Rivian Built an Oasis in the Desert, but Can You Adventure in an EV?

Winter in the desert is a peculiar thing. Absent is the overwhelming force that sculpted everything you see: Bleached signs, cracked paneling, squat buildings that seem beaten down by a scorching violence that, on a February day of 65 degrees and gentle breezes, seems impossible to imagine. The sun is friendly now, but it already left its mark and will again. The town of Joshua Tree sits on the southwestern corner of the Mojave Desert, famous as the home of one of the hottest places on Earth, Death Valley, just a few hours north. Closer is a different National Park, one that shares its name with the town and is filled with its namesake plant. Within Joshua Tree itself, a town of just a few thousand people, is the reason for my visit. Here sits one of two Rivian Charging Outposts in California, special facilities that are one part charging station, one part lounge, with a sprinkling of car dealership for flavoring. It's a different way to handle a problem all electric vehicles have: Ev ... Read full article.