Skip to content
Volt & Cable

HUB 02 · Portable & Travel Chargers

Portable EV Charger for a Rivian

A portable is a smart travel-and-backup charger for a Rivian — here is how to pick one that keeps up with its big battery.

By Stephen V.Updated How we research
#ad

We earn a commission when you buy through our Amazon links, at no extra cost to you. It never affects our rankings, and we say so when the cheaper product is the better buy. How this works.

A Rivian R1T or R1S charges from a portable Level 2 unit over its J1772inlet — no adapter needed. Because the battery is large, pick a full 40-amp portable rather than a 16- or 32-amp one, and treat the portable as your travel-and-backup charger while a wall unit handles the fastest daily charging.

Connector and compatibility

Rivian's R1 trucks and SUVs use a J1772 AC inlet (CCS1 for DC fast charging), so any J1772 portable plugs straight in. Rivian has also moved to support NACS with an adapter for Superchargers, but that does not change home charging — a standard portable works today. For the full home picture, our per-vehicle charging a Rivian at home guide covers wall units too.

Why the big battery favors 40 amps

A Rivian's pack is large, so a low-amperage portable would leave it charging slowly. A 40-amp portable on a NEMA 14-50 outletadds around 30 miles of range per hour, comfortably refilling normal daily driving overnight. A 16-amp travel unit is fine as backup but too slow to be the main charger — see 16A vs 32A vs 40A.

When a portable is the right tool

For travel, a second property, camping trips (a Rivian's natural habitat), or renters, a portable is ideal — it comes with you and plugs into any suitable outlet. The ranked options are in the best portable chargers roundup. If you want the very fastest home charging on a fixture, weigh it against a wall unit in portable vs hardwired.

The gear

Recommended gear for this guide

The products this guide refers to, with prices pulled live from Amazon and dated on each card.

  • Lectron Lectron 40A Portable (Level 1/2)

    One charger for home and travel

    Lectron 40A Portable (Level 1/2)

    A dual-level portable with both a NEMA 14-50 and a 5-15 plug — the take-it-anywhere charger that also covers a wall outlet in a pinch.

    Check price on Amazon →
  • MUSTART MUSTART 40A Portable

    The cheapest capable portable

    MUSTART 40A Portable

    A budget 40-amp portable with an LCD readout — the value pick when you just need 240V charging that moves.

    $159.99Amazon

#ad · As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Questions

Frequently asked

Can a Rivian use a portable charger?
Yes. Rivian's R1T and R1S have a J1772 inlet, so any J1772 portable Level 2 charger plugs in with no adapter. Choose a 40-amp unit to suit the large battery.
What amperage portable is best for a Rivian?
A full 40-amp portable, which adds about 30 miles of range per hour on a 240V outlet. Lower-amperage units are fine for backup but too slow as the Rivian's main charger.
Does a Rivian need an adapter for a portable charger?
Not for a J1772 portable — it connects directly. Adapters only come into play for Tesla Supercharger (DC) access, which is separate from home charging.

Keep reading

Related

Receipts

Sources

We do not run a testing lab, and we do not pretend to. Where a measured number came from someone else's lab, we name them and link them. Where we could not verify something, we say so on the page rather than quietly leaving it out. Read our full method.