Denver to San Diego U-Haul Towing Trip Report w/ 2023 Quad R1S

[waitingonanr1s]

EDIT - Updated to include actual Tesla derating experience after looking at ABRP history. I guess I was sleeping through most of these and not paying super close attention. Derating was really only an issue in 90+ temps.

Just finished my first towing experience with my 2023 Quad R1S. I didn't give myself enough time to make it when I needed to, so ended up driving straight through from Denver to San Diego, using the charging breaks as nap breaks. Total distance was 1,100 miles and total time, including charging, was 22 hours. I left in the late afternoon and ended up with 12 total charging stops.

The vehicle is such a joy to tow with. It's very solid, the horsepower is great going through the mountains, and sometimes I forgot that I was even towing. It felt very comfortable at 77 throughout most of the trip. Coming from my 4-Runner, it was quite a difference. I appreciated having blind spot cameras, as I had the interior of the vehicle filled with boxes as well. It was so nice to have those, especially since blind spot monitoring is disabled while towing.

It was 100 degrees leaving Denver, and in the 100's coming into NV/CA as well. Charging at EA Stations was a struggle, but I also had derating issues at Rivian and Tesla, although the derating was less severe at Tesla. Personally with Tesla, I think some of it is due to the A2Z adapter, but have nothing to support that. Tesla is just weird in that it will bounce back and forth between 100 and 180, while most others stay low once they derate. I found myself prioritizing Tesla for the trip, due to the consistent experience and ample chargers allowing for more flexibility with the trailer. It's also fun to have the conversations with Tesla owners that don't realize others can charge there now (all were super nice, and I enjoyed chatting with them).

It was nice to leave CO in the middle of the night, as there weren't any pull through stations until I hit Vegas (I had planned to hit the RAN there, but decided to charge earlier, in hopes traffic would clear a bit while I charged). I used Kyle's out of spec towing video to plan a rough outline of what charging stops to hit. Below is a summary of my charging stops.

1) Chargepoint, Georgetown, CO - Decided to hit this one early as it's relatively easy to get in and out with a trailer (vs Frisco). No hassle charge stop, but pricey at 0.49/kwh. It worked flawlessly though.

2) EA, Glenwood Springs, CO - First charger derated to below 50 kw a few minutes after starting at normal speed. I ended up having to block a charger to charge at another, which worked fine,. It was late and wasn't an issue.

3) RAN, Grand Junction, CO - Derated down to low 100's pretty early in the session, but otherwise hassle free charge.

4) EA, Green River, UT - First charger derated to below 50 kw within min. Second charger would not initiate. Finally got a normal charge session on the last one I tried. Luckily I was the only one there until after I got situated, but was then joined by another who had to play musical chargers to get one to work properly (ironically the one that wouldn't start for me, did for him). This was my deepest charge of the trip to 93% for the 100+ mile stretch with no services.

5) EA, Salina, UT - This is a great one. Every time I've used this one, it's worked flawlessly, and this trip was no exception. It's also at a Love's, so it was great to have some real services in the middle of the night.

6) Tesla, Beaver, UT - Started out at 200 kw, and then derated eventually down to 120 kw, but would fluctuate up to 150 kw again at times.

7) Tesla, St. George, UT - Solid experience, no apparent early derating. Sun was coming up as I was charging here.

8) Tesla, Mesquite, NV -Derated to 140 kw pretty quickly, but was warmer and beginning SoC was 35% - probably should have just charged deeper at St George to make it to Vegas (my intention), but I misread something with the Nav evidently. Good spot to grab an early morning latte in the casino.

9) Tesla, Las Vegas Grand Central Pkwy - Beginning to get hot, derated to 120 kw and increased back to 140 kw at times. Probably wouldn't have been a great one later in the day, but at 9 am, was easy in and out. Starbucks in the shopping center for a caffeine refill.

10) EA, Baker, CA - This one should be a great site, since it's setup as a pull through with a canopy. In typical EA fashion, half of them were completely offline.

11) RAN, Barstow, CA = Busy, as I was caught up in the returning traffic from Vegas to CA. 4 out of the 5 chargers were being used simultaneously, which meant 100 kw was the max I saw on this session. It was also really hot - 100+ degrees.

