Driving R1T past 0% dead battery while towing 6x12 Trailer miss-hap

[loudOrange]

Well, being it's my first post here - let me begin with stating that this is by far and away my own error. With that said, there's a few worthy lessons and data points to share here so I figured I better post while certainly take some heat on.

April.15.2023
- Departed Whistler,BC with 100% charge on my 2023 R1T w/20" A/T and an empty 2018 6x12 Continental Tailwind trailer hooked up. Towing mode on.
- Total weight of R1T + Trailer [I drove it onto a scale] = 9,500lbs / 4313kg
- Destination Vancouver, BC = 130km's / 80 Miles [weather was above freezing and grew milder to 12degrees C in vancouver]
- Reading ~480km range estimated w/ Tow Mode [knew this would change once in motion]
- Arrive Vancouver with 260km estimated range [towing trailer impacted range by ~2X]
- Pickup a new Fridge [+265lbs] + Girlfriend + Dog + Items [200lbs] = 465lbs
- Drive back to Whistler; navigation says nope you will need a charge.
- Stop in Squamish, BC and plug into a 50kw mini fast charger for about 30mins and decide to leave with approximately 110km estimated in Tow Mode
- We had to sit parked for 40mins waiting to get on charger because an inconsiderate person stayed on it for 125minutes and left their car.
- Distance remaining to my house in Whistler = 60km s and we had 110KM Estimated Range in Tow Mode showing on the dash.

Believing I had now set myself up with a bit of battery buffer, we depart. The road from squamish to whistler is full of up hills and is a mountainous pass on a beautiful perfectly smooth highway. It did start to rain decently hard and my driving style was very grandma the whole way knowing I was aiming to conserve battery. Temps above freezing. We had normal A/C and heated seats w/music going to start...

Then it got interesting as we were climbing hills roughly halfway there the battery started dropping very quick and with roughly 40kms destination range on the journey the "you need to plug in because you will not make it" message displayed. Now the anxiety really sets in because there is no turning back and the nearest plug is beyond estimated range. A/C goes off and music heightening anxiety. We make it another short distance and I say f*ck it to the trailer - dropped it on the side of the road in record speed and aim for the nearest charger which is still beyond estimated distance.

With ~10kms distance to Whistler (google maps via phone) the "you must pull over battery is done sign" clicks on and speed is reduced [= about 60km/h] so we continue on and the battery gets to 0% and we hold our breath and keep pressing. We make it into Whistler Village Creekside and there is a very mild incline that the truck literally goes down to maybe 5km/h speed and we inch our way up this thing to enter a parkade which is supposed to have 3 chargers available. Someone was watching out for us because this truck pulled into the middle stall doing 1km/h snail crawl and it was open with two vehicles charging either side. The truck was basically shutting itself down as I plugged it in with the tightest butthole in town.

- So, we have well establish that beyond 2X distance reduction is expected especially with hills involved while towing a medium weight trailer.
- You can expect to see roughly 10kms of distance beyond 0% in an "emergency" scenario.
- I'm an idiot and should have stayed plugged into the squamish charger for an extra 15mins (so much for my etiquette and courteous course of action)
- I should/could have dropped the trailer sooner on the side of the road and perhaps made it to that charger.
- Once plugged in, it took 35-40minutes for the first 1KM of charge to transfer/register on the App (yikes)

Alas, we plugged her in for few hours on the 6.6kw charger... walked the dog, ate some good food. Then drove 10mins to a different 50kw fast charger and plugged in another 2 hours (ate more good food) then finally drove back down the highway 30mins and got the trailer and arrived home safely way later than expected with a few new grey hairs.

Hope you enjoyed this miss-hap that one can only blame themselves for - cheers.

Thanks +2 for sharing. i got this close last fall, in creep mode and thank goodness the charger was open and actually worked (NOT always the case).

My learnings after 21k miles...always always always leave 40 miles + in reserve. Hills, wind, gremlins, broken chargers, jerks (this is a family forums I'm being polite) leaving their EVs plugged in while they sleep/depart for parts unknown, they all happen. Spend the extra 5-20 minutes...your sphincter will be glad you did.

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[Truffle]

Love the story!

You should have stopped at the Electrify Canada Chargers (need the Electrify Canada app on your phone) in front of the London Drugs in Squamish. They don't currently show up on the Rivian's apps or Nav, so keep that in mind, but are in great locations along main travel corridors. They also charge around 140ish kW, which are currently the fastest I've come across due to the Rivians high amperage requests. Petro Canada seems to peak around 92-100kW, also not shown on the Rivian Nav.

Oh man, noted. I won't be bothering with that mini hydro charger - good looking out dude. I totally blanked on all those sick looking chargers in the bay there.. I usually just charge at my house so am still learning the "on-the-go" locations. Cheers

 

[Truffle]

Awesome story! I feel the pucker.

You should make that screenshot of 0% your avatar.

Best idea of the day - done!

 

[mindstormsguy]

Love the story!

You should have stopped at the Electrify Canada Chargers (need the Electrify Canada app on your phone) in front of the London Drugs in Squamish. They don't currently show up on the Rivian's apps or Nav, so keep that in mind, but are in great locations along main travel corridors. They also charge around 140ish kW, which are currently the fastest I've come across due to the Rivians high amperage requests. Petro Canada seems to peak around 92-100kW, also not shown on the Rivian Nav.

Wait, what? EC and PC are still not on the Rivian nav? I did a road trip through Canada last summer in my R1T, and they weren't in there, but I figured that's fine, they don't sell them here yet. (Actually, you couldn't even switch to metric units back then ). But the fact that they're still not in the nav yet sucks. That means no preconditioning in Canada, basically. I suppose you can fake-navigate to a 50kW charger to force preconditioning, but that isn't ideal.

