 1. There’s not an affordable EV out there right now, but they will be coming soon. 2. I don’t think their practical for long distance either. I want one for around town driving, that’s ninety eight percent of our driving. You can go around two hundred and fifty miles, we never drive anywhere near that around town. You plug it in at night and program it to start charging at 11 PM and stop charging at 7AM that’s when Georgia Power rates are the lowest, then it’s ready to go another two hundred and fifty miles the next day. 4. You’re right the Government never does anything good for us, especially this administration. On a side note a guy drove a Tesla model three (too expensive) for two hundred and fifty miles, charged it over night, it cost him twelve dollars and sixty cent to charge it back up.
“they will be coming soon”
Well, maybe. But that’s going to be heavily dependent on some external factors such as the cost of lithium and nickel. Both have skyrocketed lately. Rivian recently boosted prices significantly in large part due to that.
I wonder if somewhere down the road a solar charger will become available to help charge the new wave of cars and trucks coming down the pike. I think generation of kids growing up now will be able to tell their kids what driving a combustion engine car or truck was like as they next generation will only have access to older cars and trucks with a gas engine where you actually have to steer.
We were driving north on 75 this week and got passed by a Rivian. $65,000 for a pickup truck the size is a Ford Ranger, a little to expensive for my taste.
I’ll never own one, period!
Not against EV’s but the infrastructure for the vehicles are not in place as of yet. Lots of talk but zero projects. Not cost effective for the average buyer, Rivan base model is 68,500. Myself, I like road trips and find the lack of range an issue.
Here is a great read on The Green New Deal, EV’s, and renewable power generation.
https://www.willistonherald.com/news/oil_and_energy/if-we-want-more-renewables-were-going-to-need-a-lot-more-mining-first/article_d717bc2e-b43d-11ec-99eb-87502fa8306b.html
The average person on the street and Joe Biden do not understand the hidden consequences and costs of building, operating, maintaining and disposing of an EV, and the dealer/seller surely will not educate a prospective buyer about these topics. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Be assured that politicians like Biden, his felon son Hunter, and investment firms will make billions on implementing The Green New Deal. Their supporters will get pleasant emotions and warm feelings believing that they are saving the environment.