Just drop off the key, Lee. But there’s much to discuss, Gus. It’s a Rivian RT1 EV. And it’s in our driveway.
After a year of waiting we got our electriktruk and yes, it was worth the wait. I had to watch a number of videos to figure out how to open the doors and turn it on, but after mastering entry into the vehicle, I started reviewing the reviews and how-to’s and what-to-do’s when you’re finally in, and just so you know, the water is fine. There’s a huge “infotainment” screen from which all knowledge flows and each time I’ve sat in the pilots position I bring an empty cup to fill and drink from the fountain. Or, a hydrant. Still drinking.
Charge It
Regardless of how you acquire it, cash, finance, lease, once the beast is in the corral the game is afoot. Since there are no deliveries, as originally promised, I had to drive down to Denver (about 25 miles) and enter the Rivian Zone. Past the moat, over the razor wire, beyond the guard station, I arrived to “pick-up” the big yellow vehicle from the Rivian customer service center. With a dramatic and pneumatic whoosh, I pierced the veil of a next-gen-X lobby located in the heart of the newly gentrified section of 5-points in Denver. The post-post industrial, turn of the century (20th) brickworks is reminiscent of the first revolution, as I strolled into the architecturally sparse interior designed to evoke a new sales experience and distance its customers from the car selling business of the past. Non-pretentious and orderly, the salesman is dead, and I’m a fan.
The first thing you notice is that the doors to this labyrinth of leisure are locked and you have to be escorted or “keyed” into the inner sanctum for your appointment. Prior to this much-anticipated pickup (no deliveries because they’re too busy with all the other little boys and girls) all the paper work had been completed on line. In my case, I spoke to a live representative only once before the final transaction and otherwise everything was done through the website. I love that part. So clean and smart and absolutely seamless that by the time I finally arrived at the center I had been washed in the blood of the lamb and was fully converted to the cyber culture of the Rivian folk. Genuflections on a new paradigm.
In my excitement and haste to taste the new world I had forgotten the title to my trade-in and had to drive back to Boulder (while visions of yellow sugar plum truks danced in my head) cursing my ineptitude all the way back, to and fro. So, once again, past the moat, over the razor wire, under the all seeing eye, etc.. and into the lounge of EV future where we finalized the otherwise smooth transaction. And we were wed.
The Road Ahead
(no, not Bill Gate’s book ) But that’s interesting that you- I mean me – bring it up because he probably foresaw the change of ICE to EV’s a long time ago and maybe he was one of those early investors who saw the global benefits of veering away from fossil fuels. But I digress.
When we finally had the horse back in the barn I blithely plugged it into my 110 volt household socket and marveled at the flow of electrons from house to truk. “Look what I have created”, I said to no one in particular, chin up, hands on hips, face towards the sun. At that rate, it would take only 48 hours of plug time to ‘fill’ the vehicle from approximately 15% to 85% and allow me to drive up to almost 300 miles. Wait a tick. That’s 2 days. What have I done? Quickly, to the app! I reached for my phone to find answers, “this can’t be right”, again, to no one in particular. My dreams of being free from the tyranny of the gas station had merely been transferred to a tethering to my garage. Can this really be? Jesus, mary and joseph, I need a Modelo.
Eureka! I Discover DC Fast Charging
Ok, I didn’t really believe my only option was 110 volts at a miserly 1Kw per hour, which equates to approximately 1 mile of driving for each hour of charging. But I was surprised to learn that until we were able to install a charging station designated for the EV that we were going to have to jump into the pool of charging stations at large and dip our beak into the lithium ion flux capacitor machines located in parking lots throughout our fair city. Still not free, but making progress. At least I wasn’t chained to the garage. Thank you joseph, mary…….Jesus.
Be Gentle, It’s My First Time
My local recreational center has free charging stations and they happened to be located right next to one of my favorite tennis complexes so things are looking up indeed. My ChargePoint app shows me how to check on availability and once I’ve claimed my spot, all I have to do is wave my phone in front of the screen, follow the blinking lights and plug in. Now I’m cooking with nearly 6Kw per hour and if I play tennis for awhile (something I’d be doing anyway), that’s a surplus of miles that begins to build my battery up and now, I’m starting to feel like I’m driving on house money. Yeah! Mary, joseph………..jesus. So I’ve got free juice and a court of tennis to occupy my time, oh man, this could be the answer to all that I’ve been searching for.
I’ll just drive out to the airport and back and use up that surplus to go and sample the next step up, the holy, DC Fast Charging station located in downtown Boulder, CO, grail. There’s no tennis court (what’s up with that?) and I’ve got to pay for parking (that’s ok) and I’ve got to figure out what to do for the next hour while my guitar gently weeps. I’m not a shopper so I’ve got a book and it’s super comfy with the lights and the heat and the RT1 for company. I snuggled up next to the steering wheel and read a chapter or two.
With each step up, I discover the plusses and minuses of the next station and just knowing that if I really need a pick-me-up I can taser my vehicle with about 350 kw at the DC bar and it can ‘fill my tank’ in about 40 minutes. Free, at last lord, free at last. Thank you Jesus.
So now, fully baptised and learning at an alarming rate, I can see clearly now, the rain has gone. We are rapidly making plans for excursions hitherto untried just because we’ve seen the light on how well the RT1 performs in all conditions. There are just under 10 to the 3rd possible combinations of power and traction ratios that give us confidence to drive in any and all conditions, high or low, fast or slow, and all the while staying warm and dry, and in all ways, and at all times, fully infotained.
So stay tuned for our 1st upcoming adventure in the Rivian as we head into the new year for the occasional exhilarations of 3.2 seconds to reach the rate of 60 mph. Btw, my neighbor will never be the same after I picked him up and showed him the power of the Rivian. We left his mind on the side of the road, blathering indecipherables. I last saw him in my mirror waving at me with a single finger. See you in the future, neighbor.
