Test of EV Rivian Truck Mileage While Towing

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IBTripping

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As most of us would expect, an EV will have much lower mileage while towing. Rivian says about 50% lower. This this real world test shows: "with a range of 315 miles (505km) on a full charge, that works out to just 118 miles from the 135kWh battery pack, or about 62% range loss."

 
That's awesome!!

14,260lbs gross combined, Rivian + car on trailer. Detroit to Los Angeles. Not exactly flat.

Towing at 73mph.

And it still went 118 miles on battery.

I'd say that's pretty dang good. Remember back 25 years ago, when GM introduced their first little 2-seat compact rat car to the world, the EV-1, which weighed about 3,000 lbs and only went 55 miles on a charge, maybe a little more if you opted for the NiMH battery pack.
 
118 miles is “good?” You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s a stop every two hours to recharge. And that stop will be what? 30 minutes? An hour?

Battery technology has to progress a LOT farther than it is now for electric vehicles to be a viable, usable method of travel.
 
118 miles is “good?” You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s a stop every two hours to recharge. And that stop will be what? 30 minutes? An hour?

Battery technology has to progress a LOT farther than it is now for electric vehicles to be a viable, usable method of travel.
The first flight was in 1903. Man landed on the moon in 1969. So 66 years between getting something resembling an airplane off the ground for a few hundred feet to strapping some guys in a rocket and shooting a couple of them to the moon. I posit it will be a lot less than 66 years before we see a 1000 mile range on an EV.
 
Traveler 1++ miles is more than I'd expect towing
Battery technology is constantly improving.. So i'd expect that number to grow some over the next decade or two. When it hits 400-500 I'd be interestd if i were still rving.
 
The thing that worries me just a little is that the primary power grid is not being improved at a rate that will accommodate the all new electric vehicle fleet that is being shoved on us. California is already in trouble in this area and they want no new vehicles that aren't electric by 2030. Actually, went back and looked that up. The released article says only no new gasoline fueled vehicles. So, there is hope for CNG, hydrogen and maybe vegi-diesel.
 
Perhaps the point is that so many criminals I mean politicians want the world to all electric in 10-20 years. No way with results like that. Set a more realistic time frame and I'll buy in one day.
The thing that worries me just a little is that the primary power grid is not being improved at a rate that will accommodate the all new electric vehicle fleet that is being shoved on us. California is already in trouble in this area and they want no new vehicles that aren't electric by 2030. Actually, went back and looked that up. The released article says only no new gasoline fueled vehicles. So, there is hope for CNG, hydrogen and maybe vegi-diesel.
CA is banning all small gasoline engines also. What a nightmare that state will be and already is. Bunch of politicians with their heads up their arses and can't see what has literally been going on in the state for years. Where will they get all the power? Aside - Enter the flux capacitor
Oh, and they have a water shortage issue also.
 
As most of us would expect, an EV will have much lower mileage while towing. Rivian says about 50% lower. This this real world test shows: "with a range of 315 miles (505km) on a full charge, that works out to just 118 miles from the 135kWh battery pack, or about 62% range loss."

Expect to get even less range towing a high and wide RV trailer instead of one that largely fits inside the truck's slipstream.
 
That's awesome!!

14,260lbs gross combined, Rivian + car on trailer. Detroit to Los Angeles. Not exactly flat.

Towing at 73mph.

And it still went 118 miles on battery.

I'd say that's pretty dang good. Remember back 25 years ago, when GM introduced their first little 2-seat compact rat car to the world, the EV-1, which weighed about 3,000 lbs and only went 55 miles on a charge, maybe a little more if you opted for the NiMH battery pack.
Interesting for sure. That towing at 73 mph freaks me out a bit. But I gather that’s pretty normal in the states.

Meh. It will be fine for lots of people. Most people with half tons here hook up to their trailer on Friday night at 5 o’clock, are set up at the camp site and drinking beer by 7. Back on Sunday after lunch. Rinse and repeat next Friday. That kind of range would be fine for that crowd.
 
Interesting for sure. That towing at 73 mph freaks me out a bit. But I gather that’s pretty normal in the states.

Meh. It will be fine for lots of people. Most people with half tons here hook up to their trailer on Friday night at 5 o’clock, are set up at the camp site and drinking beer by 7. Back on Sunday after lunch. Rinse and repeat next Friday. That kind of range would be fine for that crowd.

I think you're right. It will work for some people, and that means viability is starting to inch up on typical use cases for a pickup, and that's progress. EV's are starting to go to work for consumers.

TBH I don't think many people buy a Rivian for its towing capability. It's still a niche vehicle, out of reach for the average vehicle-buyer. But it is the first production full-size EV truck with some towing capability and I don't think it's much longer before things go from "a start" to being very, very good.

To IBH's point, yeah, when you compare to a gasoline or diesel ICE, no, it's not impressive, but that's also not the point and the comparison is unfair. It has other impressive features, like being as fast 0-60 as a Ferrari, and being the first full-size truck with about 300 miles of (normal driving) range.
 
I think you're right. It will work for some people, and that means viability is starting to inch up on typical use cases for a pickup, and that's progress. EV's are starting to go to work for consumers.

TBH I don't think many people buy a Rivian for its towing capability. It's still a niche vehicle, out of reach for the average vehicle-buyer. But it is the first production full-size EV truck with some towing capability and I don't think it's much longer before things go from "a start" to being very, very good.

To IBH's point, yeah, when you compare to a gasoline or diesel ICE, no, it's not impressive, but that's also not the point and the comparison is unfair. It has other impressive features, like being as fast 0-60 as a Ferrari, and being the first full-size truck with about 300 miles of (normal driving) range.
Yep. Lots of people say lots of nasty stuff about EV’s. And then they do a test drive, and it’s all over.

It’s hard to test drive a Tesla where we are. So many of the Tesla owners are willing to let people try them. We have done it a couple dozen times, and every time pretty much turns into a sale. Not always a Tesla but always an EV.

But we recommend to people who don’t have charging opportunities at home to not buy one. We’ll recommend an EV even if they only have 120 volts at 15 amps, as long as there commute is under 80 km. But if they live in an apartment with no way of charging we recommend they stick with gas. More and more apartment buildings are putting in charging facilities but there are many that don’t have any facilities. The vast majority of drivers who switch back to a gasser switch back because they don’t have an available plug at home. It’s getting better here, but slowly.

I think within the decade EV’s will have solar roofs that can provide 6 or 8 kWh per day, which is enough to cover a typical North American commute.

Interesting times.
 
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