12) Tesla, Eastvale, CA - This was the poorest choice I made on the entire trip. I think I was just tired, focusing on the number of stalls, but forgetting to check the usage before arriving (figuring I'd be fine with 21 stalls). The place was packed at 3 pm, and it was in a massive, very busy, shopping center parking lot. Only a few were available, but getting in there with the trailer was difficult. I was able to pull up and block a bunch of spaces on the backside, but got myself in a tight pickle when it came time to leave. I was exhausted and having trouble getting out with the superchargers on one side, a car behind me, and traffic coming through the lot. I was also exhausted at this point - but luckily the guy parked behind me came out as I was trying to leave and was able to move for me. It was 100 degrees, so derated down to 120 kw pretty quickly.

I then made it into San Diego from there with no issues, unpacked, stayed the night, returned the trailer, and drove back to Denver over the next 2 days (stopped in Vegas on the way back). It was nice to have driver + back and to be able to complete it with half the charging stops (Barstow RAN, Vegas RAN, Cedar City Tesla, Salina EA, Green River EA, Rifle Tesla) - the RAN in Barstow worked flawlessly this time (only one charging, still 100 degrees though). Overall, a successful trip and actually was easier than than I thought it was going to be, even with a few hiccups along the way. I'll be driving back to my new home permanently with my pups, after I wrap up loose ends here in Denver over the next week.

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[dmg]

Great write up! Thank you!

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

Just finished my first towing experience with my 2023 Quad R1S. I didn't give myself enough time to make it when I needed to, so ended up driving straight through from Denver to San Diego, using the charging breaks as nap breaks. Total distance was 1,100 miles and total time, including charging, was 22 hours. I left in the late afternoon and ended up with 12 total charging stops.

The vehicle is such a joy to tow with. It's very solid, the horsepower is great going through the mountains, and sometimes I forgot that I was even towing. It felt very comfortable at 77 throughout most of the trip. Coming from my 4-Runner, it was quite a difference. I appreciated having blind spot cameras, as I had the interior of the vehicle filled with boxes as well. It was so nice to have those, especially since blind spot monitoring is disabled while towing.

It was 100 degrees leaving Denver, and in the 100's coming into NV/CA as well. Charging at EA Stations was a struggle, but I also had derating issues at Rivian and Tesla, although the derating was less severe at Tesla. Personally with Tesla, I think some of it is due to the A2Z adapter, but have nothing to support that. Tesla is just weird in that it will bounce back and forth between 100 and 180, while most others stay low once they derate. I found myself prioritizing Tesla for the trip, due to the consistent experience and ample chargers allowing for more flexibility with the trailer. It's also fun to have the conversations with Tesla owners that don't realize others can charge there now (all were super nice, and I enjoyed chatting with them).

It was nice to leave CO in the middle of the night, as there weren't any pull through stations until I hit Vegas (I had planned to hit the RAN there, but decided to charge earlier, in hopes traffic would clear a bit while I charged). I used Kyle's out of spec towing video to plan a rough outline of what charging stops to hit. Below is a summary of my charging stops.

1) Chargepoint, Georgetown, CO - Decided to hit this one early as it's relatively easy to get in and out with a trailer (vs Frisco). No hassle charge stop, but pricey at 0.49/kwh. It worked flawlessly though.

2) EA, Glenwood Springs, CO - First charger derated to below 50 kw a few minutes after starting at normal speed. I ended up having to block a charger to charge at another, which worked fine,. It was late and wasn't an issue.

3) RAN, Grand Junction, CO - Derated down to low 100's pretty early in the session, but otherwise hassle free charge.

4) EA, Green River, UT - First charger derated to below 50 kw within min. Second charger would not initiate. Finally got a normal charge session on the last one I tried. Luckily I was the only one there until after I got situated, but was then joined by another who had to play musical chargers to get one to work properly (ironically the one that wouldn't start for me, did for him). This was my deepest charge of the trip to 93% for the 100+ mile stretch with no services.

5) EA, Salina, UT - This is a great one. Every time I've used this one, it's worked flawlessly, and this trip was no exception. It's also at a Love's, so it was great to have some real services in the middle of the night.

6) Tesla, Beaver, UT - All the Tesla superchargers I used maxed out initially at 200 kw, and then derated eventually down to 100, but would fluctuate up to 180 again at times. I never had to use a different handle at a Tesla station - they just worked, consistently with this pattern.

7) Tesla, St. George, UT - Same consistent experience. Sun was coming up as I was charging here.

8) Tesla, Mesquite, NV - Same consistent experience, probably should have just charged deeper at St George to make it to Vegas (my intention), but I misread something with the Nav evidently. Good spot to grab an early morning latte in the casino.

