Rivian R1T in World’s Toughest Towing Test on Ike Gauntlet [by TFL]

[Gabe1aron]

Many comments have been made about the lack of energy regained before this video came out. I also wondered why they didn't regain more energy via regen. It is mentioned that the brake pedal was not touched during the decent however the brake lights came on as they should when decelerating(most if not all EVs do this). I wonder if the trailer brakes are actually activating when this occurs. That could explain why they didn't recoup more energy along with possible thermal management of the battery. Paying attention to the charging, it appears that the BMS is certainly in its infancy.

@TFLtommy Did the trailer brake stay set at 5 for the entire test?

I was thinking the same thing. They should have turned the gain all the way down on the trailer brakes to inhibit the trailer from using it's friction brakes. Although that could have been a bit dangerous and contribute to jackknifing if they had to slam on the brakes quickly

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[moosehead]

^Educated guess is that if the tow vehicle’s brake lights illuminate even during regen, that the 7-pin electronically engages trailer braking. It is an electronic signal, not hydraulic or surge brake activated. For safety reasons, I would hope that is the case.

 

[COdogman]

To the above, I don't think people realize how incredibly expensive & labor intensive it is to install & maintain a 150kw charger, let alone a 350kw charger. While it might seem convenient to an EV owner, a gas station is absolutely making more money more easily by selling gas.

Saturation of EVs would have to be well over 10% to make it economically viable to swap space you can use to sell gas for electricity and you'd have to charge just an absurd amount for the electricity.

It is expensive, but there are also some pretty generous tax credits for businesses that install commercial chargers.
https://evbox.com/us-en/learn/rebates/federal-tax-credit-30

 

[the long way downunder]

^Educated guess is that if the tow vehicle’s brake lights illuminate even during regen, that the 7-pin electronically engages trailer braking. It is an electronic signal, not hydraulic or surge brake activated. For safety reasons, I would hope that is the case.

Definitely – Tesla does the same thing. When the rate of deceleration by regen reaches some threshold, the brake lights come on even though the friction brakes are not engaging.

 

[moosehead]

Definitely – Tesla does the same thing. When the rate of deceleration by regen reaches some threshold, the brake lights come on even though the friction brakes are not engaging.

That’s interesting - is it the deceleration rate (GPS?) rather than the brake light fires up the trailer brakes via the actuator?

 

[moosetags]

I don’t have much towing experience but if I understand this correctly, I can see people keeping trailer break at lower settings and use the roller to pump it up when things get dicey.



The difference is that towing in summer makes it even more challenging to keep the battery cool. We may need another test in July.



It would be very interesting to see how that develops over time. For gas stations that don’t get much business it makes a lot of sense. It would be additional source of revenue that helps them sell food and snacks too since EV drivers have more time to kill. However for a busy gas station with limited land, they have to make that electricity very expensive to make economic sense; letting a Rivian sit there for an hour should be as profitable as 10 F150 ICE going through.

If I had a gas station, I would make sure, I have the fastest charging available earlier than everyone else. I wouldn’t be surprised if cost per KWh increase at slower charge rate especially at busy times
to encourage you get out of there and open up the space for the next EV. If that happens, it may push manufactures to improve their charging curve even more.



Really interested in your Experience after you get your R1. Did you order a Max pack?
Also would you tow with R1S and it’s inflatable spare?

As it turns out, our son, Michael, has an R1S Launch Edition that he is scheduled for delivery in April/May, 2022. We will have some time to tow the Airstream with his R1S. We will report on how it does.

SuEllyn and Brian

 

[Harvest]

One thing I haven't seem much comment on is Tommy's remark that he couldn't keep up in the Ram pickup when the Rivian accelerated on the short-free way ramp up to 60 mph. Trying to accelerate is normally a real challenge in a gas truck when hauling a heavy trailer. Accelerating to get on a freeway, accelerating to pass. It can be glacial if it's a heavy trailer. It's great to see all the torque and horsepower the Rivian has making it a piece of cake to accelerate, even dragging an 8000 pound trailer. That's very impressive!

 

[the long way downunder]

That’s interesting - is it the deceleration rate (GPS?) rather than the brake light fires up the trailer brakes via the actuator?

