Rivian is opening its public chargers to all electric vehicles (EVs) later this year, reminiscent of Tesla’s recent move. The decision to open the Rivian Adventure Network to other EVs was announced in the company’s latest letter to shareholders.
Even though Rivian’s Adventure Network of public chargers is orders of magnitude smaller than the Supercharger network, all 400 DC fast chargers in 67 locations across the US will be available to all EVs before the end of the year. Unofrtunately no RAN stations have been built in Canada, but Rivian plans to install thousands more chargers at hundreds of stations across North America.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe had previously announced the company’s intention to open up its charging network, but now we have a timeline for when it will happen.
“In the second half of 2024, we anticipate opening up our Rivian Adventure Network to non-Rivian owners. Opening our network will enable other customers to benefit from our reliable charging solution, allow Rivian to leverage the fixed costs associated with each charging site, and allow Rivian to apply for committed government grants associated with expanding domestically manufactured fast chargers across the country,” the company said in its Q4 2023 shareholder letter.
When it comes time to open the RAN to other EVs, it should be a fairly simple task for Rivian as their DC fast chargers utilize the Combined Charging System (CCS). The company has not announced if they will add North American Charging Standard (NACS) to their stations in the future.
As noted in their announcement, EV charging network operators in the US have a valid reason to make their chargers open to all, as it is a condition to access the $7.5 billion EV charger funding by the US federal government. In addition, for smaller networks like Rivian’s, more usage means more revenue to help offset the setup expenses.
Here is a map of all existing and “coming soon” RAN charging stations, as well as the company’s Level 2 ‘Waypoint’ charging stations.
