In a move sure to expand the charging infrastructure of the US, it has been announced that the Rivian DC fast-charging network will be opened to non-Rivian EVs.

Rivian announced in its Q4 2023 Rivian Shareholder Letter that the Rivian Adventure Network (RAN) recently expanded to over 400 DC fast chargers across 67 locations. That’s about six chargers per location on average. The company says that during the fourth quarter of 2023, these chargers had an average uptime of 97 percent, “providing customers with a fast, reliable, and seamless charge when away from home“.

The 200-kilowatt chargers (with an option of 300+ kW coming in the future) are in-house developed, designed, and manufactured by Rivian. The network launched in 2021 and initially offered charging only to Rivian electric vehicles.

In late 2023, the company introduced charging fees and recently revealed that in the second half of 2024, the Rivian Adventure Network will be opened to non-Rivian EVs. The move is expected to help Rivian increase revenues, and at the same time, it is crucial to get access to public funds for charging infrastructure:

“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.”

Let’s note that Rivian’s original plan was to deploy about 600 DC fast-charging sites with over 3,500 chargers by the end of 2023. This ambitious goal has been missed. Because the infrastructure project is capital-intensive, and government support requires the opening of the network, this change appears to be the only possible way to move forward.

A Rivian Adventure Network (RAN) fast-charging station.

Meanwhile, in mid-2023, Rivian confirmed the switch from the CCS1 to the Tesla-developed NACS charging connector, which will be standardized as SAE J3400. The switch will begin in 2025, although adapters will be available later this year.

As part of the agreement with Tesla, Rivian EVs will gain access to the Tesla Supercharging network through adapters or natively using the NACS:

“In addition to our Rivian Adventure Network, Rivian owners are expected to gain access to over 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the country through our collaboration with Tesla. Our goal is to enable a seamless end-to-end NACS digital experience for our customers.”