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I Rolled into a Colorado Charging Station at 0% Battery, My Rivian’s 'Full Charge' Only Gave Me 210 Miles in Winter

A routine winter road trip in my Rivian R1 turned into an anxiety-filled journey with extremely cold temperatures,

The American automotive ethos has always been a full-throttle challenge since its inception. Born on the blinding white salt of Bonneville, forged in the high-banked mayhem of Talladega, and set free on the endless roads of the interstate system. But now, that untamed romance might be the demise of the electric car – or at least the start of more innovation. 

Tesla Model X Trunk

EVs are inherently limited in a way internal combustion never was. When the battery runs low, you’re in for a wait. A quick pit stop? Not exactly. Even the fastest chargers demand patience, which is in short supply when you’re herding restless kids through yet another overpriced pizza at Pilots or Loves.

America’s Deep-Rooted Love for Long-Distance Driving

  • Americans take an average of 3.4 road trips per year that are over 100 miles each way, with the typical summer road trip being approximately 568 miles round trip. Remarkably, about 208 million Americans planned at least one road trip in 2022, highlighting how deeply ingrained long-distance driving is in American culture.
  • The average American spends about 1.5 hours per day in their vehicle, adding up to roughly 23 days per year behind the wheel. This high car dependency is significantly higher than that of European counterparts, where the average person spends 30-45 minutes per day in a vehicle. The disparity is largely due to America's spread-out urban planning and limited public transportation options.
  • While 92% of American households own at least one vehicle, only 5% of Americans live within walking distance of reliable public transit, making car ownership practically mandatory in most parts of the country. This vehicle dependency is further emphasized by the fact that 76% of Americans drive alone to work, compared to just 10% in many European cities where robust public transportation networks exist.

A facebook screenshot

Even the most die-hard EV evangelists eventually run headfirst into one of these issues. Bryan Yoon learned this the hard way on a recent winter road trip, where the cold conspired against him. Forced to charge and limp his car to a charging station with 0% battery, he turned to a Facebook Group to vent his frustration:

Oh the joys of EV road tripping in the winter," Yoon recounted sarcastically. "I limped into my first RAN charging stop in Del Norte, CO, with 0% battery left... Only got 210 miles of range with the fully charged battery when I left home today.

A facebook screenshotAdoption, Infrastructure, and Roadblocks

The challenges Watson experienced stem from the inherent limitations of lithium-ion battery chemistry in extreme cold weather conditions. While Rivian's Energy Dense Battery Pack utilizes advanced nickel-based lithium-ion cells and an immersive liquid cooling system to promote longevity, sub-freezing temperatures can temporarily degrade the battery's ability to send and receive energy by as much as 30-40%.

Cybertruck Photograph

Simultaneously, the R1t's Range Estimation algorithms must account for reduced regenerative braking efficiency, higher loads on the battery's thermal management system, as well as greater resistance from lubricants and tires. The navigation system references databases of past energy usage in similar conditions to provide projections but struggles with accuracy when temperatures plunge well below freezing for extended periods.

How the R1t is Driving EV Adoption and Reshaping the Electric Truck Market

  • Despite being a relatively new player in the automotive industry, Rivian made history by becoming the first company to bring an all-electric pickup truck to market with the R1T, beating both Tesla's Cybertruck and Ford's F-150 Lightning. The company's early success attracted major investments from Amazon, which ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian.
  • The average EV adoption rate in the United States varies dramatically by region, with California leading at over 18% of new vehicle sales being electric in 2023, while states in the central United States have adoption rates below 3%. This disparity largely correlates with charging infrastructure availability and local climate conditions.
  • One of the most surprising statistics about electric vehicles in the USA is that over 80% of EV charging happens at home, contrary to the common perception that public charging infrastructure is the primary means of powering electric vehicles. However, this statistic also highlights why potential buyers without access to home charging remain hesitant to make the switch to electric.

Rivian is hardly alone, as similar cold weather efficiency losses have been observed across the latest EV models and brands, regardless of battery chemistry and cooling methods employed. Automakers have made strides in mitigating these losses through heated battery packs, sophisticated thermal management, and over-the-air software updates - but fundamental chemistry limitations of lithium-ion mean range reductions remain an unavoidable reality.  

Fortunately, fast charging capabilities of Rivian's RAN network and partners like Electrify America allowed Watson to rapidly replenish the battery pack and continue pressing towards his destination. R1Ts can currently achieve peak charge rates of over 200kW at these stations.

How Automakers Are Tackling Cold Weather EV Performance

While Watson's experience exemplifies the lingering real-world challenges around EVs in punishing winter weather, it also connects to broader industry efforts to enhance cold weather operability through advanced battery engineering and chemistry innovations. GM's upcoming Ultium platform promises ranges over 400 miles even in frigid temperatures.