 

[jakef801]

I had.a similar experience as yours (trailer dump and all), but wasn't as lucky (main reason we got screwed was because an EA station that showed as operable on EA app & Rivian was fenced off and down for repairs. Also, we had 50 mph headwinds on I-15 which cause the trailer to be a huge windsock). SLC, UT > SD, CA. Had to get a tow to a pos motel and stay for 24hrs on a 6.5kwh charger while we let a storm pass, which we were originally trying to beat. Seemed fine from there and got to SD. However, a few days later the truck was bricked and had to get it towed, again, to the SD SC. The SC told me that the brick was because of the run down to 0%. They had to do a full factory reset on the truck. Never again.

 

[kizamybute']

Having owned EV's for about 12 years now, I've always been ultra conservative. Even if I know I can make it, I still take the extra time. I live by a 75% rule. Always leaving at least 25% of buffer. And, there have been occasions where every ounce of that buffer ended up being needed. I don't like range anxiety. But, I remember one time going through the Arizona desert, the outside temperature plummeted quickly when the sun went down. Add that in to a massive desert head wind and I was beyond Zero miles remaining. Not a fun experience. And that was even with being conservative and leaving what I thought was a 25% buffer.

I talk to many who stretch it out to the last 3-4% every time. I don't have the stomach for that. Plus, too many unforeseen circumstances can arise. An unexpected detour. Head winds have a big impact. Temperature. Heavy traffic. etc, etc, etc.

It already takes way longer to charge than to stop quickly for gas. I've accepted that fact and clearly have been willing to sacrifice the extra time. Since I'm doing that already, another 10-15 minutes at the charger isn't really a big deal. Every time I try to cut it closer, I end up having to slow down to reach my destination, thus end up giving the 10-15 minutes right back by going slower. I charge it up, drive the way I want to and for the most part, except in extreme circumstances, don't worry about it and hardly ever have any range anxiety.

In the case of the OP, tried to save 15 minutes only to cost himself hours. Not being critical of the OP, but it's a good example that if you're willing to travel in an EV and spend the extra time necessary to charge, what's another 10-15 minutes? To be sure you don't have any issues.

Many should appreciate the OP sharing his experience. With many new EV owners, reading these posts can hopefully save you from having a bad experience.

Thanks to the OP for sharing.

 

[swhme]

First off-- what a beautiful place for this to happen! Whistler is jaw dropping

Secondly-- instead of dropping the trailer, why not turn around and head back to Squamish? I would imagine the extra weight pushing you back down the hill would have helped get you some extra regen juice and you could have made it back-- what do you think?

 

[Lawrence-of-Blaine]

Is it possible your dog weighs more than you thought?

Is it possible the girlfriend weighs more than you admitted to?

 

[Kacey3]

Closest I've gotten was 8% battery when we reached literally the only charger within 100 miles. I was puckered, but by the sounds of it, not nearly as puckered as you.

Glad you made it home safe and didn't have to leave the dog and girlfriend by the side of the road.

 

[Zoidz]

After reading this, I feel like I need a beer, and it's just after 9 AM.

Thanks for posting. This is why I am keeping my ICE truck. Twice a year I do a 160 mile boat tow. The last 35 miles are very hilly with a net increase of several thousand feet and no chargers for 50 miles. It's rural. I will have an L2 charger at the destination, but it's just cutting it too close for comfort. I'll tow with the Rivian, but only locally.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

Wait, what? EC and PC are still not on the Rivian nav? I did a road trip through Canada last summer in my R1T, and they weren't in there, but I figured that's fine, they don't sell them here yet. (Actually, you couldn't even switch to metric units back then ). But the fact that they're still not in the nav yet sucks. That means no preconditioning in Canada, basically. I suppose you can fake-navigate to a 50kW charger to force preconditioning, but that isn't ideal.

Yeah it's a bit weak considering what was in the app when it launched (late 2021) is basically all that's showing to this day. Odd considering their software development team is based in Yaletown. I was told they would start appearing soon, but no eta.

 

[Kacey3]

Wait, what? EC and PC are still not on the Rivian nav?

You definitely want to keep PlugShare and ABRP on hand to find chargers that haven't signed with Rivian to share data to the Nav. We never would have made it from Dallas to Colorado Springs without some additional chargers along the way.

 

[TheIglu]

That's why I bring my little 3kw inverter generator + adaptors with me whenever I tow for a long distance.

Sitting on the side of the road for a while with the generator humming along is better than sitting on the side of the road for a while waiting for a tow truck.

It's for emergencies only, but it'll do. Never had to use it, and I tow a lot. 6.5x14 extra tall dual axle enclosed trailer.

 

[1T2022]

stay venturous

 

[Truffle]

That's why I bring my little 3kw inverter generator + adaptors with me whenever I tow for a long distance.

Sitting on the side of the road for a while with the generator humming along is better than sitting on the side of the road for a while waiting for a tow truck.

It's for emergencies only, but it'll do. Never had to use it, and I tow a lot. 6.5x14 extra tall dual axle enclosed trailer.

this is interesting.. and something maybe worth considering, what make and models/parts did you go with to get this working out of curiosity .. anything you’d change or do differently if you re-purchased a setup?

And I really appreciate everyone actually posting some thoughtful feedback here.
I just asked my girlfriend if she took a dump that day so we had a proper dry weight - confirmed she’s still only 119lbs which is roughly equivalent to the dump I had to hold inside of me on the 0% drive

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