Electric Truck Tow Test: 2022 Rivian R1T vs. 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning | Towing with Electric Trucks

[@edmundscars]

Towing with an EV brings unprecedented torque, but it also brings range and charging complications. Would you tow with an EV? Let us know in the comments below.

[@D44rkFx]

Where's the "link below"? 16:12

[@randycrump5464]

Hell no. I can drive up to 800 miles non towing and 450 miles towing with my f150 5 liter engine, refill it in less than ten minutes, 2000# lighter than EV my vehicle cost far less, don't have to shell out another $10000+ to replace the battery. Just stay with the reliable gasoline or diesel engine that will get you there, back, and beyond at a far less cost. The EVs are a waste of money that are far more heavier, far less range, costlier and unreliable. Very bad investment.

[@jeffjdredpony798]

Absolutely not!! Why add any frustration to a trip by towing with an EV

[@robertm3951]

It kind of depends. 150 miles is more than enough for me but watching the headwinds affect the mileage gives me some doubts. It looks like Ford did an excellent job. The wind seems like the only thing not accounted for.

[@poplaurentiu4148]

@@randycrump5464 They just prove you wrong and it would be better to see on same distance how much a diesel have polluted at the costs of medical bills for pulmonary checks..

[@klossfam]

As a Lightning owner (who has also owned midsize trucks) a lot of the towing 'feel' advantage vs the Rivian is the longer wheelbase. Also the ride advantage. A great road trip vehicle as a near perfect highway ride. I already have over 23k miles since delivery on 6/9/22. Also an underrated fast charger. Peak I've seen is 183 and just sits at 125+ until 80%. A flat charge curve with decent speed is almost always the best for road tripping.

[@derrickmartin9717]

I love mine

[@mattbrew11]

I own 10 pros with small battery and max tow for my business. I fully agree. Even at the most base trim the ride is phenomenal

[@gixxergarry]

You were duped on that electric truck

[@klossfam]

@@gixxergarry Sorry you are so upset about Mother Tuckers firing

[@gixxergarry]

@@klossfam what?

[@skylerwilliams]

Great video. I do wish the drivers had switched trucks to provide a side by side comparison of towing experience & feel.

[@choiswimmer]

To note, Electrify america does not have an open api for companies to use to show how many people are at the station. Almost every other company shows this like EVGO, Chargepoint etc. It's a shame

[@anthonyc8499]

Taking the bass boat 50 miles out to the lake then 50 miles home is no problem. Saves money for the boat's Mercury outboard. Definitely wouldn't haul horses cross country though. Gotta use the right tool for the job.

[@2012bigPerm]

How does it save money?

[@ShoesArtwork]

"right tool for the job" that's a great way to put it

[@Bum_Hip]

@@2012bigPerm gas/diesel is hovering around $5 a gallon. Assuming a truck gets 20 mpg towing (that is a generous assumption) it would cost about $25 to tow a boat 100 miles round trip. In an electric truck it would cost somewhere around $5 or less I’d charging at home. Saves you $20 a trip.

[@combatoverride398]

@@Bum_Hiponly if you charge at home. On this trip, they were paying $0.50 per mile. Compare that to a truck getting 10mpg and paying $3.50 per gallon (current price in Fresno).

[@Bum_Hip]

@@combatoverride398 yep, things change over 4 months. That said, if one can't charge regularly at home, I don't think EV's are the way to go.

[@georgev5766]

So I was in the market for an EV about 5 months ago and narrowed it down to Mach E, Ioniq 5 and BMW i4. My friend who has a Tesla was telling me to be careful with the charging infrastructures bc they are not created equal and to test them on the test drive. Long story short, I now have a model 3. Yeah… it seems like everyone else is not ready for prime time. I found that out in February when I took a 1300 mile road trip and saw the reality of non-Tesla charging. Saw this Porsche Taycan waiting for 4 other vehicles in front of it to charge bc 2/6 chargers weren’t functional, meanwhile my side (Tesla) chargers 13/15 chargers were empty and functional. This happened in Orlando. It’s just not there folks.

[@Bum_Hip]

I understand that no drafting is part of the rules, but in the real world it just makes sense to do so. I do it in my EV when I’m getting even a little range anxiety. Nonetheless, this was a very informative video. 👍

[@aogozen]

Great vid! I had a Rivian but the low-built quality and constant noise coming from the front suspension made me sell it after 9 months of ownership (and 7 trips to the service center). That charger rage will be real soon at the charging stations. I just had a guy in a VW pushing his battery up to 97% and boy people waiting (including) myself was not happy campers especially since the other EA chargers were not working…so frustrating!