9) Tesla, Las Vegas Grand Central Pkwy - Probably wouldn't have been a great one later in the day, but at 9 am, was easy in and out. Starbucks in the shopping center for a caffeine refill.

10) EA, Baker, CA - This one should be a great site, since it's setup as a pull through with a canopy. In typical EA fashion, half of them were completely offline.

11) RAN, Barstow, CA = Busy, as I was caught up in the returning traffic from Vegas to CA. 4 out of the 5 chargers were being used simultaneously, which meant 100 kw was the max I saw on this session. It was also really hot - 100+ degrees.

12) Tesla, Eastvale, CA - This was the poorest choice I made on the entire trip. I think I was just tired, focusing on the number of stalls, but forgetting to check the usage before arriving (figuring I'd be fine with 21 stalls). The place was packed at 3 pm, and it was in a massive, very busy, shopping center parking lot. Only a few were available, but getting in there with the trailer was difficult. I was able to pull up and block a bunch of spaces on the backside, but got myself in a tight pickle when it came time to leave. I was exhausted and having trouble getting out with the superchargers on one side, a car behind me, and traffic coming through the lot. I was also exhausted at this point - but luckily the guy parked behind me came out as I was trying to leave and was able to move for me.

I then made it into San Diego from there with no issues, unpacked, stayed the night, returned the trailer, and drove back to Denver over the next 2 days (stopped in Vegas on the way back). It was nice to have driver + back and to be able to complete it with half the charging stops (Barstow RAN, Vegas RAN, Cedar City Tesla, Salina EA, Green River EA, Rifle Tesla) - the RAN in Barstow worked flawlessly this time (only one charging, still 100 degrees though). Overall, a successful trip and actually was easier than than I thought it was going to be, even with a few hiccups along the way. I'll be driving back to my new home permanently with my pups, after I wrap up loose ends here in Denver over the next week.

Excellent writeup, especially the non-biased Tesla for the Win on charging observation. Thank you.

 

[MoreTrout]

What was your SOC when it derated to around 100kW? I'm assuming still well under 60-70%, because otherwise that would just be normal, not derated.

 

[waitingonanr1s]

What was your SOC when it derated to around 100kW? I'm assuming still well under 60-70%, because otherwise that would just be normal, not derated.

Well under. Probably 30%. I've seen this behavior pretty much every time I've used the A2Z adapter. It's also been documented in the recent out of spec race to Vegas video, but I don't think anyone has actually isolated the cause. Jordan in those videos seems to think it's the Rivian, even though it says derated by charge station. I personally think it's related to the adapter, but no one seems to really know.

Doesn't really bother me, since 100 is still fast, and it bounces back and forth to higher speeds in the process. It's not like it's below 50 or anything catastrophic like I see at EA stations frequently.

 

[VandalSibs]

As a thought experiment, I wonder how your total travel time would have been going 60 or 65mph instead of in the 70s... the lower speeds are more efficient, which might have saved you a charging stop or two. But would that have balanced out the longer drive time?

I've never done a drive this long while towing (will be in September), so I don't have a good baseline to compare.

 

[DCFC]

As a thought experiment, I wonder how your total travel time would have been going 60 or 65mph instead of in the 70s... the lower speeds are more efficient, which might have saved you a charging stop or two. But would that have balanced out the longer drive time?

I've never done a drive this long while towing (will be in September), so I don't have a good baseline to compare.

There are a couple strategies, but it does take careful planning and it depends on your risk tolerance. To minimize charging time, you want to be get the battery to low SOC, like 10%, because you'll get max average power charging from like 10%-70%. So you can drive faster to target arriving at the charging station at a lower SOC. Risk being if there's any issues with the station or it's full.

 

[seatosummit]

Interesting experience! Glad you made it without issue.

I have had great experiences while towing all sorts of things over relatively long distances.

FWIW, I have yet to see the derating issues with the A2Z after ~12 sessions. None in temps greater than 80F, though.

 

[waitingonanr1s]

There are a couple strategies, but it does take careful planning and it depends on your risk tolerance. To minimize charging time, you want to be get the battery to low SOC, like 10%, because you'll get max average power charging from like 10%-70%. So you can drive faster to target arriving at the charging station at a lower SOC. Risk being if there's any issues with the station or it's full.

This was my strategy - depleting to 10%.

