Electrical vehicles are successful over drivers with improved vary, towing, and extra energy off the road than gas-powered pickups. One of the crucial widespread questions potential electrical truck consumers ask is how a lot it could tow. Take a look at two of the most well-liked electrical vehicles available on the market – the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning – go face to face in a towing take a look at within the video under.
Two automakers – one which’s been constructing vehicles for over 100 years and the opposite based in 2009. However every has the identical aim – to make the last word electrical pickup.
The Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T are two of the most well-liked electrical vehicles just because they had been among the first available on the market.
Ford launched its full-size electrical pickup in Could 2021 as its “smartest, most progressive truck” out of the automaker’s 100-year historical past constructing them. In the meantime, Rivian was the first to supply an electrical pickup within the US, with its R1T rolling off the manufacturing line in September 2021.
Rivian builds its electrical truck to allow and encourage individuals to do the issues they need to take footage of sustainably, whereas Ford seems to be to construct the way forward for the truck.
Though Rivian and Ford’s electrical vehicles differ, drivers use them for related actions, together with towing. The Ford Lightning gives a max towing capability between 7,700 lbs (Professional) and 10,000 lbs (XLT, LARIAT). Rivian says its R1T can tow as much as 11,000 lbs. Let’s see who wins in a towing take a look at.
Ford Lightning vs. Rivian R1T electrical vehicles towing take a look at
To reply the query lots of you’re questioning, Edmunds Vehicles put a 2022 Rivian R1T and a 2022 Ford Lightning up in opposition to one another in its first all-electric towing contest.
Towing with an EV, or any pickup for that matter, will negatively impression vary. The much less aerodynamic the trailer, the extra impression it’s going to have on the truck’s towing skill. So, Edmunds loaded up 17-ft field trailers with Hyundai IONIQ 5 SUVs for a mixed weight of roughly 7,500 lbs.
The Ford Lightning has 580 hp and 775 lb-ft of torque. As well as, the mannequin within the Edmunds take a look at options the extended-range battery, which is nice for 131 kWh of usable energy and as much as 320 miles of vary, but in addition provides weight, reducing the EV truck’s most towing from 10,000 lbs to 7,700 lbs.
By comparability, the Rivian R1T options 835 hp and 908 lb-ft of torque with a 135 kWh battery for a towing capability of 11,000 lbs and 314 miles vary.
The take a look at happened in a 200-mile strip of the California desert with steep hills and valleys, which means they wanted to seek out charging spots alongside the way in which as a result of elevated load.
After over 200 miles of testing, the Lightning averaged 1 mile of vary per kWh, and the Rivian averaged 0.9 miles per kWh. Based on the testers, the issue that made probably the most distinction was charging.
Regardless of the Rivian R1T’s skill to cost quicker (220kW) in comparison with the Ford Lightning (150kW), the crew didn’t cost the Lightning truck to 100% to avoid wasting time.
The Lightning had a complete cost time of three hours and 9 minutes, whereas the Rivian R1T was 3 hours and 21 minutes regardless of the Rivian’s skill to cost quicker.
In the long run, Edmunds says each vehicles carried out equally when it comes to effectivity and had been equally good at climbing steep grades with a robust electrical truck. Nevertheless, they did conclude that the Ford Lightning gives extra benefits over Rivian’s electrical truck for towing.
For instance, the Lightning makes use of further information and GPS to calculate extra correct vary estimates and blind-spot warnings. As well as, Ford’s Professional mannequin gives Trailer Hitch Help, permitting the electrical truck to robotically again up and align its hitch ball to a trailer.
The Rivian did carry out higher when it comes to maneuverability, nonetheless, which could be clutch if towing in tight spots.
Rivian’s head of software program, Wassyn Bensaid, says a “huge towing replace” is coming this summer time together with a number of different updates to enhance performance, so keep tuned for extra as each of those vehicles will proceed bettering via OTA updates.
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