Over 730miles with a 4,500lb trailer and boat…terrible experience!!!

[Marchin_MTB]

Can we see a picture of the boat?

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[Birdowin]

Sounds like you were very heavily loaded in addition to the boat. 4 people and all of their gear plus supplies. Then add a boat and trailer. This should not have been a surprise to you. A little research would have gone a long ways.

 

[Utah Rivian]

I am just packing up from a weekend and I did 55 for part of the trip and got good range then bumped it to 75 when I knew I could make it. It killed the range. Mt trailer is a NO BO 19.3 so like 5,500 with gear etc.

I had a half ton to tow it and my other toys but decided to sell it for the Rivian due mostly to me wanting the Rivian and most of our trips are 100-200 miles. We just decided if we do something longer we would rent a truck

99% of the time I don’t need to stop and charge but the long trips would be a nightmare so I will just rent.

although with the Tesla chargers from Salt Lake to Vegas it would not be bad.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I hate to dogpile but yes, slow down. Anything over 60 with that much weight is going to significantly impact efficiency. Also, what wheels you have, etc. There are hundreds of posts and videos related to towing you could use as a reference.

Good luck, this is how we learn. May your next trip be more successful. ?

 

[Mathme]

When I had my Audi SQ7, it would get about 21-22 MPG on the highway @70-75. When I strapped 6500lb of boat and trailer to it, the mileage would drop to about 13...almost 1/2 and that's driving at CA speed limit of 55-60.

I'm not sure why the OP was surprised that his mileage in the Rivian dropped by 1/2...as that's not uncommon in the ICE world.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

I mean, this is exactly what you would expect. I’m not even sure how you could reasonably expect something different?

This is also why we have a mix of EVs and gas cars. EVs are not for everything. For us, they are for 85% of driving. For the rest, we have our gas cars. I’m not going to tow or take a long road trip in any of my EVs. I don’t have the patience for the hassle.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

I hate to dogpile but yes, slow down. Anything over 60 with that much weight is going to significantly impact efficiency. Also, what wheels you have, etc. There are hundreds of posts and videos related to towing you could use as a reference.

Good luck, this is how we learn. May your next trip be more successful. ?

Love it, but I think we are beyond effects of wheels on range for this one lol

 

[Count Orlok]

At least ICE trucks never experience range issues when towing...

 

[Mickey]

So, I decided to trailer the boat on my RS1. Bad idea!
The trip to the Ozarks from northern Chicago stated a little over 300 miles, what a nightmare. Had to charge every 100 miles:
Average speed:68 m/h
Weather: sunny and calm winds
vehicle load: 4 adults, 4 carryons and about 60lb of drinks and groceries.

The trip computer software sucks! It begins with an estimated miles available and thru out the drive drops 40-47 miles. WTH!
Also, efficiency is terrible, I have quad motors, 1.0m/kWh!?
I spent about $167 each leg of the trip, charging at EA, Rivian and EVgo.
I miss my Q7…what a mistake I made. Never again…

An approximate Towing 50% efficiency reduction is somewhat normal… even with ICE vehicles. The problem with EV towing is we have a much smaller “tank” than with ICE trucks.

With RIVIAN’s sophisticated Towing mode operating adjustments that provides both safety and protects your vehicle health, expect a range of about 100-110 miles or so. That being said, you’ll find the best highway tow speed at around 60 MPH. But watch and manage your efficiency gauge to maximize your range. And, of course, aerodynamics plays a major efficiency role. TRAVEL TIP: Only re-charge enough to get you to your next planned recharge (plus your desired safety range) to reduce long recharging wait times. You’ll find the shorter breaks are somewhat beneficial to your trip experience. And use more than just the RIVIAN trip planner for comparisons (I.e. A Better Route Planner, RV Trip Wizard, Plug Share, etc.) so you’ll have a good idea how long your trip will actually take.

 

[Mickey]

At least ICE trucks never experience range issues when towing...

