Rivian’s High-Design Outpost Near Joshua Tree Is the Coolest Charging Station We’ve Ever Seen
Plus, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe shares his thoughts on enjoying the great outdoors.
Courtesy of Rivian
Written byHugh Garvey
May 14, 2025
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With desert wildflowers blooming, the weather toasty but still comfortable, and the crowds starting to thin, now is the perfect time to visit Joshua Tree National Park. If you’re hitting the desert in an electric vehicle (or just need a stylish spot to cool off), Rivian recently unveiled a Charging Outpost just outside Joshua Tree National Park, and it’s hands-down the coolest EV station we’ve ever seen. Designed with the spirit of road-tripping adventurers in mind, the space combines high design with human-centered amenities that make the wait feel like part of the journey.
There are six fast-charging DC ports (up to 400kW), a shaded wooden deck, hammocks, a children’s climbing wall, restrooms, Wi-Fi, and a curated selection of snacks, drinks, and outdoor essentials. Inside the breezy, desert-modern lounge, you’ll find coffee table books and comfy seating for a moment of rest or inspiration. The structure itself evokes midcentury gas stations and desert dwellings alike, with natural materials and a low-slung profile that blends into the Mojave landscape.
Yes, it powers up the R1T and R1S, but it also welcomes any CCS-compatible EV (including Teslas with adapters). And if you’re not charging? It’s still worth the stop. The outpost is located just under a mile from the national park’s west entrance, making it an ideal jumping-off point for your next hike, climb, or starry-night campout.
We caught up with Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe—an avid camper and father of three—about what inspired the outpost’s design, how nature influenced the brand’s mission, and why Joshua Tree never gets old.
On Putting Charging Stations in Inspiring Outdoor Locations
Courtesy of Rivian
“The objective is to create an elevated charging experience that is in part a destination but also in part helps just elevate the idea of an electric vehicle. It makes charging about appreciating the moment. It’s a chance to collect yourself before you go do something else. We’re going to have future outposts that are the gateway to something wonderful and outdoors. Many of those things in the United States are national parks, but that’s not always the case. The one we put in Northern California looks like it should be an old gas station. It has that romantic feel of an old gas station. In Joshua Tree it’s obviously leaning into the desert feel of it all.”
On Enjoying Joshua Tree
Courtesy of Rivian
“In Southern California, Joshua Tree is just the right distance for either a day trip or a two-day trip. It engages your imagination, and you feel like you’re in Dr. Seuss in real life, so it’s a great place to go with kids. I have three kids, and they love Joshua Tree. We’ve car-camped in an R1S; we’ve camped in an R1T with a tent as well. We’ve stayed at AutoCamp a couple times, which is really cool. And then we’ve done it as a day trip, like, early morning, late-night kind of thing. I’ve done it once in summer, but the other three seasons are much easier.
On How Going off Grid Influenced the Business
Courtesy of Rivian
“There was a moment where it became really clear that the brand had to go the direction it’s ultimately gone. It was in the San Bernadino Mountains. This was years and years ago, and it was myself and a few people on the team. It was one of those situations where we’re like: Why don’t we get to do this more in life? This is rejuvenating and recharging. And our brand needs to really lean into helping inspire people. Even if you do a few trips like this a year, it can change your whole perspective on a lot of things. And that was an “ah-ha moment” for us, which is: You don’t have to totally shift away from family life to appreciate living in the outdoors and being outdoors. You can have bite-sized, weekend-sized, half-week-sized trips that fuel you through lots of days of not having that. And so that was a big ah-ha for us. But that was before Rivian was even called Rivian. I think about the trip a lot because it was in the midst of thinking about a lot of the brand position in the company. It’s one of those things where it happens and you don’t ever take pictures or archive or any of this stuff. It’s just like, it happens. And then years later, boy, I wish I had a single picture of some of these things.”
