Lightning towing looks like it’ll be a little less efficient than R1T.

[av8or]

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...eal-towing-stats-with-23fb-airstream-trailer/

Im definitely looking forward to seeing more results from more owners.

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[Dark-Fx]

I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed by the towing range loss the lightning has, especially if they opt for the smaller battery pro version. Airstreams are supposed to be one of the better things to tow behind an EV and this is an atrocious loss of range for 65 mph.

 

[ERguy]

Had anyone towed a similar sized airstream with Rivian yet?

I hope somebody can do a comparison towing the same trailer at the same speed with both trucks, but that may be asking too much.

This is a different trailer driven at a different speed on different roads, but based on this I don't think Rivian is going to be any more efficient towing than Ford.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...-please-post-your-experience.5602/post-151211

 

[Aroohoo]

I always get a chuckle out of when people say EV towing effeciency is bad. Really, it isn't that much worse than ICE. When I tow anything with an ICE the mpg drops like crazy due to increased weight and drag. For trip to the mountains that I can do without a trailer, I have to refill almost twice as often when pulling the camper.

The main issue is charging infrastructure and the time it takes to recharge vs filling up a tank of gas/diesel.

 

[moosetags]

I have a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Duramax Diesel pick up. The truck by itself get 18 mpg on the highway. When I tow my 2015 Airstream 25' travel trailer, I get 13 mpg. My Airstream weighs 7,400# and has a 950# tongue weight.

Brian

 

[Max]

Had anyone towed a similar sized airstream with Rivian yet?

I hope somebody can do a comparison towing the same trailer at the same speed with both trucks, but that may be asking too much.

This is a different trailer driven at a different speed on different roads, but based on this I don't think Rivian is going to be any more efficient towing than Ford.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...-please-post-your-experience.5602/post-151211

I agree. I think power consumption will be very close:

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/out-of-specs-r1t-towing-test-impressions-results.4098/

 

[nfrank]

50% range loss shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. I have a 2011 F-150 and a 8,000lb camping trailer. When driving 60mph w/o trailer I get 21mpg. When driving 60mph w/trailer I get 9-10 mpg. Electric is no better or worse. The trouble is with the F-150 I refueled every 200 miles for 10 minutes. The Rivian would need to recharge every 100 miles (assuming DCFC to 80%) and take 45 minute stops.

Regularly towing long distances with an EV isn't quite there yet. I think it'll make more sense when the max pack is out AND the charging network is as good as the gas station network.

 

[R_1_T]

50% range loss shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. I have a 2011 F-150 and a 8,000lb camping trailer. When driving 60mph w/o trailer I get 21mpg. When driving 60mph w/trailer I get 9-10 mpg. Electric is no better or worse. The trouble is with the F-150 I refueled every 200 miles for 10 minutes. The Rivian would need to recharge every 100 miles (assuming DCFC to 80%) and take 45 minute stops.

Regularly towing long distances with an EV isn't quite there yet. I think it'll make more sense when the max pack is out AND the charging network is as good as the gas station network.

So physics wins regardless of fuel type.

The primary difference being distance between refueling stops and the availability of fueling stations.

 

[Zoidz]

I always get a chuckle out of when people say EV towing effeciency is bad. Really, it isn't that much worse than ICE. When I tow anything with an ICE the mpg drops like crazy due to increased weight and drag. For trip to the mountains that I can do without a trailer, I have to refill almost twice as often when pulling the camper.

The main issue is charging infrastructure and the time it takes to recharge vs filling up a tank of gas/diesel.

Agree. I towed my ~5,000 lb. boat/trailer 150 miles this weekend. I paid attention to the mileage specifically thinking about these ongoing posts. It was a mix of moderately hilly terrain at 65 mph, 100 miles on the Pa Turnpike. I averaged 10 mpg. Without the trailer, I get 18 mpg on the exact same drive. All but 50% reduction when towing.

 

[DJG]

So physics wins regardless of fuel type.

The primary difference being distance between refueling stops and the availability of fueling stations.

That's right, physics has no idea what your powertrain is or where it sources its energy, nor does it care. Mathematics dictates that the impact of towing on the energy required to do so is the same regardless of the above.

Having more charging stations, or more with trailer specific stalls, is great but it doesn't solve the issue. Being able to easily stop every 100 miles for 45 minutes doesn't make it desirable. The breakthroughs to make long distance towing with electric viable will be energy density (longer range with the same size existing batteries) and/or development of trailers that contain the extra battery capacity to offset the effect of towing (which is in development).

 

[Monkey]

I always get a chuckle out of when people say EV towing effeciency is bad. Really, it isn't that much worse than ICE. When I tow anything with an ICE the mpg drops like crazy due to increased weight and drag. For trip to the mountains that I can do without a trailer, I have to refill almost twice as often when pulling the camper.

The main issue is charging infrastructure and the time it takes to recharge vs filling up a tank of gas/diesel.

This right here. I have yet to see anything showing the tow efficiency of an EV to be inferior to ICE. In fact, our 2016 Model X suffered less range loss than our comparably sized Ford Explorer when pulling the same trailer. The real catch here is the EV range is lower to begin with, it takes time to charge vs. fill up, and for some reason most people are fixated on "EV range loss when towing" while in complete denial that their 450 mile per tank SUV suddenly only goes 295 miles when they put a trailer behind it.

As you point out, the infrastructure is a problem. It's a pain in the ass to charge an EV with a trailer in most situations. That combined with most EVs having a max range of 300 miles or a bit less to start with.

For most EVs, the current 300-ish miles of range is going to be fine for the foreseeable future. It may only go 2/3 as far as a comparably sized ICE car on a full battery vs a full tank, but you can start each day with that full battery.

When it comes to trucks or larger SUVs and towing, EV solutions *NEED* more range. And I think that will be the ultimate flipping point from ICE to EV for the truck world. In a "few" more years when battery capacity has increased an an F-150 Lightning or R1T can go 600 miles on a charge or tow 350~400 miles on that same charge, it's going to be the superior towing solution. Provided we can get a lot more pull-through or towing-friendly chargers out there.

This is why I'm all in on the max-pack R1T. If it buys me another 50~60 miles when towing or another night at my campsite, then it's a no-brainer.

 

[Max]

This is too long to watch but these guys are saying Lightning is slightly more efficient towing than R1T:

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