Towing Capacity and Range?

Ogre

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Another good video comparing a Rivian’s range to a Ford ICE truck.



The Rivian‘s range took a 60% hit in this one also. They were towing a 7500 pound trailer so it was definitely working hard.

His calculations suggest it would have effectively 100 miles of range with a 7500 pound trailer. Ouch.
 

Ogre

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It's that ugly box causing the big hit, not the weight, tho.

-Crissa
Yes, but towing cars is one of the more common uses for trailers. Box trailers are one of the most common shapes too.

They do make somewhat more aero trailers for cars, but they are even more expensive.

It’ll be interesting to see if EVs prompt some rethinking in the trailer industry. I know lots of people talking about batteries, but aerodynamics are the bigger deal.

There are aero trailers out there, particularly camper trailers so just gotta be selective. Collapsing trailers like the Aliners are probably the best way to go.
 

Crissa

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Yeah, one of the neat things I've seen in invention-land is the different ways to make something stiff from something that isn't. Things like materials that are stiffer when inflated or electrified; or plates that slide out and direct the flow of air to make a smoother shape. From those crazy doors on the bottom, back, and the aerodam on semis, they're becoming more common. Air-dams, they're usually called.

But the holy-grail would be some sort of tarping system that becomes solid and hard when deployed but only as big as needed so the cargo is a smooth lump instead of a big sail catching the wind.

-Crissa
 
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charliemagpie

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In Au, 3500Kilo, (7700 Pounds), is standard/popular towing capacity. In EU, caravans are typically much lighter.

Not everyone wants an Airstream.

The Rivian towing performance is just not up to scratch because the batteries are not suited for the job. The F150 lightning will gain a similar reputation.

They are using toy batteries.

VTOL's and heavy hauling need different setups.

In a previous thread... These guys are going to have their pants pulled down by the 4680.
 

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In general, it appears that you get about 1/3rd of the normal range when towing things.
I'm hoping the cybertruck can tow things further than 100 miles, otherwise, most of the time will be spent at supercharger stations when towing regularly.
Maybe the range numbers will be closer to the new Model Y towing things as a result of the new batteries.

Range, unhooking to charge, and not able to tow a 5th wheel are some of the many reasons I don't think I'll ever actually take possession of my CT.

I've considered getting the semi instead. It solves those problems, but creates problems of its own. For me, it's mostly the cost of the truck, and not having a smaller vehicle to drive when I get to where I'm going.

My ideal solution would be an F450 sized truck with 300 miles of range while towing, but nobody seems to have one of them on the horizon. :(
 

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Yeah, one of the neat things I've seen in invention-land is the different ways to make something stiff from something that isn't. Things like materials that are stiffer when inflated or electrified; or plates that slide out and direct the flow of air to make a smoother shape. From those crazy doors on the bottom, back, and the aerodam on semis, they're becoming more common. Air-dams, they're usually called.

But the hold-grail would be some sort of tarping system that becomes still when deployed but only as big as needed so the cargo is a smooth lump instead of a big sail catching the wind.

-Crissa

"Back in the day" there was a company that made a camping trailer called hi-low. I believe it was a fiberglass shell that lowered for towing, and raised into position when camping. That would help a lot for use with an electric tow vehicle.
 

JeffnReno

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Crissa

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In Au, 3500Kilo, (7700 Pounds), is standard/popular towing capacity. In EU, caravans are typically much lighter.

Not everyone wants an Airstream.

The Rivian towing performance is just not up to scratch because the batteries are not suited for the job. The F150 lightning will gain a similar reputation.

They are using toy batteries.

VTOL's and heavy hauling need different setups.

In a previous thread... These guys are going to have their pants pulled down by the 4680.
It's not the weight, it's the shape, as pointed out.

You may not want an airstream, but a big brick is going to cost you. Cheap gas is yesteryear stuff.

"Back in the day" there was a company that made a camping trailer called hi-low. I believe it was a fiberglass shell that lowered for towing, and raised into position when camping. That would help a lot for use with an electric tow vehicle.
Back when people towed with the family car.

-Crissa
 


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ςyb3®tЯμ¢kℓ|gh†n!ng

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Range, unhooking to charge, and not able to tow a 5th wheel are some of the many reasons I don't think I'll ever actually take possession of my CT.

I've considered getting the semi instead. It solves those problems, but creates problems of its own. For me, it's mostly the cost of the truck, and not having a smaller vehicle to drive when I get to where I'm going.

My ideal solution would be an F450 sized truck with 300 miles of range while towing, but nobody seems to have one of them on the horizon. :(
That vehicle supposedly will have a sleeper in it but its gonna be too expensive to not ship goods with. But from what was proposed in the original presentation, After about 2 years of delivering stuff, it pays for itself.
 
OP
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ςyb3®tЯμ¢kℓ|gh†n!ng

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Yeah, one of the neat things I've seen in invention-land is the different ways to make something stiff from something that isn't. Things like materials that are stiffer when inflated or electrified; or plates that slide out and direct the flow of air to make a smoother shape. From those crazy doors on the bottom, back, and the aerodam on semis, they're becoming more common. Air-dams, they're usually called.

But the hold-grail would be some sort of tarping system that becomes still when deployed but only as big as needed so the cargo is a smooth lump instead of a big sail catching the wind.

-Crissa
Another thing to remember, the back of the cybertruck is different, so I'm sure the aero profile will be different while towing as well. If you could somehow create an integrated surface between the back of the vehicle with the trailer, that would solve most problems.
Somebody did an analysis on the aerodynamics of the cybertruck and the first version without the curved windshield was already more efficient than traditional pickup trucks.
https://electrek.co/2019/11/25/tesla-cybertruck-aerodynamics-cfd-rendering/
 

JBee

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In Au, 3500Kilo, (7700 Pounds), is standard/popular towing capacity. In EU, caravans are typically much lighter.

Not everyone wants an Airstream.

The Rivian towing performance is just not up to scratch because the batteries are not suited for the job. The F150 lightning will gain a similar reputation.

They are using toy batteries.

VTOL's and heavy hauling need different setups.

In a previous thread... These guys are going to have their pants pulled down by the 4680.
If anything I expect the CT to be even more sensitive to towing un-optimized trailers.
This is because I think CT will weigh less and have less aerodynamic drag than the other Rivian and F150 trucks. For the CT this means a smaller battery can be used to achieve the same range the others do, which in turn means it is cheaper to produce, but also means there is less energy available to overcome the trailers energy consumption.

As for "toy batteries" I'd say that, at least initially, a kWh of battery is a kWh of battery, but they might degrade faster than others over time if they don't have the right management.
 

Ogre

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If anything I expect the CT to be even more sensitive to towing un-optimized trailers.
This is because I think CT will weigh less and have less aerodynamic drag than the other Rivian and F150 trucks. For the CT this means a smaller battery can be used to achieve the same range the others do, which in turn means it is cheaper to produce, but also means there is less energy available to overcome the trailers energy consumption.

As for "toy batteries" I'd say that, at least initially, a kWh of battery is a kWh of battery, but they might degrade faster than others over time if they don't have the right management.
Yes.

The Cybertruck’s range is due in a large part to the aero shape so they can get away with smaller batteries. If you assume the trailer has the exact same impact on energy use, its going to hurt range even more.
 

CyberGus

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Backing out of a stall you have pedestrians walking, other cars driving, and sometimes other cars backing up. Lots of things out of your control and in motion.
Yeah but pedestrians are soft and squishy
Sponsored

 
 




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