TFL First EV Truck Tow Test (Rivian)

[LightningShow]

For my driving needs I need someone to calculate this. If I pull a larger trailer 1500-2000 miles or more, without having to worry about my speed or creature comforts because of the motor,, for a one week vacation trip, how many days would it be before the electric truck showed up at the campground?

Better question...why are you pulling a trailer 1500+ miles each way for a one week vacation?

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[Gros Ventre]

My purpose was to cause a consideration of fuel consmed to fuel consumed. Electricity merely moves energy from Point A to Point B. Burning fuel releases energy, electricity transfers it from creation to consumption. That was really all I sought to convey.

 

[Just Me]

Better question...why are you pulling a trailer 1500+ miles each way for a one week vacation?

Houston to Yellowstone about 1,600 miles. Some people may only get a few weeks of vacation and need to make the most of it. Maybe that’s why I have over 32,000 miles on my truck. I get 52 weeks of vacation so that’s not a problem. I just made that question up, so don’t worry about the camping time. The video review was less than 200 miles comparing energy use per mile. Good discussion and some different opinions here on energy use but my question was different. How much longer, if at all, would it take to go that far pulling a trailer in both trucks? Would having to charge up every 3 hours make any difference In total drive time.

 

[hturnerfamily]

after full-timing and traveling extensively in our large Cummins ISB6.7L diesel motorhome, I would certainly be concerned, but not surprised, that some folks WILL try to drive that far for such a relatively 'short' timeframe - meaning that they are biting off quite a lot to 'see' the sights, and 'vacation', though much of that will be at 65mph, and much less at a stand still.
Is a gas/diesel vehicle will a very large fuel tank going to be able to go farther, and therefore quicker, overall, than a new EV truck? Probably. But, it's sometimes amazing how much time larger gas/diesel trucks need to hang around a fuel station that you might immediately assume. The family needs to go inside, snacks need to be had, and fueling a large tank DOES take time, and that's IF you are able to navigate easily to the outside pump lane, or whether you have to 'wait' in line for a while. It might not be as much of a difference as you might initially assume.
We've found that stopping the charge at DC Fast-CHargers is not the 'hurry up and waiting game' that most who've never done it expect. It's time to take a break. Take a bathroom break. Take a snack break. No rush, but also as you can see your battery power coming up, and your 'miles' be added while you wait, it's not as big of a deal as feared. You're also not typically squeezed into lanes between busy pumps, you don't have the mess and smell of fuel to deal with, and, honestly, you are away from the crowds.

We have driven gas/diesel vehicles for so long, we have nothing else to 'compare' to, so it's easy to 'default' to those experiences being the 'best' of the situation, instead of leaning in on the new technology, the new 'fueling' needs experience, and simply drinking in the 'newness' that all that is EV brings us - it's quite amazing.

No engine. No fuel. No transmission. No oil or transmission fluids. Little if any maintenance. No 'hump' in the floor. No radiator. No radiator fluid. So much 'simpler', overall, compared to our current vehicles. No idling. No keeping your foot on the brake during long traffic waits. One pedal driving. No hands driving. You get the idea. And one big last one: charging up every night at your own home - no stops at fuel stations, or DC Fast charger, unless you are making some SERIOUS miles. Even as little as '230' miles is simply a game changer.

Yes, of course, any vehicle is going to go LESS far when towing. That's not up to debate, though we tend to have discussion revolving around how much 'less' you'll be able to go when doing so - we don't worry about that now with our gas/diesel vehicles because the infrastructure has been around for so long it's not even a concern, for the most part. DC Fast charging infrastructure is coming to light, with many new 'stations' showing up in new places, as we speak. With 230 miles, or 1/2 that if towing, you should still have no problem getting 'where you are going' quite easily. You're not going to let the truck get to 0 before you stop, you are going to do just as you do now, gauge your distance and your fuel, and stop as you need to. It's really no different.

 

[LightningShow]

Houston to Yellowstone about 1,600 miles. Some people may only get a few weeks of vacation and need to make the most of it. Maybe that’s why I have over 32,000 miles on my truck. I get 52 weeks of vacation so that’s not a problem. I just made that question up, so don’t worry about the camping time. The video review was less than 200 miles comparing energy use per mile. Good discussion and some different opinions here on energy use but my question was different. How much longer, if at all, would it take to go that far pulling a trailer in both trucks? Would having to charge up every 3 hours make any difference In total drive time.

i would guesstimate roughly 50-75% longer travel time. You can probably do 700 miles a day if you don’t mind spending a lot of time at a charging stations.

 

[adoublee]

Let's not let the thread get sidetracked by silly nonsequiturs about how much energy is required to produce a kW of electricity.




He did say it was 35F outside. He also said that that he had the Adventure version of the R1T with A/T tires which has only ~280mi of range (Rivian says A/T tires reduce range 10-15% from 314mi). Considering the temp and estimated range, 1.25mi/kWh isn't too bad. With a total usable battery of 133 kWh and 280mi range, the projected efficiency under ideal conditions is 2.1 mi/kWh (this is multi-cycle, not highway. Highway is actually a little less.). If you assume a 20% loss in efficiency for weather and HVAC you're under 1.7mi/kWh expected range already. That means the towing only cost about 0.40-0.45 mi/kWh. Also, consider he was traveling at 70mph. He'd get a considerable bump in efficiency by dropping to 65 or 60mph. With warmer temperatures and more moderate speed he should get considerably over 200 miles out of a full charge, perhaps as high as 250.

I can't find the mention of temperature being 35F. Can you provide a timestamp?

Sadly it sounds like his average speed was only about 55mph for some reason. So no representation of interstate driving. He mentioned being at around 1.4-1.45 miles/kWh at halfway and finished at 1.25 so I'm guessing return trip was an elevation gain and/or into wind.

 

[LightningShow]

I can't find the mention of temperature being 35F. Can you provide a timestamp?

Sadly it sounds like his average speed was only about 55mph for some reason. So no representation of interstate driving. He mentioned being at around 1.4-1.45 miles/kWh at halfway and finished at 1.25 so I'm guessing return trip was an elevation gain and/or into wind.

At the beginning of the trip (3:22) you can see 37F on the Rivian's screen, at the midpoint in the trip you can see the readout says 39F, at the end it says 34F. Around 5:20 he starts talking about the details. He said he set the cruise to 70, HVAC on to 69, fan speed on 1 and low setting on the seat heater. It seems he was mostly traveling at 70 but probably dropped average speed due to hitting traffic and the turnaround. You can see ~70mph on his screen a few times during the video.

 

[130 Ghost_Riders]

Houston to Yellowstone about 1,600 miles. Some people may only get a few weeks of vacation and need to make the most of it. Maybe that’s why I have over 32,000 miles on my truck. I get 52 weeks of vacation so that’s not a problem. I just made that question up, so don’t worry about the camping time. The video review was less than 200 miles comparing energy use per mile. Good discussion and some different opinions here on energy use but my question was different. How much longer, if at all, would it take to go that far pulling a trailer in both trucks? Would having to charge up every 3 hours make any difference In total drive time.

If I remember correctly from the video you can assume about an extra 30-40 minutes charge time per ~100 miles depending on how well the trailer tows because for longer range what most EVs plan is to go from ~85% to ~16% charge because that is the best fast time miles per minute charge rate.

 

[Gros Ventre]

Another item about batteries to consider is that the greater the amperage draw out of the battery the less efficient it is. This occurs because there is internal resistance that produces heat (I squared R losses) and because that internal resistance lowers the output voltage thus calling for a bit more current to produce the power called for. So, slowing down just 5 mph can yield longer range.

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