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 on September 29, 2025.
The Culver’s – Clare station was the 6th charging stop (Originally opened April 2023. This station opened to all electric vehicles in May 2025).
Accessibility
The Culver’s in Clare site is in the parking lot behind the restaurant. The site is 0.5 miles from US-127 at exit 160. South from the exit on the east side of the road. Since the site is located in the back parking lot, it is not easy to see the chargers from the main road. Five stalls in a row with perpendicular parking and one dedicated pull through parking stall.
Amenities
Dining options include: Culver’s, Taco Bell, Bigby Coffee
Shopping options include: Aldi, AutoZone
Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air): Shell gas station across the street
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, but with power being limited in the future this may want to be split to more dispensers.
Location
This site supports US-127 and north/south travel through the middle of the state. At about 90 miles to Lansing and 145 miles to Mackinaw City, this site provides an excellent starting point for many adventures northward. The 60 mile spacing to the Rivian site in Grayling, even lower range EVs pulling trailers can manage adventures.
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 1000kVA transformer provides all the power needed for a potential 600kW max output location, with room to grow if needed.
Summary
I made a quick stop at the next door drive thru Bigby for a coffee before stopping to charge at this location. With a warm pack and a 37% - 65% charge, I averaged the best I have seen in a long time of 200kW for the full charge session. The back parking lot is wide open and the one pull thru spot seems very easy to access. There is also one level 2 unit at this location. You could do a fast charge and then plug into the slower charger to have a longer meal.
What I paid for this stop:
Total Cost: $13.07
Total kWh: 21.7818 kWh
Time: 6.5 minutes
Average Charge Speed: 201 kW
Cost per kWh: $0.60
Alternatives:
Shell - 10400 S Clare Ave, Clare 48617 - $0.35/kWh – 62.5kW x 2 (ChargePoint)
Marathon - 428 S McEwan St, Clare, MI 48617 - $0.45/kWh – 240kW x 2 (Red E Charge)
Questions or Comments:
dantheevman@gmail.com
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