Tesla Engineer Challenges Rivian's Charge Port Design Amid Supercharger Debate

Amid a growing debate over electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure compatibility, a Tesla engineer has publicly urged Rivian to reconsider the placement of its electric SUV's charge port to ensure seamless use with Tesla Superchargers. This highlights the ongoing discourse in the EV community regarding standardization and user convenience.

Rivian Breaks Convention: Placing Charge Ports on Rear Passenger Side Sparks Industry Conversation

The electric vehicle manufacturer has chosen to equip its upcoming vehicles with a charge port located on the rear passenger side, as evidenced by the Rivian R2 prototype that was shown off onstage and the R3 and R3X prototypes revealed later, Teslarati reported. According to EV owners, the R2 would occupy two spots at Tesla's V3 and V2 Superchargers.

EV advocate Chris Hilbert, who attended the R2 event, claimed in a post on X that Rivian was able to provide him with information about the R2's charge port location. According to Hilbert, "Rivian expects the charging infrastructure to adapt over the next two years."

Tesla should not be able to dictate the port's location. They anticipate that the location of the charge port will no longer be relevant by 2026. They also expect curbside charging in the future," Hilbert wrote, adding that Rivian employees were receptive when he told them that the R2's charge port location was the vehicle's only flaw.

The Rivian R2's charge port location has since become a popular topic on social media. On Friday morning, Tesla Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill weighed in, advising Rivian to relocate the R2's charge port to the rear driver's side instead.

While the Tesla Lead Engineer admitted that Tesla's V4 Superchargers have longer cables that can accommodate electric vehicle charge port doors in any location, Tesla's current network of V3 and V2 Superchargers, which number over 50,000, is optimized for vehicles with charge port doors on the rear driver's side.

“RJ Scaringe and Nick Kalayjian, cool product. Great looking prototypes. I know how these things go. There is still time to move the charge port location. It will take some re-engineering but the tools are not kicked off yet. This location will forever doom all Rivian owners to be the jerk taking two spots at a Tesla charger. Don’t do that to your customers. I know the Rivian Network has been installed to support the front left/rear right, but there are <500 Adventure Network fast charge handles vs more than 50,000 Supercharger handles. You’ve done the right thing for customers moving to NACS. Take it the last mile and put it in a location that works seamlessly with existing infrastructure. Can be the front right if you are trying to optimize for street parking. Looking forward to charging harmoniously with a great-looking EV,” Morrill wrote in a post on X.

Rivian has stated that it prioritizes consumer feedback when designing its vehicles. Given the numerous requests from EV community members for Rivian to relocate the R2's charge port door, it would be surprising if the electric vehicle manufacturer remains firm and releases the upcoming all-electric crossover SUV with its original charge port location.”

Tesla’s Buyback Clause Tested As Another New Cybertruck Up For Auction

Another low-mileage Tesla Cybertruck has hit the market and will be auctioned off by Mecum this weekend, Car Scoops reported. In recent weeks, a number of Cybertrucks have sold for upwards of $250,000, but there is no guarantee that this example will fetch the same price.

This is one of the desirable Foundation Series models, and it has only been driven 13 miles (21 kilometers) since it was new. While there's a chance it'll sell for more than $200,000, the president and founder of Give Me The VIN recently stated that the market has already corrected after a pair of Cybertrucks sold for $195,500 and $189,000, respectively.

Those who received an allocation for the Cybertruck Foundation Series model had to cough up approximately $120,000. That's a lot of money for most people, but given the high demand for the first Tesla pickup, it's not surprising that owners are quickly selling their vehicles for a profit.

People are flipping their Cybertrucks despite Tesla's inclusion of a clause in its sales contract that prohibits the practice. According to the automaker, any Cybertruck owner looking to sell their truck must first request a buyback. They are only permitted to sell it on the open market if Tesla declines to purchase the truck.

Those who breach the contract have been threatened with a $50,000 penalty or "the value received as consideration for the sale of transfer, whichever is greater," implying that Tesla could take every penny of profit a flipper makes. While Tesla has yet to pursue Cybertruck flippers, they may do so in the future. Alternatively, they may choose not to enforce the policy at all.

This Cybertruck is completely stock, and because Tesla does not offer any paint options for it, it looks identical to every other standard Cybertruck on the road.

Photo: Tesla Fans Schweiz/Unsplash