Mackinaw Crossings Mall - Mackinaw City

Introduction

Part of the series to visit and review all the Rivian Adventure Network sites in Michigan, post the upgrades to all sites to support all electric vehicles.  Site visit conducted on September 28, 2025.

Business/Location Name	Mackinaw Crossings Mall
Address	220 S Huron Ave, Mackinaw City, MI 49701
Network	Rivian Adventure Network
Station Details	6 Stalls (2 sets of 3 dispensers, each share 300kW; total 600kW site power)
Cost	$0.57 per kWh, $0.49 per kWh for Rivian vehicles

The Mackinaw Crossings Mall – Mackinaw City station was the 4th charging stop (Originally opened September 2023.  This station opened to all electric vehicles in May 2025).  

Accessibility

The Mackinaw Crossings Mall site is in the parking lot of this open-air mall.  The site is 0.5 miles from I-75 at exit 338.  North from the exit in the middle of the large parking lot.    Six stalls in a row with no pull through stall; a strange choice given this is the northern most site before going into the charging dead-lands that is the upper peninsula.

Amenities

Dining options include: El Zarape, Taste of Di Island, Scalawags Whitefish & Chips, Wienerlicious

Shopping options include: Sharky’s Mackinaw Outfitters, House Of Glass

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  None

Concentration

This is the latest standard 6 station layout for Rivian.  The stalls are all placed along the edge of the parking lot.  The longer cables on the second-generation hardware remove most concerns about cables reaching charge ports.  There is a benefit that there are 6 units, but with power being limited in the future this may want to be split to more dispensers.

Location

This site supports I-75 and is at the northern tip of the lower peninsula.  With the current lack of fast charging infrastructure in the upper peninsula this site enables trips north.  Coming south Grayling is 85 miles, Saginaw is 190 and Lansing is 230 miles.  North you have 60 miles to Sault Ste Marie, and 125 miles to Munising.

50 Mile Loop:

150 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

The Rivian sites follow a standard layout for speed/power.  There are six dispensers that are configured in trios(A/B/C).  Two power cabinets can then each split power between three linked dispensers.  Each set shares a combined 300kW output.  The dispensers have liquid cooled cables supporting 500A.  Unless a site is full, most vehicles on the market today are going to arrive and be delivered with all the power they can request.  Here the 750kVA transformer will allow the site to operate a full power output without any restrictions.

Summary

At this site, I somewhat figured out the zoom bug with the Rivian app.  I was able to walk half way across the parking lot and then being that far away from the chargers, the location was able to be seen in the app.  Here then I started the charge and then ran to plug in the car before the session timed out.  Other than the issues charging from the app, this whole day 1 of the trip resulted in consistent starts to charging and speed of charging.  There is a NEVI funded site being built just 0.3 miles away and closer to the highway.  That may bring more EV drivers to this area away from the Tesla location, but will also provide additional price competition for your charging dollar.  Sadly, it seems that the ChargePoint equipment at the Casino is no longer maintained as that site has now been offline for almost a full year.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $12.28

Total kWh: 21.5422 kWh

Time: 9.5 minutes

Average Charge Speed: 136 kW

Cost per kWh: $0.57

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
33	B	5	3	25

Alternatives:

Ferry Terminal Parking – 801 S Huron Ave, Mackinaw City, MI 49701 - $0.45/kWh – 250kW x 8

(Tesla)

Marathon – 309 S Nicolet St, Mackinaw City, MI 49701 - TBD – 150kW x 4

(Red E) – Coming Soon

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

Grand Traverse Mall - Traverse City

Introduction

Part of the series to visit and review all the Rivian Adventure Network sites in Michigan, post the upgrades to all sites to support all electric vehicles.  Site visit conducted on September 28, 2025.

Business/Location Name	Grand Traverse Mall
Address	3200 W South Airport Rd, Traverse City, MI 49684
Network	Rivian Adventure Network
Station Details	6 Stalls (2 sets of 3 dispensers, each share 300kW; total 600kW site power)
Cost	$0.57 per kWh, $0.49 per kWh for Rivian vehicles

The Grand Traverse Mall – Traverse City station was the 3rd charging stop.  While there are other fast charging options in Traverse City, this site is the largest by dispenser count and power output capability.  Also, relatively speaking, the price here is reasonable.  (Originally opened June 2023.  This station opened to all electric vehicles in July 2025).  

Accessibility

The Grand Traverse Mall site is on the south side of the mall parking lot, close to the Pet Supplies Plus.  The site is 0.5 miles from US-31.  East along South Airport Rd brings you to the closest mall entrance.   Five stalls in a row with perpendicular parking and one dedicated pull through parking stall. The pull through is next to the mall perimeter road, so traffic can be a concern.

Amenities

Dining options include: Starbucks, Food Arabia, Dairy Queen, Frida’s Mexican Grill 

Shopping options include: Pet Supplies Plus, Target, Mall

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  None

Concentration

This is the latest standard 6 station layout for Rivian.  There are several pull-in stalls and a pull through stall for those pulling a trailer.  The longer cables on the second-generation hardware remove most concerns about cables reaching charge ports.  There is a benefit that there are 6 units, this distributes the power across enough stalls to keep traffic flowing.

