Rivian R1T tow vehicle

[gklott]

Who in our Escape Trailer Forum community is towing with an EV? We joined the EV towing community on June 25. Our Rivian R1T Gen 2 configuration is the dual motor with MAX battery, performance upgrade (665 hp,829 ft-lb torque), and 20” tire off-road package. Towing capacity is 11,000 lbs (5000 kg). Our R1T provides all new comfort, quiet, and power towing. Did our first tow today, and we had to be careful not to “launch” instead of steady acceleration. As shown for our 34 mile first tow experience, the miles/kWhr performance indicator is mostly for highway driving at 65-70 mph. After driving the R1T for a few miles, the R1T’s software estimates the trailer’s weight. We look forward to hitting the road soon for a full shakedown. Will post range and charging information after a couple trips.

 

[HABBERDABBER]

I've only got a 2023 GM Bolt EUV, and don't do any towing with it, but I've read on the Bolt forum that range is reduced 40% towing with that vehicle.
Your mileage (range) may vary.
Enjoy your new EV rig. They certainly are an enjoyable, surprising and functional mode of transportation.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

considering our big tow trip last year was 10,000 miles in 4 months through rural mainland mexico? no way EV would work.

 

[iamunique127]

Who in our Escape Trailer Forum community is towing with an EV? We joined the EV towing community on June 25. Our Rivian R1T Gen 2 configuration is the dual motor with MAX battery, performance upgrade (665 hp,829 ft-lb torque), and 20” tire off-road package. Towing capacity is 11,000 lbs (5000 kg). Our R1T provides all new comfort, quiet, and power towing. Did our first tow today, and we had to be careful not to “launch” instead of steady acceleration. As shown for our 34 mile first tow experience, the miles/kWhr performance indicator is mostly for highway driving at 65-70 mph. After driving the R1T for a few miles, the R1T’s software estimates the trailer’s weight. We look forward to hitting the road soon for a full shakedown. Will post range and charging information after a couple trips.

Good for you for leading the way. It looks like a wonderful truck.

We recently visited Yukon Territory and were surprised at the number of charging stations on the Alaska and Cassiar Highways.

Keep us posted on your results and impressions.

 

[HABBERDABBER]

And don't forget that you have a substantial electrical power source available to run trailer items. You don't need no stinkin' generator, or solar panels if the sun ain't shining. A pure sine inverter hooked up to your EV could power things when boondocking, if there's not one already provided.

 

[gklott]

And don't forget that you have a substantial electrical power source available to run trailer items. You don't need no stinkin' generator, or solar panels if the sun ain't shining. A pure sine inverter hooked up to your EV could power things when boondocking, if there's not one already provided.

The R1T Max battery is 149kW. Our E19 has 6 Battleborn, 7.2kW, or 4.8% (~15 miles) of the EV capacity. We plan to try plugging in the E19 to the AC outlet in the R1T truck bed, which is 1500 watts. If solar isn’t enough, can keep trailer charged by running into town once a week.

 

[Centex]

Sounds like an intriguing rig, Gus, it certainly looks sharp!

As I'm sure you recognize it's not a 'fit' for everyone's camping / travel styles, but I hope it works well for y'all.

I'll look forward to your updates in this thread.

 

[tjryce]

I tow our 2013 17A with a 2025 R1S Dual Max! Best tow vehicle I’ve ever had; so much torque when needed.

 

[gklott]

I tow our 2013 17A with a 2025 R1S Dual Max! Best tow vehicle I’ve ever had; so much torque when needed.

Great to see another Rivian+Escape. Agree on best tow. We’ve towed our trailer twice, and 1.1-1.2 miles/kWh is what we get with out E19. What is your experience?

 

[GinoandLinda]

Looks like an increasing number of folks taking the plunge and towing with their EVs. There are at least two on the Rpod forum towing with F150 Lightnings.