[@oldblueaccord2629]

Charge at home? Just an idea.

[@aogozen]

@@oldblueaccord2629 I do but what if you are on the road constantly and don't have access to your home charger? Your suggestion does not solve the root cause of the issue.

[@oldblueaccord2629]

@@aogozen I dont drive more than 250 miles a day so I dont have that problem.

[@bradhaines3142]

@@oldblueaccord2629 have you ever heard of a road trip?

[@oldblueaccord2629]

@@bradhaines3142 Then its probably not the vehicle for you.

[@newscoulomb3705]

Part of the issue with trying to compare Range Estimators even on parallel drives is that each automaker uses different algorithms. With EVs as similar as the Lightning and R1T, it's much more useful to simply compare battery percentages.

[@xyz12334567898]

+1

[@dewai]

No clearly the ford algorithm was better while towing. Like she said at the end, if you can do the math in your head and know that your range estimate is not realistic that’s bush league honestly.

[@newscoulomb3705]

@@dewai It's not about which is better or worse; it's about directly comparing the numbers from one range estimator with another.

[@russelltrujillo3557]

@@newscoulomb3705 There are other games to be played so percentage of charge is not a great indicator. However, KWH of charging is close. Ford battery is actually 145KWH capacity however advertised at 131KWH.

[@newscoulomb3705]

@@russelltrujillo3557 Sure, but that's just a displayed versus usable capacity difference. From 0% to 100% (the displayed capacity), the Lightning only has ~130 kWh. So my point was, when two vehicles have a similar displayed capacity between 0% and 100%, it's more accurate to compare battery percentage than it is to compare "rated range."

[@vtcanada2000]

Amazing comparison thank you! I'm sharing this with all of my fleet clients!

[@kevinkraklio3114]

Is that an EV9 on the highway at 14:30?!

[@thebluvdone]

No mention of how long it actually took to take the trip. Would have liked to see a gasoline power truck in the mix for a real world comparison of cost and time to take the tow trip.

[@edmundscars]

Check out our tow test of the Lightning vs. gas, hybrid, and diesel trucks here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWfJlYVviKutodU

[@MONTOD]

1:10 there is some comparison to time

[@georgekappland2935]

Apparently you missed the first 1:30 of the video. They literally said it took 4 times as long.

[@Scott-sm9nm]

Really well done. Enjoyed both drivers and their comments but she was a hoot!!

[@edwardmp]

So according to my calculation, a 2021 gas powered F150 has a cost per mile of 23 cents (20mpg city and US$4.23 mid grade), so its way more cheaper thant the lightning🤔, so what's the advantage of having an EV in this case🤷‍♂?

[@edwardmp]

@@santiagohills3997 so how many you would get when towing with a gas engine?

[@Uriah625]

I know my 2500HD with the 6.0 gets about 16 mph unloaded, and only about 8 mpg pulling my camper. Yes, the fuel mileage is halved! So gas or electric you will suffer mileage loss pulling a sizable load. At $4/gallon your looking at 50 cents/mile. With that, I do have a diesel truck. It gets about 12 mpg unloaded and about 11 mpg pulling that same camper. A modern diesel would be even better I’m sure. At $5/gallon you’re looking at 45 cents/mile.

[@qasimalsaidi]

Hell yeah brother. Jason Lewis from @AutoEdits is in the house.

[@WordLight-m8q]

Very impressive. I own a 10 year old EV and I really didn't think they'd make it up the Tehachapi grade. It's steep! And only charging to 80%??? That's amazing.

[@minivanmaster]

Emme it's so good to see you I always like seeing your opinions and views

[@travis5481]

This was great. I'd love to see how the same test compares while keeping up with truck traffic and driving normally (drafting, etc) on this same route.

[@Dakcole]

I love these tests! Thank you both so much!!

[@chelsea7xhf]

Great video! I have a Mech E, I thought Ford's range estimate is a superstar! Even on paper, Model Y has about 30 more miles range, but Mech E always give me the confidence when I start my vehicle. I am glad you find the range estimate on Lightening is good!

[@joweb1320]

Owning 2 Model 3 before, I can say the Mach-e is much more efficient in mixed and city driving and uses zero energy when parked. My Model 3s would eat kwhs just being parked. I always get way more range than the EPA number.

