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valhalla360's avatar
valhalla360
Navigator
Jun 02, 2025

Electric Tow Vehicles - Getting close

Used to be a guy on the forum towing a tear drop with a tesla but really not suitable for the vast majority of RVers.

We had a young family camp next to us this weekend and something didn't look right about the GMC truck. Finally wandered past and saw the badge indicating it's an EV. Wound up chatting with the guy later and then looked it up online. 

Cost isn't there yet. It starts at $100k (didn't ask him about cost). While a tricked out diesel dually can run in the same price range, the payload is only 1500lb, so realistic towing is probably around 7,000lb (tow rating is 10,000lb but that will result in an 1100-1200lb hitch weight, so unlikely to stay within payload once you load the family and stuff in the truck bed). You can get an ICE that happily pulls 7,000lb starting around $40k.

He was pulling trailer that was probably around 5,000lb. I asked him about range and in the midwest, he said he gets about 220-230miles on a full charge. If he stops at a fast charger, he can add an extra 120miles in a half hour.

Horsepower & torque are crazy off the charts, so not an issue but that never was an issue towing with an EV.

That sounds like covering 300+miles in a day as fairly reasonable to me. I'd need to stop and fill up to cover 300miles with my gas truck, so I'm losing 10-15minutes anyway...minor inconvenience but not a deal breaker unless you do a lot of high milage days.

If you have a 50amp campsite (and offer to pay for the extra kwh), you could be at or near full charge by the next morning, so back to back 300mile days are possible.

Still some limitations but for a lot of weekend warriors, this could work if they get the price more reasonable.

32 Replies

  • It’s so fun or funny to see the this evolve with EVs. 
    Really wish there were the old Tesla nut humpers here to engage in this, like that Yosemite Sam guy….lol. 
    Also interesting how politics has affected this and how a simple change in political power can now make folks who were dumb enough to believe that Elon was not a pure conservative capitalist while he was pandering for their business!  Basically the guy is a genius with marketing and facade as well as technology. I do love seeing liberals hate on their own cars now, personally!

    And now the statements like above, surmising that BYD “blows Tesla out of the water”. $ for $ maybe yes, pending tariffs, but you don’t know how well they’re built and how long they last just from the internet. Sounds like another suckers game….

    Unless I suppose you’ve been long term testing them in China while purporting to be running North America in your RV….lol. 
    PS, they’re cheap because China still doesn’t gaf about everything both political parties here claim to care about which is the environment and fair pay. 
    Then, take into account the overall limitations which 100% aside from personal or political motivations, is now showing its face (range, charging, cost, etc). 
    Fun thread!

  • So I guess we just wash our hands of the whole reasons EVs were promoted in the first place; they were supposed to be more green - they aren't. Supposed to have a greater supply of raw materials - they don't. Just like fossil fuels, the raw materials for EVs are a finite supply. Many of those come from 3rd world countries that promote inhumane labor conditions. The ecological impact to mining raw materials is catastrophic especially in regions with fragile ecosystems. The methods of mining, shipping, delivering and production are ecologically worse than ICE production. The cost to charge vs dino fuel is actually worse. And while maintenance isn't as costly as an ICE when it comes time for a battery change it renders the vehicle worth less than the repair. The whole EV promotion was one big lie. I am not against EVs as an alternative. They're great for most people out there that use them as a replacement for their daily driver. I am against how it was promoted. The Iron fist "this is happening" politicized the whole thing to make a few folks a ton of money based on a stack of lies and cherry picked statistics beaten into submission. Free market was not the order of the day. It's so politicized now that many Tesla owners are actually embarrassed to own one. And secondary market is really soft. Again, nothing against EVs in general - awesome alternative. But if your reasons for buying an EV are to save the planet then some unbiased research might be suggested. I am totally aware all that ramble is shrugged off. Truth is, most people buy EVs because they think they're cool. Believing they are saving the planet and are cheaper to operate is a far away second and third.

    • valhalla360's avatar
      valhalla360
      Navigator

      You are looking at it from a pro/con political eco-faith point of view.

      I'm looking at it from the practical does the technology work, point of view. 

      • way2roll's avatar
        way2roll
        Navigator III

        Yep, totally get it. And I don't disagree with you. 

  • I think we have learned a few things about the EV hype over the past few years. They aren't cheaper - in up front cost, lifecycle battery changes, and charging on the road, they aren't green - the caustic chemicals to produce them, the ecological damage from mining raw materials, the source of the electricity to charge them, infrastructure still needs a lot of work, and while they are good at producing power they aren't really great at producing good working power like RVing for the length of time required. I think the government shoved EVs down our throats under the guise of being good stewards of the Earth and a few folks became wealthy as a result. Sales have started to decline and we've already seen major manufacturers shift EV production back to gas and diesel. I'll take a diesel any day, in power production and efficiency.

