Rivian just opened its first EV charging station 24 miles outside of Yosemite National Park, complete with bathrooms, a lounge with a small library, a water station, free coffee and (not free) “build-your-own” trail mix. Only Rivian owners will be able to use the five DC fast chargers Rivian Yosemite charging stationbut other opportunities are open to everyone.
The filling station is located near the park’s west entrance in Groveland, California, and occupies the site of an abandoned gas station. The store area will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and bathrooms and chargers will be available 24/7. Rivian is the first to tap into this kind of infrastructure based on its growing network of regular charging sites — several of which are located near Yosemite. The EV maker has 58 Waypoint charging sites around Yosemite Valley that support any electric vehicle using the standard J1772 plug, and a Rivian Adventure-only charging site near the park’s east entrance.
Rivian says there are plans to build more charging stations “around national parks and other high-traffic areas around the country.” The first such building was designed to minimize waste, and its retaining wall was made using materials from an old parking lot and pavement. It is equipped with solar panels and has a passive cooling design designed to reduce the need for AC or heating.
In addition to the charging stations, Rivian plans to have more than 3,500 Adventure Network DC fast chargers at 600 sites in the U.S. and Canada, in addition to the approximately 10,000 Level 2 chargers that will eventually be available to the public.