[@bradhaines3142]

howd that recall go?

[@joweb1320]

@@bradhaines3142 No recall on my Mach-e. Had one on a Model 3 though.

[@bradhaines3142]

@@joweb1320 oh thats right, ford had to do an emergency software update to nerf it, thats why. it accelerates way slower now

[@joweb1320]

@@bradhaines3142 Still fast. I think you have been reading some old FUD.

[@csh000]

50 cents a mile is expensive! I tow a slightly more than 7,500 lbs travel trailer and at $3.30 a gallon with 10 miles per gallon, the cost is 33¢/mile.

[@brightsideme]

Great video guys!

[@SilverScarletSpider]

this video is much better than the raptor vs trx video. that one was loaded with rubbish

[@sergeyanpilogov1769]

Great video. Although, if i were going camping, or travel i don't think i want my main concern to be charging stations or EPA range.. here it shows that this is absolute IT. great trucks to do local stuff, buy a diesel for less $ and for worry free travel

[@johnkraft5640]

Hybrid may be a better option than just all electric for towing any kind of distance.

[@edmundscars]

For now, that's likely correct

[@danielbreedlove7522]

Or just buy a gas truck.

[@kens8903]

Still waiting for a diesel hybrid locomotive style setup. Wonder why it’s not a bigger thing.

[@joweb1320]

Plug in hybrid could be the best option for a towing truck.

[@WordLight-m8q]

'Problem is, hybrids are far more than twice as complicated as an EV. Complication means breakdowns. Do some easy digging and you will see why the stealers love FF vehicles. Been there, done that.

[@myusernamethisiss]

These videos are so informative👌

[@kfkf1922]

this was well done but probably should have had a personal sign of from both hosts. feel like it ended abruptly

[@raemill4089]

The whole disconnecting your hauled load, that's where a huge problem is for towing for a lot of folks. If you are towing horses for example, that can't be done, it's a hazard to the animals as they may tip the thing over. Even if you are not towing animals tho, you may not have anywhere, or anywhere safe, to put the load. These situations were not considered when most of the DCFC stations where created. Very few can accommodate a truck with it's towed trailer behind it without blocking traffic or other's access to the chargers. Once/if they start deploying more stations built like gas station pumps (I've seen just a couple in the US that are designed like this) that have room for trailers, then it'll be more of a possibility for many others.

[@IanWrigleyNZ]

Losing two hours sitting at charging stops for a 200 mile trip is a hard pass. A silverado would do that in one trip with plenty of fuel left in the tank and your good old dirtymax would barely notice the trailer.

[@thereisnospoon52]

Would love to have seen an acceleration and bake test with that 7,500 lb trailer

[@TheBowerbird]

Go check out the Hagerty video. The Rivian beats a raptor in the quarter mile while pulling something not far off that (no spoilers)!

[@Uriah625]

@@TheBowerbirdyeah, that video is pretty freaking awesome.

[@irfanhusein1445]

Excellent test. Very timely for me as I’m comparing these two vehicles as a replacement for my current Tow vehicle, a 2018 Ford Explorer.

[@Pancake1207]

What the hell do you pull with a 2018 Ford Explorer? The two cubic foot U-Haul trailer?

[@irfanhusein1445]

@@Pancake1207 my 24 ft boat (5200 pounds) or a pair of seadoo’s (2500 pounds ) . Towing capacity is 5000 pounds. The 2018 eco boost 3.5 twin Turbo produces 350 hp and 365 torque. Tows the boat effortlessly, even up 8% grades on highway 168 to Shaver Lake California. In fact tows better than my former tow vehicle, a 2005 Lincoln Navigator which was rated to tow 9000 pounds.

[@denniswgjer]

Really, who has the time to be unhooking a trailer 3 times in a 200 mile trip. How much time did it take compared to a diesel or gas truck. Time is money

[@russelltrujillo3557]

If time is money, then EVs outperform even more as the average time spent filling up 13 hours per year. Plugging in takes seconds. Long trips like this video is where you give up some of that saved time. If you take lots of long trips, don't buy an EV. This also speaks to charging at home with costs around $.16 per KWH vs. $.40 for EA (on a charging plan). It really depends on what an individual needs and wants.

[@randomwalker2134]

Imagine doing this test again with the cybertruck when it's finally released some 10 years from now.

[@chelsea7xhf]

lol, on spot!

