Photo: u/jazelart via Reddit
As Rivian prepares to open up its charging network to other electric vehicles, the end of free DC fast charging is in sight. As announced earlier this year, charging at Rivian Adventure Network chargers will incur costs, and the chargers have been updated to include payment details in the charging session summary.
Like Tesla when it was just a promising startup, Rivian offered free charging to owners of its vehicles. The difference was that Rivian never promised, like Tesla did, that charging would remain forever free. The plan was always for Rivian to cover charging fees during the first year of vehicle deliveries and add paid plans later.
Rivian warned its owners about this policy change in January when it scrapped the Membership beta program. According to the original announcement, the complimentary charging benefits were supposed to expire at the end of April. They didn't, even though Rivian introduced a simplified plug-and-charge system to help owners pay for charging without swiping a credit card or entering credentials into an app.
We're fast approaching the end of 2023, and charging a Rivian at Adventure Network chargers is still free, but that doesn't mean things will stay like that. Rivian implemented another change in the software of its RAN fast chargers. Based on pictures shared on Reddit by u/jazelart, the RAN chargers now display payment details like price per kWh, idle fee, and session cost in the charging session summary. Luckily, these are still zero for now, but rumor has it that 2024 will come with paid charging sessions to the Rivian Adventure Network.
There's still no official information about the fees Rivian will charge starting next year, although they should be affordable enough to compete with Tesla Supercharger. As Tesla has opened its stations to other EV models, it will fiercely compete for customers with other charging stations, Rivian included. Rivian still has a small charging network and will likely expand it in areas not covered by Tesla to avoid competing at a disadvantage.
Rumored prices for the Rivian Adventure Network range from $0.17 to $0.60, which seems like a wide range. They will certainly vary based on location, time of day, and congestion, similar to how Tesla is charging these days. To be fair, Rivian owners never expected charging to remain free, so they are OK with paying for electricity as long as the chargers are available and hassle-free like before.
Rivian Adventure Network is expanding at a fast pace, although some Rivian owners complain that you can cross several state borders and not find a single Rivian charger. If the EV startup plays its cards right, the charging network could become a profit center, as Tesla Supercharger did.
Although Tesla offered free Supercharger sessions when it launched the Model S and Model X, it later moved to paid charging. At first, it said it would only charge a small fee to cover the costs, but in time, Tesla Supercharger became one of the company's profitable businesses.
Rivian warned its owners about this policy change in January when it scrapped the Membership beta program. According to the original announcement, the complimentary charging benefits were supposed to expire at the end of April. They didn't, even though Rivian introduced a simplified plug-and-charge system to help owners pay for charging without swiping a credit card or entering credentials into an app.
We're fast approaching the end of 2023, and charging a Rivian at Adventure Network chargers is still free, but that doesn't mean things will stay like that. Rivian implemented another change in the software of its RAN fast chargers. Based on pictures shared on Reddit by u/jazelart, the RAN chargers now display payment details like price per kWh, idle fee, and session cost in the charging session summary. Luckily, these are still zero for now, but rumor has it that 2024 will come with paid charging sessions to the Rivian Adventure Network.
There's still no official information about the fees Rivian will charge starting next year, although they should be affordable enough to compete with Tesla Supercharger. As Tesla has opened its stations to other EV models, it will fiercely compete for customers with other charging stations, Rivian included. Rivian still has a small charging network and will likely expand it in areas not covered by Tesla to avoid competing at a disadvantage.
Rumored prices for the Rivian Adventure Network range from $0.17 to $0.60, which seems like a wide range. They will certainly vary based on location, time of day, and congestion, similar to how Tesla is charging these days. To be fair, Rivian owners never expected charging to remain free, so they are OK with paying for electricity as long as the chargers are available and hassle-free like before.
Rivian Adventure Network is expanding at a fast pace, although some Rivian owners complain that you can cross several state borders and not find a single Rivian charger. If the EV startup plays its cards right, the charging network could become a profit center, as Tesla Supercharger did.
Although Tesla offered free Supercharger sessions when it launched the Model S and Model X, it later moved to paid charging. At first, it said it would only charge a small fee to cover the costs, but in time, Tesla Supercharger became one of the company's profitable businesses.
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