Possible new tow truck ( Tesla )

[2kwik4u]

All good points and yes I agree. Truck EVs towing our toys are still aways away. Whats wild is that a 50kwh battery pack, the same size in a short range Model 3 has the energy equivalent to 1.5 gallons of gasoline. Thats it. EV's work well bc of the 3-6x efficiency the equivalent ICE gets but like you said towing reels that back in.

I was doing similar research this morning. How much energy is really in a battery pack vs a fuel tank. With 1 gal of gasoline equal to 33.7kwh. I would need a battery pack of 1,011kwh to make my 300 mile vacation drive with the boat in tow (assuming the truck get's 10mpg, and energy usage would be the same. If we use 3.4x efficiency over an ICE engine, we're down to 297kwh. I suspect towing is probably closer to 2-3x efficiency though due to significantly worse aerodynamics, and the higher loads.

Looking at out and out efficiency towing....The article I linked to above The Model X used (on average) 632wh/mi. This equates to about 53mpg. That is absolutely phenomenal efficiency in terms of straight energy usage. For reference, a pickup getting 12mpg equates to ~2,808wh/mi. This shows just how efficient the electric vehicles are (roughly 3.4x in this example), as well as how small the "tanks" are on the current EV's. Can you imagine buying a pickup with a 2.3gal tank to tow with? The guy in the link above managed 94mi average between "fillups" while towing. That's 7.8gal of fuel in a 12mpg truck.

These are very interesting numbers to me. First time I've really looked at the math of "is it really possible" scenario. If I was closer to the water in any direction it would be possible very quickly. If I had my own place on the water, or near the water, then I think I could make some habit changes to get me there. At the very least my own place near the water drops my requirement of range by 40-45% or so (Don't have to get all the way home, just back to the lake house from the ramp for a charge).

Rivian doesn't appear to have any spec's on it's batteries on the site (at least not that I can find easily). I'm curious what kind of usable range it has with, say, a 75% of full capacity load on it. For me, it still boils down to that power density issue, or faster recharge tech. Either would be fine really. The infrastructure will come in time, and the acceptance as well. My fuel stops on road trips is usually in the 20min range by the time I clean the windshield, fill with fuel, check cargo, take the family in to use the restroom, buy some snacks, and then get re-situated in the car. They find a way to put 500kwh into my truck in 30 minutes and I would call that a win.

@swatski you just took a long trip in a large SUV with a modern engine, a family inside, and a 24ft boat in tow. Any idea what kind of MPG's you were pulling down during that trip. Not intending to criticize, just looking for some data

 

[seanmclean]

An EV Truck with 400mi of every day range, and maybe half of that towing would suit 99% of my needs. Heck, I can even charge it for free at work.

There are use cases where it would get annoying (i.e., long road trips), or going somewhere remote, but there are two solutions to that. 1. Keep a fuel vehicle in the household, which we would. 2. Rent a truck for that 1% situation (towing the boat down to Florida or for a long vacation). #1 is my solution, both for EV concerns and also because we sometimes deal with multi-day blackouts - fuel is available but electricity isn't.

 

[swatski]

@swatski you just took a long trip in a large SUV with a modern engine, a family inside, and a 24ft boat in tow. Any idea what kind of MPG's you were pulling down during that trip. Not intending to criticize, just looking for some data

I hate it you called me out, lol, this is going to be pretty ugly... (but hey, what are the internet friends for, after all, right?!). If there is one thing I dislike about the LC200 it's the miserable range when towing, to the point I'm considering installing an auxiliary 10gal tank to extend the range, as many do if taking off road.

Yeah, I have the numbers for you, the numbers are bad enough I feel I need to make a disclaimer, lol (to accommodate my complicated work schedule plus last minute delays I needed to push it a little bit).
Twoing to AZ/UT mostly uphill (slightly above speed limit of 75mph) my worst fuel economy was in the stretch around Flagstaff (7,000ft) where it hovered between 7-8mpg. With a 20+ (24?) gal fuel tank that gave me the range of about... 150 miles (sic). Bad enough? lol.

With that said it was single digits all the way. When towing the 240 I start looking for fuel at about 100 miles past the latest gas stop, and then go into advanced search mode at about 150 miles on the clock, the max range being basically below 200 in that scenario. I can see 10-11, sometimes even 12 mpg, for example on trips back from Arkansas at a leisurely pace towing the 240, but that's only when going slower and generally over a slightly descending route.
(for reference - when not towing I get 14-16mpg depending on time of year and routes. )

Now, the Q7 TDI - that was a different story! 12-14mpg was about the lowest I've ever seen (~30 daily non towing) but we all know diesel (especially TDI) rules in towing.

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[seanmclean]

Dammmn that's a tiny tank. Makes you acutely aware of mileage, though. I was happy when I pulled my boat a little over 330 miles on a single tank...then I put 36 gallons of fuel into it.

 

[Dean P]

Agreed, but I think that's an even longer way off. As simpleton comparison, we're complaining about vehicles that can only go 300 miles on a charge - consider the electrons you'd need to move something around that'll burn 50 gallons of fuel in a hundred miles.

