New Member - potential EV truck buyer

[Spottswoode]

Hello folks. I have never owned an EV.

Been researching the CT and the Rivian quite a bit, but would love to have some real world feedback on how your trucks have treated you, pros and cons, your pre-ownership expectations versus actual long term ownership experiences. Also curious if Tesla is planning a gen 2 (newer drivetrain/better range) model.

Currently I drive a Ram TRX and it's a lot of fun, but I did do a CT test drive a year ago and was impressed with many aspects, of course the FSD was neat. I appreciated the much quieter cabin than my TRX. I felt the interior was too plain and didn't feel premium. Also missed having a real driver display and a HUD. I don't do a lot of long road trips, but do have "range anxiety" when I am plunking down over 100k for a vehicle, and despite my TRX terrible mileage, its huge gas tank means I can go farther than a CT if I ever did take it on a road trip.

Have not driven a Rivian yet, but the interior looks much more inviting and classy than CT. But it seems the CT has a more capable FSD than the Rivian, correct? I also drive an AMG E53 which can achieve amazing mileage with its glide mode, so I appreciate well-engineered drivetrains that can achieve both performance and efficiency, but I didn't buy that car for that reason, it was just great looking, comfortable, fast, and had an incredible interior that looked like a 100k vehicle.

My new house has a "dedicated (220/240V, 50 amp) circuit w/ a NEMA 14-50 outlet" mounted in the garage. How fast would that charge a CT or similar vehicle?

Appreciate your feedback!

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[no%X#XMVk65v#cq]

Your Nema 14-50 with the 32 amp mobile charger is sufficient to charge the vehicle overnight. You can go to the slightly higher amp hard-wired charger, for a cleaner install, but you don't really need it unless your use case is unique. I actually dial my amps down to 25 just to put less stress on the system, because overnight is overnight whether that's 6 hours or 9.

 

[Timthehelipilot]

Welcome! Foundation Series owner here, so take my bias into account, but I’ve put my truck through real use, off-roading and long trips, and I can honestly say the ownership experience has exceeded my expectations.

Ownership so far: No major issues, just the known recalls, which were usually handled quickly. Some owners have had more issues so something to consider. The ride is smooth (the adaptive air suspension is a big part of why the cabin feels so quiet and composed vs. your TRX), and FSD has genuinely gotten really good over the past year of updates. If you were impressed on your test drive a year ago, it’s noticeably better now. And yes, to your question, CT’s FSD is well ahead of Rivian’s hands-free highway system in terms of where it can actually operate. Rivian’s autonomy is improving, but Tesla’s is doing door-to-door city and highway driving today.

Range anxiety: Totally get it coming from a huge gas tank. Here’s the reality: I do long trips on the Supercharger network and it’s fine. Plan it right and stops line up with a bathroom break and a snack, then you’re back on the road. The trip planner in the truck handles all the routing for you. And day-to-day, range anxiety basically disappears with home charging, you wake up to a “full tank” every single morning, which is something the TRX will never give you.

Your NEMA 14-50: You’re already set up. The Tesla Mobile Connector pulls 32 amps on that outlet (~7.7 kW), which works out to roughly 15–18 miles of range added per hour on a Cybertruck. That’s a full overnight charge from low battery. If you want a bit more, hardwire a Tesla Wall Connector on that same 50-amp circuit and you’ll get 40 amps (~9.6 kW), around 20+ mi/hr. Either way, overnight charging covers basically any daily driving.

Gen 2: Nothing official announced. For 2026 Tesla shuffled the lineup (new Dual Motor base trim, pricing changes) but there’s no announced next-gen drivetrain or major range bump on the roadmap. The 4680 cells do keep improving incrementally on the production line, but if you’re waiting for a “gen 2,” you could be waiting a long time.

On the interior, it’s minimalist for sure, and if you love your E53’s cabin, the Rivian will feel more traditionally premium. That’s fair. But you can outfit it with their party accessories and I feel the CT interior grows on you, the huge screen does a lot, and honestly the tech and drivetrain are where the money went. Drive both back to back before deciding.

If you do end up ordering, feel free to use my referral link m: https://ts.la/timothy49216

Happy to answer any other questions. Good luck with the decision!

