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From the start, Rivian has marketed itself as the very best supplier of “journey automobiles,” and automobiles just like the R1T and R1S have lived as much as that promise. Throughout social media, Rivian homeowners excitedly share their tales of heading out and seeing the outside. The upcoming R2 and R3 fashions do the identical factor, however in smaller, extra nimble packages.
However, the automobiles are solely a part of the equation, and thru unhappy expertise, EV producers have discovered that charging is commonly the larger half of the battle. Tesla discovered early on that if you need it executed proper (or need it to occur in any respect in lots of instances), it’s important to do it your self. Different producers and charging firms came upon the laborious method that constructing a dependable community isn’t straightforward, and that it’s important to be concerned to make it work.
Like Tesla, Rivian has been working by itself community for a while. In contrast to Tesla, the corporate has been specializing in constructing what it’s calling the “Journey Community,” once more with the promise of entry to the good outdoor. The query that we haven’t been capable of reply till lately is whether or not the promise has been saved.
Due to the latest opening of a flagship web site in Joshua Tree, California, simply exterior of the nationwide park with the identical identify, we now have our reply. And it’s an excellent one.
Right here’s a video displaying precisely what Rivian has executed with this new web site: (article continues after video)
Maybe most significantly, the station is conveniently situated close to the doorway to Joshua Tree Nationwide Park, making it straightforward for guests to cost their EVs earlier than or after their go to. In some methods, it will have been nicer to have this on the south aspect of the park subsequent to the interstate, however there’s nearly nothing on that finish of the park. Being near the facilities in Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms makes it the plain selection.
Being near the park not solely makes it simpler for EV drivers to discover the park from the lodges and campgrounds exterior of the park, but it surely additionally makes it simpler to make use of an EV as an influence supply when tenting contained in the park. By heading in with a full battery, you possibly can camp in full consolation for days while not having to go discover a cost. That is particularly vital for folks towing a camper, and the station has one pull-through stall that individuals can use with out unhooking.
Along with powering vehicles, the station additionally presents a wide range of facilities for the automobiles’ occupants, comparable to restrooms, a store, a lounge, and Wi-Fi, making it a cushty and handy place to attend whereas your automobile expenses. Loos can be found 24 hours, which is vital not just for drivers, however for Rivian as a result of discovering piss bottles each morning isn’t enjoyable. What about vagrants occupying the stalls at night time? They’re locked till somebody there to really cost will get a code from the app, in order that shouldn’t be a giant downside.
Rivian can also be opening its charging community to all EVs, not simply Rivian automobiles. This can be a sensible transfer that can assist to speed up the adoption of EVs and construct a extra inclusive charging infrastructure, after all, however there’s extra to it than that. For Rivian’s pursuits, it’s good to let everybody else driving EVs see that the corporate is critical about journey and the sensible issues wanted to realize it. For everybody else, a damned good beachhead for EV charging would entice different firms to spend money on extra charging.
The station additionally has an “journey lab” the place coaching, occasions, gross sales, and different issues can happen. So, getting different EV homeowners within the door can have a huge impact on gross sales going ahead.
Rivian Proves Itself A Second Time After Making A Mistake
Planning for sustainable enterprise is nice, however it’s important to be able to roll with the punches. No one is aware of the whole lot, and researchers are arising with new issues to know in regards to the surroundings on a regular basis. So, in some methods, seeing how an organization responds to inadvertently getting one thing fallacious exhibits us how dedicated it’s to the trigger.
The nice information is that when Rivian received known as out on mild air pollution, the corporate proved that it desires to do the best factor.
Simply spoke to a few of them about this onsite. They’re doing a light-weight air pollution research this night
— Kyle Conner (@itskyleconner) December 17, 2024
Joshua Tree Nationwide Park and surrounding communities have one thing actually cool going for them: they’re the closest place to the LA metro space and the broader California Coast that has darkish skies at night time. On the north aspect of the park, away from Palm Springs and Indio, it’s potential to see the Milky Manner. However, this can solely be true so long as everybody in Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms hold the lights dimmer and higher aimed toward night time.
The consequences of sunshine air pollution attain into the nationwide park. Gentle air pollution is basically wasted mild pouring into the environment after which reflecting off mud particles and refracting within the gases of the environment. This sky glow can have an effect on views of the celebs for dozens of miles at night time, and bigger cities have big areas round them the place one can solely see a couple of stars. Joshua Tree nationwide Park has sections towards the east finish with Bortle class 2 darkness, which isn’t excellent, however nonetheless fairly good.
Sadly, Rivian’s regular charging practices weren’t nice for the group’s mild air pollution. Shiny lighting that isn’t pointed on the floor might look cool and futuristic, but it surely wanted to be toned right down to keep away from spoiling views of the celebs.
As a substitute of ignoring the issue or making a token effort to dim the lights, Rivian went so far as to have the sunshine air pollution from the brand new Joshua Tree charging web site analyzed by specialists to ensure that efforts to wash it up would really work. I haven’t seen any info on what modifications the corporate is making, however armed with that info, it ought to give you some nice solutions not just for charger lighting, however lighting for the entire facility.
Featured picture by Rivian.
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