Rivian and Jeep Took a Similar Page From the Electric Playbook
Everyone seems to be on their way toward going electric, and it’s been exciting to see Rivian emerge with a sleek R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV. However, to our surprise, Rivian borrowed a play from Jeep by setting up chargers in state parks.
Rivian installs Waypoint Chargers in Tennessee state parks
Tenessee is one of the only tens Rivian sees because they just created a beautiful partnership. Alright, silly jokes aside, Tennessee is partnering with Rivian to install electric vehicle charging points in outdoorsy areas.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) announced that Waypoint Level 2 chargers will be built in all of their 56 state parks. Plus, they’re moving quickly. The final Waypoint should be up and running by March 2022.
Each Level 2 station generates up to 11.5 kilowatts of power. This can provide up to 25 miles of range per hour. Any EV can access the chargers for free as long as they are compatible with the J1772 plug, and almost every modern EV is.
But didn’t Jeep do something similar?
Yes, Jeep is launching a charger network to facilitate EV off-roading. What a wild time we live in. Jeep has something in common with Rivian, an electric vehicle manufacturer. Anyway, in March 2021, Jeep began installing Level 2 charging stations at trailheads across the country. This project emerged with the launch and the Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid.
The charging stations will be operated by Electrify America and will provide a full charger for the Wrangler 4xe in about two hours. Owners of the Wrangler will have free access to these chargers, and they will be available to the general public.
The first stations will open in Moab, Utah, and the Rubicon Trail in Pollock Pines, California, and Big Bear, California. These are all essential places for Jeep lore. Mote charging stations will open at Badge of Honor trails, with 56 locations mapped out.
But Rivian also started their EV charging missions back in March, so Jeep may be taking a page from their playbook instead. They partnered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission (CPW) to install a minimum of two Waypoints at each of Colorado’s 42 state parks and a few additional CPW points.
What is the Waypoint network?
Rivian has two charging networks. The Rivian Waypoint system consists of publicly available Level 2 charges. About 10,000 will be built across the United States and Canada by 2023. The stations will be built in shopping centers, near restaurants, hotels, and more.
The Rivian Adventure Network is the other network. It will consist of 3,500 fast chargers in the U.S. and Canada. These fast-charging stations will only be available to owners of the R1T, R1S, and other models. They should provide about 140 miles of range in about 20 minutes.
We hope that Jeep expands its network as well. But recently, we discovered that it only takes about two dollars to use an Electrify America DC fast charging station for an hour in South Carolina locations. Two dollars to quickly charge is a lot less expensive than filling up with an entire tank of gas.
Also, other states are joining the electric party. Three South Carolina state parks have EV chargers, nine parks and forests have them in West Virginia, and Missouri is allocating one million dollars to the Department of Natural Resources to install charging networks in its state parks.
