Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuzz
Towing is pretty much a no-go, but for a work truck I just can't see how someone would pick a regular F-150 if they just tool around the city, and never need to fill a massive tank with gas.
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The towing angle is a bit of a red herring meant to make EV trucks look bad. Sure, in real world testing the Rivian RT or Ford Lightning sees their ranges cut in half when towing 7-9,000 pounds, but a Ford F-150 in similar testing towing only 7,000 pounds sees its MPG drop from an EPA expectation of 20 MPG to a very unimpressive 11 mpg, or a 45% drop in range. And the Ram 1500 sees a drop of 50% from 24 MPG to around 12. It's the nature of towing.
This is a known problem with towing, which is why Airstream is actually prototyping a travel trailer with electric propulsion capability (eStream). This will be the future of all long haulers IMO. Propulsion and battery storage in the bed of the trailer which will extend the range dramatically and probably provide longer ranges as the tech is improved. This whole story that EVs suck at towing is bad narrative that tells only half the story. Combustion engines suck at even worse, especially when it comes to towing up grade or getting the package to speed. It's why locomotives use electric propulsion and not diesel engines to drive the wheels. Range is cut in half for almost all vehicles engaged in towing. This shouldn't be a surprise.