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You ever have one of those days where your electric SUV feels a little less “future of mobility” and a little more like a very expensive paperweight? That’s exactly the vibe I got when I came across a post this week in the RIVIAN Electric Vehicles Discussion Facebook group. I was just doom-scrolling through my feed when I came across a Rivian R1S owner named Jacqueline, who summed up a whole saga in one short, frustrated paragraph.

Here’s what she wrote: “Hi! Any R1S owners having trouble with charging speed and Level 3 chargers? I have tried multiple stations, and all take over an hour to charge from about 30–40%. Called in service, but they can’t see me for another month. Still waiting for my home charger to be installed. Any help appreciated!”

Yikes. It was one of those posts where you can almost hear the sigh at the end.

Now, as a 17-year-old automotive journalist for Torque News who writes about Rivians probably way too much for someone who doesn’t work there, I’ve seen a lot of quirks with these trucks. But Jacqueline’s situation really highlights a trifecta of pain: slow DC charging, no home setup, and an overloaded service network. And the comment section? A goldmine of advice, frustration, and shared experiences.

Let’s dig in.

Welcome to the Charging Curve Conundrum

First, let’s talk about the elephant plugged into the CCS port, why would a Level 3 charger take over an hour just to go from 30% to 40%?

If you’re new to EVs, that’s like filling your gas tank with an eyedropper.

Jose, another R1S owner in the comments, offered up what might be the best unofficial explainer I’ve seen so far: “My R1S still does this. I also reached out to Rivian. They said everything is fine. After Google and some Reddit, these are my findings. If you Google ‘charging curve,’ you would think no matter what percentage you pull up to a charger at, it should charge at the amps it’s supposed to, but it doesn’t. It only follows the ideal charging curve if I arrive with less than 15–20% battery.”

Bingo. That charging curve? It’s not linear. It’s more like a steep climb at the beginning that levels off into a slow crawl the closer you get to 80%. And with Rivian, it seems like that “crawl” kicks in earlier than most of us expect, especially if you're hovering around that 30–40% state of charge.

Bill added another important tip that could make a real difference in speed: “Are you setting the charger as a destination so the vehicle can pre-condition?” That simple step could be the difference between max charging speed and a frustratingly slow session. Preconditioning heats the battery to the optimal temperature before you arrive, which is critical for fast DC charging, especially in colder weather or during short drives.

And it’s not just theory. In my previous article about how I drove the R1S Dual Max while my R1T Quad was in service, I noticed similar tapering behavior. Unless you’re rolling into a charger nearly empty, you’re probably not going to see that sweet 200kW peak rate for more than a few minutes.

Electrify America vs Tesla Magic Dock: Not All Chargers Are Equal

Jose also dropped another nugget of truth that might catch people off guard: “It seems to be slower on Tesla chargers than EA for some reason. The EA chargers, as faulty as they are, follow the curve a lot better.”

That’s right, Rivians can use Tesla’s Magic Dock stations, but it doesn’t mean they’ll charge well. We saw this comparison firsthand during a recent family road trip from Palm Springs to Vegas in the R1S Tri-Motor. Tesla stations look cool and sleek, but in practice, Electrify America still tends to serve up faster (albeit less reliable) sessions for Rivian owners.

It’s a game of trade-offs: reliability vs speed, access vs compatibility.

A Service Appointment, in a Month?

Now, let’s rewind to Jacqueline’s original post. The charge speed alone is a bummer, but what really gets under your skin is this part: “Called in service, but they can’t see me for another month.”

A month.

To Rivian’s credit, they’re doing a lot with a relatively young service network. But when you’re sitting in a parking lot watching your R1S crawl from 32% to 35% over the course of 20 minutes, being told to wait 30 days to even be looked at isn’t exactly comforting.

In another article I wrote about a user whose R1S was stuck with slow charging and no home setup, the feeling was the same: the technology is incredible, the vehicle is next-level, but support can’t come fast enough.

No Home Charger = Maximum Frustration

And speaking of frustration, let’s talk about not having a home charger. That’s what really ties Jacqueline’s story together.

Without a Level 2 charger at home, you're basically camping out at public charging stations. Gayle, another commenter on Jacqueline’s post, echoed what a lot of people were thinking: “Can you arrange for a charger to be installed at home sooner? It would irritate me to no end if I had to rely on fast chargers (which aren’t always available, operational, or fast). Call other electricians, order a ChargePoint if the delay is due to waiting on a Rivian charger.”

She’s right. Owning an EV without home charging is like buying a smartphone without a charger and hoping Starbucks always has an open outlet. It works, sometimes, but it's not ideal.

That’s why in articles like this one comparing the R1S and the Tesla Model Y, home charging access is one of the biggest deciding factors. Without it, EV ownership becomes more about planning around limitations than enjoying the benefits.

So What Can Jacqueline, and the Rest of Us, Do?

If you’re sitting in the same boat (or R1S), here’s a quick list of things that might actually help:

• Arrive at chargers with a lower battery percentage, ideally below 15%. That’s when you’re more likely to get that high-speed charging curve.
• Stick to EA stations over Tesla Superchargers if you want more consistent results. It’s not always perfect, but you’ll often get better power delivery.
• Check PlugShare or ABRP before heading to a charger. This isn’t just for trip planning, it helps you dodge broken units and long lines.
• Shop around for a home charger install. Don’t wait on Rivian if you don’t have to. ChargePoint and Grizzl-E units are solid options, and many can be installed faster than factory options.
• Join the forums and Facebook groups. No, seriously. Real-world tips like Jose’s don’t show up in manuals.

A Quick Word on Perspective

Before we throw the whole R1S under the bus (or Rivian service van), it’s worth remembering what this SUV does right. I mean, this is the same vehicle that got me to say “I just switched from a Kia EV6 to the Rivian R1S Gen 2 and I can’t think of a better upgrade”.

It’s powerful. It’s tech-heavy. It feels like the future. But we’re still very much living in the present, and in the present, chargers break, service centers get backed up, and charging curves aren’t always your friend.

The Real Lesson Here

If there’s one takeaway from Jacqueline’s post, and the passionate, detailed responses it inspired, it’s this: you need to build your EV lifestyle around realistic expectations.

That means understanding your charging curve. It means being proactive about home charging, even if it means calling five electricians. And it means being patient (sometimes painfully so) with service delays, because Rivian is still scaling.

But it also means this: You’re not alone.

There’s an entire community out there of R1S owners figuring it out just like you, sharing tips, venting frustrations, and occasionally making you laugh when your truck won’t charge faster than a phone.

Two Questions for You

Have you ever had a charging experience that left you stuck, or questioning your whole setup?

Do you think Rivian should be doing more to educate new owners on how charging curves and charger compatibility work?

Jump into the comments and share your thoughts. Whether it’s your first month with the R1S or your first road trip fiasco, your story might just be the one someone else needs to read.

Narek Hareyan is a young automotive journalist with experience in a golf cart dealership and an interest in the automotive industry. Follow Narek on X for daily news coverage about cars.

Image source: Rivian