Rivian owners have a new reason to rejoice as they now have access to Tesla Superchargers. This should vastly improve the ownership experience as the automaker noted the move adds more than 15,000 compatible DC fast chargers in North America.
Unfortunately, things aren’t that simple as Rivian models currently use the Combined Charging System (CCS). As a result, owners will need a NACS adapter to use Tesla Superchargers. One will be provided at no cost to R1 owners, but it might take awhile for everyone to get theirs.
However, once you get the adaptor, the charging experience should be easy peasy. As Rivian explained, “Charging is as easy as pulling up and plugging in. Just like when using the Rivian Adventure Network, usage fees will be automatically charged to the credit card associated with your Rivian account.”
On top of that, finding a charger will be simple as Tesla Superchargers will be shown on the navigation system. They’ll also be incorporated into the Trip Planner, so long distance journeys will become far less stressful.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe took to Elon Musk’s social media site to say he was “super excited” and reveal the company will begin shipping adapters in April. The automaker also added the move effectively doubles the number of fast chargers that owners can use.
The dramatic improvement becomes clear after looking at the map, which shows a huge concentration of Tesla Superchargers in and around major cities. More importantly, Superchargers are located along major highways so traveling coast to coast should be much easier.
Besides Tesla Superchargers, the Rivian Adventure Network is slated to consist of more than 3,500 DC fast chargers located at approximately 600 sites in the United States and Canada. The company also has plans for over 10,000 Level 2 chargers known as Rivian Waypoints. Of course, more than 90% of charging occurs at home so most owners recharge while they sleep.
