Thoughts on EV tow rigs

[Cole2001]

1 hour ago, RyanB said:

To each their own. I hate loud boats, but one of the things I miss in the EcoBoost is a healthy exhaust note. I miss it even more in my Cayman. I’m still a V8 guy at heart, but enjoy the performance of turbos. I’d like the best of both worlds. Which further explains why I’m not drawn to the electric mandate that’s going to be forced on us. 

I added this to my ecoboost. Loud when cold but not too obnoxious and doesn't sound like a civic. 

 

[malibu2004]

22 hours ago, theloungelife said:

I'm going EV for next tow vehicle for sure.  But...  my lakes are all within 50 miles and I store my boat at one most of the summer that is only 25 miles away.  Never do road trips.  It's different for each person.  Will work for some and not others.  

Anyone have a ton of reservation/preorders in?  I have a Rivian, a F150 Lightning and the Silverado EV.  Obviously only going to go with one.  I was leaning toward the F150 but the upcharge for the extended battery is kind of insane.  Leaning toward the Rivian now.  My guess for me based on when I put in reservations is that I won't have my hands on any of them till sonmetime in 2023.  

How much do they cost verse gas? What is the extended battery use upcharge, more batteries? 

[Hemmy]

43 minutes ago, malibu2004 said:

How much do they cost verse gas? What is the extended battery use upcharge, more batteries? 

Ford's is 10k - 20k, depending on what model you go with, upcharge for the extended battery.  I think the XLT was almost 20k while the Lariat was almost 10k.  Not to mention the ridiculous mark ups dealers are going to charge for the F150.  Ford released something the other day about how they are not happy with dealers and how they have handled reservations and sales for the Lightning. 

[ahopkins22LSV]

1 hour ago, Hemmy said:

Ford's is 10k - 20k, depending on what model you go with, upcharge for the extended battery.  I think the XLT was almost 20k while the Lariat was almost 10k.  Not to mention the ridiculous mark ups dealers are going to charge for the F150.  Ford released something the other day about how they are not happy with dealers and how they have handled reservations and sales for the Lightning. 

Well it went so well with the Bronco, I don't see why any dealer would not trust what Ford says for this launch...

[malibu2004]

2 hours ago, Hemmy said:

Ford's is 10k - 20k, depending on what model you go with, upcharge for the extended battery.  I think the XLT was almost 20k while the Lariat was almost 10k.  Not to mention the ridiculous mark ups dealers are going to charge for the F150.  Ford released something the other day about how they are not happy with dealers and how they have handled reservations and sales for the Lightning. 

If you tow a 5000 pound boat do you know what the range would be with the extended battery? Then you would have a 45 minute stop to get a full charge? Do you have to get some kind of a 220v plug added to your house to charge it? I'm just curious. 

That's a lot of money for the same truck for batteries verse motor. I wonder how much a bank of batteries costs for it and approximately when do they need replaced? A Nissan Leaf battery bank cost's 5 grand. I'm not against EV by any means. I'm just looking to learn about them. 

I more of commuter EV car type person than truck. 

[COOP]

On 1/8/2022 at 10:31 PM, Cole2001 said:

Electric is no where near ready to tow. I couldn’t imagine doing any kind of road trip towing a boat with an ev. Chargers are not setup for larger rigs and the amount of stops would probably double the time. 
Can’t find the link but I remember someone was towing with a model x. Within its towing capacity it was averaging about 1% battery per 1 mile, that would be an absolute dealbreaker. 

This! I remember watching the youtube video of this. If I recall they werent pulling anything as heavy as a boat. And getting HORRIBLE range. Has anyone done any real would tests with a EV truck towing something the weight of a boat?

Edited January 12, 2022 by COOP

[oldjeep]

1 hour ago, malibu2004 said:

If you tow a 5000 pound boat do you know what the range would be with the extended battery? Then you would have a 45 minute stop to get a full charge? Do you have to get some kind of a 220v plug added to your house to charge it? I'm just curious. 

That's a lot of money for the same truck for batteries verse motor. I wonder how much a bank of batteries costs for it and approximately when do they need replaced? A Nissan Leaf battery bank cost's 5 grand. I'm not against EV by any means. I'm just looking to learn about them. 

I more of commuter EV car type person than truck. 

As these things get into the wild it will be interesting to see some real world towing range numbers.  I'm not particularly interested in paying a premium for an EV - 10-20K is a crazy adder when I get my trucks in the 33K range.  I'm also more interested in some longevity info since I tend to keep them for 7-10 years.  The outlet is the least of my worries - like a lot of folks around me I've got 220V outlets/power in the garage for things like welders, lifts and heaters.

For the average F150 owner around here, they will likely do fine.  Soccer moms who don't tow anything, want a big 4wd vehicle and don't want to pay SUV cash.

Edited January 12, 2022 by oldjeep

[justgary]

I would expect towing range with an EV to reflect a similar ratio as gas mileage does in a gasser.  E.g., if you get 24 on the highway in your gas truck and it goes down to 8 MPG when towing, you might expect 1/3 the range with an EV.  Don't expect an EV to cheat physics.

[oldjeep]

5 minutes ago, justgary said:

 Don't expect an EV to cheat physics.