    • StirCrazy's avatar
      StirCrazy
      Moderator

      90% of what you mention will happen anyway weather we use electric or gas vehicles. 

      I think electric vehicles are the way to go for any application except towing  or hauling but they do have a couple hurdles.  charging speed the biggest one, apparently ford has a patent for a new charge system that will charge your ev from 20% to full in 5 min.  that would be a game changer if it works, and the biggest issue of course is the price compared to the equivalent gas powered car. 

      I am interested to see what happens with the talks in China right now, hopefully they remove the tariffs off of BYD and a couple other electric car makers, there premium BYD HAN has a 375+ mile range, awd, luxury interior, blows tesla out of the water with fit and finish and quality.  for me to buy this in Canada, if it was not terrified at 100% is under 30K CDN so about 24K US .  

      that is ny issue with the tariffs, not talking about the ones trump has done, but tariffs in general, they use them as protection for local companies who were powerful enough to lobby the government into placing them.  this means they don't have to be as efficient, don't have to make as good as a product, and don't have to worry about competing on price point.  so ya if you want inferior vehicles at more cost, use tariffs to help make them I guess.

    • valhalla360's avatar
      valhalla360
      Navigator

      I agree govt mandates only distort the market and lead to bad business choices. I still can't believe they aren't pushing 100-150 mile range commuter cars (maybe 1 or 2 seaters) for $15k focused on multi-car families. At a cheap price, sold for a purpose, I think they would sell well. When they try to get 300-400mile range carrying 5+ passengers, things quickly spiral and really hold up the development. 

      Honestly, for pickups, I think they tried to get too fancy. Instead of building everything new from the ground up:

       - Rip out the 500lb V8, 200lb gas tank and 200lb transmission. Otherwise, leave the truck unchanged.

       - Mate a single 200lb electric motor to the drive shaft with a higher torque motor and skip the transmission. Install 700lb of batteries (~70kwh) for a base model (no weight change to the truck). Use the 2500lb payload f150 and double the battery bank (leaving 1800lb useable payload) for 140kwh (a bit more than the extended range F150 EV). Design, tooling and manufacturing costs would be drastically cheaper as 80% of the truck is stock ICE truck. If you make the batteries modular (mounted between the frame rails), you could even offer a 210kwh option (similar to the GMC) though they might have to beef up the suspension as that would start to eat into the payload too much.

       - Might be looking at around $8k upcharge for the batteries (offset by the cost of the V8 & transmission) but now it's close enough that fuel savings could justify the cost increase.

       - Except for the electric motor & controller, everything is stock, so any mechanic familiar with an F150 can work on the suspension and other components. 

      For RVs, of course, cost needs to come down but the Ford EV is comparable cost to it's ICE 1/2 tons. The issue is it's only about 60% of the range of the GM EV 1/2 ton and not practical for towing.

      • Grit_dog's avatar
        Grit_dog
        Navigator

        Nice thought but you missed a huge chunk of the technology that makes EVs as viable as they are. I’d say actually missed most of it. 
        An electric motor and a big f…ing battery is easy. Like you said. But wholly more inefficient without the technology controlling it and regenerative braking and the computer telling you where the next charger station is, etc. 

        Oversimplification doesn’t work in this instance. 

  • FWIW I think you are remembering Reisender that had the Tesla and TAB style trailer. Maybe they are still around to add some commentary to this. But based on most everybody going silent for the last year and a half I wouldn't hold you breath. But you can do a focused internet search. Like search for 
    "site goodsam.com: reisender+TAB" minus the quotes will probably get a lot of hits. 

    • valhalla360's avatar
      valhalla360
      Navigator

      Yes, he was towing a very tiny trailer and was accepting of very low range/lots of charging stops. It as possible but for a very tiny percentage of RVers.

      Setting aside the up front cost, this is getting to be practical. Pulling typical size trailers for typical daily distances. It's not going to replace diesel dullys but lots of 1/2 ton trucks pulling 18-25ft 3000-7000lb trailers. 

