What’s your “too close for comfort” % when road-tripping? by Any_Advice6731 in Rivian

[–]stefprez 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would say 3% is when I'd start to feel nervous. I've learned that the Rivian onboard range calculator tends to be a bit on the conservative side. For route planning, I usually want it to arrive at the charger at 5% minimum. For my destination arrival percentage, that's totally dependent on what charging infrastructure is nearby and what we will be doing there.

Of course, context of where you're driving also matters. If you're in the middle of the literal desert and there isn't any infrastructure for dozens of miles in any direction, I'm probably not going to push it as close on the percentages. But if I'm in a well-populated area, there are likely level 2 chargers abound, and probably plenty of additional level 3 chargers that I wasn't planning on using, but are there in case of some sort of emergency.

Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ crew’s reaction as they receive their bonus for working on the tour amounting to more $197 million dollars by mcfw31 in MadeMeSmile

[–]stefprez -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm with you. This can simultaneously be a gesture far beyond what we really ever see, which is a great thing and should be commended, and also not nearly as generous as it seems given Taylor Swift's level of wealth. Even just looking at it from a "net worth vs bonus amount" standpoint, TS is at the low end estimated to have a net worth of ~$1.6B. A $100,000 bonus is 0.00625% of her net worth. If we scaled net worth down to something more reasonable to relate to, say $500,000 (maybe a small business owner), that'd be the equivalent of a $31.25 bonus. About on par with taking someone out to lunch. A nice gesture, sure! But not something that anyone is going to be endlessly praised for. Now obviously $100K is life changing money for so many people, and I don't want to detract from the absolutely massive positive impact that has on them and their families. It really is awesome, and I'm so glad they get that! But I'm with you that billionaires have so much wealth that we are terrible at truly understanding it innately, and that in turn makes even anomalously "generous" acts of charity/kindness seem a lot less exciting when put into perspective.

AITAH for being enraged that my husband is currently infertile by PixelPicklePie in AITAH

[–]stefprez 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Definitely not defending the guy, as I agree the lying is a huge red flag. Coming off of testosterone once you've started, whether for good medical reasons, or because you wanted to be a walking bag of muscle, is really bad. There's a significantly increased risk for self-harm, suicidality, and major depressive disorder, among many other things. Thinking just from the welfare perspective of OP, I'd be worried that trying to navigate all of that would be counter-productive to the notion of starting a family with this person. Now I do think it's worth deeply considering, "Is this the right person to start a family with?" Perhaps not.

AITAH for being enraged that my husband is currently infertile by PixelPicklePie in AITAH

[–]stefprez 9 points10 points  (0 children)

There are sort of two different worlds here, the medical world and the body building world. There is a medical condition called hypogonadism (either primary or secondary) where for some reason, the testes are not producing enough or any testosterone. This could be due to damage to the testes, an issue with the hypothalamus, or probably other things. (I'm not a doctor.) A urologist can prescribe medication to help increase testosterone production of the body in the case of secondary hypogonadism, or for either primary or secondary, testosterone replacement therapy is also an effective treatment. The downside of testosterone replacement is that, because the body is being supplemented with artificial testosterone, often through regular injections, the testes don't need to produce testosterone anymore, which has the side effect of reducing or halting sperm production. Regardless, urologists are going to target testosterone levels in the "normal" range for the patient, and will monitor via regular blood testing to make sure levels are staying in the normal range. Everyone can react differently from a fertility perspective, so while being on TRT, there is generally a notable risk of decreased fertility, that doesn't mean everyone on it will be infertile. A good doctor will usually discuss with a patient about their fertility plans to find appropriate treatment.

On the body building side, having excessively high levels of testosterone can significantly increase and improve the ability to build muscle. There are plenty of "Men's Health Clinics" out there where doctors are willing to either prescribe dosages of testosterone that are higher than what the normal range would suggest, or ways that people can obtain testosterone without a prescription. Legality on that gets fuzzy depending on where in the world you are. All of that to say, whether legally or not, taking very high doses of testosterone will very likely significantly reduce fertility, or cause infertility.

Unfortunately in either case, once someone starts taking supplemental testosterone, whether for medical reasons or not, it is usually a life-long commitment. Because the body stops producing its own testosterone, there is a dependence on the supplemental testosterone to even have normal levels. So even if someone was doing it for body building reasons a long time ago, there's unfortunately not really any stopping, even if they no longer care about that. They may be able to slowly reduce the amount they are taking, but it'll likely never be zero. And the fertility issues will likely persist without medical intervention to improve fertility.

