It’s the end of 2024 and public EV charging still sucks. At least, it sucks a lot of the time. That’s a pretty big blocker for people considering a battery-powered daily driver, which is why companies selling EVs want to improve the experience. Up until now, Rivian has done that exclusively for its customers with proprietary chargers and even lounge areas complete with coffee, snacks, and adventure vibes at certain locations. The electric automaker is expanding that network with a Charging Outpost near Joshua Tree National Park, and more importantly, it’s the first Rivian charging spot that’s open to all compatible EVs.
The newest Rivian Charging Outpost opens just outside the California park on Thursday, Dec. 5 with fast-charging up to 900 volts. And as it comes online, it’ll mark the start of the automaker’s chargers across the network becoming available to almost any EV. CCS plug connectors are standard and, yes, there’s support for EVs with automaker-approved North American Charging Standard adapters. Rivian notes in a press release that native NACS chargers are coming to the Joshua Tree location later on and the rest of Rivian’s chargers will follow. The trendy new rest stop will also have larger displays with tap-to-pay functionality, so you don’t need the Rivian app to use them.
Rivian is calling this Joshua Tree joint the first of its next-generation Rivian Adventure Network charging locations. We’ll supposedly see other Rivian charging points pop up in Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Montana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New York this year, and those too will be open to non-Rivian EVs. That’s what makes this such big news considering EV owners from all different brands will have additional charging options at each new station, and existing Rivian chargers will be gradually retrofitted to accept non-Rivian models over time.
This is what needs to happen if regulators and automakers want electrification to reach scaling projections in the next decade or so. With more and more automakers adopting the NACS connector, it’s a no-brainer. Not only does it incentivize more drivers to go electric, but it also puts more money in the car manufacturers’ pockets if they run their own network like Rivian does.
And if you’re concerned about where the electricity for these charging stations will come from—which is just as environmentally considerate as ditching fossil fuel for battery power—Rivian assures it’s using 100% renewable energy. Decarbonization of the electrical grid is a big deal too, y’know.
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