Ski weekend in the Rivian: Arapahoe Basin and Bluebird Backcountry

So what is ski country like in the Rivian? This is our first post on the topic, because to be honest it has been pretty easy. Let's talk range hit.

Winter vs Summer Range

In the summer we were averaging right around 2.2 mi/kWh; this is on the less efficient 20" wheels. Assuming a usable battery of about 127 kWh, this results in a summer range of around 279 miles (Rivian's estimate is 274 with these wheels - THANK YOU Rivian for a realistic range estimate).

This winter, we have been averaging 2.0 mi/kWh; this is with the same wheels, but switching to winter tires (Blizzak LT in the 20" wheel stock size), plus the increased demand of winter cabin conditioning and decreased battery efficiency. This results in a range of approximately 254 miles.

Trip Details

What does that look like? This past weekend, we charged up to 100% and headed to Arapahoe Basin Ski area.

This is a 55 mile drive with nearly 5,000 ft of elevation gain. It took us 32% to reach the ski area; current state of charge: 68%.

Note: "32% Seems like a lot! Does that mean it would take 64% round trip?"? It does not. Keep in mind that it takes significantly more energy to go uphill, but nearly all of that extra energy is made up for on the downhill, through coasting and regenerative braking. Returning from Arapahoe Basin directly would have used only an additional 15-20% of the battery, for a round trip of about 50%.

Arapahoe basin installed EV chargers last season, and since we are early risers, we basically always get one when we need it. While skiing we charged up to 98%.

After skiing we went to the grocery store, got some dinner, and stayed the night in Silverthorne; about 13 miles from Arapahoe Basin. We left the following morning on the 83 mile drive to Bluebird Backcountry with around 90% battery.

We arrived at Bluebird Backcountry with 60%. This was at a slightly lower elevation than where we slept, so better efficiency than we would see on the return trip. We skied for the day, then made the drive home in the evening (125 miles) and arrived with 20% remaining.

Trip Takeaway

• We were able to complete this 270+ mile drive without going out of our way to charge due to convenient L2 charging; while DCFC definitely opens up the road trip opportunities, L2 charging in convenient locations truly makes EV life easy. Note that if we had a place to stay the night with L2 charging, it also would have solved this problem; our Silverthorne lodging does not have electricity available
• Unfortunately the Rivian R1T loses quite a bit of battery overnight while parked in the cold. The vehicle measured about 1.5 kWh of use, but the battery dropped by 3% (~4.5 kWh). Just a note that vehicle batteries and software are not always 100% precise, and the battery percentage is more of an estimate than something you can rely on 100%. Always have a buffer.