Towing Range Numbers?

[Waresdom]

Any numbers for towing come out yet? I know it's all relative to what you're towing but it would be cool to see some examples and numbers.

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[cvalue13]

Any numbers for towing come out yet? I know it's all relative to what you're towing but it would be cool to see some examples and numbers.

not just relevant to what you’re towing

also how fast you’re driving, what tires youre running, their PSI, outside temperatures, etc


so any given example or number will be limited in use

but based merely on the physics of it all:

Cyberbeast running the Goodyear ATs gets a headline range of 301mi

if you’re pulling something large (aero-wise):

• at cold temperatures and doing a sustained 75mph, you can (*wet finger in the wind*) plan for ~100mi total range and hope to get better

• at moderate temperatures, doing 55 instead, and (*wet finger in wind*), plan for ~180mi total range and hope to not get worse


If instead running the Pirelli Street tires, just add 10% to outcome

if instead running the AWD on Goodyear, just add 10% to outcome

if instead running the AWD on Pirellis, just add 20% to outcome



Basically, the AWD in Pirelli will perform very similarly to the Lightning ER

The Cyberbeast on Goodyears will perform 20% less than Lightning ER


And anyone who squawks about the above for some one-off reason they think I’m not considering, would be wrong. (Eg even if the CT efficiency is a bit better, it’ll be more than offset by the CT’s better aerodynamics - which when towing has a paradoxical effect on range)

 

[Waresdom]

So, what you're saying is that I can't make it 200 miles towing a fiberglass walleye boat that weighs about 4,500lbs driving 60mph.

I appreciate the info CV. The tire info is great.

 

[HaulingAss]

Figure about 50%, as a rule of thumb, more for big boxy trailers with lots of drag inducing protrusions.

I tow when I have to but when I need to move something too big to fit in the truck I'm generally only going a few miles, 75 miles would be a long way, so the range when towing has zero downside for me.

When towing, your range will increase dramatically if you can take the roads less travelled and slow down to 45 mph.

 

[Fleetwood75]

This is why the people who say “340 miles of range is good enough for anybody” can be quiet. I’m planning to buy the range extender just so that I can hopefully get 240mi when towing at 60 mph. I suspect pull-through superchargers will be super rare for awhile. Who wants to stop, unhitch your trailer and find a spot for it, charge, rehitch every 2-3 hours on a road trip?

 

[Waresdom]

Figure about 50%, as a rule of thumb, more for big boxy trailers with lots of drag inducing protrusions.

I tow when I have to but when I need to move something too big to fit in the truck I'm generally only going a few miles, 75 miles would be a long way, so the range when towing has zero downside for me.

When towing, your range will increase dramatically if you can take the roads less travelled and slow down to 45 mph.

It wouldn't bother me so much but there aren't any Superchargers between home and my destination. Not yet at least. It's a pretty common Hwy driven to for vacation people so I'm guessing something will get put in sooner or later. Thanks for the info!

 

[scottf200]

It wouldn't bother me so much but there aren't any Superchargers between home and my destination. Not yet at least. It's a pretty common Hwy driven to for vacation people so I'm guessing something will get put in sooner or later. Thanks for the info!

Have you checked PlugShare for CCS options?
I don't see any permits in non-populous areas yet. That crowd-sourced site is good to watch.

 

[HaulingAss]

This is why the people who say “340 miles of range is good enough for anybody” can be quiet. I’m planning to buy the range extender just so that I can hopefully get 240mi when towing at 60 mph. I suspect pull-through superchargers will be super rare for awhile. Who wants to stop, unhitch your trailer and find a spot for it, charge, rehitch every 2-3 hours on a road trip?

I agree, that's pretty weird that someone would want to stop, unhitch their trailer, find a spot for it, charge, and re-hitch every 2-3 hours on a roadtrip. Of course, I never understood why someone would want to put $115 worth of gas in their tank just to yank a trailer 250 miles further down some road either. Life is a mystery!

In fact, I wouldn't want to to hitch a trailer to my vehicle in the first place (unless I absolutely needed to).

 

[Fleetwood75]

I agree, that's pretty weird that someone would want to stop, unhitch their trailer, find a spot for it, charge, and re-hitch every 2-3 hours on a roadtrip. Of course, I never understood why someone would want to put $115 worth of gas in their tank just to yank a trailer 250 miles further down some road either. Life is a mystery!

In fact, I wouldn't want to to hitch a trailer to my vehicle in the first place (unless I absolutely needed to).

When you work a lot of hours you can make enough money to where the cost of gas or charging is not an issue, it’s the inconvenience that’s the issue. When I’m trying to get to the campground to relax I want to get there with a minimum of stops and hassles. Hence why I won’t mind paying $16,000 for the range extender to avoid that hassle. Time > Money for me

 

[Waresdom]

Have you checked PlugShare for CCS options?
I don't see any permits in non-populous areas yet. That crowd-sourced site is good to watch.

I could hit Stevens Point and Wausau but that's just another 40-50 miles out of the way. A perfect spot would be in Antigo. A lot of vacation people head up Hwy 45 to Eagle River. I'm sure it will happen sooner or later.

 

[Keeney]

So, what you're saying is that I can't make it 200 miles towing a fiberglass walleye boat that weighs about 4,500lbs driving 60mph.

I appreciate the info CV. The tire info is great.

Boats on trailers are surprisingly not as aerodynamic as one would think. They sit up high. They are wide. They have a frontal area as big as the truck. Plus lots of things sticking up like windshields, seats, motors, wake tower, bimini, trolling shields. Then they are squared off at the back creating low pressure drag. The trailers themselves have lots of cross members, axles, spare tires, lights and license plate hanging down, and big fenders that stick out wider than the truck. The shape of the boat pushes more air underneath the trailer. Sometimes tarps are loose and flap or inflate like a big parachute and turn into a drag increase instead of making the shape smoother.

I would imagine some significant gains could be made by paying a bit more attention to the aerodynamics of the boat and trailer.

 

[Keeney]

Some good discussion of trailer aerodynamics ins this article:

https://mechanicalelements.com/trailer-aerodynamics/

 

[scottf200]

I could hit Stevens Point and Wausau but that's just another 40-50 miles out of the way. A perfect spot would be in Antigo. A lot of vacation people head up Hwy 45 to Eagle River. I'm sure it will happen sooner or later.

60 amp on plugshare there -- eat lunch type stop for a little boost

 

[Keeney]

I was messing around in my F150L and noticed it keeps track of efficiency and range estimate stats separately for pulling trailers (per trailer, even).

So as a data point for those considering towing with EV trucks, pulling my Nautique 210 wake boat to and from the dealer a couple of times (50 mi round trip each time on the highway) averaged 1.19 mi/kWh.
That number is a bit higher than I would have thought. It is not uncommon to see the efficiency meter dip below 1.0 mi / kWh while actually driving with this trailer.

The boat plus trailer is maybe 6000-6500 lbs

I would think CT will be slightly higher, but its not going to be magically up around 2.0.

 

[powderpoika]

thoughts on how regenerative braking may improve range, especially when driving down steep mountain passes?

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