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But some EVs have another ace up their sleeve: camp mode.
Welcome to EV camping.
(Image credit: Myriam Joire)
And thats a shame.
Once Rivian approved the loan, we made a reservation for one night at Black Rock Canyon Campground.
And with a range of 410 miles, we managed to cover a lot of ground between charges.
(Image credit: Myriam Joire)
This is something legacy car manufacturers are still struggling with.
During our visit, contractors were installing solar canopies over one of the rows of chargers.
The staff was friendly, and we had fun exploring the space while charging.
There are several options available in camp mode.
Flood lights can be individually activated on the left and right side mirrors to light up your campsite.
Conversely, Stay Off turns everything off to save energy for when youre camping outside.
And finally, theres Rivians signature camping mode feature: Level SUV.
This uses the air suspension to auto-level the R1S.
It takes a couple minutes, but it allows you to enjoy cooking and sleeping on a level surface.
(Image credit: Myriam Joire)
This $1,400 folding accessory is designed to fit perfectly on top of the R1T and R1S tailgate.
The LED light string plugs into a USB throw in-C socket in the back of the Travel Kitchen.
Rivian also provided a set of induction cookware.
(Image credit: Myriam Joire)
Induction cooking is extremely efficient, and the Travel Kitchen was up to the task.
And if youre curious, dinner consisted of Impossible burgers and a delicious salad.
Still, kudos to Rivian for designing something that integrates seamlessly with its vehicles.
(Image credit: Myriam Joire)
Rivian provided a couple of HEST Foamy portable mattresses alongside HEST pillows and bedding.
Despite being only 4 inches thick, we found the HEST Foamy to be very comfortable.
In all, our bed only took a couple minutes to set up.
(Image credit: Myriam Joire)
The HEST pillows werent as comfortable, and I regretted not bringing my own pillow instead.
It also supportsGoogleCast for streaming HD video and high-quality audio from Cast-enabled apps on your iOS or Android devices.
Act Eight: Time for a nightcap
Eventually, it was time to get some rest.
Turns out we were wrong: 68F ended up being too warm and too noisy.
Initially, I didnt think this was going to be a problem.
Were both used to sleeping with earplugs and this night was no different.
But, while the bed was quite comfortable, I kept waking up.
I slept much better after this.
Meanwhile, my spouse, who is definitely more of an insomniac than me, slept pretty well.
Act Nine: A few niggles
I learned a few other things about the R1S that night.
As a workaround, I ended up using the Rivian app on my phone to change the temperature.
So, if you buy or lease an R1S or R1T consider getting running boards.
Finally, lets talk about energy use.
Thats not very efficient.
EV camping is fun, and the R1S is definitely the right tool for the job.
As such, it lives up to its electric adventure vehicle credentials.
That being said, theres still room for improvement.
Camp mode on the R1S is far from perfect.
Its not very efficient, and it could benefit from some UI tweaks.