Location

This site supports US-31 and related north/south traffic.  Travel stops onward from here include Mackinaw City 110 miles away, Saginaw 150 miles away, Lansing 180 miles away and Grand Rapids 145 miles.

50 Mile Loop:

150 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

The Rivian sites follow a standard layout for speed/power.  There are six dispensers that are configured in trios(A/B/C).  Two power cabinets can then each split power between three linked dispensers.  Each set shares a combined 300kW output.  The dispensers have liquid cooled cables supporting 500A.  Unless a site is full, most vehicles on the market today are going to arrive and be delivered with all the power they can request.  At this site the transformer is slightly undersized at 500 kVA, and power balances when nearing the limit of site output power.  However, the likelihood of a full station is very low.

Summary 

In Traverse City, this is the largest and arguably the best DC Fast Charging site.  There is an older Tesla location and several other fast charging locations, but none have the same number of ports and support the same power output.  This might be the only site in this area my car could reach charging speeds above 200kW.  Stop in after 7pm for some of the most reasonable prices I have seen during this trip.  The fact that the pull through spot is right along the perimeter road is a little concerning for traffic and the walk into the mall is a long one, and would be especially so in the colder winter months.  With more unsuccessful on the phone troubleshooting with Rivian support on why the site wasn’t showing in the app, I was charged up and ready to move on to my next and final stop for the day.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $23.75

Total kWh: 41.6622 kWh

Time: 14 minutes

Average Charge Speed: 178.6 kWh

Cost per kWh: $0.57

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
30	B	6	4	20

Alternatives:

Clinch Park - 107 E Grandview Pkwy, Traverse City, MI 49684 - $0.45/kWh – 120kW x 2 (Red E Charge)

Burger King - 2504 US-31, Traverse City, MI 49686 - $0.50/kWh+($0.50) – 160kW x 2 (Red E Charge)

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

Meijer - Walker

Introduction

Part of the series to visit and review all the Rivian Adventure Network sites in Michigan, post the upgrades to all sites to support all electric vehicles.  Site visit conducted on September 28, 2025.

Business/Location Name	Meijer
Address	2425 Alpine Ave NW, Walker, MI 49544
Network	Rivian Adventure Network
Station Details	6 Stalls (2 sets of 3 dispensers, each share 300kW; total 600kW site power)
Cost	$0.67 per kWh, $0.57 per kWh for Rivian vehicles (Varies with time of use.)

The Meijer – Walker station was the 2nd charging stop on this trip.  At this location the Rivian units are placed next to the Electrify America chargers. (Originally opened September 2023.  This station opened to all electric vehicles in April 2025).  

Accessibility

The Meijer site is in the parking lot of this super-center business.  The site is 0.7 miles from I-96 at exit 30.  South from the exit on the northern edge of the large parking lot. Six stalls with most of them blocked with signs preventing pull through.  The stalls on the end are able to support pull through.

Amenities

Dining options include: Arby’s, Tropical Smoothie Café, Wing Stop, Fazoli’s, Papa Johns, Long John Silver, KFC

Shopping options include: Meijer

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air): Meijer gas station in the same parking lot.

Concentration

This is the latest standard 6 station layout for Rivian.  There are several pull-in stalls and a pull through stall on the store side of the power cabinet equipment for those pulling a trailer.  The longer cables on the second-generation hardware remove most concerns about cables reaching charge ports.  There is a benefit that there are 6 units, this distributes the power across enough stalls to keep traffic flowing.

Location

This site supports I-96 and is close enough to potentially support US-131.  At about 165 miles to Detroit and 180 miles to Chicago.  North 140 miles from here along US-131 is Traverse City.

50 Mile Loop:

150 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

The Rivian sites follow a standard layout for speed/power.  There are six dispensers that are configured in trios(A/B/C).  Two power cabinets can then each split power between three linked dispensers.  Each set share a combined 300kW output.  The dispensers have liquid cooled cables supporting 500A.  Unless a site is full, most vehicles on the market today are going to arrive and be provided all the power they can request.  At this site the transformer is 1500 kVA. I am not sure if this is shared with the co-located Electrify America station, but either way it should provide plenty of power for the site.

Summary

This is the only site on this trip that I chose not to charge.  The cost here just doesn’t make sense with the competition in the area.  $0.67 versus $0.56 at the Electrify America one row over in the parking lot, or $0.50 at the Red E just down the road.  While I was here there was a Hummer SUV that was having difficulty charging at the Electrify America chargers.

After I completed the site reviews here, I went down the road to charge at the second open NEVI site in Michigan.  When I arrived there was a new Ioniq 5 plugged in and charging with a CCS to J3400 adapter.  I tried to initiate the charge and pay by the application, but the session stopped as soon as it started.  The Ioniq 5 driver advised that the station was still in free mode and a simple unplug and re-plug started my car charging.

I did not charge at this location, because it was not cost competitive.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: 

Total kWh: 

Time: 

Average Charge Speed: 

Cost per kWh: 

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
32	B	5	6	21

Alternatives:

Meijer - 2425 Alpine Ave NW, Walker, MI 49544 - $0.56/kWh – 350kW x 6 (Electrify America)

Marathon - 2366 Alpine Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49544 - $0.50/kWh – 240kW x 4 (Red E)

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com