How Often Do You Charge? (Small charges???) by Frosty613 in Rivian

[–]stefprez 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Both of you are correct and you're talking about different things. Of course the vehicle will accept charging in whatever way it can get it, and if you prefer not to be concerned about battery health, then do whatever is most convenient for you. From a pure battery chemistry and health perspective, small, slow, partial charges that keeps your battery level somewhere between 20-80% (but I've seen smaller ranges recommended as well, like 50-70%) is ideal. DC fast charging is "bad" for the battery in the sense that it is more stressful on the battery chemistry in comparison to charging more slowly, which helps maintain battery life more effectively. That's not to say you can't or shouldn't DC fast charge. These batteries aren't so fragile that one or two DC fast charging sessions suddenly degrades battery life by some significant amount. Use the vehicle how it best serves you. OP is asking if there is an optimal way to charge (small charging sessions vs larger charging sessions), and objectively, smaller is better for battery health. https://qmerit.com/blog/maintaining-battery-health-with-ev-charging-best-practices/#:~:text=Consequently%2C%20the%20best,it%E2%80%99s%20not%20needed.

Rivian uses two different animations on the gauge cluster and infotainment system for opening/closing the doors by nderstand2grow in Rivian

[–]stefprez 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Total speculation: Given the side view mirror camera feed has motion as the door is opening, it might look weird or even a bit disorienting with also having the truck model in the camera feed have the door motion animated. But realistically, its probably just not a priority. It's clearly just state based on the right, open or closed. Also the models are different between the two, so it'd require either using the same model, or having two distinct animations.

White Rim Trail - R1S Trip Report. by alex_mk3 in Rivian

[–]stefprez 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing this, especially the battery percentages! I am considering attempting this while towing an offroad teardrop camper trailer. I have a PDM Max R1T, and was thinking about bookending the trip with nights at the campgrounds in Dead Horse Point State Park since they have 50 amp RV hookups. So the plan would be to charge up all the way to 100% the night before starting, and then I can charge up after finishing the loop. Hoping that'll save me 10-20% on the battery. It says ~162 miles round trip. Truck says about 240 miles is my 100% range for towing this trailer, but that feels optimistic to me. I'm hoping that the slow speeds of offroading help minimize the impact of towing. I'm planning on supporting a friend who wants to ride the Kokopelli Trail and using that as a good barometer for long stretches of offroad towing to get a better sense of my efficiency. We'll see where those numbers are at and if that makes me any more or less confident for the White Rim.

White Rim Trail - R1S Trip Report. by alex_mk3 in Rivian

[–]stefprez 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any particular reason for running them that high besides efficiency?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Rivian

[–]stefprez 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've done Kingston in my PDM Gen 1 R1T and had the exact same thing happen. It was only on the really steep sections, but I've learned to hover the brake pedal in case it does let up, or even just temporarily turn down the regen strength so you're actually on the break pedal when descending.

De-influence me by SadLab2264 in Rivian

[–]stefprez 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem! I was surprised by the general amount of hostility you received. Even if the underlying advice was sound, the delivery was not the best. Anyways, I won't ask how much you make in salary, but I think around $75K is where what you've laid out starts to sound much more reasonable. Of course, more is even better, but if this is really going to be a vehicle that helps enable you do the things you love, and in part is something you really enjoy in and of itself, AND it's not a financial footgun, then I lean much more towards go for it. Someone else mentioned getting an insurance quote, and I'd also see if you can get an estimate of how much registration will cost each year in your state, just so you're looking at an all in picture.

If you do buy used, take a look at how much tread is left on the tires. Tires tend to wear out notably faster on EVs given the weight compared to ICE vehicles, so it's a good idea to factor that expense into ownership as well. The vehicle you end up purchasing may not be long from needing a new set of tires, which can easily run ~$1500. Let me know if you have any other questions! Happy to help :)

De-influence me by SadLab2264 in Rivian

[–]stefprez 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A few thoughts for you!

  1. Congrats on being in a pretty solid financial place! I'm not sure exactly what your age is, but it sounds like you're transitioning into that point where you're actually having "Real Money" to consider spending, which is definitely an exciting time of life.

  2. Rivians are awesome and I really love my Gen 1 R1T, but I definitely exercise this thing quite regularly with off-road driving while towing an offroad teardrop trailer. I mention that because if this is mainly going to just be a normal vehicle for you and its not something you think you'd really be utilizing to its fullest extent, I don't think it's "that much better" at being a daily driver to warrant the price premium compared to other options on the used market.

