It’s Tesla vs Rivian as two new brand-centric charge stations highlight divides in EV attitudes

EV chargers offer far more opportunity to express and convey brand identity than the traditional gas station, with their own corporate colours and signage to pursue. Even the most ardent haters can’t deny that Tesla stole a march on the entire industry with its Supercharger network. With over 7,000 stations around the world, in the US, Asia and Europe, and the capacity to charge over 65,000 cars at a time, the cost of installing the network would have run into multiple billions.

In contrast, Rivian has just 120 North American sites in its Rivian Adventure Network. The 121st, shown here, is Rivian Hamptons. Both companies have opened up their network to other brands, but at heart they’re focused on their own identities and customers.

We thought it would be instructional to compare and contrast Rivian Hamptons with Tesla’s newest venture, the Tesla Diner in Hollywood. This shiny, streamlined neon spot provides no less than 80 supercharger stalls alongside a 250-seater diner, plus the promise of movies, merch and more.

It’s the all-American dream of mobility, updated for the electric age yet retaining the classic cultural signifiers of the drive-in, the hamburger and the neon sign. Perhaps the location, on Santa Monica Boulevard, is a way of atoning to the justifiably slighted west coast liberals who gave the brand its original springboard, offering up a friendly form of futuristic style that the frankly dystopian Cybertruck.

In comparison, Rivian Hamptons is more Norman Rockwell than the Jetsons. The company’s first East Coast Charging Outpost, it has a modest haul of six fast chargers, one of which has space for a travel trailer, and, like the Tesla Diner, is open 24/7. Inside, there’s a lounge with coffee and snacks (complimentary) and a children’s play area.

It’s all very low-key and tasteful, as befits the ‘relaxed, coastal feel of the Hamptons.’ The amenities are located within a classic cedar shingle building on Montauk Highway, a style that’s more Seaside than Cyberpunk.

While Rivian has the style and the tech it certainly doesn’t have the reach or cultural heft of Tesla. Recent Rivian spaces, like the newly refurbished Concept Experience in New York’s Meatpacking District, show the brand to be rather more chameleon-like, appealing to those who don’t want the limelight that’s shone on Tesla, for better or for worse, since the older brand’s inception.

Rivian’s tactic seems to be taking a more ascetic line and blending in with local sensibilities. This works especially well in charging locations like Yosemite and the Joshua Tree National Park, where you’d expect to find technical gear-clad owners heading off into the great outdoors. Perhaps these two new openings are a reflection of the culture wars after all.

Tesla Diner is located at 7001 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90038

Rivian Hamptons is located at 1 Montauk Highway, Southampton, NY 11968