5,012 mile journey with a teardrop trailer

[Calypso]

Part 1 - Intro

We just completed a 5012-mile trip with our 2023 gen 1 dual motor R1T (Meili – Norse god of travel) pulling a Vistabule teardrop trailer from Boston to western Colorado and back. It was an exceptional trip and our only regret is that we did not have more time to explore Colorado. It was a trip where getting there was definitely a key part of the journey.

The 15-day trip included 10 nights camping (5 in state parks, 3 in KOAs, and 2 in RV parks) and 4 nights at our son’s house in Denver.

While many others have posted excellent reviews of trailering with their Rivians, I’m adding my mix of technical details and observations on this journey.

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[Calypso]

Part 2 - Stats

Overall, with our trailer that shows as 2000 lb to the R1T, we averaged 1.66 mi/kWh. We saw efficiency vary from roughly 1.25 mi/kWh on the interstate when we had strong head winds and were on I-90 and I-76 gaining elevation across Nebraska and Colorado to >1.8 mi/kWh on flat to rolling terrain without much wind. Wind resistance due to truck speed and head winds were the biggest factors. On the 146-mile segment from North Platte, NE to Sterling, CO, the estimated SOC on arrival was progressively decreasing when driving the posted 70-75 mph. Dropping to 65 mph stabilized and added range back. It was a case of going slow was faster since it meant we got there. Going over Monarch Pass in CO was less impactful on range than I expected. Likely due to the combination of less efficiency going up but some regeneration going back down. We generally found the estimated range to be very close to actual.

With the Rivian navigation, I would plan the next 2 days (to ensure I had enough charge that night to get to the first stop the next day) in the Rivian app and send it to the truck. Each day I’d repeat for the next 2 days.

We had 56 paid charging stops and were able to hook up at 8 of the 10 nights camped. I set preferred networks in the Rivian navigation for RAN, Tesla, and EVgo. I also had planned ahead of the trip with ABRP, but despite entering the expected mi/kWh for our small trailer, it planned unreasonably short distances between charging stops. During the trip, I pulled up ABRP for one longer section (Des Moines to Omaha) and it said I could not get there with the available SOC, when I definitely did make it.

Charging Stops:

Network	Count​
Tesla	37​
Rivian	8​
camped	8​
EVgo	2​
ChargePoint	1​
Total	56​

For the paid stops, stats were:

	mean​	min​	max​
kWh	56​		98​
minutes to charge	27​		61​
$/kWh	$0.41​	$0.30​	$0.73​

With the Tesla membership and using the Tesla app to initiate charging sessions, the Tesla average was $0.36/kWh (0.30-0.39). There were 6 stops where the Rivian grabbed the Tesla station via plug & charge despite my trying to initiate from the Tesla app and we were charged the non-member rate (average $0.42, 0.34-0.52). After paying the $13 Tesla membership for the month, we saved $213 vs using plug & charge at Tesla stations. EVgo was the most expensive. RAN chargers averaged $0.47/kWh (0.37-0.55).

Our charging experience in campgrounds was variable. Some power pedestals were 50A/30A and a few 30A only. Some campgrounds specifically prohibited EV charging (notably KOA). Even with setting the max amps in the truck to 32A on the 50A circuits, we had one trip the breaker in a night of rain and another overheated the pedestal to trip the breaker. These pedestals were not designed with the constant current draw of an EV in mind.

Still, we added 366 kWh to the battery during overnight camps. Based on the average per kWh cost of $0.41 for the trip, that’s $150 saved.

Comparing the total cost of charging on the road ($1150) and the average cost/gal for premium gas ($4.05) that our prior vehicle used, we would have to get better than 18 mpg pulling the trailer to match or beat the cost of using the Rivian. We typically got 16-18 mpg with the prior vehicle and the same trailer – so that’s a win for Rivian. Plus, in the mountains, the power of the Rivian far exceeded what our prior vehicle could have done.

 

[Calypso]

Part 3 - Trailers and Charging

We had to disconnect the trailer at 30-40% of charging stops. We are lucky to have a small, light trailer that we can push around if needed. A nit that I have is that when the trailer is connected to the truck, it does a good job of indicating what target SOC and miles to charge to. However, if you drop the trailer, it estimates this based on the truck without a trailer. I frequently forgot to note the target before dropping the trailer and then then had to pull up my calculator app to estimate the target SOC needed for the next stop.

Some Tesla stations are not trailer friendly at all. An example is the new gen 4 station at Willington, CT that has a 2-lane entrance, a tight 180-degree turn to enter, and a confined charger area with no place to drop a trailer or turn around once inside. On top of that, it is a busy station. After getting to a charger, we had to drop and push the trailer aside to not block traffic.

Photo from PlugShare

Most Tesla stations still have the single row layout and many were mostly empty, allowing us to pull in at angles or even straight in if we wouldn’t block access:

Bridgeton, MO

Bettendorf, IA

Abilene, KS

The RAN charger in Salida, CO has a great pull-through charger next to a grocery store.

On one of our stops in Salida, an entire class of early grade schoolers passed on the creek trail riding mountain bikes with their teachers. Pretty cool.

In Montrose, CO, they have the typical RAN setup with 1 pull-through and 5 pull-in chargers. On the morning of our departure from there, the pull-through was occupied by a Ford ICE truck with a trailer. As I connected to one of the pull-ins and was about to drop the trailer to not block traffic, the son of the woman who parked it came out and moved it when I asked. That was the only “confrontation” we had all trip, and a minor one at that.