[@LaJuanHughes]

Some of you tow one or twice a year. They money you save on gas with a ev is huge the rest of the year

[@Richard-yr5zj]

Also, does your Ford have the extended battery on it?

[@edmundscars]

Yes!

[@Uriah625]

Buying an EV truck for towing long distances often is about as absurd as buying a 3/4 or greater ton diesel truck to drive short distances often.

[@craigcontofalsky4387]

I tow a 6500 # RV trailer with my Yukon XL 5.3 V8. I get 11mpg @ $3-$3.5 gal. That's $.27 to $.32 per mile! My range is easily 300 miles! 600+ not towing and no waiting for a 10 minute gas fill up! No thank you.

[@BlixemBlixem]

That Yukon sounds awesome, you should like totally keep it!

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

5:00 - On the Rivian showing an obviously not right range, what Rivian software version were you on? They had a bug with one software version that would for some people show _hilariously_ wrong ranges in tow mode. Like *double* the non-towing range. "Oh, you had 250 miles of range left, now you've flipped into tow mode? 500 miles." Some people were only getting "not adjusting for tow mode at all", as well. Which appears to be what you're getting. Before (and after) the buggy software version, tow mode should just drop range by half compared to All-Purpose. It doesn't really do any active determination the way the Ford does. It just assumes 2 mi/kWh in All-Purpose and 1 mi/kWh in Tow.

[@baurjan123]

😂

[@paulbaca1062]

I’m most interested in time. How much longer did it take to make this trip overall compared to a gas truck? I didn’t hear many comments about overall time to make the trip including charge time. Also, towards the end of the video there was a reference to a link with all the numbers so was hoping to see times but I do not see a link to the spreadsheet only links to Ford, Rivian and Edmunds main website. Did a search on the Edmunds site but nothing there either.

[@Uriah625]

She stated it at the beginning of the video. “The trip took an additional 4 hours compared to the gas truck. We really had no problem with the truck, it was all with the charging infrastructure.” I’m going to read into it here. Although the charging itself may add some time, I doubt it added an additional 4 hours itself. I imagine it’s the actual infrastructure itself either trying to find an appropriate charger or having to disconnect the trailer to get a spot.

[@Richard-yr5zj]

Great video. I noticed you do not have the max tow option on the ford. Does it come with a basic tow package, or is there another tow option you had to select? Thanks.

[@edmundscars]

There's a basic tow package standard!

[@Josh-179]

Gotta love the comments on all these EV towing videos. What percentage of 1/2 ton truck owners tow 10,000 lb trailers the length of Texas in 1 day all the time? Low single digits guaranteed. For one thing, these guys likely have HD trucks. You can stick with gas/diesel if you're one of the few that do this for whatever reason. Most trucks, most of the time aren't towing at all. Like it or not, they are for the daily commute and the occasional haul. So many people calling them junk when they are actually more useful than gas trucks in everything other than long haul towing is absurd. EV's SAVE time overall because you almost always charge at home overnight and don't have to get time consuming oil changes, and other ICE related maintenance.

[@ryanvandy1615]

People calling them junk haven't done any research and just accepted a narrative. They aren't for everybody, and that's perfectly okay.

[@Uriah625]

Wait, so the average person is not towing 10,000 pounds 500 miles uphill both ways on a daily basis? Reading the YT comments makes me depressed. Am I the only person that does not drive 500 miles on a daily basis or tows a big trailer across the country weekly? Like where is everyone going all the time and why am I just, you know, here? Does everyone live in the country on some big estate? How does everyone have all this money to go on these trips all the time and here I sit. I guess my life is pretty boring.

[@combatoverride398]

It's not that they do it everyday, but they do it regularly. People tow trailers several times a year for camping or boating trips. Next time your on the highway on a weekend, count the number of travel trailers. For these people, and there are a lot of them, an EV isn't very practical.

[@davidcottrell570]

@@combatoverride398Only one thing. Owning an EV isn’t like watching KZbin or reading what passes for news these days. The big advantage? Plug it in at home, and servicing once every two years. As far as charging goes, in my two years of owning one, the number of charge sites has doubled, and I’ll be able to use Tesla in a month. When Ford came out with the model T, you were lucky to find a gas station, and a lot of people went to the drug store for fuel. Enjoy those gas and diesel trucks. The price of fuel has nowhere to go but up, and servicing isn’t getting cheaper. I think EVs have nowhere to go but up too: cheaper, more efficient, faster charging and better range. Maybe then you can go try one. There’s a lot to like.