Actually, in downtown St Pete they have electric boats they take people on tours with. So quiet too...

 

[swatski]

Actually, in downtown St Pete they have electric boats they take people on tours with. So quiet too...

They have them everywhere on the rivers in EU.
Here is one in Wroclaw, Poland. Those are not very fast, lol.





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[Liveto99]

Titan with gas motor.

 

[2kwik4u]

@swatski Sorry to call you out like that. Guess I should've PM'd you first eh? My bad.

I figured the LC was going to be on the low end of the scale. That motor isn't known for good mileage (good power, and smooth operation it has in spades I'm told). Looks like for you, just faster charges in an EV would keep the impact to a minimum. I'm sure your fillups are just a few minutes at this intervals though. Well, with a truck full of women, maybe not Ever thought of moving back to a Q7/MB Diesel SUV?

Wonder if any of the Diesel 1500 Ram owners have some data on a long trip like that towing a similar load? I would expect the range on those to be a bit better given the large tank and better efficiency.

I'm going to keep a close eye on how our trip goes over the next week. See if I can draw any real world conclusions while I'm travelling.

 

[Dean P]

They have them everywhere on the rivers in EU.
Here is one in Wroclaw, Poland. Those are not very fast, lol.
View attachment 96706

View attachment 96708


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That is cool!!! Never knew. That's why I love this forum. Thanks for sharing.

 

[the MfM]

Homepage - C-8 - Candela

Purpose Fossil-fuel freedom Our ultimate purpose is to speed up the transition to fossil fuel free lakes and oceans. We do this by creating a high-efficiency, all-electric propulsion system for...

candelaspeedboat.com

 

[Arcadyus]

@swatski Sorry to call you out like that. Guess I should've PM'd you first eh? My bad.

I figured the LC was going to be on the low end of the scale. That motor isn't known for good mileage (good power, and smooth operation it has in spades I'm told). Looks like for you, just faster charges in an EV would keep the impact to a minimum. I'm sure your fillups are just a few minutes at this intervals though. Well, with a truck full of women, maybe not Ever thought of moving back to a Q7/MB Diesel SUV?

Wonder if any of the Diesel 1500 Ram owners have some data on a long trip like that towing a similar load? I would expect the range on those to be a bit better given the large tank and better efficiency.

I'm going to keep a close eye on how our trip goes over the next week. See if I can draw any real world conclusions while I'm travelling.

My dad's 3500 diesel gets about 14-17 mph towing his 31ft travel trailer. Weighs 8600lbs loaded.

My 1500 hemi is lucky to see double digits.

@swatski that's why I always fill the boat up with gas before we leave. In case the truck runs out lol.

 

[addfw]

Put your $70k boat behind this $300k truck and stick it in the lake.

 

[2kwik4u]

I'll just put this here

https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/c0gk98

 

[2kwik4u]

Interesting info on Rivian in this article on Jalopnik.

“Rivian’s products are not really meant to be work trucks,” said Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst with IHS. “They aim to be lifestyle products, capable but meant for recreational use.”

There we go, not meant to really do work. Just an overly large commuter car

 

[seanmclean]

Interesting info on Rivian in this article on Jalopnik.



There we go, not meant to really do work. Just an overly large commuter car

I didn't really expect this or the Tesla to be anything but that. For normal people who need to do truck things enough to warrant having one as their DD (i.e., hauling a boat to the ramp, going to home depot, etc). Zero chance these will really ever be 'work trucks' until infrastructure catches up and battery density increases.

 

[J-RAD]

Enter the F150

Ford teases all-electric F-150 pickup truck by pulling a million-pound train

10 double-decker rail cars towed over 1,000 feet

www.theverge.com

 

[seanmclean]

If Ford's diesel pricing is anything to think about, their electric truck will require a mortgage, lol. Love my F-150, so this is super intriguing.

 

[Matt Phillips]

Unless they can get superchargers in truck stops and charge quickly, I don't see how it will tow much beyond the interstate grid. Just look at where they put those superchargers (parking lots, garages, etc.). What do you do with your boat and trailer every time you need to plug in and charge?

"Excuse me while I block 6 supercharged stalls while I plug in my truck for an hour..."

I like the idea of an electric truck (we have a Tesla roadster in the garage) but I'm not sure how well it will be infrastructure wise for a while yet.

 

[Arcadyus]

Unless they can get superchargers in truck stops and charge quickly, I don't see how it will tow much beyond the interstate grid. Just look at where they put those superchargers (parking lots, garages, etc.). What do you do with your boat and trailer every time you need to plug in and charge?

"Excuse me while I block 6 supercharged stalls while I plug in my truck for an hour..."

I like the idea of an electric truck (we have a Tesla roadster in the garage) but I'm not sure how well it will be infrastructure wise for a while yet.

I really need to get an investor and start some electric charging stations the size of gas stations in TX. Then I could afford a Pavati.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

I wish there was a reveal date for the Tesla truck.