Towing a wake boat with the Rivian R1T EV Pickup Truck and Why I Sold It

Welcome back to the channel. Today's video is an in-depth exploration of my experience towing a wakeboard boat with the Rivian R1T I owned for 1.5 years. This was the 2022 R1T Quad Motor with Large Battery Pack. We'll delve into the highs and lows, from the towing capabilities to the hesitation around range. In other words, it's all about the use case. Note, this video is my honest experience. Not playing toward the Rivian fans or haters but trying to share an authentic experience with you all.
🔍 Key Topics Explored:
- My History with the Rivian R1T
- What the towing experience felt like with my 2022 Axis A22
- The driving capability of the vehicle when towing
- An issue I ran into while towing my boat
- Range expectations when towing a boat based on my mileage
- Energy cost compared to a typical 1/2 ton pickup, the Ram 1500
- Why I decided to sell my Rivian
Tags
#RivianR1T #WakeboardTowing #ElectricAdventure #EVRealities
#TowingWakeboardBoat #RivianReview #RealRangeChallenge
#FamilyTravel #ElectricTruck #WakeboardLife #TowingChallenges #EVCommunity #RoadTripReality #RivianExperience #Wakeboard #Wakesurf #Boat #Towing #rivian
Hit that subscribe button and the notification bell to join the Lifetime Shred. Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

[@fpartidafpartida]

Not arguing with your towing experience. But I think these are just fine for road trips. I drove my Rivian R1S from MN to Key West Florida through KY for a bourbon tour, his the Carolinas, Savanah GA and hugged the east coast of FL and back. It was an amazing trip. I would wake up each morning with a full 100% charge, drive for 4 hours, stop to charge, stretch my legs, bio brake, buy a drink and a snack (~half hour) and then do another 4 hours. In some occasions I might do 3 of these, but the whole point of the road trip was to stop and enjoy the sites along the way to the main destination. Doing a similar trip to the West coast next. No issues with the EA chargers i used, but Rivian will soon have access to the Tesla Supercharging network.

[@LifetimeShred]

I did a few road trips, too, without towing that went decently well. I think my main frustration was with Electrify America more than the Rivian itself. Car was comfortable for long distances. Going to be awesome for owners once the tesla network is available.

[@ryantripp4895]

Very helpful thanks. Driving my 2023 Rivian R1T and planning to get a boat this Spring.

[@LifetimeShred]

Nice. Yeah if you’re in that 100-120 mile round trip use case they’re pretty awesome and you’ll save a lot on fuel.

[@the_ling_council]

Thanks super helpful video. What truck did you replace the Rivian with?

[@LifetimeShred]

Thanks. I ended up going to an SUV. Ford Expedition with HD Tow package.

[@Jodywshelton]

do you regret it now that the Tesla supercharger access is here? Just wondering because I'm getting a camper soon and with my R1T, I've mapped out routes and the superchargers are just everywhere so I'm no longer concerned!

[@LifetimeShred]

For me, I don’t think I regret it for now. I think with the Tesla superchargers you’re still gonna have to unhitch every time you charge. That said for road trips without towing the Tesla superchargers are a game changer for sure. Would love to have an R3 for a daily driver when they come out. Right now I use a 16’ expedition for towing and am a manual VW Alltrack for daily usage.

[@curtisbme]

I hope their r2 and the r1 refresh addresses the bad choice they made with the body design in terms of repairability. Makes insurance costs extra absurd because of the silly cost of what should be simple fender bender type repairs.

[@LifetimeShred]

100% on that. My repair ended up being $17k before insurance. Not as crazy as some people's stories but crazy regardless. Plus with the design in the back the bumper doesn't protect about 6" on each side of the rear end. Looks cool but not practical. All that said, I own fault for dinging it in the first place.

[@curtisbme]

@@LifetimeShred Yeah, but shit happens to everyone, and it is meant to be taking into the woods and off road. Dings and dents accidentally caused by the owner (especially given things like the bumper issue) should be expected & planned for. When you don't have repair shops, designing for easy repairability should be paramount.

[@LifetimeShred]

@@curtisbme Yeah I agree. Between the vehicle not fitting my future tow needs and then the crazy repair experience I was over it. I haven't written Rivian off permanently but not planning to buy another anytime soon.

[@collin9085]

Most surprising thing is the regenerative breaking conflicting with the surge breaks while on the highway. Good to know.

[@LifetimeShred]

Yeah I confirmed the trailer was level and since the surge lockout worked my best hypothesis is the regen breaking. Same trailer/boat on my now expedition doesn’t have the problem.

[@ryanshimabukuro3283]

Come on, Rich, let Rivian have it! You were way too nice after the shit show they put you through on getting your truck repaired😁. Lots of 4-letter words were used if I remember correctly 😂

[@LifetimeShred]

@@ryanshimabukuro3283 I had to work through my stages of grief haha

[@paulbram2]

yeah, my take is, surge brakes are a bad idea unless you have no other option.

[@LifetimeShred]

@@paulbram2 agreed. Next trailer I have will not have them. Might get the current trailer converted if I keep my Axis for the long haul.

[@Peter-hg2oc]

On road trips did you have to unhitch to charge much?

[@LifetimeShred]

I never ended up towing long distance due to the range constraints I mentioned. Based on the length of truck + boat I would have had to take the hitch off at almost all the electrify america locations I went to during ownership..