Towing + Efficiency: Please post your experience!

[mblist]

I have an Airstream Basecamp X. I drive a Gen 1 Quad with the large pack. My travels have been in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana. Elevation from 5’ to 8,883’. I usually drive between 55 and 60.
Here are the results.

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[mblist]

I have an Airstream Basecamp X. I drive a Gen 1 Quad with the large pack. My travels have been in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana. Elevation from 5’ to 8,883’. I usually drive between 55 and 60.
Here are the results.

The 300 miles is a bit optimistic

 

[Indy avocado]

The 300 miles is a bit optimistic

300 / 1.41 = 212kWh. Must have done a battery swap with a Silverado EV.

 

[schlosrat]

300 / 1.41 = 212kWh. Must have done a battery swap with a Silverado EV.

Could it be that the range reflects the fact that the screen also says "No trailer connected"? If so, I'd say it may be a bug. What would happen if you plugged in your trailer? Would the range then decrease to what it may be with the trailer?

Any way you slice it, 300 miles is more than optimistic if you're getting 1.41 mi/kWh!

 

[mblist]

If memory serves correctl, I think it still says the same thing when the trailer is plugged in. The Nav system is fairly accurate though. I drive for around 2 hours or so before charging which suits me well as both the dogs and I have to pee.

 

[antimatter]

We decided to upgrade our RV from our InTech Flyer Explore to an InTech Sol Dusk. Basically, I'm not doing motorcycle track days anymore, and so I don't need a toy hauler. That, and we wanted a bathroom and a king-sized bed. The Dusk fit the bill, so we started looking for one. The Dusk came out in 2024, so there weren't many used models to be found. We noticed a 2025 (last year) model for sale in Billings, Montana and I decided to got get it and tow it back with my '23 R1T.

So, I charged up to 100% Thursday night, and left home at 5 AM. I took I-94 up to Fargo, ND, then across North Dakota to Glendive, MT, then turning southwest to MIles City and then Billings. I used a combination of Tesla and Electrify America on the way out, and running 75 MPH in MN and 80 MPH in ND & MT netted me 1.46 miles per kWh. Temps started at 7 F, and rose as I got closer to Montana, ending up at 25 F when I got to Billings. I didn't have any issues with charging on the way out.

I spent the night in Billings (the RV place I was buying from comped me a hotel room), and decided to charge up to 90% before going over to pick up the trailer. With finance, trailer walkthrough, and the dealership re-winterizing the Dusk, I didn't get out of the dealership untll noon. I decided to top up to 100% before leaving Billings, as the first leg of the return trip from the Tesla Charger in Billings to the EA station in MIles City is 139 miles. I was pretty sure I could make it, so I decided to leave at 97% as the truck was charging very slowly. I started out at 60 mph, but ended up slowing down to 55 mph to make sure I'd make it. I arrived at Miles City with 5% charge remaining, got plugged in recharged.

I won't bore you with the rest of the trip - here's a quick table showing the distance, efficiency and energy I charged up to. Some of the charging is more than I need to get to the next town, mostly because I would sleep in the back seat of the truck while charging.

Billings MT - MIles City, MT: 138 miles, 1.13 mi/kWh, added 111.6909 kWh(EA)
MIles City MT - Glendive MT: 75.1 miles, 0.89 mi/kWh, added 98.2131 (EA)
Glendive - Dickinson MT: 96.8 miles, 0.99 mi/kWh, added 120.2753 (Tesla)
Dickinson - Bismarck ND: 98.5 miles, 0.91 mi/kWh, added 129.0202 (EA)
Bismarck - Jamestown ND: 101.6 miles, 0.89 mi/kWh, added 126.8679 (EA)
Jamestown - Fargo ND: 91.8 miles, 0.76 mi/kWh, added 108.9677 (Tesla)
Fargo - Fergus Falls, MN: 59.7 miles, 0.87 mi/kWh, added 40.4137 (Tesla)
Fergus Falls - Alexandria, MN: 49.8 miles, 0.93 mi/kWh, added 96.5812 (Tesla)
Alexandria-Monticello, MN: 91.7 miles, 1.00 mi/kWh, added 38.9614 (Tesla)

That was enough to get me home to Maple Grove. Overall, on the way back I got 0.97 miles per kWh. Total cost for the trip was $540.25 in charging, with Tesla & EA memberships. I'm aticipating getting around 1.0 - 1.1 miles per kWh once the weather warms up.

