Photo: Courtesy of Rivian
On Friday, Matt and Tracy Kennel braved the early-morning traffic on highway 27 from their Port Jefferson home to attend the kickoff event for the opening of the newest very Hamptons attraction: the Rivian Hamptons charging outpost. It was as top-shelf as any Hamptons party. Frozen blended lemonade was served, tailgate style, on the back of a Rivian pickup fitted with a built-in ice cooler. Inside a former patio-furniture store, a cedar-shingled building with oak floors and whitewashed interiors, was a pop-up craft activity to keep kids busy, while oysters and Champagne sat on ice for later in the day. Prep was underway for a lunch of locally sourced produce, grain bowls, and salads.
The charging station felt like an elevated truck stop, stocked as it was with upscale snacks like tinned fish, mushroom jerky, and bags of green olives, the scent of palo santo wafting out of the bathrooms. But it’s for the company’s electric SUVs and trucks that begin at $71,000 and can go well into the six figures. It’s in a good location, too: In Hamptons parlance, it’s at what most people refer to as “the turn” onto Montauk Highway at Southampton, a local landmark of sorts.
Photo: Courtesy of Rivian
Photo: Courtesy of Rivian
Rivian owner Ian Newman made his one and only summer trip to the Hamptons from Dix Hills to attend. He approved. “It’s beautiful,” he said. He has a charger at home but wanted to see the new spot. The Kennels didn’t come for the chargers either; they have two at home. As devotees of the cultish brand (they have the SUV and the pickup), they mostly wanted to meet fellow owners. “We said, ‘Hey, we have a day off, let’s make a morning of it,’” said Matt Kennel.
In fact, it was two full days of activities. On Friday night, there was a drive-in movie (The Goonies), the sign-up closed well in advance. There was a sold-out takeover at the Post House, a Sag Harbor gym where a Rivian was parked inside and incorporated into the workout. There was even a kayaking trip through North Sea Harbor and the Conscience Point National Wildlife Refuge, also fully booked long before the weekend began. It may seem like a lot for a charging station, but Rivian owners see themselves as adventure seekers.
“A lot of EVs, like the Tesla — it’s just a car. It’s just a commuter or a road mobile,” said Matt Kennel. “This has massive off-road capability, 300-mile range. You can go wherever you want. We drove through 20 inches of water.”
It’s a Rivian thing. Owners regularly gather for year-round events, like rafting or off-roading trips, held by regional clubs. This outpost makes it easier to get together. “The destination piece is really important to us,” said Tony Caravano, Rivian’s head of experiential marketing and community engagement. He said that on top of groups that have already formed organically, the Hamptons outpost will host year-round local events and ensure that the owners “have a place to connect.” With two other outposts — one in Yosemite and one in Joshua Tree — the Southampton opening was simply following where Rivian’s customers already are. The brand dominates the roads from Montauk to Westhampton.
An estimated 500 visitors stopped by over the two days. One enthusiastic owner drove in from Westchester and sat in the Rivian-branded Airstream that was onsite for the party and set up an espresso machine he had brought from home. He proceeded to make drinks for fellow drivers for hours.
Half an hour away in East Hampton Village, Tesla owner Richard Dempsey sat in his car at a Tesla charging station — a standard asphalt parking lot sans bells and whistles. Chopin played on his speakers while he read a book on consciousness to pass the time. He has a charging station at home in Bridgehampton, but this public one is four times faster. He had no idea Rivian had opened a new outpost. After hearing about the hoopla, he asked, “Are Teslas allowed to go there?”
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