[@F8Tributo]

Fair report! 👍🏻

[@williamelkington5430]

I probably missed it, but what was your selected drive mode for the Rivian? And what were the wheels and tires for both vehicles? Thanks for your help. I don't see the link to the extensive write-up. Where is that, again? Thanks again.

[@edmundscars]

Here's a link to the write-up: www.edmunds.com/car-news/electric-tow-test-ford-f-150-lightning-vs-rivian-r1t.html Both trucks are on 20-inch wheels with their available all-terrain tires, which definitely have a negative impact on range.

[@williamelkington5430]

@@edmundscars Thanks very much. So what was the drive mode selected for the Rivian in this test?

[@williamelkington5430]

@@edmundscars I'm not sure what is motivating your reluctance to reveal the driving mode of the Rivian. In other range/efficiency tests, published elsewhere, pitting the Rivian R1T against the Lightening, whether towing or not, the R1T has ended up being significantly more efficient (miles per kWh) when the Rivian's highway driving mode--Conserve mode (two motors)--was used. When All Purpose mode (four motors) was used, the Rivian was slightly less efficient than the Lightening, as in your test. Of course, this makes sense. In All Purpose mode, the Rivian employs four motors, which is inherently less efficient than the Lightening, which only employs two motors.

[@edmundscars]

@@williamelkington5430 there is no reluctance; we had to check on that information (the person commenting on KZbin is not the same as the person driving the vehicle in the video). The Rivian was in Tow Mode.

[@williamelkington5430]

@@edmundscars Yes. Of course. Sorry to have bothered you.

[@armenaghaza5143]

It would be very helpful to know the firmware version of the vehicles at the time of testing.

[@joweb1320]

Can't wait for Edmunds to start testing parked energy losses for all EVs. Some use much energy just parked. The consumer needs to know the data. Please help Edmunds!

[@BremboT]

Cant wait to see this test done again with Cyber truck

[@paulgerla]

Did they turn off the trailer brakes to maximize the trucks regenerative braking?

[@klyded8523]

Probably not

[@GregMcNamer]

The Rivian doesn't activate trailer brakes unless you press the brake pedal. (I have personally confirmed this). I assume the F150 is the same. You get maximum regen power just by lifting fully off the accelerator. Disabling the trailer brakes in a 7500lb trailer is possibly illegal, but definitely a bad idea.

[@paulgerla]

@@GregMcNamer Thanks good sir! That makes a lot of sense.

[@Krnnerdboy]

I drove my lightning from vermont to California in 5 days and charging was a nightmare. I sold it 1 week after i returned home because the charging infrastructure sucked. Now that the lightning prices have come down and more importantly they can use teslas infrastructure i may purchase again

[@sketchyssk8shop]

Wonder what would happen at real highway speeds

[@Josh-179]

Legally limited to lower speeds when towing anyway. If you're going 80 mph and towing one of these trailers, you're going to get stopped.

[@sketchyssk8shop]

@@Josh-179 only in California. That's not a real word test

[@thereisnospoon52]

@@Josh-179EVERY other state allows more, most are 70 to 80 MPH. I know Californians are convinced the world revolves around them but there are 49 other states and some folks even claim there are countries other than the US.

[@NOXStellans]

@@Josh-179 When you are getting passed like that by trucks, it's not real-world highway speeds.

[@Josh-179]

@@NOXStellans , I get it. I would be going a lot faster myself. But as a publication, they kind of have to abide by the law, which is 55mph.

[@adghawre]

What were the battery sizes on these trucks? I am assuming R1T had Large pack (135 KWh) and F150L had 131 KWh. Is that correct?

[@jonathantaylor1998]

Great back-to-back comparison video. I went back to have another look-see at the Lightning vs ICE trucks video, because I couldn't remember quite how much mpg each truck lost solo vs towing. Excluding the Silverado - which, let's face it, was horrendously inefficient even when solo - the diesel truck's mpg figure dropped by 27% whilst the hybrid's dropped by 37%. In that test, the Lightning's mile/kWh efficiency also dropped by 27%, the same as for the diesel - which I thought was actually an excellent result... So, whilst your 50% drop in miles/kWh highlighted in this, more extreme, test seemed to me a dreadful result for these 2 EVs, based on the previous comparison, I'd be assuming that, under these conditions, the original ICE trucks would've also suffered equally badly...! I think the "take-away" from this is that, if you're towing day-in, day-out over 100s miles every day, then, as much as it pains me to admit, an EV is simply not for you... yet...? But, if you only do 'occasional' towing, then it'd be such a shame to miss out on the better driving characteristics and lower running costs of an EV truck for 364 days of a year, for the sake of the 1 day you might actually need a longer-distance tow truck - in which case, just hire an ICE one...!

