Mike

Rivian owner, pilot and Piano player in a jazz band… that covers most of my current hobbies. Follow me at your own risk.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@RivianTrackr I really wish that were true for me.
26 months into ownership, I have had 12 service center visits. It had to be towed in twice. Several service items had to be done multiple times. I’m 200 miles from 4 service centers.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@Hilbe The craziest thing about those 2021+ Bolts is they are holding their value pretty well.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@wattreach @Rivian There are a lot of power station options… it worked for me. Oupes mega 5 fits in the back and I can close the tonneau. 4000w inverter and 5kwh of storage. Set for slow charge it only pulls 900w. But I agree it eats up bed space.

Maybe the Gen3 R1T will have a beefier inverter.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@Hilbe I think the 9,000 mile number serves two purposes:
1) Take a little bit of load off the service centers.
2) Increase the chance that you will need new tires when you go to the service center.

I’ve always stuck with a 5k mile rotation schedule. Especially on my EV’s.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

This would be a cool gear shop option: Frunk delete / gas powered range extender add on. Make it so it ties into the software so it can turn on below a certain SoC.

Or let a third party upfitter do it like @EvSportline

The Reddit thread says it includes an inverter and taps straight into the HV battery to charge it so it can run while driving.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@Bradleyflowers I live in Knoxville and had to have my R1T towed in 2 times since I’ve owned it (under warranty). 4 hours away. They never offered to cover towing it back to my house. The best I ever got was a local enterprise one way rental to come pick it up.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@gerrylum2 @HansshowNA I think there will be a use case. Especially if you tow. I could see it being useful for a Silverado EV or Lightning with a charge port in an inconvenient spot while towing.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

Do you drive to the movies by yourself? When I left that industry 20 years ago, the average vehicle brought something like 2.2ish people per vehicle.
Companies spend money on marketing all the time to chase a customer. Most retailers even have an idea on that marketing spend per head even. Sub $2 in marketing for somebody that will buy a ticket and spend an average p/c of $10 at the concession might be worth it.
Again… it’s a business decision.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@Akhorahil3 @bowefamilyEV 3 hours at 7kw… 21kw at .20 cents under $5 maybe real operating cost. I’m not even suggesting free for everybody. Just customers. Use it as a gimmick to drive traffic. That’s a marketing decision theater owners would have to decide on.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

3 hours on a level 2 is not too big a deal. They are cheap to install and maintain, relatively cheap to power compared to a fast charger. You could even limit the rate to 40 amps (~7kw).

If you are at the movies, you are already taking a parking space for an avg of 3 hours. With online ticketing, it could be a good gimmick.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@bowefamilyEV @Utskier2 Not free if you have to buy a ticket to a movie to activate the level 2 charger.
Coming from the movie theater industry (years ago) and an EV driver, I see this as an opportunity to maybe get some butts back in theater seats.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@RivianTrackr Heck yeah!

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@KevinMelnuk @toidinamaisey @grok @Hilbe The problem is they won’t be supply limited when those leases are up in 2-3 years. The only thing they will have going for them is included autonomy (Launch editions) but will be without lidar and probably at least a generation old.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@Hilbe They might have trouble finding the right candidate at that salary range.

I’m glad they are trying. I’ve said it before, the R2 would make an amazing fleet vehicle. I’d love to see a stripped back, right hand drive R2 becoming the next USPS truck.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@RivianTrackr @Kanundrum17 They need to provide a non air suspension option in the next gen R1. That, and a body panel split between the bed and the cab in the R1T.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@RivianTrackr The more dangerous part is it turns the dmv into a federal tax collector. Only a matter of time before the Federal EV tax broadens into just a Federal vehicle tax on your registration.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@gerrylum2 I’m looking into it. My goal is to keep this car another year or two.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

I just hit 50,000 miles on my Rivian last night. It might be time to find an extended warranty.

[Mike @MVWilliams3]

@Anna19930101 It’s a great truck. It just means future service center visits will cost more.