A few days ago we learned that Rivian is building its own charging network just like Tesla, called "Rivian Adventure Network."
Electrek learned that Rivian is hiring Tesla staff to build its own charging network.
When I reported this news people asked some good questions that I want to share with you.
Can I still use a Tesla station if that's the only kind in the area? The answer is Tesla designed its Supercharger network to only charge Tesla vehicles. The vehicle has to make a proprietary connection. And even if you could get past that, there needs to be a handshake between the vehicle and Tesla’s servers before it will start charging. However, according to CNET, Tesla CEO Elon Musk in 2018 said he'd be fine with other companies using the supercharger network if they paid for it.
Why doesn’t Rivian just use Electrify America network?
"I wouldn’t be surprised if Rivian chargers are set up to give Rivian vehicles a charge at free or most likely reduced rates by having software built into the charger and vehicle to recognize each other. Then other vehicles can charge at the regular rate. Personally if Tesla had a small truck that doesn’t look like it came out of a Mad Max movie the availability of having the Tesla network would give them a big advantage," writes a user named Stan Williams at Rivian Automotive Fans Facebook group.
Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebok, Linkedin and Youtube.