The range estimates were pretty good on the Rivian nav, although a tad optimistic (likely not helped by my high speeds).

I charged until 30-40 m was predicted for arrival by the nav and ended up arriving with 15-20 mi at most stops. I did adjust speed and ac as needed to aim for this arrival.

 

[Marchin_MTB]

Just finished my first towing experience with my 2023 Quad R1S. I didn't give myself enough time to make it when I needed to, so ended up driving straight through from Denver to San Diego, using the charging breaks as nap breaks. Total distance was 1,100 miles and total time, including charging, was 22 hours. I left in the late afternoon and ended up with 12 total charging stops.

The vehicle is such a joy to tow with. It's very solid, the horsepower is great going through the mountains, and sometimes I forgot that I was even towing. It felt very comfortable at 77 throughout most of the trip. Coming from my 4-Runner, it was quite a difference. I appreciated having blind spot cameras, as I had the interior of the vehicle filled with boxes as well. It was so nice to have those, especially since blind spot monitoring is disabled while towing.

It was 100 degrees leaving Denver, and in the 100's coming into NV/CA as well. Charging at EA Stations was a struggle, but I also had derating issues at Rivian and Tesla, although the derating was less severe at Tesla. Personally with Tesla, I think some of it is due to the A2Z adapter, but have nothing to support that. Tesla is just weird in that it will bounce back and forth between 100 and 180, while most others stay low once they derate. I found myself prioritizing Tesla for the trip, due to the consistent experience and ample chargers allowing for more flexibility with the trailer. It's also fun to have the conversations with Tesla owners that don't realize others can charge there now (all were super nice, and I enjoyed chatting with them).

It was nice to leave CO in the middle of the night, as there weren't any pull through stations until I hit Vegas (I had planned to hit the RAN there, but decided to charge earlier, in hopes traffic would clear a bit while I charged). I used Kyle's out of spec towing video to plan a rough outline of what charging stops to hit. Below is a summary of my charging stops.

1) Chargepoint, Georgetown, CO - Decided to hit this one early as it's relatively easy to get in and out with a trailer (vs Frisco). No hassle charge stop, but pricey at 0.49/kwh. It worked flawlessly though.

2) EA, Glenwood Springs, CO - First charger derated to below 50 kw a few minutes after starting at normal speed. I ended up having to block a charger to charge at another, which worked fine,. It was late and wasn't an issue.

3) RAN, Grand Junction, CO - Derated down to low 100's pretty early in the session, but otherwise hassle free charge.

4) EA, Green River, UT - First charger derated to below 50 kw within min. Second charger would not initiate. Finally got a normal charge session on the last one I tried. Luckily I was the only one there until after I got situated, but was then joined by another who had to play musical chargers to get one to work properly (ironically the one that wouldn't start for me, did for him). This was my deepest charge of the trip to 93% for the 100+ mile stretch with no services.

5) EA, Salina, UT - This is a great one. Every time I've used this one, it's worked flawlessly, and this trip was no exception. It's also at a Love's, so it was great to have some real services in the middle of the night.

6) Tesla, Beaver, UT - All the Tesla superchargers I used maxed out initially at 200 kw, and then derated eventually down to 100, but would fluctuate up to 180 again at times. I never had to use a different handle at a Tesla station - they just worked, consistently with this pattern.

7) Tesla, St. George, UT - Same consistent experience. Sun was coming up as I was charging here.

8) Tesla, Mesquite, NV - Same consistent experience, probably should have just charged deeper at St George to make it to Vegas (my intention), but I misread something with the Nav evidently. Good spot to grab an early morning latte in the casino.

9) Tesla, Las Vegas Grand Central Pkwy - Probably wouldn't have been a great one later in the day, but at 9 am, was easy in and out. Starbucks in the shopping center for a caffeine refill.

10) EA, Baker, CA - This one should be a great site, since it's setup as a pull through with a canopy. In typical EA fashion, half of them were completely offline.

11) RAN, Barstow, CA = Busy, as I was caught up in the returning traffic from Vegas to CA. 4 out of the 5 chargers were being used simultaneously, which meant 100 kw was the max I saw on this session. It was also really hot - 100+ degrees.