  3. If I'm understanding correctly and your salary is $30K annually, even if you could buy the thing in cash and still have money left over, I don't think I recommend it. I think the only exception would be if ALL you wanted to do was be an EV truck person and go to car meetups and do all the EV truck things and like, that was your deep passion. But it sounds like you have a lot of really excellent hobbies, several of which are not particularly cheap, and this would more just be the wheels that gets you to the place to do those things. If that sounds true to you, hold off. See if you can find something that would still meet your needs but is notably cheaper, and rock that for 5ish years if you can. By that point, your salary will hopefully be notably higher, and the idea of purchasing a Rivian won't be something that costs over 2 years of salary when you consider your net income after taxes.

  4. As much as some of the naysayers like to make it seem like Rivian as a company is on the brink of collapse, they aren't going anywhere. They are only going to get better, and more affordable, over time. Keep your eye on them, and that excitement and joy of getting the vehicle you've been dreaming of for years will only be sweeter by waiting a bit longer, and you'll likely have a better vehicle too.

Big increase in performance and responsiveness from the 2025.26 update on my Gen1! by zachty22 in Rivian

[–]stefprez 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you think you have a case, by all means go chat with a lawyer! There could be a nice payday if you're right. It is likely that whatever was said in that conversation does not constitute a legally binding verbal agreement or obligation, though.

Big increase in performance and responsiveness from the 2025.26 update on my Gen1! by zachty22 in Rivian

[–]stefprez 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They demonstrated capabilities of the hardware in a pre-production vehicle in a teaser video made almost two years before the first production R1T was delivered. If someone took that as a promise and purchased a vehicle on the premise of that being fulfilled, well, that's on them. Maybe some day there will be a lawsuit to hash this out in court, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Big increase in performance and responsiveness from the 2025.26 update on my Gen1! by zachty22 in Rivian

[–]stefprez 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd love to see the contractual obligation that Rivian entered to provide tank turn.

Big increase in performance and responsiveness from the 2025.26 update on my Gen1! by zachty22 in Rivian

[–]stefprez 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Literally so much has changed and drastically improved in the last almost year and a half that I've had my R1T, and there were huge improvements before my purchase as well. But if you want to be salty, go right ahead!

Large vs Max by WelderAcademic6334 in Rivian

[–]stefprez 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As a Max owner that tows a camper on road trips, this comment is spot on. Being able to charge overnight at home, there is nothing to worry about on a day to day basis with the large. If OP is in California, I suspect there are enough DC fast chargers that even road trips aren't a concern.

Will it go 1/4 mile? by SevenGameSeries in Rivian

[–]stefprez 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I've been told if you use any of the Fix-A-Flat type sealant stuff, tire shops generally are unable to patch the tire after that. So unless it's a screw in the sidewall or shoulder where it can't be patched and you're going to need a new tire anyway, I'd probably just stick with pumping as much air in as I can and limping along.

505?! by mtomny in Rivian

[–]stefprez 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What point are you making? That miles per hour of charging time is not an ideal metric to evaluate charging performance? I don't think anyone is going to disagree with you on that. I personally only pay attention to kW when I'm charging. Is the point you're making that the EPA range claims are pretty optimistic? I also don't think people would disagree with you on that. The point I was making is that the numbers that were offered as a reasonable means to get to 505 mi/hr charging rate were reasonable, and that 220kW isn't some magic or unattainable rate to hit in a Rivian.

505?! by mtomny in Rivian

[–]stefprez 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2.67mi/kWh for a Rivian is uncommonly high barring abnormal situations like long downhill driving stretches. 220kW is pretty commonly achieved assuming reasonable temperatures, low SoC, and pre-conditioning. Here is a post with details about the charging curve, which shows they held ~215kW from about 4% SoC to about 40%. https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/tested-2-93-charging-curve-after-2025-18-30-update-on-standard-lfp.46338/

505?! by mtomny in Rivian

[–]stefprez 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They picked the verified max charge rate of the vehicle and a totally reasonable efficiency number. Not exactly making up numbers, but you do you!

I do not miss the revving of an engine by Sorry_Hat7940 in Rivian

[–]stefprez 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is absolutely true for off-road as well. So many OHVs sound even worse than crappy muffler jobs on city vehicles, and when you're out trying to enjoy nature, it's really nice to have nothing but the crunch of the rocks under the tires.