 

[MCraft99]

You need a 60A breaker to use 48A of charging if you're going to install a L2 system. Breakers are rated for 80% with 100% duty cycle usage of resistive loads. The Tesla mobile charger with do 32A max. You can buy 3rd party 40A mobile chargers. Overnight charging at home will get you filled back up. Supercharging usually takes 10-20 minutes. 35-40 from 0-80%. Expect 250 miles of range with 80% daily charging. You can go to 100% if you're going to immediately drive it and drain back down to at least 80% before parking.

The Rivian looks more like a traditional truck and won't get as much polarizing attention. Depending on where you are, this can be something you have to consider when parking at certain locations.

If you plan on using FSD, which you'll have to pay monthly now, Rivian doesn't have anything close yet. They claim in 1-2 years it will be available. For now they have lane centering cruise control that works on clearly marked roadways. FSD works on dirt/gravel fire access roads.

The audio is much better on the premium CTs. The steer by wire is awesome(feels like a racing video game). The 120V outlets in the cabin are super useful for powering fridges/laptops/camping gear. The Rivian has more headroom and some prefer the look of its dash more. The extremely long & slanted windshield of the CT is hard to clean with a squigee and the water doesn't drain at the bottom like most vehicles(I use drive through car washes).

I take a generator and gas canisters when camping out of range of superchargers. 250 miles is usually enough to charge at the beginning and end of camping trips though. In an emergency, you can always be pulled by another friend and have it regen for you. Some of the newer trucks have outlets in their beds too. Having AC/Heat without having to keep the engine on all the time is super convenient.

I put a 13" iPad pro behind my steering wheel and another on the passenger side. There's no need for a dash monitor behind the wheel. You can customize the CT as much as you want. I hook up an xbox and PS5 for my son to play games in the back on long trips. The Rivian and Ram's rear bench seat is nicer to lay down across though. The CT's rear bucket seats that are very vertical can be uncomfortable for adults. The TRX can also recline a little. The front seats can both move forward easily (from the screen) in the CT though.

 

[DarkEye]

Hello folks. I have never owned an EV.

Appreciate your feedback!

I was in you same shoes about not never owning an EV back in 2019 when the CT was announced. I ordered my reservation and then waited 4.5 years to get my FS AWD CT in June 2024. I won't never go back to an ICE vehicle.

If you do end up ordering, feel free to use my referral link Click here

 

[SlegMD]

CT is my first EV. Charging from home is a large boon to EV ownership, as long as your utility and charge setup is good.
Beyond having a dedicated 240v I have not invested in anything beyond the mobile charge cable for charging at 32amps. I can charge approximately 100 miles overnight and my daily usage is average 45-50miles. If you’re over that you might consider the universal charger which is highly recommended.

Haven’t had to go to a gas station other than for ice.

Tesla does a VERY good job with route planning and energy management. Charging availability is generally in real time. Plan to charge every 220-240 miles, shorter increments are better and charge times are generally 20-25minutes. When you’re on the road this time generally flies by with food/bathroom/sigand it’s good for your body to take these breaks anyway.

only range anxiety is when the nearest charging station is 200 miles away when going to remote areas, if you’re going town to town, city to city, there really is no anxieties to be had.

Maintaining the vehicle is generally easier, no more oil change every 5-10k ranges. Car manufacturers are getting more ambitious with their car maintenance requirements. EVs are generally tire hungry, which is a pro/con you’ll have to consider. I’d research this more to see if this would appeal to you.

CT is easy to drive and an unrated positive, 4wheel steering turns this thing into a go-cart and is less difficult to maneuver, less stress in tight squeeze. My father almost shat himself when I complete a u-turn the other day with a quarter crank on the steering wheel.

stainless steel requires a learning curve to manage if you are not wrapping the vehicle. Might expect to decontaminate the stainless every 6months. Overall the stainless is low maintenance once you get the hang of it, you can mostly leave it alone. Stainless has been a blessing though as Usually after a couple years my vehicles acquire dings from parking lot cucks but so far the stainless has resisted any injury.

I have enjoyed my EV experience and would hate to go back to ICE. Sold my other ICE vehicles as they were at risk of becoming derelicts.

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