Hurricane evacuation - Rivian versus ICE truck

[MMRivian]

We are lifelong Floridians. We have lived in Miami, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, and Santa Rosa Beach. We are quite familiar with storms and hurricanes. We have lived very close to the Gulf of Mexico in the western Florida Panhandle for the past 29 years. We have gone through 3 major hurricanes and a number of tropical storms during this period.

Our evacuation plan includes pulling our Airstream Travel Trailer out of harms way. We have both a Rivian R1T and a Chevrolet Silverado Duramax 3/4 ton. We would tow the Airstream with the Chevrolet for it 400 mile range and follow along with the Rivian. Both vehicles can handle moderately flooded roadways. We feel live we have a good plan.

Brian

kind of my plan too without the Airstream. My buddy has the same Duramax with lots of extra diesel. We would caravan and find some lodging.

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[Oldsmobile_Mike]

In my area the gas lines are around the block on a good day. And people tend to do this the minute there's a cloud in the sky:

Never seen a line at an EV charger and I would feel safer taking my Rivian for all the aforementioned reasons including ground clearance, ability to ford water, etc., but obviously YMMV.

 

[Surferdude]

We're an all-EV household but if we were in your position we would get a 1500. You can very easily and inexpensively shlep 3 or 4 five-gallon gas jugs in the back of the truck and easily get 600+ miles of any type of traffic without having to worry about filling up. Hurricane anxiety is different for everyone but there is no question having a gas truck in that situation is magnitudes less anxiety inducing.

When sitting in bumper to bumper traffic you have to consider not just the temp but the humidity. If it's 90 degrees out with an approaching hurricane the humidity levels will be oppressive. An EV in bumper to bumper is quite efficient. But with the ac cranking in very slow traffic I'd expect the total range to drop by 1/3 or more. Our Rivian has been only getting 1.7 mi/kWh in relatively smooth stop and go traffic because we are in a warm climate and run our ac constantly. It takes a lot of energy to cool the Rivian cabin because of all the glass overhead.

 

[PhatDaddy]

Sounds like you took all the right steps with your house (assuming it is also well built for the winds and trees). Like you, I am 1/3 mile west of an intercoastal waterway, not in a flood area, so only evac (and the aforementioned winds and trees) to worry about. As a Florida native (32 years now after my latest return to the state) with a LOT of hurricane experience, this kind of planning was absolutely considered when I pre-ordered my Rivian… now 3 years ago (delivered 12/31/23). So given that hurricanes typically lose substantial power over land, our ‘evac’ location is a condo in the center of the state (Ocala). And I wanted (as you said) an EV that had the ground/water clearance and the range to be able to ROUND TRIP to that evac location WITHOUT charging at all, if it ever came to that. So I did my research and put in my order. Tested my evac plan with my R1T DM Max and got 315 real world miles on AT 20’s, so I am very happy with my choice, even though a round trip without charging will probably never be a requirement. Hope that is helpful. But the key is be prepared to leave early, and live with the false positives. More details if interested in my other post:
R1T Max Pack Real World Range FWIW: 315 miles

 

[j.w.s]

I currently live in south Florida and own two EVs, BMW iX and Tesla model Y. Also have solar with good battery/natural gas-generator backup so can be my own "gas station" for EVs indefinitely during a grid outage. However, with a possible direct hurricane hit requiring an evacuation, neither the iX nor Y have sufficient ground clearance, flooded road capability, comfort, nor range for extended bumper to bumper and overnight evac. Considering a Rivian or a moderately lifted ICE truck for this purpose. My question for the forum is what range can I expect in slow stop and go traffic conditions at high ambient temps (85-90F). I have read the questions regarding the range upgrade with the Max pack and wondering what incremental range might be expected with stop and go driving. Also, do we think that the Tesla supercharger option is now reliable? And the overall thoughts on charging station versus gas/diesel station availability (much better to "fuel" at home before a storm but talking about an evac situation). I have also investigated carrying an inverter generator and some gas and could reasonably get 6 kw which is maybe 45 miles of range for 3 hours sleeping or on the side of the road while charging.

I hope I haven't repeated a prior discussion but couldn't find these questions in a search.

EV's **love** moving slowly. I get some of my highest efficiencies while commuting in slow traffic. So I'd expect range above EPA. But running the A/C does draw extra power. I'd plan for 1-2KW per hour if it's hot. The Max pack is 140KW I believe, so at least 70 hours of running the aircon. Combined, I would guesstimate a rage of at least 350 miles doing six hours of stop-and-go in the heat.

 

[MMRivian]

Thanks for all the great information and perspectives. I researched the latest and greatest low weight inverter generators and it seems I could put two in parallel and get 6.4 kw at 240 volt continuous. 5 hours during sleep time would then get me ~75 miles extra range. Is it overkill/paranoid to take the generators with some gas?

 

[Tr4ckD4ys]

Thanks for all the great information and perspectives. I researched the latest and greatest low weight inverter generators and it seems I could put two in parallel and get 6.4 kw at 240 volt continuous. 5 hours during sleep time would then get me ~75 miles extra range. Is it overkill/paranoid to take the generators with some gas?

