F-150 Lightning Epic tow test fail

[HSKR R/T]

If companies are going to advertise towing capacities for their EV’s they better be able to back that towing performance up. Otherwise what’s the point of selling an EV truck when you can be much more efficient with an electric car?

Advertising towing capacities that the truck can actually pull isn't saying they can do it long distances. That's like saying you should be upset that your Hemi can't go as far towing a max load as it can unloaded. I get it, people want excuses to hate EVs. The current technology is still relatively new. And there isn't enough infrastructure to fully support it. But that same thing happened when ICE engines first started being sold. Granted that was over 100 years ago, but imagine the discussions back then. I can ride my horse cross country any route I want. I don't have to hope the next town has a fuel station, or carry extra fuel cans. If it's hungry it just eats what's around when we stop. Doesn't cost me anything

 

[Dewey]

Advertising towing capacities that the truck can actually pull isn't saying they can do it long distances. That's like saying you should be upset that your Hemi can't go as far towing a max load as it can unloaded. I get it, people want excuses to hate EVs. The current technology is still relatively new. And there isn't enough infrastructure to fully support it. But that same thing happened when ICE engines first started being sold. Granted that was over 100 years ago, but imagine the discussions back then. I can ride my horse cross country any route I want. I don't have to hope the next town has a fuel station, or carry extra fuel cans. If it's hungry it just eats what's around when we stop. Doesn't cost me anything

Horse and buggies are starting to sound pretty good for the future. The Amish are WAY smarter than us.

 

[Brutal_HO]

Says SUV. How about Ford Lightning or eventually RAM EV sized vehicles. Obviously much higher towing capability will require a whole lot more charging power for a fast charge. I doubt a quick charge can be done with these.

This thread is about an epic towing failure. How will this problem be offset? I’m looking for a legitimate solution. So far I haven’t seen any.

The only solution with current tech and probably for the next 30 years is hybrid which will also improve. Hydrogen is promising but not yet cost effective to produce in the necessary volumes.

 

[Darksteel165]

Advertising towing capacities that the truck can actually pull isn't saying they can do it long distances. That's like saying you should be upset that your Hemi can't go as far towing a max load as it can unloaded. I get it, people want excuses to hate EVs. The current technology is still relatively new. And there isn't enough infrastructure to fully support it. But that same thing happened when ICE engines first started being sold. Granted that was over 100 years ago, but imagine the discussions back then. I can ride my horse cross country any route I want. I don't have to hope the next town has a fuel station, or carry extra fuel cans. If it's hungry it just eats what's around when we stop. Doesn't cost me anything

Considering this thread is about towing and not EVs in general I will try to stay on-topic

At least you have the option to carry extra fuel cans.
I don't think you can carry extra "EV fuel" unless i'm missing something lol.

No one is looking for excuses to hate EVs, they just exist.
I could care less what\how my truck runs as long as it does and it works the same. Comparing regular trucks to EV trucks is just funny because they can't preform on-par unless they are used as a sports car and not a truck.

I wonder what would happen if you took a Ram 1500 ecodiesel towing and drove 2500 miles non-stop. Nothing right?

Now take an EV truck and tow and drive 2500 miles non-stop.
How much damage and wear and tear do you think you just put into that poor battery powering it charging every 100 miles on these "quick chargers". Batteries DON'T like to be "quick charged"

This is Rivian's battery warranty
Battery Pack: Coverage includes all components inside the high-voltage battery and 70% or more of the battery capacity for 8 years or 175,000 miles, whichever comes first

Image having a truck for 8 years driving it like a grandma and charging it perfectly on only slow chargers then getting 30% worse mpg just because. That would be 20mpg to getting 14mpg. This is also assuming there isn't enough dead cells or stuff in the battery causing it to not work at all and need to be repaired or replaced.
Would ANYONE be happy with that?

 

[theblet]

That’s like 22,000 a year. Prob not gonna happen

 

[Darksteel165]

That’s like 22,000 a year. Prob not gonna happen

... or 8 years.
So that would be like if a 2014 truck got 30% less mpg in the year 2022.
Just the thought is horrifying, all for what gain?

 

[HSKR R/T]

Considering this thread is about towing and not EVs in general I will try to stay on-topic

At least you have the option to carry extra fuel cans.
I don't think you can carry extra "EV fuel" unless i'm missing something lol.

No one is looking for excuses to hate EVs, they just exist.
I could care less what\how my truck runs as long as it does and it works the same. Comparing regular trucks to EV trucks is just funny because they can't preform on-par unless they are used as a sports car and not a truck.

I wonder what would happen if you took a Ram 1500 ecodiesel towing and drove 2500 miles non-stop. Nothing right?

Now take an EV truck and tow and drive 2500 miles non-stop.
How much damage and wear and tear do you think you just put into that poor battery powering it charging every 100 miles on these "quick chargers". Batteries DON'T like to be "quick charged"

This is Rivian's battery warranty
Battery Pack: Coverage includes all components inside the high-voltage battery and 70% or more of the battery capacity for 8 years or 175,000 miles, whichever comes first

Image having a truck for 8 years driving it like a grandma and charging it perfectly on only slow chargers then getting 30% worse mpg just because. That would be 20mpg to getting 14mpg. This is also assuming there isn't enough dead cells or stuff in the battery causing it to not work at all and need to be repaired or replaced.
Would ANYONE be happy with that?

Well, nobody is driving either truck "non-stop" for 2500 miles.

It's funny how you admit it's stupid to compare an EV truck to a ICE truck because they aren't the same, and then go on to compare the two.