Toyota Prius 2025

Meanwhile, Ford's EV offensive centered around the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning is backed by massive $50+ billion investments into battery supply chains and new cell manufacturing facilities. On the charging front, networks like Electrify America are rapidly expanding their presence along highway corridors with new stations capable of delivering ultra-fast 350kW charge rates to compatible vehicles. 

From the EV1 to the Tesla Model 3

The development of viable lithium-ion battery technology in the early 1990s enabled the first modern highway-capable EVs like General Motors' pioneering EV1 model. However, models of this era still suffered from frustratingly limited range and notoriously slow recharge times that restricted real-world usability. 

Milestones in EV Battery Development

  • Early batteries in 1990s EVs, in vehicles such as the Toyota RAV4 EV, offered improved energy density over lead-acid predecessors but faced patent restrictions and limited production scale, delaying widespread adoption until lithium-ion technology matured. The RAV4 EV, discontinued in 2003, achieved a 95–120 mile range, outperforming many contemporaries but remained niche due to cost and regulatory pressures.
  • Modern EVs employ advanced thermal management systems, such as liquid-cooled battery packs and heat pumps, to mitigate cold weather range loss. For example, Tesla’s heat pump, introduced in 2020, recaptures waste heat from motors and batteries, reducing winter range loss by up to 30% compared to earlier resistive heating systems.
  • Solid-state battery prototypes, currently in development by Toyota, BMW, and QuantumScape, promise to address cold-weather performance gaps by replacing liquid electrolytes with solid conductive materials, enabling faster charging, higher energy density, and improved functionality in sub-zero temperatures. Toyota aims to commercialize this technology by 2027–2030, targeting a 745-mile range per charge.

The dream of long-haul electric travel has come a long way since Tesla’s original Roadster first proved that battery power could be more than just an urban novelty. The rapid expansion of fast-charging networks and steady gains in battery efficiency have pushed real-world ranges past 300 miles.

Tesla Model X Exoskeleton

Automakers are pouring billions into battery technology, fine-tuning energy density, thermal management, and predictive range algorithms. Charging networks are expanding, and solid-state breakthroughs loom on the horizon. Soon enough, winter range anxiety could be a relic of the past, an anecdote about the early days of electrification.

Have you ever taken an electric car on a road trip? Did range anxiety creep in along the way?

Share your experience in the comments below!

Image Sources: Tesla, Rivian, Toyota, and RIVIAN Electric Vehicles Discussion Facebook Group

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.

Comments

I'm (not verified)    February 4, 2025 - 6:31AM

You didn't mention a single item related to heat production. Heating the cabin, heated steering wheel, seats and the defroster suck huge amount of power. Both battery power in EVs and running the engine more for Hybrids. This significantly reduces distance in addition to the battery chemistry.

Joe (not verified)    February 4, 2025 - 7:54AM

It seems like the #1 consumer issue is still range and charging. It's starting to feel like we'll have another technology before they figure that out.

Ryan J Guderian (not verified)    February 4, 2025 - 8:12AM

I took a road trip from NJ to VA back in 2022 with my Chevy Bolt. It was great! I admit, I am fortunate that I never had to wait at a charging station but the stops were wanted after driving near 300 miles. Even after 200 miles it makes sense to stop and stretch, us the bathroom, grab some food, etc. But what people really need to understand with EVs is long range doesn't matter because 90+% of your driving is local. I was fine back in 2013 with my Leaf getting 60 miles. When I had a long trip, I took the family ICE mobile. It was a great car to commute with. Now I have a Polestar 2 and absolutely love it. They are very reasonably priced on the used market. One day I'll take the Polestar on a road trip.

Anonymous (not verified)    February 4, 2025 - 8:12AM

I wonder how thoroughly those sources were checked? The last Rivian story I saw on here involved an anonymous Rivian “employee “ supposedly operating a paint booth without a respirator and vomiting blue automotive paint at the end of every shift. This is nonsense, I wonder if torque news is getting money from somewhere to post false stories about Rivian.

Matt K (not verified)    February 4, 2025 - 1:33PM

I think the most important thing is where the vehicle started. Mountain driving impacts range a lot. My family drives our R1S 80 miles over the Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels on I-70 every week, which uses a predictable 140 "miles" of range. When it was really cold (2F), we may have lost an additional 10 miles vs. the usual 30-50F drive but that's it. I just don't really see cold weather impact other than running the heater more.

Martin Walkder (not verified)    February 4, 2025 - 5:13PM

Really? "only 210" miles on winter roads where common sense would suggest driving for hours without a break is pretty dumb.