[@stanislavjaracz]

Great summary in here. I would argue that if I needed the towing once a year, I would just do it with the EV and tolerate the longer time. The savings from not having to rent another vehicle and gas cost is worth it.

[@WordLight-m8q]

OK, day in day out towing over 100s of miles, I would agree in 2022. But how many people do that? Most pickups are bought by guys that want to look tall, and rarely ever even go as far as the hardware store. I was surprised these trucks did so well, esp only charging to 80%!

[@skywalker2852]

Nice video and comparison. I think we can attribute the poorer function of the Rivian's mirrors to the narrower width of the truck itself - disappointing that it can't seem to predict it's own range from the data it's already sharing with the driver.

[@TCPUDPATM]

Electrify America: OMG it works! Such luck! Tesla: Umm so you’re excited that it works as it should?! 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

[@ecofriend93]

Very cool video! Thanks.

[@ranolfojr.boholst8780]

Jason you got he units backwards. You consume energy in kilowatt-hours and not kilowatts. And your charging rate is in kilowatts and not kilowatt-hours.

[@joshbloom9646]

Great video!

[@constantinnescu1564]

The SOC is measured in procentage not in miles of range. But thank you Edmonds.

[@unixsuperuser]

Local around the town this would be great but for 80-90k? Nope. This is not for road trips or even towing across the state of California. My 2021 RAM 2500 with a Cummins was 81K. Just sayin.

[@Uriah625]

I have to agree with you on that. Just like using your truck as a daily driver for short distances would be a big no-no.

[@rolandtb3]

Any reason the charging stations did not give much higher charging rates for the Rivian? You stated the FordL was less but what did you get on the charging curve for both? Was the charging time comparable?

[@WalterBuildsItAll]

Rivian owner here. My guess is he didn’t have the trip put into the navigation which is what triggers the rivian to prepare for fast charging. In my experience I get similar charging speeds when I don’t have it plugged in. Also EA is all over the place with what speeds each stall will provide. So that’s a possibility. Rivian has a long way to go on the software side of things for towing. But they are pumping out updates at a very fast pace, at least faster than I expected.

[@GregMcNamer]

As Walter said, there's a few potential issues: What I encounter at *most* Electrify America stations is degraded performance where I can only get 37, 80, or 120kw on a 150 or 350kw charger. Sometimes this impacts one stall, sometimes it impacts one cable on certain stalls, and often it's all stalls. I also have pulled up to chargers without preconditioning and seen the charging start around 110kw and slowly creep up to about 150kw by the time it gets to 55-65%, where it begins slowing back down (maxes at about 140kw up to 65%, 80kw up to 76%, 50kw up 85%, then constant taper slower and slower to 100% At lower usage stations amd EVgo I have had better luck consistent getting 200+kw below 50% charge.

[@stanislavjaracz]

Thank you for your nice video report and the link to your article. Was the trailer equipped with its own (friction) brakes? Can you measure how much energy/range is lost due to non-regenerative braking of the trailer?

[@jhmcd2]

You push the basis of the charge thing. However, just last weekend, I charged at a mall, and headed inside for shopping, but was late getting out mainly because a problem with a previous customer and the app not sending me notifications. When I got there someone had unplugged my car. Now, I needed about 95% charge the next day for a long drive back home, but someone figured it was done at 90% and took the cable. Since I couldn't charge at the VRBO, I barely made it to my destination. I fully know that people use EV spaces for "free parking" but, unplugging of other people's cars is far too common, so don't give people to much crap about the parking.

[@oldblueaccord2629]

Thats shitty someone did that.

[@jrandomwinner]

I've had someone unplug my car when I left it charging unattended, well before it was charged, just because they felt like getting a charge before me. I don't leave my vehicle when charging now because of that.

[@davidcottrell570]

My car locks the charge port while plugged in. The plug release only works if I physically unlock my car. I’m surprised your car would allow that. Sure, someone could cancel the charge session at the charger, but why?