 

[HSKR R/T]

... or 8 years.
So that would be like if a 2014 truck got 30% less mpg in the year 2022.
Just the thought is horrifying, all for what gain?

Depending on the owner we and how well they took care of the vehicle, it's not unheard of for high mileage vehicles to have worse fuel mileage.

 

[SpeedyV]

Oh yeah? Takes one to know one! It's too bad the rest of your reply is just as pointless as your childish insult.

As @Dewey correctly pointed out, we're talking about EV trucks and towing not ALL EVs. I'd be happy to discuss the broader topic on whatever EV loving forum you belong to, but no one wants that nonsense here.

With roughly 100 miles of tow range from full charge for the Lighting, there's NO way to reasonably plan around that kind of limitation. It takes 1.5 hours to fully charge the Lightning at a fast-charger. Even a trip that would normally take 4 hours would be more than double IF there was a fast-charger at every place you needed to stop. Of course their won't, so then it's a level 2 charger and 14 hours of charge time. Unless you have more money than brains, no one is going to own both an EV and ICE truck just to have one for taking trips to avoid stopping every 100 miles to recharge for 1.5 or more likely 14 hours.

Okay, now that I've spelled it all out since apparently not everyone understands what an analogy is... Imagine if only some fuel pumps could fill your vehicle in less than 5 minutes and most took hours!




That's great and all, but those fast chargers are only accessible for Rivian customers. And we’re talking about a grand total of 3 charging stations they've actually opened in CA and CO. Not exactly what I'd call a game changer.

@Dewey asked for a truck example, so I gave one. Of course there are only a few…this is all new. How many Tesla Superchargers came online in 10 years?

 

[Darksteel165]

It's funny how you admit it's stupid to compare an EV truck to a ICE truck because they aren't the same, and then go on to compare the two.

Exactly they arent the same, but they are getting advertised as so.
No one says "you aren't going to want to tow with this thing" if someone is looking to buy an EV truck.

It's like Honda claiming you can buy a Civic and tow a camper. Yeah i'm sure if the stars align you could maybe do it but you shouldn't. These EV trucks are getting sold as cable trucks, not sports trucks and right now they can't compete. You would have better luck towing something in a Charger then an Rivian or F150 lighting.

When I googled Ford F-150 towing this is what I found

https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/f150-lightning/features/towing/

TOW OR HAUL WITH CONFIDENCE​

TOW TECHNOLOGY PACKAGE​

Got a bigger boat? Extra-sized camper? Hauling a backhoe to the jobsite? This amped-up package is for you. Includes Pro Trailer Assist, Trailer Brake Controller, Smart Hitch, On-Board Scales, Smart Trailer Tow Connection and Trailer Reverse Guidance.

Is that not Ford claiming the unit is tow ready and saying it can compete with others? When I look up other vehicles not meant for towing I don't see any claims on how good they are for towing.
Saying an EV is good for towing is akin to false advertising, unless you considering towing for 50% as long as you are sitting on a charger good.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Exactly they arent the same, but they are getting advertised as so.
No one says "you aren't going to want to tow with this thing" if someone is looking to buy an EV truck.

It's like Honda claiming you can buy a Civic and tow a camper. Yeah i'm sure if the stars align you could maybe do it but you shouldn't. These EV trucks are getting sold as cable trucks, not sports trucks and right now they can't compete. You would have better luck towing something in a Charger then an Rivian or F150 lighting.

When I googled Ford F-150 towing this is what I found

https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/f150-lightning/features/towing/

TOW OR HAUL WITH CONFIDENCE​

TOW TECHNOLOGY PACKAGE​

Got a bigger boat? Extra-sized camper? Hauling a backhoe to the jobsite? This amped-up package is for you. Includes Pro Trailer Assist, Trailer Brake Controller, Smart Hitch, On-Board Scales, Smart Trailer Tow Connection and Trailer Reverse Guidance.

Is that not Ford claiming the unit is tow ready and saying it can compete with others? When I look up other vehicles not meant for towing I don't see any claims on how good they are for towing.
Saying an EV is good for towing is akin to false advertising, unless you considering towing for 50% as long as you are sitting on a charger good.

If your only metric for a truck being "good" for towing is it's range, then you are missing the piloint

 

[Dewey]

At least with the Ford Lightning you can power your house when they issue rolling blackouts like California.

Oh wait…on second thought……I didn’t quite think that one through very well.

Neither did they

 

[theblet]

@Dewey asked for a truck example, so I gave one. Of course there are only a few…this is all new. How many Tesla Superchargers came online in 10 years?

I only want to know about the super chargers that are powered by solar, wind, or water turbines. Otherwise it’s not helping anything.

 

[theblet]

At least with the Ford Lightning you can power your house when they issue rolling blackouts like California.

Oh wait…on second thought……I didn’t quite think that one through very well.

What if you power the house with the truck while simultaneously charging the truck with the house? Win win!

 

[HSKR R/T]

What if you power the house with the truck while simultaneously charging the truck with the house? Win win!

It's like the people that ask why they don't just put alternators in each wheel to recharge the batteries while you drive.

 

[Dewey]

What if you power the house with the truck while simultaneously charging the truck with the house? Win win!

 

[Brutal_HO]

It's like the people that ask why they don't just put alternators in each wheel to recharge the batteries while you drive.

You mean my nephew the "automotive enthusiast?" SMH.

 

[@JC]

It's like the people that ask why they don't just put alternators in each wheel to recharge the batteries while you drive.

So what's the reason?

 

[HSKR R/T]

So what's the reason?

Takes electricity to make electricity.

 

[Jimmy07]

Takes electricity to make electricity.

As a general statement, this is not true.