After taking on the Ike Gauntlet last month, the Rivian R1T and the peeps at The Fast Lane are back with yet another towing test. On this occasion, the all-electric pickup truck is pitted against a conventional gas truck in a head-to-head range test with a neat Colorado Teardrops trailer out back.
First and foremost, the camper is rocking 35-inch tires and weighs just under 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) according to Nathan Adlen. The Rivian automatically detects if a trailer is connected to it once you plug in the seven-pin trailer to the truck, prompting the driver if he wants to engage towing mode. The R1T’s towing menu further offers four settings in total: trailer brake gain, suspension stiffness, brake regeneration, and stability.
The Rivian shows 135 miles (217 kilometers) of driving range in towing mode at the start of the test, then the estimate improved to 154 miles (248 kilometers) seemingly out of nowhere while Andre Smirnov was driving the R1T on the highway. Two hours and 45 minutes later, the towing range test ends after 153 miles (246 kilometers) with a 9-percent charge left.
“I always had full power, no turtle modes, no error messages, nothing like that,” said Andre, who averaged 55.6 miles per hour (89.4 kph). All told, 1.25 miles per kWh isn’t too shabby in cold conditions and at this speed.
Next up, the brand-new Tundra with its twin-turbo V6 engine makes easy work of the teardrop trailer and 32 percent of the fuel tank. Theoretically, Andre could’ve gone 473 miles (761 kilometers) in these conditions with a full tank of gas, which is considerably more than the Rivian’s estimate of 168 miles (270 kilometers) on a full charge of the 135-kWh battery pack.
It's a tremendous difference, there’s no mistaking it, and charging a battery of this capacity takes a lot more time than filling up a large fuel tank at the gas pump. Given these circumstances, would-be electric truck owners need to arm themselves with a lot of patience on long-distance towing trips.
The Rivian shows 135 miles (217 kilometers) of driving range in towing mode at the start of the test, then the estimate improved to 154 miles (248 kilometers) seemingly out of nowhere while Andre Smirnov was driving the R1T on the highway. Two hours and 45 minutes later, the towing range test ends after 153 miles (246 kilometers) with a 9-percent charge left.
“I always had full power, no turtle modes, no error messages, nothing like that,” said Andre, who averaged 55.6 miles per hour (89.4 kph). All told, 1.25 miles per kWh isn’t too shabby in cold conditions and at this speed.
Next up, the brand-new Tundra with its twin-turbo V6 engine makes easy work of the teardrop trailer and 32 percent of the fuel tank. Theoretically, Andre could’ve gone 473 miles (761 kilometers) in these conditions with a full tank of gas, which is considerably more than the Rivian’s estimate of 168 miles (270 kilometers) on a full charge of the 135-kWh battery pack.
It's a tremendous difference, there’s no mistaking it, and charging a battery of this capacity takes a lot more time than filling up a large fuel tank at the gas pump. Given these circumstances, would-be electric truck owners need to arm themselves with a lot of patience on long-distance towing trips.