12) Tesla, Eastvale, CA - This was the poorest choice I made on the entire trip. I think I was just tired, focusing on the number of stalls, but forgetting to check the usage before arriving (figuring I'd be fine with 21 stalls). The place was packed at 3 pm, and it was in a massive, very busy, shopping center parking lot. Only a few were available, but getting in there with the trailer was difficult. I was able to pull up and block a bunch of spaces on the backside, but got myself in a tight pickle when it came time to leave. I was exhausted and having trouble getting out with the superchargers on one side, a car behind me, and traffic coming through the lot. I was also exhausted at this point - but luckily the guy parked behind me came out as I was trying to leave and was able to move for me.

I then made it into San Diego from there with no issues, unpacked, stayed the night, returned the trailer, and drove back to Denver over the next 2 days (stopped in Vegas on the way back). It was nice to have driver + back and to be able to complete it with half the charging stops (Barstow RAN, Vegas RAN, Cedar City Tesla, Salina EA, Green River EA, Rifle Tesla) - the RAN in Barstow worked flawlessly this time (only one charging, still 100 degrees though). Overall, a successful trip and actually was easier than than I thought it was going to be, even with a few hiccups along the way. I'll be driving back to my new home permanently with my pups, after I wrap up loose ends here in Denver over the next week.

Nice writeup and impressive that you made it in less than 24 hours. Do you happen to know what ABRP predicted the total travel time to be? Or the trip planner in the Rivian app when that trailer is selected?

 

[waitingonanr1s]

Interesting experience! Glad you made it without issue.

I have had great experiences while towing all sorts of things over relatively long distances.

FWIW, I have yet to see the derating issues with the A2Z after ~12 sessions. None in temps greater than 80F, though.

It’s does seem to be heat triggered. Charging at a Tesla station now -77 degrees and still chugging along at 203, 10 minutes in.

 

[CharonPDX]

As a thought experiment, I wonder how your total travel time would have been going 60 or 65mph instead of in the 70s... the lower speeds are more efficient, which might have saved you a charging stop or two. But would that have balanced out the longer drive time?

I've never done a drive this long while towing (will be in September), so I don't have a good baseline to compare.

I made a spreadsheet a few years ago to calculate if going slow or fast was better on overall trip speed.

I found that assuming "reasonably placed charging stations", going faster and stopping more often was faster. It can vary wildly by route, though. If the slower route happens to have perfectly placed maximum speed chargers, but the faster would have badly placed chargers (a gap that makes you stop before you'd really want to to "top off" before the stretch,) it could be slower. Or if some of the "more frequent" stops are way off the freeway or something.

But basically the only time "slower is better" was when the distance was such that the slower route allowed you to reach the destination without recharging, where going faster would require a stop. But even that was a *VERY* narrow window. 55 vs 75 for example, going 300 miles takes nearly 90 minutes longer at 55. So even if going 55 would let you get there without stopping, while75 would require a charge stop - your charge stop isn't going to be 90 minutes.

 

[mczouav]

Did you consider electrafi/ teslafi data logging of rivian api car data? I find it really easier to analyse our r1s charging events during long trips… cheers

 

[VandalSibs]

I made a spreadsheet a few years ago to calculate if going slow or fast was better on overall trip speed.

I found that assuming "reasonably placed charging stations", going faster and stopping more often was faster. It can vary wildly by route, though. If the slower route happens to have perfectly placed maximum speed chargers, but the faster would have badly placed chargers (a gap that makes you stop before you'd really want to to "top off" before the stretch,) it could be slower. Or if some of the "more frequent" stops are way off the freeway or something.

But basically the only time "slower is better" was when the distance was such that the slower route allowed you to reach the destination without recharging, where going faster would require a stop. But even that was a *VERY* narrow window. 55 vs 75 for example, going 300 miles takes nearly 90 minutes longer at 55. So even if going 55 would let you get there without stopping, while75 would require a charge stop - your charge stop isn't going to be 90 minutes.

Did this spreadsheet take towing into account, or just driving? I was more thinking about things from the towing perspective in my hypothetical.

 

[waitingonanr1s]

Nice writeup and impressive that you made it in less than 24 hours. Do you happen to know what ABRP predicted the total travel time to be? Or the trip planner in the Rivian app when that trailer is selected?

I had trouble getting ABRP to produce a reasonable trip plan with the trailer - since you have to manually provide it a mi/kwh efficiency rate to calculate (at least thats the only way I could figure out to do it).

I don't recall what Rivian said the total travel time would be, but it was not accurate at all. It seemed to cap speed at 65 mph or something like that, since I was shaving at least 10 minutes off its estimated arrival times on every leg.

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