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Just because you’re unplugging doesn’t mean your car has to.
That’ll soon be the case at Yosemite National Park, where EV startup Rivian on Saturday will open what it’s billing as a “first-of-its-kind Charging Outpost that will electrify the east and west entrances” of the California park.
In a news release, Rivian noted that Yosemite—home to iconic giant sequoia trees—attracts upward of 4.5 million visitors each year, and Groveland, California, sees an average of 3.1 million vehicles annually.
“Yosemite National Park represents the best of American adventure. It’s one of the most beautiful, natural, and important parks on Earth,” Paul Frey, Rivian’s VP of propulsion, charging, and adventure products, told Tech Brew via email. Rivian envisions the outpost as “the rest stop of the future,” he added.
To that end, the site will feature “amenities, education on EV charging basics, and comfort to those voyaging,” according to Rivian, as well as serving as a collection place for recyclables. The building will have net-zero energy usage thanks to a donation from a solar company.
The project comes as the EV maker works to build out its fast-charging Rivian Adventure Network, which will open to non-Rivian EVs later this year and is slated to include 3,500+ chargers “at approximately 600 initial sites along popular routes and highways,” according to the company.
It also comes amid a key time for Rivian, as it prepares to debut a second-generation vehicle lineup, and on the heels of reengineering its flagship product lineup, the R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV, to achieve cost reductions. Rivian, which loses money on every vehicle it makes today, is attempting to bring down costs as it ramps up production. It’s slated to get a major cash infusion from a recently announced tie-up with Volkswagen.
At the same time, the EV market is navigating a slowdown in demand. Sales are still growing, but at a slower pace than they were last year—in part because consumers have concerns about the charging experience.
“The opening of the Yosemite Charging Outpost is emblematic of our commitment to helping expand access to EV charging,” Frey said. “By broadening access to Rivian Adventure Network…we are supporting the electrification of our transportation system, the transition of our power grid to carbon-free energy sources, and encouraging more people to embark on their next adventure in an EV.”