[@jhmcd2]

@davidcottrell570 Apparently there is a setting. You have to tell it to do it when the doors lock or it won't. So that's set up now. Problem is I think people didn't like the fact I was going for 100%. We had a long drive and a couple of the chargers in route weren't working so we had to make it a decent distance. But people got disgruntled after it passed 90%. That's what I think happened.

[@8180lebois]

This would annoy the hell out of me. If it works for you, great, but I’m not trying to do math and seek therapy at the same time when hauling. I’m glad to see you guys do some testing.

[@GregMcNamer]

For medium and large trailers, you can get a conservative range estimate by just taking 1% = 1mi. But, as a Rivian owner, the towing range is absolutely infuriating. Just do the goddamn math that I can do with the data on the screen: Last 15min efficiency (say 1.2mi/kWh) * battery percentage (say 60%) * battery usable capacity (129kwh) 1.2 * 60% * 129 = 93mi remaining.

[@8180lebois]

@@GregMcNamer I can totally see how that can be frustrating. Apart from towing though, I think the Rivian is a really cool vehicle. I love the look of it and all the outdoor lifestyle elements it caters to. I’m not much of an electric vehicle guy, but the Rivian is cool. Love seeing ‘em around.

[@sbomorse]

Towing with an EV should make it much more pleasurable given their instant torque, weight and infinitesimal control of the power distribution. Charging is the only issue I can see as here in the UK most charge bays are small and in cramped car parks therefore you'd need to unhook your trailer/caravan each time you need to charge making it totally impractical.

[@MrNathan07]

If only they were just as affordable as their gas counterparts, that's the real downfall as they're supposed to be less expensive to own long term but the upfront cost is huge. I don't mind the part of having to unhook the trailer to be able to charge but it would be nice if there were more charging stations to accommodate trucks, other than that I'd be good with EV's.

[@robynmolle5842]

$.50 cents per mile, 130 mile range on a charge?? What’s the advantage??

[@cherrytreepermaculture756]

When you are not towing, and charging at home, the cost is extremely low.

[@derekhorschel3583]

There is no advantage. Just a cool toy for people who don't really need a truck. And anyone that thinks 7,500 lbs counts as a heavy trailer does not tow.

[@cliftonsr]

I do like the look of the Ford better but after watching this review all the way through I find a lot of contradicting statements to make out in the end that the Ford was better when actually the numbers point to the Rivian being the better truck all around! Is this review mostly about rang anxiety?

[@foryoutubeonly5713]

What is the range for rivian vs 1500

[@sportbikejesus]

3:28 the Ford steering wheel looks loose. It’s wiggly. 😮

[@tysonbasye5171]

They just lost me at “So we’ll charge to 80-85%, because we don’t want to take up any more space when we don’t need to, because that is ruuude…” Yeah, you know what’s “less rude?” Filling up *100%* of your tank in less than 5 minutes at a pump you can pull through and being on your merry way. I think I’d love to own a Rivian for driving around town and back home if I could plug it into my own charger at night and never have to stop at a gas station ever again. But for towing on a long road trip? No. It’s absolutely silly unless you have a battery than can charge directly from the zero point energy field of the Earth and just keep going and going and going.

[@thomaseynon6205]

It would be better to see a comparison of percentage, rather than miles left. The miles is misleading, and causes many new EV owners unnecessary range anxiety. The mileage range is a technology that is not accurate at all. Stick to percentages. It will save a ton a stress.

[@LordLoMR2]

For majority of owners, EV trucks work. But for those who tow with their trucks for a living, probably won’t work for them.

[@coldnnh6983]

All these towing videos are the same, range range range and lack of, looking for stations, unhooking the trailer. Imagine a camping trip how many stops on a long trip, kinda ruins it a bit. We traveled over 3k miles in two weeks towing 7k, with a another 1k in bed in our diesel pickup with the auxiliary tank we stopped only 4 times filling up about 60 gallons each one, how many stops would that be with electric? 30? 35? Sounds like fun. You can keep it.

[@Cavemol5823]

So the rivian is bit better . You guys went through my hometown !

[@Eric-zs6rd]

Just watching the speed gap with the flow of traffic around the test drivers, they are driving dangerously slow.

[@elankoulax9664]

Done that rought on one tank of gas with my toyota. Electric is cool and fun and techy. However it is completely impractical compared to gas or desil.

[@wdbldr67]

The lightning was showing adjusted range the rivian was showing rated but eating through it

[@dannylebovits8090]

Amazing the anxiety that you have with these electric vehicles towing as far as I’m concerned, nothing but toys

[@SweetNeoCon407]

Towing at 55MPH is not realistic. Why wasn't the test conducted in another state?

