Four Electric Pickup Trucks Drove Coast-To-Coast. Here's How They Stack Up

[Miketz]

Let's be honest.....once GM gets access to the Tesla Supercharger network, this isn't even going to be a contest anymore.

Let's be honest.....once GM gets access to the Tesla Supercharger network, this isn't even going to be a contest anymore.

The only metrics that matters is the amount of time spent charging and the total distance traveled.

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[White Shadow]

The only metrics that matters is the amount of time spent charging and the total distance traveled.

Not exactly. You also have to consider that having to stop more for charging also introduces variables that waste time, such as leaving the highway and also hoping that you find an available and working charger. And also that you get a "good" charge rate, meaning pulling decent power every time you stop. A big battery just makes more sense for long road trips even if you spend more time at a charger.

 

[TexasBob]

If the difference in travel time between the top three is 35 minutes over 2,400+ miles, then charging speed on a road trip is no longer a relevant metric for these vehicles. One should choose a vehicle based on other factors and features.

 

[KRG]

The Rivian did not have access to the Supercharger Network either, so they still did well. Not sure what happened to the Lightening guys, guess we'll see. I watched part one; can't wait to see the rest of the trip.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Let's be honest.....once GM gets access to the Tesla Supercharger network, this isn't even going to be a contest anymore.

GM trucks don't charge very fast on 400V systems, their nominal voltage is low compared to Rivian.

 

[BigSkies]

Kyle was on a podcast last week and spoiled the results. The R1T was third and about 35 minutes slower than the winner. Top 2 were within 5 minutes of each other. The Lightning was last place and was ~5 hours behind. I can't remember which was the winner, but with just 5 minutes difference, and Kyle being extremely aggressive with his charging strategy for the Cybertruck -- he stopped 30 times to charge!! -- I think it's fair to call it a virtual tie between the CT and Chevy. Rivian very close behind, and if the drivers had been more aggressive with their charging, they might have been within minutes as well.

This is a cool test that factors in real world differences from charging speeds to charging networks to traffic and weather. I think these types of challenges are way more useful than online debates about charging curves and driving speeds.

I'm pleasantly surprised to see that the SuperCharger network wasn't a major difference in real-world outcomes.

I'm comfortable calling anything within a few hours a statistical tie for a trip this long.

But good god, they need to get better at summarizing and reporting information. I'm not going to watch multiple hours of Youtube to figure out what they're doing. This could be very relevant media if they could deliver it similar to how MotorTrend did the TransAmerica trail a few years back.

 

[Autolycus]

This is a cool test that factors in real world differences from charging speeds to charging networks to traffic and weather. I think these types of challenges are way more useful than online debates about charging curves and driving speeds.

I'm pleasantly surprised to see that the SuperCharger network wasn't a major difference in real-world outcomes.

I'm comfortable calling anything within a few hours a statistical tie for a trip this long.

But good god, they need to get better at summarizing and reporting information. I'm not going to watch multiple hours of Youtube to figure out what they're doing. This could be very relevant media if they could deliver it similar to how MotorTrend did the TransAmerica trail a few years back.

I'm sure they'll have a good summary video (or at least a summary in the final video) once they've released and gotten views from all of the full videos. But they've gotta get views for as many videos as they can, since it's how they pay for "races" like this.

 

[White Shadow]

GM trucks don't charge very fast on 400V systems, their nominal voltage is low compared to Rivian.

But they'll go twice the distance between charges. That's a big deal. Especially in adverse conditions and/or towing.

 

[emoore]

But they'll go twice the distance between charges. That's a big deal. Especially in adverse conditions and/or towing.

For towing I can see it being a big difference. I don't think it is for normal road tripping.

 

[FooF]

The only metrics that matters is the amount of time spent charging and the total distance traveled.

Not really charger reliability matters too. Home many times did the Rivian have to unplug and try another charger because the first or second charger did not work? If the Rivian had the nacs to ccs it probably would have won.

 

[Miketz]

Not really charger reliability matters too. Home many times did the Rivian have to unplug and try another charger because the first or second charger did not work? If the Rivian had the nacs to ccs it probably would have won.

True... but it should show up as additional charge time..

 

[White Shadow]

For towing I can see it being a big difference. I don't think it is for normal road tripping.

Towing for sure is a big difference. But it would make a difference to me for road tripping, especially those 4 hour drives to the lake house. With the range of the Silverado, it will easily get there without stopping to charge, even in the winter.

 

[emoore]

Towing for sure is a big difference. But it would make a difference to me for road tripping, especially those 4 hour drives to the lake house. With the range of the Silverado, it will easily get there without stopping to charge, even in the winter.

I can see a 4 hour trip to a lake house being a difference but that's a pretty specific case. In most road trips it's not going to make much of a difference to be able to go 300 miles or 400 or even 500 on a single charge. People have to stop at some point.

 

[Autolycus]

The Rivian did not have access to the Supercharger Network either, so they still did well. Not sure what happened to the Lightening guys, guess we'll see. I watched part one; can't wait to see the rest of the trip.

The Lightning has an extremely conservative charging curve. It peaks at 155kW-180kW a decent rate, but will only stay there for a maximum of 10 minutes. Outside of those 10 minutes -- which don't happen on every charging session because the "boost" is only available if certain conditions are present -- it charges at like 120kW the whole time up to 80%. There are charging sessions that are 120kW from 10% all the way to 80%.

Edit: It doesn't peak at a decent rate. It peaks at just 155kW on some chargers and only up to 170-180kW on more favorable chargers, and just for 10 minutes at even that.

See some recorded data on this here: https://insideevs.com/news/615115/ford-f150-lightning-charging-analysis/

 

[R1 EVY]

I can see a 4 hour trip to a lake house being a difference but that's a pretty specific case. In most road trips it's not going to make much of a difference to be able to go 300 miles or 400 or even 500 on a single charge. People have to stop at some point.

*Cough <my wife>

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