Towing Spy Shot - R1T Tows ATC Trailer

[Bumble1978]

I've extensively towed a tall 3500lb trailer behind a Model Y. I saw a 30-40% range hit in a variety of conditions (freeway, country highway, mountains, extreme heat). This was the max rated tow weight and tongue weight for the Y.

Based on that, for the R1T I am fairly confident in the 50% number as "worst case," assuming reasonable speed and not extensive hill climbing etc. Of course losses are additive so you won't make it very far towing towing an 11,000 lb parachute-shaped trailer at 85mph up a 40% grade in the snow. But 50% seems reasonable for a box at roughly the max rated tow on flat ground at reasonable speeds (probably 55-65mph).

The trolls who keep asking for "the facts" are chasing a red herring. There is never going to be a single definitive towing number (or even curve) that applies to most circumstances with any specificity. Aerodynamics of the trailer, loading, tires, number of axles, speed, surface, grade, etc. are all huge variables and it would be insane to expect Rivian to do that just to appease a few grouses on the forum.

The fact that Rivian gives a "50%" number is more than any other manufacturer offers and is a surprisingly candid rule of thumb. For any more specificity than that, you'll have you opportunity to load up your pitchforks with anecdotes soon enough.

It makes me giddy knowing people are out there towing with the Y. I was excited enough when I first saw folks towing with an X.

Saying you got the camp kitchen and Tent on the R1T all anyone really needs to tow is a shovel or a porta-potty. ???

You know there's gonna be a photo/video of that about 18 months from now...an R1T cruising down a remote two-lane somewhere hauling a Honey Bucket. ?

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[Driveout]

Check out this future design for aero and weight...

 

[Zoidz]

It seems to me that asking range questions is fair game. Real world numbers can obviously differ greatly from the info the mfg puts out. Everyone understands you will get less range while towing but understanding how much less based on real world examples is very helpful to those considering purchasing a 80K truck. Obviously, that information isn't available right now since no one has their trucks but it should be soon.

It's a fair question, and it's been answered. People don't want to accept the answer.

 

[cmugler]

I have a 1948 curtis wright clipper that I tow behind a bmw X5 diesel, trailer is 22' weights 2000 pounds, extremely aerodynamic and without towing I get 30 mpg and when towing it only drops down to 26 mpg, hoping to get similar results with Rivian but would be happy with a 30% reduction

 

[carl]

Now if someone would just develop a trailer system for extending the battery pack of the attached vehicle (regardless of manufacturer) you could in theory bypass the car/truck's battery pack and deplete the trailers supplemental battery pack. This way when you get to your destination the car/truck is partially or fully charged and you leave the trailer (camp site, boat launch, etc) and have a vehicle for errands or excursion trips.

This is exactly what I said in one of my other posts/topics. In the next few years I think we'll 20-100kWh battery options either as add-ons or already built in to the trailer. It would open up the possibilities on range, but also how long you could really stay off the grid in remote areas. Even if your car wasn't running off of that battery, you could still use it to "fill" up the car a bit, not to mention supplying the glamper with all the power you would ever need.
Plus you add some simple motors to the trailer wheels and you can move it around in tight places with out a car.

 

[crashmtb]

Now if someone would just develop a trailer system for extending the battery pack of the attached vehicle (regardless of manufacturer) you could in theory bypass the car/truck's battery pack and deplete the trailers supplemental battery pack. This way when you get to your destination the car/truck is partially or fully charged and you leave the trailer (camp site, boat launch, etc) and have a vehicle for errands or excursion trips.

https://www.alko-tech.com/en/trailer-platform

 

[kdcold]

This appears to be a wrapped R1T, with a white front panel. Implies it is a pre-Launch truck, right?

 

[godfodder0901]

This appears to be a wrapped R1T, with a white front panel. Implies it is a pre-Launch truck, right?

Yes.

 

[carl]

https://www.alko-tech.com/en/trailer-platform

Now we're talking! It has all the features/advantages I was talking about in my other post https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...-as-opposed-to-plug-in-hybrid.2167/post-57725, but clearly I can't take any credit for the ideas since they are much further along. Should be interesting to see how this progresses.

Gotta love technology!

 

[ironpig]

I plan on towing my small horse trailer locally. I configured my R1T with Offroad tires so I'm already down to theoretically 266 miles of range to start. And then if I'm really conservative maybe it's knocks out 40% of my range. SO I'm down to about 160 miles of range which is plenty for what I need to do. I don't tow long distances luckily.

 

[SeaGeo]

You know what would be great is if Rivian released reference data for range of different trailers that they've tested. They've obviously pulled around at least a handful of different trailers. Share that info with a picture of it hooked up to the R1T, it's size, weight when towed, and overall so people can at least get some context and estimate "hey, I have a small boat, and Rivian got 220 miles of range with something similar" or "hey, that big ass brick that I have resulted in 30 miles of range for the R1T (obviously exaggerating).

 

[Temerarius]

You know what would be great is if Rivian released reference data for range of different trailers that they've tested. They've obviously pulled around at least a handful of different trailers. Share that info with a picture of it hooked up to the R1T, it's size, weight when towed, and overall so people can at least get some context and estimate "hey, I have a small boat, and Rivian got 220 miles of range with something similar" or "hey, that big ass brick that I have resulted in 30 miles of range for the R1T (obviously exaggerating).

It would be better to use that data in the UI as well to help project your range.

Put it in Tow/Haul mode, enter in the rough weight of the trailer, and pick from a few general shapes/sizes... kinda like what Ford is doing with the F150.

 

[SeaGeo]

It would be better to use that data in the UI as well to help project your range.

Put it in Tow/Haul mode, enter in the rough weight of the trailer, and pick from a few general shapes/sizes... kinda like what Ford is doing with the F150.

Agreed. I had the same thought. And who knows, maybe they're planning on doing something similar. I was mostly focusing on having some more context available for people to understand as they're considering the truck would also be really helpful.

 

[ironpig]

Agreed. I had the same thought. And who knows, maybe they're planning on doing something similar. I was mostly focusing on having some more context available for people to understand as they're considering the truck would also be really helpful.

I think they have to be careful right now until they have enough data. I have talked to several pre-order holders who didn't even realize that getting their truck with the 20inch Offroad tires reduces their range by 15%. So managing expectations is very important at launch.

 

[SeaGeo]

I think they have to be careful right now until they have enough data. I have talked to several pre-order holders who didn't even realize that getting their truck with the 20inch Offroad tires reduces their range by 15%. So managing expectations is very important at launch.

Yeah, that doesn't make sense to me. They've released and communicated the 20" range reduction surprisingly well in my opinion. Currently they just say towing will reduce range "by up to 50%." Which doesn't help them, and makes a lot of people assume that towing a pair of jetskis is going to cut their range in half.

There are plenty of ways to manage expectations, one of which is being transparent and giving some contexts. I also guarantee they have a decent amount of data to at least provide some ballpark values. Leave a disclaimer that says ymmv if they're concerned.

note: I don't personally plan on towing, but they've clearly done a bunch of testing in different environments towing or not, and it'd be great if they'd share it in some way to help set expectations for people.

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