[@Albanianguy9]

Total scam. $20 to get 100 miles of range. So $60 to get 300 miles when the same gas truck can get you 400+ miles. How are people falling for this electric car scam😂

[@CanIbeFrank]

Because most people are morons

[@johnkraft5640]

You did not mention how long it took to drive and total amount of time to charge. In today’s world. Time is money. If I were trying to run a business with these trucks. I would definitely have to compute and charge the customer for just sitting around a charger waiting

[@andreasblomst5744]

Would be much more informative and accurate to talk about percentage of battery instead of miles of range since that’s at best a guess.

[@dustinradman2579]

55 is a snail's pace take forever 65 mph + would be a better test lol

[@combatoverride398]

$0.48 and $0.52 per mile is really expensive. Compare to a big ICE making 10mpg at $3.50/gal = $0.35 per mile.

[@ctuan13]

This was a great video comparing the two trucks, but not gonna lie, the guy constantly being incapable of saying "miles per kilowatt hour" correctly was mildly infuriating lol

[@jeffjdredpony798]

It shows me what a Royal pain in the arse it is to pull a trailer with these EV’s. It adds so much frustration to a trip that you should enjoy. You have to be concerned with your mileage constantly changing, you have to be concerned with where the next charging station is, is it full, how long will people be sitting there, will the charger operate correctly, will it charge slow or fast. Blah blah blah. That trip to me would be a royal pain in the butt no thank you. Maybe an EV for commuting to work is a possibility

[@cherrytreepermaculture756]

We'll be road tripping our Model Y / Boler combo this summer. 👍👍

[@675daytonarider]

One big variable with this test that wasn’t accounted for is the tires. I believe the all-terrain‘s are a 30% penalty to the Rivian.

[@edmundscars]

The all-terrains cause about a 40-mile range penalty, so more like 10% or so.

[@wesleyblum6236]

How long with charging did this short trip take? My guess a standard truck could have gone at least half the trip around again on one tank. Many years from making electric viable for this kind of hauling.

[@cornbread70s4]

I love me some Emme Hall….

[@PhillyDee215]

Electric motors have a lot of torque

[@Lanolin410]

A test no one needs. Time is precious, no one wants to spend roughly an hour to “fill up”. At 10 mpg most ICE trucks would beat cost per mile in most parts of the US.

[@larryjohns8823]

My 2500 will do your loop in under 4 hours with no fuel ups needed! If I tow farther I don't worry about ANY gas station being full or needing to wait on some "numb nutz" parked at a pump😅 That unhooking the trailer to charge is really a royal PIA. I would not want to tow if that was required every time I needed fuel.

[@natehill8069]

Electric cars should come with an autonomous drone that can fly ahead and visually confirm chargers are empty and working.

[@64maxpower]

The trailers need to carry extra batteries

[@thereisnospoon52]

You could tow a trailer full of batteries from coast to coast on one charge!

[@natehill8069]

My ICE Silverado mileage drops from 18 highway bare to 10 highway with an 18' lowboy trailer with nothing in particular on it, nevermind that huge billboard you guys are towing so about half seems fair. Nothing magic about electricity that allows you to bypass the laws of aerodynamics.

[@aarikc17]

Just need to iron out your kW and kWh verbiage.

[@mryeahisaidit]

My new electric truck is fire 🔥 no your new electric truck is on fire 😳🤔🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I'm giving ford credit for reliably making raggity vehicles , these things already been bursting into flames

[@mrnobody.4069]

I hear sometimes the Rivian is just magically good in towing range for no reason!

[@crankychris2]

So every 80-90 miles yoi have To stop, unhitch, charge your ev and rehitch, paying $20. It's obvious these trucks can't match a diesel or gs truck for towing. What would towing a 10K rv at 65-70 mph do to the already pathetic range of these very pricey trucks?

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

Rivian's head of software design just announced major improvements to Rivian's towing coming in a software update this Summer: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2XNn42AfdSroLM Among them are better camera views and trailer profiles (like the F-150 Lightning.) The range estimation issue has already been fixed in the latest publicly-available software. (It still doesn't do trailer-spec-based range estimation, it just takes its "All Purpose" range estimate and divides it in half.)

[@gp1683]

Towing with an EV truck is pointless because of a complete lack of range.