I imagine they use the vehicle accelerometer (also used for stability control.)
The software changed years ago because Teslas were getting rear-ended.
I assume the software lights the brake lights, but doesn't actuate the trailer brakes.
I don't know how the trailer stability control works. In Tesla and Ford, it's independent application of the left and right rear brakes on the vehicle to arrest sway. I don't know if that system also has the ability to actuate trailer brakes to mitigate incipient fishtail / jackknife oscillations (but it should.)

 

[chicagoair]

As it turns out, our son, Michael, has an R1S Launch Edition that he is scheduled for delivery in April/May, 2022. We will have some time to tow the Airstream with his R1S. We will report on how it does.

SuEllyn and Brian

Nice to see you in another corner of the internet, very curious to hear how the R1S does with Lucy in tow. We plan to tow our 19 foot Airstream with our R1T Max Pack and eagerly await some real world numbers.

We try not to tow more than 400 miles a day and think the charge stops will be manageable.

 

[moosetags]

Nice to see you in another corner of the internet, very curious to hear how the R1S does with Lucy in tow. We plan to tow our 19 foot Airstream with our R1T Max Pack and eagerly await some real world numbers.

We try not to tow more than 400 miles a day and think the charge stops will be manageable.

it's nice to see another AirForums member here also waiting for a Rivian tow vehicle. We are very hopeful that it will work for Lucy. Having Lucy with us during EV charge sessions will give us a place to have a snack or take a nap.

Brian

 

[the long way downunder]

it's nice to see another AirForums member here also waiting for a Rivian tow vehicle. We are very hopeful that it will work for Lucy. Having Lucy with us during EV charge sessions will give us a place to have a snack or take a nap.

Brian

it's nice to see another AirForums member here also waiting for a Rivian tow vehicle. We are very hopeful that it will work for Lucy. Having Lucy with us during EV charge sessions will give us a place to have a snack or take a nap.

Brian

What does the Airstream enthusiast community think of the Airstream for EVs?

p.s. I like the idea of plugging in at a 200-300kW charger and just going into the trailer to sleep/relax/work/meal and not care if charging the 200kWh tow vehicle (plus the trailer itself?) takes an hour or more.

 

[E.S.]

What does the Airstream enthusiast community think of the Airstream for EVs?

p.s. I like the idea of plugging in at a 200-300kW charger and just going into the trailer to sleep/relax/work/meal and not care if charging the 200kWh tow vehicle (plus the trailer itself?) takes an hour or more.

It is interesting, especially for those that want a "camping" option other than the Yakima tent. I'd still like to see a trailer specifically tailored to using regen braking to augment an EV's own regen braking to add even more energy return to the vehicle for people that want to have a tow trailer option and not have it bogged down by the significant weight additional battery storage will add.

 

[moosetags]

The Airstream Community (airforums.com) is generally excited about using EVs as tow vehicles. There are already some Airstreamers who are using EVs to tow their Airstreams. There is also some buzz about the "E-Stream".

Brian

 

[Revo]

One thing I haven't seem much comment on is Tommy's remark that he couldn't keep up in the Ram pickup when the Rivian accelerated on the short-free way ramp up to 60 mph. Trying to accelerate is normally a real challenge in a gas truck when hauling a heavy trailer. Accelerating to get on a freeway, accelerating to pass. It can be glacial if it's a heavy trailer. It's great to see all the torque and horsepower the Rivian has making it a piece of cake to accelerate, even dragging an 8000 pound trailer. That's very impressive!

Don't short the R1T, that's 8100 lbs...to you sir lol ???

 

[EarlyAdptr]

@moosehead and others:

I'm relatively new to towing - I have a 6,500 pound boat I tow a short distance 2 times a year (in/out of storage and water). Nothing crazy, and not very far. The trailer is brake system (as far as I know) is activated by the pressure of the weight of the trailer when the vehicle slows down (and the trailer moves closer to the vehicle). What's that called?

Anyway, I'm intrigued by this notion of a brake controller. Does every trailer have the ability to communicate with the vehicles brake controller - or only some (and the others have a mechanical braking system)? I have a brake controller in the used Sequoia I purchased, but never gave it much thought thinking it didn't do anything..... hmmm

Also, what is meant by "gain"? I get it's some sort of 'sensitivity' control - but exactly how should I think about it and the scale I can select from (e.g, is a 5 really half of 10, or is it not linear)?

Thanks in advance.

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