 

[Captblue]

803 miles, cost you $540. In comparison a ICE truck would be around $200-$250. And save you at least 4 hours of road trip. Electric truck for towing works if you can stay within a 150 radius from your home and charge at home. Otherwise is terrible. R1T is a beautiful, awesome truck for everything else.

 

[VandalSibs]

803 miles, cost you $540. In comparison a ICE truck would be around $200-$250. And save you at least 4 hours of road trip. Electric truck for towing works if you can stay within a 150 radius from your home and charge at home. Otherwise is terrible. R1T is a beautiful, awesome truck for everything else.

Or maybe they balance it out with the fact that charging your truck outside of these big trips is so much cheaper that you're still ahead overall?

I'm also curious as to what gas costs you used and towing gas milage got you to your numbers.

 

[emoore]

803 miles, cost you $540. In comparison a ICE truck would be around $200-$250. And save you at least 4 hours of road trip. Electric truck for towing works if you can stay within a 150 radius from your home and charge at home. Otherwise is terrible. R1T is a beautiful, awesome truck for everything else.

If you don't want to tow with an EV that's up to you. Others don't mind towing with their EV and that's ok. Doesn't make EV towing "not work".

 

[antimatter]

803 miles, cost you $540. In comparison a ICE truck would be around $200-$250. And save you at least 4 hours of road trip. Electric truck for towing works if you can stay within a 150 radius from your home and charge at home. Otherwise is terrible. R1T is a beautiful, awesome truck for everything else.

This is true. I got a real dose of reality at 3 AM when a diesel truck pulling a big box trailer blew by me at 75 mph. But, I only tow a few weekends out of the year, and the rest of the time my truck gets used for commuting and running errands - tasks for which it excels.

 

[antimatter]

Or maybe they balance it out with the fact that charging your truck outside of these big trips is so much cheaper that you're still ahead overall?

I'm also curious as to what gas costs you used and towing gas milage got you to your numbers.

They're pretty close - I did note gas costs when I was charging just as a point of comparison. My spreadsheet shows it would have cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $315 for the trip. The lowest price I saw was in Fargo ND at $2.16 per gallon. Highest was Monticell MN at $2.85. I think I used 13 mpg, which is what my Ridgeline used to get pulling our old camper.

 

[Captblue]

I tow every 2 wheels or so. With my R1t if not in a hurry and not far. With my Chevy HD2500, ( gas) I get 13mpg. Full tank of gas~ $120. I get 350+ miles ( east coast) mostly flat. ( that’s how I came up with those numbers).

 

[Goose]

I traded my '24 Toyota Sequoia in for a '23 R1T quad motor with only 8000 miles about 3 weeks ago. There were a lot of reason for the switch, but I will just say that I will never own another American made Toyota (I owned a 4Runner for almost 13 years).

Now that the weather in NC is finally warming up, I decided to hit up a local lake this Saturday. My boat is a 20'11" Egret Moccasin 210 with a Mercury 250 ProXS 4 stroke, it rolls on a RamLin single axle all aluminum trailer. The Rivian bounced around estimating the weight between 2000 and 3000lbs. My napkin math says the combo should be around 2800lbs, but I've never been to a weigh station. I only had a short tow this trip with mostly back roads, but the R1T estimates 200 miles on a full charge. I hope that's accurate, I need to be able to make a 150 miles tow from Raleigh to Wilmington.

 

[VandalSibs]

Might be a bit iffy - but there is a Tesla Supercharger between those two cites on I-40, and an EV Connect station on US 421 that could help out.

 

[Goose]

Might be a bit iffy - but there is a Tesla Supercharger between those two cites on I-40, and an EV Connect station on US 421 that could help out.

Yeah, I know about 2 superchargers on 40 headed that way. I’m just hoping to avoid charging while towing. It’s only 150 miles and the boat is light and kind of aerodynamic. I’m hoping if I just slow down to between 65-70mph I can make it just fine.

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