 

[gklott]

Looks like an increasing number of folks taking the plunge and towing with their EVs. There are at least two on the Rpod forum towing with F150 Lightnings.

From our limited sample, the T@B teardrops are the most popular EV towed trailers. Hope to see more EVs towing our Escapes.

 

[tjryce]

Great to see another Rivian+Escape. Agree on best tow. We’ve towed our trailer twice, and 1.1-1.2 miles/kWh is what we get with out E19. What is your experience?

My last trip of the summer (returned today!) was a 400km round-trip tow. Not a huge sample set, but I’m averaging 1.2 miles/kwh, just like you!

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

400km might be my first day of a multiday trip. actually, 400-500 miles might be, whats that, up to 800 km ?

 

[Centex]

400km might be my first day of a multiday trip. actually, 400-500 miles might be, whats that, up to 800 km ?

So, probably not the vehicle (or forum thread) for you / your style of travel.

 

[tjryce]

Granted I wasn’t towing, but I’ve had this Rivian on a couple of 5000km road trips, with a longest single day at 1100km. No issues with finding (or using) charging stations along the way! I’d have no concerns doing the same trip while towing, but I’d probably ease up on the daily distance a bit due to the reduced cruising speed.

 

[HABBERDABBER]

You can go anywhere, do just about anything, as long as you're not in a hurry.

Especially, with just an Electric vehicle.

I attended a talk some years ago by a Madison WI teacher who drove to Augusta, Maine, the state capital,,,,,,,with his Tesla, in January, during a brutal Polar Vortex cold spell outbreak. He was into visiting all the state capitals, and this one was still on his bucket list. He made it without incident, and it took longer than using a gas-mobile, but so what?
He had his charges planned out, drive some, charge while you're having lunch, and stay in hotels & motels with charge capability.
Northern Winter conditions reduce EV driving range by 30%.
So what's the hurry?
EV's are NOT for everybody, if you're in a frantic, 70 mph hurry.

 

[gklott]

‘Form drag’ impacts EV towing range the most. Form drag is caused by air flow impacting our rectangular cross section E19’s front end. Drag increases proportionally with speed, and it increases at the square of the speed for higher velocity. The perpendicular-to-flow E19 front end results in a large drag coefficient. Other EV owners report similar results from towing most any blunt end trailer, regardless of the weight. Even taller ‘teardrop’ trailers have a relatively blunt front end. Another E19 impact turns out to be the dual axle, which is one of our favorite E19 features.
Just returned from a 103 mile trip towing our Escape 19. See image for configuration. Our Rivian R1T is dual motor, Max battery, and Off-Road package with 20” M/S tires. As shown, we also have our Tune M1 camper topper, and we are towing or 2019 Escape 19. We departed this Tesla charger at 90%. For this trip, our R1T consumed 96.7 kWh, ending at 22%, including about 15 minutes parked with Pet Mode. Temps were in upper 90º. Average speed was 49 mph; max was 60 mph. Elevation +316 ft. going out, , -302 ft returning. That’s 1.07 miles/kWh, or 1.5 miles/battery %. Experience towing Escape 19 without Tune M1 topper has been 1.1 to 1.2 miles/kWh. Weighed at CAT Scale at mid point. Gross combined weight 12,380 lbs. Max rear axle weight 4880 without WD Hensley Cub hitch, 4720 rear axle weight with WD engaged. Our R1T GAWR 4960. Total R1T front+rear axles weight with WD hitch engaged 8320, with our GVWR 8532. Energy, mileage, and time values are via R1T energy screen and details via ElectraFI.com. The towing efficiency hit is about 40%, and this requires us to charge every 100 to 120 miles. This is good for us, as it is about every two hours when we need to stretch and walk our dog.
When towing our E19, our Sprinter 2500 passenger van gets 11-12 mpg at Interstate highway speeds. When not towing we get 17-19 mpg. So the towing mileage hit is about the same, nearly 35-40%. We continue to learn about towing physics and fluid dynamics.