 

[Calypso]

Part 4 - Campgrounds

My preference for campgrounds is national or state park, followed by KOA and then private RV parks. We weren’t in close proximity to national parks at nights for this trip, but did find 3 state parks (in PA, IN, and IA) near the interstate during our cross country drive and as a destination in Ridgway, CO.

State Parks

Rock Creek State Park, Kellogg, IA: We had 15-20 mph winds blowing off the lake all night.

Ridgway State Park, Ridgway, CO: A gorgeous park in the mountains. We had a mix of storms blow through and even got a double rainbow.
View attachment 142615

KOA and Private RV Parks

Many of these are like staying at a budget motel. Your neighbor is VERY close and you may be only 100 yards off the interstate. But, they serve a purpose and offer convenience. In the evening, most of the people with large trailers and RVs remained inside. With our teardrop, we cooked and ate outside. Still, we met a number of great people walking about and shared stories of our adventures. We coincidentally travelled in parallel with one couple across 3 nights from western Kansas to Indianapolis.

The Greenfield KOA outside Indy was quite fancy with night lighting, a pool, cabins and glamping.

The Wesfield (NY) KOA east of Erie, PA is also a short walk to Lake Erie:

On our last day of travel, timing brought us to a 7pm stop at Tree House Brewing in Charlton. An excellent dinner break and end of the trip before the final 90 miles home.

We are eager to plan the next adventure.

 

[Hauser37]

Love this. Thanks for the info! Pics are great and love the trailer.

 

[TempusReaper]

Amazing info and beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing!

 

[mblist]

What a fantastic summary. I love it

 

[Robin]

Part 4 - Campgrounds

My preference for campgrounds is national or state park, followed by KOA and then private RV parks. We weren’t in close proximity to national parks at nights for this trip, but did find 3 state parks (in PA, IN, and IA) near the interstate during our cross country drive and as a destination in Ridgway, CO.

State Parks

Rock Creek State Park, Kellogg, IA: We had 15-20 mph winds blowing off the lake all night.

Ridgway State Park, Ridgway, CO: A gorgeous park in the mountains. We had a mix of storms blow through and even got a double rainbow.
View attachment 142615

KOA and Private RV Parks

Many of these are like staying at a budget motel. Your neighbor is VERY close and you may be only 100 yards off the interstate. But, they serve a purpose and offer convenience. In the evening, most of the people with large trailers and RVs remained inside. With our teardrop, we cooked and ate outside. Still, we met a number of great people walking about and shared stories of our adventures. We coincidentally travelled in parallel with one couple across 3 nights from western Kansas to Indianapolis.

The Greenfield KOA outside Indy was quite fancy with night lighting, a pool, cabins and glamping.

The Wesfield (NY) KOA east of Erie, PA is also a short walk to Lake Erie:

On our last day of travel, timing brought us to a 7pm stop at Tree House Brewing in Charlton. An excellent dinner break and end of the trip before the final 90 miles home.

We are eager to plan the next adventure.

Awesome photos and journey

 

[DayTripping]

Thanks for the write-up. I am jealous. Love the trailer and wish I could talk my wife into one.

 

[TahoeTexan]

Amazing road trip, especially with ending at Tree House!

 

[CampfireWisdom]

Thank you for the inspiration; both in stats and imagery.

 

[md2023]

Part 4 - Campgrounds

My preference for campgrounds is national or state park, followed by KOA and then private RV parks. We weren’t in close proximity to national parks at nights for this trip, but did find 3 state parks (in PA, IN, and IA) near the interstate during our cross country drive and as a destination in Ridgway, CO.

State Parks

Rock Creek State Park, Kellogg, IA: We had 15-20 mph winds blowing off the lake all night.

Ridgway State Park, Ridgway, CO: A gorgeous park in the mountains. We had a mix of storms blow through and even got a double rainbow.
View attachment 142615

KOA and Private RV Parks

Many of these are like staying at a budget motel. Your neighbor is VERY close and you may be only 100 yards off the interstate. But, they serve a purpose and offer convenience. In the evening, most of the people with large trailers and RVs remained inside. With our teardrop, we cooked and ate outside. Still, we met a number of great people walking about and shared stories of our adventures. We coincidentally travelled in parallel with one couple across 3 nights from western Kansas to Indianapolis.

The Greenfield KOA outside Indy was quite fancy with night lighting, a pool, cabins and glamping.

The Wesfield (NY) KOA east of Erie, PA is also a short walk to Lake Erie:

On our last day of travel, timing brought us to a 7pm stop at Tree House Brewing in Charlton. An excellent dinner break and end of the trip before the final 90 miles home.

We are eager to plan the next adventure.

Part 1 - Intro

We just completed a 5012-mile trip with our 2023 gen 1 dual motor R1T (Meili – Norse god of travel) pulling a Vistabule teardrop trailer from Boston to western Colorado and back. It was an exceptional trip and our only regret is that we did not have more time to explore Colorado. It was a trip where getting there was definitely a key part of the journey.

The 15-day trip included 10 nights camping (5 in state parks, 3 in KOAs, and 2 in RV parks) and 4 nights at our son’s house in Denver.

While many others have posted excellent reviews of trailering with their Rivians, I’m adding my mix of technical details and observations on this journey.

Thanks for sharing. Sounds like an awesome trip. And great last stop at Tree House. Hope you had some room in the trailer to stock up.

 

[Dark-Fx]

15 days to put on more miles than I have on my R1S since March. Nice trip and summary.

 

[CO-rayman]

Thanks for sharing! Beautiful pictures.

I am shocked at how great your consumption numbers were.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

Absolutely a super positive read for my Monday morning! I'm now in the garage looking at my truck and thinking, where can we go?

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