'Most people don't know about this': Woman pulled up to Buc-ee's in her Rivian and showed everyone they've been wasting $200 on adapters – We Got This Covered
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‘Most people don’t know about this’: Woman pulled up to Buc-ee’s in her Rivian and showed everyone they’ve been wasting $200 on adapters

Small detail, big difference.

A Rivian R1S owner named Vivian Yip (@vivianyipofficial) recently posted a TikTok video showing how she charged her non-Tesla electric vehicle at a Buc-ee’s using a Tesla charging station. Many EV owners think they need to buy their own expensive adapters to use these stations, but Yip’s video shows that some charging kiosks already have the adapter built right in. The feature is called the Magic Dock.

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Yip explains the situation clearly: “You wanna see something cool? Well I’m at Buc-ee’s right now because we’re charging our car. And of course we need to stop because you know we’re driving a longer time. So the most common charger that you see out there is Tesla. Even though I drive a Rivian. And don’t give me any comments like I hate Tesla. I just chose Rivian, that’s what I drive … and I want to show you how to charge your Rivian with a Tesla charger.”

The process is simple. While the cable is still docked in the station, you find the button near the tip of the charging cable. After that, the cable comes out with a CCS adapter already attached, making it work with vehicles like her Rivian. According to Motor1.com, Yip adds, “And then the whole thing comes out and now you have a CCS charger … and you can charge your Rivian.”

The Magic Dock is a useful but limited feature that not every Tesla charging station has

The video got a big reaction, with many viewers expressing surprise and relief. One user commented, “This better not be true because I just spent $250 on that adapter for my Honda.” Another shared their own experience: “I drive a Tesla and my jaw dropped. Thats so cool!!”

Viral moments like this are becoming more common, and some are even stranger, one driver recently recorded mysterious figures appearing on his dashboard camera while driving through empty woods at night.

However, this does not work at every Tesla charging station. As one commenter pointed out, “Only for the new gen chargers! This isn’t the case on the older model chargers.” The Magic Dock is only found at certain locations, and while there are at least 3,500 Tesla Superchargers equipped with this technology, they are still considered relatively rare.

More Magic Dock stations are being added over time, but they have not yet become the standard. Older Tesla charging hardware does not have the built-in CCS adapter, so the trick Yip demonstrated simply will not work at those stations.

If you are planning a road trip in an electric vehicle, it is a good idea to research your route ahead of time to find out which stations have Magic Dock compatibility. Counting on finding one when you need it most could leave you stuck if the station you arrive at only has older hardware. Carrying your own adapter is still a smart backup plan, especially for drivers who travel long distances often.

Knowing about the Magic Dock is helpful, but being prepared with your own adapter means you will never be caught off guard at an incompatible station. It also pays to do your homework before buying a used EV, one woman who bought a used Tesla to save on gas costs ended up paying $16,000 more than expected after missing one key detail on the dashboard.


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Author
Image of Sadik Hossain
Sadik Hossain
Freelance Writer
Sadik Hossain is a professional writer with over 7 years of experience in numerous fields. He has been following political developments for a very long time. To convert his deep interest in politics into words, he has joined We Got This Covered recently as a political news writer and wrote quite a lot of journal articles within a very short time. His keen enthusiasm in politics results in delivering everything from heated debate coverage to real-time election updates and many more.