 

[COOP]

Heres the video:

 

 

[theloungelife]

From what I have read range drops 50-60% when towing.  Here is a real world Rivian experience with a trailer around 7K:  https://insideevs.com/news/552133/rivian-r1t-towed-2700miles/

[jjackkrash]

1 hour ago, theloungelife said:

From what I have read range drops 50-60% when towing.  Here is a real world Rivian experience with a trailer around 7K:  https://insideevs.com/news/552133/rivian-r1t-towed-2700miles/

It does not sound like much fun driving for an hour and charging for an hour for 2700 miles.

[oldjeep]

17 minutes ago, jjackkrash said:

It does not sound like much fun driving for an hour and charging for an hour for 2700 miles.

Honestly, how many people buying ev pickups now really expect to tow?  It is the new status symbol.

[justgary]

32 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Honestly, how many people buying ev pickups now really expect to tow?  It is the new status symbol.

Every one of them will start whining loudly the first time they try to tow.

[Sparky450]

4 hours ago, COOP said:

Heres the video:

 

 

I didnt take the time to watch the video. I just looked to see the trailer they were towing. It looked like a small flat car trailer. ICBW!! But put some wind drag on that and it will drop more than that car hauler.

My empty 12 X 7 wells cargo trailer at sub 2k pounds effects fuel mileage almost as much as my 25lsv did. I will need to track mileage when I go to Arizona in April. There is no way I want to make that  approx 700 mile 11 hr trip with an EV.

[hethj7]

42 minutes ago, Sparky450 said:

I didnt take the time to watch the video. I just looked to see the trailer they were towing. It looked like a small flat car trailer. ICBW!! But put some wind drag on that and it will drop more than that car hauler.

My empty 12 X 7 wells cargo trailer at sub 2k pounds effects fuel mileage almost as much as my 25lsv did. I will need to track mileage when I go to Arizona in April. There is no way I want to make that  approx 700 mile 11 hr trip with an EV.

It was a small horse trailer weighing about 4,500 lbs.  What got me was 1 hour and 13 minutes to get to full charge on a supercharger to start the test (for about $14).   Time is money for most so that would be a deal breaker.  Recharging overnight at your destination or home would be fine, but for a road trip that would be awful.  

[Sixer]

2 hours ago, justgary said:

Every one of them will start whining loudly the first time they try to tow.

You talking about the vehicle or driver?  

[dlb]

So if the EV gets 230-300 miles when charged up and the ramp is 20 miles away, who cares?  Not me.

The cost of an XLT with the larger battery is the same relative cost of a Tahoe or Denali with a 6.2….that is what is getting replaced.  Thinking of no gas and no oil changes, no fuss.  Just want a nice vehicle to last another 15 years towing to the ramp and back.  Oh and it can power the house when Mother Nature has different ideas

The only reason to get an EV pick up is that they are EV.  I would prefer an electric SUV like my Yukon.

I don’t need a long range traveler, got a different one of those already.  Just want a vehicle to go boating with until the kids inherit the boat. All that is within range of an EV.

[Hemmy]

12 hours ago, oldjeep said:

Honestly, how many people buying ev pickups now really expect to tow?  It is the new status symbol.

I have been saying that for a long time.  People that bought Teslas didn't buy it so much because they care about the environment.  They bought it because it is a status symbol.  The people that bought a car because they care about the environment bought a Prius.

[oldjeep]

8 hours ago, dlb said:

Just want a nice vehicle to last another 15 years towing to the ramp and back.  

Think it'll last that long?

[hethj7]

The marketing folks have done a great job on this “it’ll power my house” bit.  I love the idea, but so will a thousand dollar generator.  I am not anti-EV and know we are clearly headed that way, but for reliability it is tough to beat a liquid fuel source still.  

[justgary]

2 hours ago, Hemmy said:

I have been saying that for a long time.  People that bought Teslas didn't buy it so much because they care about the environment.  They bought it because it is a status symbol.  The people that bought a car because they care about the environment bought a Prius.

True.  I told my kids that they will know when I think that I have "made it" when I roll up in their driveway in a new Tesla.  Now that Teslas are a commodity, I wouldn't choose that one even if I do "make it."  Well, except for maybe the Cybertruck....

[oldjeep]

21 minutes ago, hethj7 said:

The marketing folks have done a great job on this “it’ll power my house” bit.  I love the idea, but so will a thousand dollar generator.  I am not anti-EV and know we are clearly headed that way, but for reliability it is tough to beat a liquid fuel source still.  

I agree on that one.  I have a 6000 watt generator, have needed to use it maybe 3 times in the last 10 years.  So not a huge selling point unless you live in an area where you have really sketchy power.

[BlindSquirrel]

45 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

unless you live in an area where you have really sketchy power.

Therein lies the current problem of owning an EV, IMHO. Until that's not an issue an EV is a pretty hard sell. 

[BlindSquirrel]

12 hours ago, dlb said:

 Just want a nice vehicle to last another 15 years towing to the ramp and back.  

Don't forget, the battery is listed as losing charging capacity of 5% each year. Hopefully that's not and underestimate. So I guess on year 10 you might be able to make it to the ramp to charge back up for the drive home.