I believe you mean range “anxiety “ issues. My ICE towing experiences with three different vehicles all dropped my range by about 50%. No anxiety because there were gas stations everywhere. (But nothing beats the towing handling and comfort of my RIVIAN!)

 

[av8or]

Experiences vary. I towed my travel trailer Portland to Palm Springs and back (2200 miles) last winter and had a great experience. With good planning and realistic expectations towing with an EV is very easy and pleasant. Maybe you should look at you and your processes and make appropriate changes vs complaining that a vehicle that worked exactly as designed ruined your trip.

I’m currently planning a trip towing an even larger trailer Portland to Duluth and am certain it will be easy and fun.

 

[BCondrey]

Nothing about this surprises me, and I have never towed anything with my R1T. I have researched it though, and I know what to expect.

 

[Noah Arc]

So, I decided to trailer the boat on my RS1. Bad idea!
The trip to the Ozarks from northern Chicago stated a little over 300 miles, what a nightmare. Had to charge every 100 miles:
Average speed:68 m/h
Weather: sunny and calm winds
vehicle load: 4 adults, 4 carryons and about 60lb of drinks and groceries.

The trip computer software sucks! It begins with an estimated miles available and thru out the drive drops 40-47 miles. WTH!
Also, efficiency is terrible, I have quad motors, 1.0m/kWh!?
I spent about $167 each leg of the trip, charging at EA, Rivian and EVgo.
I miss my Q7…what a mistake I made. Never again…

1.0 MPK is low based on my experience. I'm an HVAC and electrical contractor in Los Angeles and I'm towing large size equipment, scissor lifts and even my forklift. Total weight runs between 4k to 11K Lb. I have been able to get 1.4 MPK. I'm VERY happy with the vehicle performance especially in comparison to my old Tundra. That said, by round trip are about 150-200 mills so I rarely needs to charge on the road. Most of my drives are freeway drive so very little stop and go. also, my trailers have electrical breaks as opposed to hydraulic trailer breaks. This will maximize to regen and improve your efficiency. Finally, air dynamics is a HUGE factor on MPK. at 60mph i get 2.2 MPK. at 80mph I get 1.8 MPK ! (No load, 20" wheels with off road K2 tires and standard height)

 

[hgpayne]

The only surprise here is the OP's surprise. Just like in ICE vehicles, faster equals reduced range, especially above say 55-60. Here's what I've seen in my R1S PDM. Cruising on country roads between 45 and 50 mph I will see efficiency hitting almost 3mi/kwh. Fabulous. On the interstate at 65 it drops to 2mi/kwh. Maybe a 2.2. Towing my 3500 lb boat at 60-65 I'll see 1.5-1.7. At 70 it drops to 1.4 at best. I see a sweet spot for my towing range as under 65. So I just get in the right lane, click into cruise, set 64, and chill. Not fast but fewer charge stops.

What you said except I tow my camper at 60 mph max. A mile a minute is fast enough for me. 1.6 m/kwh with 2023 R1T PDM.
The math works out to about 235 miles of range full to empty. We don’t do that though typically. Given adequate chargers we go 2 -3 hours and take a break while we charge. We are towing a bathroom and kitchen. No need to hurry. While we do go 400-500 a day on occasion our goal is only 250 miles between campsites. That lets us have a casual morning, break camp, do our “day’s travel” and be set up in our new campsite by dinner time. #lifegoals

 

[fg3]

To each their own and every situation is different. I love towing my 4500lb boat with my R1T. I don't tow long distances, but I do have a very unique use case of towing it from Denver, CO to Grand Lake, CO which is about 90 miles but includes over 8000' of elevation gain. Here's how I fare:

Beginning Charge: 100%
Total Distance: 93 miles
Average Efficiency: 1.28 mi/kWh
Total Energy: 72.6 kWh
Ending Charge: 42%
Total Elevation Gain: 8653 ft
Total Elevation Loss: 6155 ft

As far as I'm concerned this truck is a towing beast. I couldn't be happier, or more impressed. It costs less than $9 in electricity. My last truck (Ram TRX) would average 6mpg making that same trip. That's $62 in gas!

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