Until now, the companies that have extended their networks of charging points have focused their efforts entirely on covering roads and urban areas. But for the North American manufacturer Rivian, this was not enough to meet the needs of its SUV customers.
For this, Rivian has confirmed that coinciding with the start of deliveries of its first models during the summer of 2021, it will also begin expanding its own recharging network.
This will consist of two levels: one will follow the traditional model covering communication nodes, such as highways. But the novelty will come from the hand of a second “layer” that will extend beyond the asphalt or the most frequented routes.
Recognizing that many of its customers will be using the vehicles for biking, hiking, or mountain climbing, Rivian will extend a second fast-recharge network to popular adventure locations.
These stations will have a fast-charging socket developed by the company itself, which will allow owners to recover some 225 kilometers of autonomy in 20 minutes connected. A network that will not be closed to Rivian models, so any other model can use it, although they indicate that there may be limitations to be specified, such as the reservation of certain points to be used only by a model’s owners of the brand.
Behind this initiative is making it easier for a Rivian to travel to their vacation or recreation areas and launch a new commercial section for the company. The offer of recharging services for fleets, which will become another section of the company.
Also, part of the reason for this bet can have closer control of the network’s operation. By depending on third-party operators, Rivian indicates that control of aspects such as payments, reservations, and performance are lost. Something that has led them to discard an agreement with one of the leading operators and launch their own network.
A deployment that will begin in 2021, and that the company indicates will take between two and three years to complete.