Rivian’s upcoming R2 five-seater SUV will be equipped with a charging port on the rear driver-side of the vehicle, enhancing its compatibility with Tesla Superchargers. The move comes as Rivian continues to align with Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), which the company announced it would adopt last year.
While Rivian gained access to the Tesla Supercharger Network earlier this year, one ongoing challenge for non-Tesla electric vehicle (EV) owners has been the varied placement of charging ports. Tesla’s standardized port location on the rear driver-side is designed to work seamlessly with the Supercharger stalls and their cable lengths. However, non-Tesla EVs often struggle to reach the charger due to different port placements.
A Rivian Vice President confirmed at an event in Pasadena that the R2 SUV’s charging port would indeed be placed on the rear driver-side, according to a post by a user named TemporarilyOutofStock on the Rivian Forums. “At the Rivian Space in Pasadena (where the R2 / R3X is currently being shown) one of the Vice Presidents that was there confirmed that in the production R2 they are moving the charge port to the driver’s rear! Great news for usability with the current Tesla superchargers,” the user wrote.
This change is expected to improve usability with the existing Tesla Supercharger infrastructure. While Tesla is addressing some of the compatibility issues by lengthening cables in certain Supercharger stalls, Rivian’s decision to standardize the port location on the R2 SUV is seen as a proactive measure to ensure easier access for its customers.
The R2 will be the first Rivian vehicle to adopt this new charging port placement, though the adjustment could be considered for future builds of the R1 platform as well.
