Rivian R1T Towing Range Information

[BennyTheBeaver]

The Rivian has some real world testing under it and this may be our first really good example of towing's effect on a Electric Truck:

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...edicted-range-with-37-battery-remaining.2921/

https://insideevs.com/news/551170/rivian-r1t-towing-range-photo/

https://teslarati.com/rivian-r1t-towing-test-range-loss/

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[Sundancer330]

This is the main reason an EV is not in the near future for me. I knew towing range would suck, I dont want to spend all day driving 400 miles with a trailer in tow recharging over and over. I can see how bad my 2.7 mileage gets when towing, almost in half of regular driving but with a 36 gallon tank I can go about 400 miles without stopping.

 

[BennyTheBeaver]

This is the main reason an EV is not in the near future for me.

Good points, I'm glad you added the "for me".


The F-150 Lightning and these other vehicles will be great for towing/hauling around town. Trips to the dump, hardware store, garden center....etc. However, some are hoping this will replace their current truck for towing a boat, trailer or 5th wheel. and while it CAN technically tow it, the EV market just isn't at a place where it will allow you to drive 350 miles on a charge pulling your RV. Anyone thinking a solar Tonneau or external pack will significantly help are wearing their rose colored glasses.

People that I've seen saying the F-150 Lightning and other Truck EV's won't cut it, need to realize:

• We're in 1st Gen for this type of vehicle.
• It's designed to the masses, not your specific use case or trip.
• It can handle most of what we will want to throw at it.
• We need to adjust our thought process on how vehicles work. We have all the advantages of ICE engrained in our heads from years of having a single fuel/engine choice, and if the Lightning can't do X, Y or Z compared to the ICE then some consider it inferior. EV also has a ton of advantages over ICE like reliability, maintenance, cost of fuel, power options, additional storage space, power/torque...etc. If you compare a new product to one you are used to and expect it to do everything the same, then you're missing the point of the new technology and industry advancement.

In summation, yes, this won't handle towing your stuff the way an ICE did. It can tow though, and I think we'll find our average trip (50-80 miles from your house) will actually be superior to an ICE towing experience.

 

[Sklith]

This is the main reason an EV is not in the near future for me. I knew towing range would suck, I dont want to spend all day driving 400 miles with a trailer in tow recharging over and over. I can see how bad my 2.7 mileage gets when towing, almost in half of regular driving but with a 36 gallon tank I can go about 400 miles without stopping.

Maybe someday an electric truck will be able to haul a trailer 400 miles but most Lightning owners won't be expecting/needing this.

 

[greenne]

I posted this in another thread, but a few things to keep in mind regarding the Rivian test--

- 73mph on the hwy
-7000lb+ trailer
- Fall/winter in the middle US--> cold temps
- headed from detroit--LA == Rocky mtns, hills, and most likely a headwind.

as always, YMMV

 

[Sklith]

I posted this in another thread, but a few things to keep in mind regarding the Rivian test--

- 73mph on the hwy
-7000lb+ trailer
- Fall/winter in the middle US--> cold temps
- headed from detroit--LA == Rocky mtns, hills, and most likely a headwind.

as always, YMMV

Yeah, I'd like to see a Model X do this. I bet we'd see MUCH worse of a range hit.

 

[jefro]

My F150 5L goes on level ground at 75mph for about 18mpg.
Pulling 7K trailer uphill against the wind gets me about 7mpg.
Why would anyone think an EV does differently. Work is work.

 

[astricklin]

Slow down to 60mph instead of over 70 and you should see marked improvement.

 

[Easycamper]

Not at all surprising especially at 73 mph.

 

[EaglesPDX]

However, some are hoping this will replace their current truck for towing a boat, trailer or 5th wheel. and while it CAN technically tow it, the EV market just isn't at a place where it will allow you to drive 350 miles on a charge

I think average trailer boater is towing around 100 miles round trip. I can make 100 miles one way in F150 EV. The stopper would be the 1,300 lb payload limitation after 500# trailer tongue wt. But towing, the F150 EV probably handles 50% of tow boaters needs.

Rivian, which is nearly identical to F150EV in range, towing and payload was able to tow a car on a trailer, about 7,000# tow, and it had 157/300 miles for towing range. It was going 70 mph so a slower speed longer range. I'd expect the F150 to do the same.

 

[jefro]

I assume my guessometer is wrong. I drive at 70 and get 17.8 on this one stretch. Then I go 85 and my mpg goes up. Must be some odd sweet spot of power band?

 

[Sgt Beavis]

I think one of the biggest drawbacks to towing with an EV is the lack of pull through chargers. It’s going to be a PITA to have to disconnect a trailer every time you charge.

Fortunately, I don’t tow that much.

 

[greenne]

I think one of the biggest drawbacks to towing with an EV is the lack of pull through chargers. It’s going to be a PITA to have to disconnect a trailer every time you charge.

Fortunately, I don’t tow that much.

It depends. Most of the EA chargers around me are in huge Wal Mart parking lots. While there are no technical pull thru spaces..you could easily "nose in" a space and block the aisle somewhat. Still plenty of space to drive around without a fuss.

Charger selection would be a bit more important while towing until someone figures out that truck tops are going to be a good place for chargers. That may be more than a few years away.

I would think a dedicated truck route would be an excellent choice for an EV. If you could time charging with mandatory rest breaks it could be a win-win. Plus if it is a dedicated route you know how much battery you need.

 

[shutterbug]

Charger selection would be a bit more important while towing until someone figures out that truck tops are going to be a good place for chargers. That may be more than a few years away.

I think figuring out is the easy part. EA has already deployed chargers at a small number of Love's. The hard part is getting all the logistics done to actually deploy them widely.

OTOH, since most of EA locations are in out of the way part of the parking lot, it may not be too difficult to convert them in pull thrus.

 

[vandy1981]

I think one of the biggest drawbacks to towing with an EV is the lack of pull through chargers. It’s going to be a PITA to have to disconnect a trailer every time you charge.

Fortunately, I don’t tow that much.

The guy was able to pull into a surprising amount of chargers without unhitching. See his Instagram page.

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