  • did he say what his empty rang was? I have a few friends with lightning's and they said if they are loaded up to the max towing capacity they go from just under 500km of towing range to about 200 so it is a huge hit on the batteries when towing.  

    plus for a lot of people that is still not practical unless you camping in fully serviced sites and have reservations.  so now the guy with the electric truck and his tiny trailer or tent trailer is taking up a 50 foot pull through spot 🤣for anyone who camps off the grid that is still useless unless your just going down the street, and for me I quite often drive over 200 miles (closer to 300) just to go for 3 or 4 nights in the middle of nowhere.  I would never get home again haha 

    I don't try to compare the electric trucks to anything but a 1/2 tone as that's all they really are, except the cyber truck, it identifies as a trash bin, and for the price difference between the gmc or the ford and the regular gas model, that's a lot of savings and not having to worry about including charge points in your travel plans is priceless.   now full disclosure I almost bought a ev for commuting to work and back but the final discission was the price point.  up here it would have been twice the price of the car just to save 1500/year in fuel, oil and tuneups

    • valhalla360's avatar
      valhalla360
      Navigator

      Officially, it's rated at 460 miles with the bigger battery pack, so 230miles towing sounds plausible. 

      Not saying it's practical for everyone but honestly, most people don't boondock at all, so that cuts maybe 5-10% of the market. Compared to a few years back when it was limited to tear drops who don't cover many miles per day, this would accommodate a fairly sizable percentage of RVers.

      Actually, if you can find a fast charger within say 50miles of where you boondock, it could be an improvement. The truck has an outlet/inverter that could handle the aircon. Charge up, 50 miles to the site, use 50miles worth of battery to run the aircon for the weekend and 50 miles back to the charge station with a 25% margin of error.

      I agree cost is still a big stumbling block but just 2-4 yrs ago, even if you were willing to pay the cost, it was practical for maybe 5% of the market. I would guess it's up to 30-40% of the market that would have negligible impacts to how they travel.

      • StirCrazy's avatar
        StirCrazy
        Moderator

        the only real big issue I saw last year, is campgrounds up here were not allowing a ev to plug into the power at the site, or they were charging them a tone extra if they did.  now that's just wat I saw the few times I did go to a campground and what was passed on to me by friends.  the one place a group was made to pack up and leave because they had their tesla plugged in, I guess the manager told them they couldn't and they did anyways

  • They are fast as **bleep** though!!

    That is one redeeming quality if you’re after a 4 sec 0-60 rig for too much money!

    • StirCrazy's avatar
      StirCrazy
      Moderator

      ya haha.. I took a mustang EV for a test drive as I was going to get a EV for my 60 mile commute to work each day.  fast and handled the curves very well.  and was one of the nicest finished vehicles I have seen in a while.  I ended up getting a bronco sport, after doing the math I would only save 1500/year (max) when you included the cost of charging at home and the 35K price difference is more years than I have left to work at 1500/year

  • 2022 wants their post back. People are dumping EVs like bags of liquid dog **bleep**. Especially the big ones. The little 4 wheel commuter scooters are still doing ok ish. 
    GM was late to the game with the Duracell powered Hummer and pickups. Just as Ford and Tesla can’t give them away. 
    Plus the GMs aren’t even a real pickup truck. They’re a Chevolanche/Blazer/Elcamino 1 piece body. Virtually useless compared to a pickup unless you want to twist the body panels up with a significant load and any off camber spots. 
    But the best part is, the GM EVs have a 170-200kwh battery pack and it’s good for only a little over 200mi on flat earth and low altitude, probably driving east only. (Lightning is 98-130kwh and reports of 100mi towing are in line with what GM guy told you.)

    And that’s with a little 5klb TT!  Lol. 
    Well if ya want one, wait til next year. They’ll be on the clearance rack next to all the unsold Lightnings and Cybertrucks!

    Or go buy a lightly used cybertruck now for the cost of a nice 2017 Silverado with 90k miles on it!  
    Man, we need a laughing emoji here real bad!!

    • valhalla360's avatar
      valhalla360
      Navigator

      As I said, cost is still an problem but there is a decent percentage of folks towing a 5-7k trailers and 220miles is viable for weekend trips and for once a year longer trips it's viable.

      If you ever go camping, you will see lots of unibodies towing up to around 5k lb.

      The technology isn't going to replace diesel dually right now but for small to medium trailers it's viable and that makes up a significant percentage of RVs... unlike a few years ago when anything more than a year drop was impractical.

      • bid_time's avatar
        bid_time
        Nomad II

        You are partially correct. I make 5 or 6 camping trips per year  and most of them are under 250 miles. However, at least 1 or more times per year we make trips that are 300 to 500 miles. I need a vehicle that covers all my trips not most of my trips. In that respect I think you are wrong, 220 miles is not any where near viable.
        I don’t think most people want to be tied down to such a limited range from home; and every extra day driving is another day I’m not fishing, kayaking, or hiking. In short, EV isn’t for towing, not by a longshot.

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From fifth wheels to teardrop trailers and everything in between.214 PostsLatest Activity: Jun 07, 2025