Yes

 

[Bob R1T]

I currently live in south Florida and own two EVs, BMW iX and Tesla model Y. Also have solar with good battery/natural gas-generator backup so can be my own "gas station" for EVs indefinitely during a grid outage. However, with a possible direct hurricane hit requiring an evacuation, neither the iX nor Y have sufficient ground clearance, flooded road capability, comfort, nor range for extended bumper to bumper and overnight evac. Considering a Rivian or a moderately lifted ICE truck for this purpose. My question for the forum is what range can I expect in slow stop and go traffic conditions at high ambient temps (85-90F). I have read the questions regarding the range upgrade with the Max pack and wondering what incremental range might be expected with stop and go driving. Also, do we think that the Tesla supercharger option is now reliable? And the overall thoughts on charging station versus gas/diesel station availability (much better to "fuel" at home before a storm but talking about an evac situation). I have also investigated carrying an inverter generator and some gas and could reasonably get 6 kw which is maybe 45 miles of range for 3 hours sleeping or on the side of the road while charging.

I hope I haven't repeated a prior discussion but couldn't find these questions in a search.

And don't forget about flooding. What happens when your power wall is flooded? Would that create a short and impact your panels and equipment? Flying debris is most damaging in a hurricane, so impact on the panels themselves might require ability to disconnect them from the array in order to generate power. Just wondering...

 

[Robin]

Florida’s pretty flat too, so that would be in your favor.

One thing to keep in mind about solar (which I’m sure you already know/have experienced) is that it doesn’t take much cloud cover to seriously impact solar generation. Does Florida store most of their natural gas underground or above as LNG? Just wondering about a protracted cloudy storm aftermath if the natural gas storage or distribution was also impacted. In the case of a god-level event, most things are out of your control anyway.

????

 

[NDIrish]

I currently live in south Florida and own two EVs, BMW iX and Tesla model Y. Also have solar with good battery/natural gas-generator backup so can be my own "gas station" for EVs indefinitely during a grid outage. However, with a possible direct hurricane hit requiring an evacuation, neither the iX nor Y have sufficient ground clearance, flooded road capability, comfort, nor range for extended bumper to bumper and overnight evac. Considering a Rivian or a moderately lifted ICE truck for this purpose. My question for the forum is what range can I expect in slow stop and go traffic conditions at high ambient temps (85-90F). I have read the questions regarding the range upgrade with the Max pack and wondering what incremental range might be expected with stop and go driving. Also, do we think that the Tesla supercharger option is now reliable? And the overall thoughts on charging station versus gas/diesel station availability (much better to "fuel" at home before a storm but talking about an evac situation). I have also investigated carrying an inverter generator and some gas and could reasonably get 6 kw which is maybe 45 miles of range for 3 hours sleeping or on the side of the road while charging.

I hope I haven't repeated a prior discussion but couldn't find these questions in a search.

I'd say you are better in an EV in bumper to bumper traffic than an ICE.... EV's sip energy sitting there doing nothing, where as an ICE burns fuel regardless. The AC/radio etc don't use much, but an ICE would burn fuel to keep you comfortable and informed.

Basically in FL (flat) your range is MILES , not hrs .... an ICE is more hours the engine is running not really the miles you go. I would assume an evac wouldn't need to be further than 280 miles, but I haven't needed to evacuate anywhere. Seems if you head 200 miles the opposite direction of the danger you would be fine, and can comfortably keep the AC on and sleep through the event, then find a working charger to return. (maybe I an way naive)

 

[defcon888]

We are in California and have a rolling blackout because the utility companies will shut it off if there are high winds.

Our routine is that if we know there is going to be a blackout, we will either charge up at home or go to a DCFC in town and get fully charged. We then go home and just park it. We also have a RAV4 Prime and that is the vehicle we will use to bug out if we had to take a long road trip.

With a hurricane (never been in one), but, you will know a week in advanced or more of the pending storm. I would just charge up the Rivian (if you decide to get one) and stay charged until you need to leave. Stop and go traffic you should be able to get plenty of distance from home. Personally, I would probably make plans to get out of danger and drive 300+ miles in the opposite direction and do it a few days before. The great thing with a Rivian is that you can get yourself a plug-in ice chest and a plug-in a hotplate to be able to cook food if you have to evacuate to a park or a shelter. You will be able to be a great citizen and offer people to charge their phones for free as well.

 

[EmPickle]

I sat in traffic for 4 hours to go 16 miles after the eclipse in the cold and while I don't know how much battery I used, I had plenty of charge to scoot 100 miles away and charge. And while all the Tesla's were packed at the SCs, the EA further away only had 1 other car.

 

[zymolysis]

It takes a lot of energy to cool the Rivian cabin because of all the glass overhead.

Easy solution to that: a shade that is reflective, opaque, and contains closed cell insulation. There is no reason to waste energy from your battery, pumping that heat back out, if you can stop it from entering the cabin. If you really really love the glass roof (I don't), you could keep it on hand, and then install it in times of need.

 

[MMRivian]

I know a bit off topic but Rivian support says that I cannot configure a new R1T until the fall when the configurator will open back up. I have to choose from existing vehicles until then. Seems flaky.

 

[DevSecOps]

Is it overkill/paranoid to take the generators with some gas?

Nah.... But you might get some strange looks.

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