Rivian just opened its first electric vehicle charging stop 24 miles from Yosemite National Park, complete with restrooms, a lounge with a small library, a water refill station, free coffee, and a (not free) “make-your-own” trail mix. Only Rivian owners will be able to use the five DC fast chargers at the park. Rivian Yosemite Charging Stationbut the rest of the services are open to anyone.
The charging station is located in Groveland, California, near the park’s west entrance and occupies the site of an abandoned gas station. The store area will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., while restrooms and chargers will be available 24/7. It’s the first time Rivian has ventured into this type of infrastructure, building on its growing network of regular charging sites, several of which are located near Yosemite. The EV maker has 58 Waypoint charging sites — supporting any EV that uses the standard J1772 plug — around Yosemite Valley, and a dedicated Rivian charging site for Adventure near the park’s east entrance.
Rivian says it has plans to build more charging stations “around national parks and other high-traffic areas across the country.” The first of these buildings was designed with the intention of minimizing waste, and its retaining wall was made from materials from old parking lots and sidewalk. It’s equipped with solar panels and has a passive cooling design that’s meant to reduce the need for air conditioning or heating.
In addition to the charging stations, Rivian plans to eventually have more than 3,500 of its Adventure Network DC fast chargers available at 600 sites across the U.S. and Canada, in addition to approximately 10,000 Level 2 chargers that will be open to the public.
