autoevolution
 

Towing a Hummer in Winter Is a Killing Job for the Rivian R1T, Expect the Unexpected

Electric pickup trucks are here to stay, but that doesn’t mean they are perfect at doing their ICE brothers’ jobs. Towing, especially, takes a heavy toll on the battery and usually cuts the range in half. Towing in freezing temperatures adds even more strain, as YouTuber behind the JerryRigEverything channel shows.
Towing a Hummer in the winter is a killing job for the Rivian R1T 7 photos
Photo: JerryRigEverything via YouTube
Towing a Hummer in the winter is a killing job for the Rivian R1TTowing a Hummer in the winter is a killing job for the Rivian R1TTowing a Hummer in the winter is a killing job for the Rivian R1TTowing a Hummer in the winter is a killing job for the Rivian R1TTowing a Hummer in the winter is a killing job for the Rivian R1TTowing a Hummer in the winter is a killing job for the Rivian R1T
Although Tesla has been building electric vehicles for more than a decade, the U.S. market remained mostly unimpressed by the EV revolution. The launch of the first electric pickup trucks was supposed to change that, considering Americans are so in love with these vehicles. Nevertheless, despite being praised, the Rivian R1T, GMC Hummer EV, and the Ford F-150 Lightning failed to ignite the imagination of U.S. customers. If anything, it convinced even more people that a useful truck needs a strong combustion engine to pull off all the heavy tasks.

People discovered that towing takes a heavy toll on an electric truck’s battery, a hard thing to dispute. Multiple tests showed that the range would be roughly cut in half when towing a heavy trailer, no matter how powerful the electric pickup was. Combine this with the fact that range was already limited compared to the ICE trucks and that charging stations are not yet ubiquitous in the most truck-heavy regions of the country. You see why people mock electric trucks instead of being impressed by them.

Zack Nelson, the guy behind the popular JerryRigEverything YouTube channel, has tried almost everything with his Rivian R1T and knows very well what to expect from the electric truck. He wasn’t gentle on it, and in an earlier video, he said that “the honeymoon is still here but on its way out” after only 1,500 miles (2,414 km) of driving it. Zack had tried towing a 5,000-pound (2,270-kg) horse trailer with the Rivian and had seen a similar result: the truck lost roughly half the range during towing.

If there’s another thing that EVs hate besides towing, it’s low temperatures. With winter wreaking havoc across the country, EV owners already see their range diminishing. Recent stories show that not only range is affected but also the charging speed, so owners spend more time at the charger. If you think this is hard, try doing them both: towing a heavy trailer in freezing temperatures.

That’s exactly what Zack Nelson did, not only because he was curious to see what would happen but also because he needed to take his Hummer H1 to a shop to fix an electrical issue. The trailer and the H1 weighed around 10,000 pounds (4,536 kg), close to the Rivian R1 T’s maximum towing capability of 11,000 pounds (4,990 kg). Meanwhile, the outside temperature was 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius). This combination almost ruined Zack Nelson’s trip because he could only go around 100 miles (161 km) on a charge. He also had to spend a lot of time at a slow charger before reaching a fast charger and completing the journey.

The 100-mile range represents a serious drop from the 314-mile (515-km) EPA range. Even when counting the real-life range of 280 miles (450 km), which Zack says it usually gets, the winter towing range is laughable. Nevertheless, the YouTuber stresses that he did the job while spending only $13 to recharge, which is a nice feat. Watch the video below for more juicy bits about how the Rivian R1T managed the winter towing job.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Cristian Agatie
Cristian Agatie profile photo

After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories