Rivian towing efficiency
Long Rivian towing test
Bottom line, the Rivian range was reduced by 62% when towing a Mustang on a car hauler.
The route was from Detroit to LA so it was plenty long but other than that not a whole lot details.
62% range reduction sounds like much more than would expect if I were towing the rig with my F150 but as a Tesla owner I expected towing to hit an EV harder than an ICE powered one for several reasons.
1) Most EVs have great aerodynamics to extend their range so they will be affected more by a not very aerodynamic trailer than the average pickups already on the road.
2) EVs benefit from regeneration during stopping but in most cases the regen is sized to handle the base vehicle weight. Extra weight may have required the use of mechanical braking more frequently resulting in lost energy. Batteries don't absorb energy as well as they provide it so their is limit to how strong the regen circuit can be. Also, the regen circuit is different from the drive circuit so putting in a stronger regen circuit would add cost and weight to the vehicle.
3) Electric circuits lose efficiency according to the square of the amount of power being pushed through them so there may have been a major efficiency drop from the higher currents.
Anyway, this is just one piece of data and the results will be different for every trailer. I am impressed that they found enough chargers to let them make the trip so this proves that it can be done. And more charging stations are being built every day. The photos show that tow vehicles are not accommodated well. That will become more important as EVs become more prevalent.
I would love to see a similar test replicated by an ICE powered truck to compare the losses. Some graphs on drivetrain efficiency vs power to the ground for various drivetrains would be interesting too.
Bottom line, the Rivian range was reduced by 62% when towing a Mustang on a car hauler.
The route was from Detroit to LA so it was plenty long but other than that not a whole lot details.
62% range reduction sounds like much more than would expect if I were towing the rig with my F150 but as a Tesla owner I expected towing to hit an EV harder than an ICE powered one for several reasons.
1) Most EVs have great aerodynamics to extend their range so they will be affected more by a not very aerodynamic trailer than the average pickups already on the road.
2) EVs benefit from regeneration during stopping but in most cases the regen is sized to handle the base vehicle weight. Extra weight may have required the use of mechanical braking more frequently resulting in lost energy. Batteries don't absorb energy as well as they provide it so their is limit to how strong the regen circuit can be. Also, the regen circuit is different from the drive circuit so putting in a stronger regen circuit would add cost and weight to the vehicle.
3) Electric circuits lose efficiency according to the square of the amount of power being pushed through them so there may have been a major efficiency drop from the higher currents.
Anyway, this is just one piece of data and the results will be different for every trailer. I am impressed that they found enough chargers to let them make the trip so this proves that it can be done. And more charging stations are being built every day. The photos show that tow vehicles are not accommodated well. That will become more important as EVs become more prevalent.
I would love to see a similar test replicated by an ICE powered truck to compare the losses. Some graphs on drivetrain efficiency vs power to the ground for various drivetrains would be interesting too.
