When you think of road trips, you think of your companions — who you want to spend that much time in the car with. Electric vehicle maker Rivian is making moves to add to this list by showcasing how its vehicles can be the ultimate travel partner.
Rivian is on a mission to keep the world adventurous forever, positioning itself as a brand that makes EVs designed to inspire exploration and allow people to enjoy and preserve the world's most special places.
The Irvine, California-based company also knows that to do that, you need plenty of good places to charge up.
With this in mind, Rivian is introducing the rest stop of the future. The company has opened a first-of-its-kind Charging Outpost for EV drivers on their way to outdoor adventure in Groveland, California, near the western entrance of Yosemite National Park. Like the vehicles it's built for, the building itself has changed with the times.
"We are so excited to announce our first opening in Groveland, CA, outside of Yosemite National Park," Paul Frey, VP of propulsion, charging, and adventure products, said in an email to The Cool Down. "Originally a blacksmith shop built in the 1870s, later a gas station, and now starting its new life as the Rivian Yosemite Charging Outpost, it's truly a testament to the evolution of travel from horse to gas powered cars, to electric vehicles."
The outpost will provide five fast chargers, a lounge with a library and seating area built locally using reclaimed lumber and materials, and a gear shop. It will also offer education on EV charging basics and be a collection point for recyclables to help reduce the tons of garbage left behind in Yosemite every year.
Thanks to a generous donation of solar panels by US Solar, the building is also a Net Zero Building, meaning it generates as much power as it uses.
EVs are better for both consumers and the environment, so efforts like this to help encourage drivers to make the switch are incredibly important. By switching to an EV, drivers can save over $1,000 a year on gas and maintenance, and some EV models also qualify for a $7,500 tax credit.
EVs also benefit the environment. While the battery manufacturing and charging process creates pollution and requires tons of minerals to be dug up, even EVs with the dirtiest batteries are still cleaner than cars with no battery at all.
Further efforts by Rivian and others to electrify the outdoors have led to charging stations being installed at the Grand Canyon and other national parks. Rivian's move to grant drivers of its EVs free access to Tesla's fast-charger network further means current and future EV drivers can leave their range anxiety and the grind of the city behind and get outside.
"Rivian has invested heavily in all kinds of charging to lead the EV industry towards better EV ownership experiences," Frey said. "Our new Yosemite Outpost is the latest and most exciting example showing how we're expanding our world-class Rivian Adventure Network to serve areas most likely to be on your road trip bucket lists."
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