2025 EV Tacoma thread.

WTF?

TFL Studios whined for months to get this truck, had it for a week and this is the range while towing test they planned to complete?

An R1T can tow up to 11,000 lbs. They towed a 2000 lb teardop.
They either chose a tiny trailer relative to the maximum towing capacity (11,000 lbs), or were forced to tow a tiny trailer by Rivian, or went for the least expensive option because Colorado Teardrop gave them a loaner or paid them to use their trailer.
It would have been way more helpful to have least towed with 50% of the rated towing capacity.
What was the point in demonstrating that the Tundra would be able to travel farther than the R1T while towing? Even an idiot would've known this in advance. The real question was how to the range reductions for each vehicle compare? What is the comparable MPG?
Did the R1T's range reduce by 50%?
Did the Tundra's reduce by less?
What was the exact distance travelled by each vehicle?
What was the exact time so we can calculate the average speed?
What was the final MPG for the Tundra?
What was the comparable cost for the trip in each vehicle using Electrify America's rates and the current gas prices in Colorado?
I know Andre put in a long day completing this test, but what the heck TFL?



https://youtu.be/KuW8P4uvKoI

 

I haven’t watched that video yet, but did you watch their video of the R1T towing 8k+ up I70s Ike gauntlet?

In that video they talked about doing a test that would more reasonably simulate the average user’s towing experience since most people don’t tow close to the maximum rating over an 11k foot mountain pass.

 

I did. I just disagree that a 2000 lb teardrop is adequate data for many of us wo would like to tow with an R1T or similar BEV truck. The R1T is rated to tow up to 11,000 lbs. The payload for their test vehicle was 1419 lbs. I'd like to tow a travel trailer between 5000 and 6000 lbs empty. I imagine I'm not the only one. I feel that even a 5000 lb travel trailer would've been a more useful demonstration, especially since the comparison tow vehicle was a Tundra with up to 12,000 lb towing capacity.

 

I still love my 4x4 or trd taco, and will keep long term. An all electric taco with 4 motors,air adjustable suspension to give an 8 inch lift on the fly, 350 miles range, and a deal with Tesla to use supercharger system, then I might trade up. Otherwise I’ll just improve the one I own outright.

 

Cost to tow based off their kWh/mile data and my electric rates is half of what my Tacoma costs at 14mpg. That’s not bad though the Tacoma can go about 100miles further on a tank/charge.

 

Seemed adequate to me. Sorry fanboy, but the R1T loses a ton of range when towing (To be expected). It's a fancy midsize, yo. At 2X the price of a Taco.

If you saw their their flatbed tow, the R1T can't do the loop without a charging stop.

 

I'd like an e-Taco too, but tbh I'll burn some fossils when we do taco trips, in the meantime I'll just put most miles on my R4P if they're pavement.

 

I actually don't think this guy is a fanboy, I think his criticism is of TFL missing on the opportunity to give us some real data that Rivian isn't releasing.

 

My reservation for the R1S will supposedly deliver in the first half of 2023... not sure I can trust that date. I'll probably swap out my Tacoma for an EV soon to hold me over until the R1S. Definitely going to miss the go anywhere ability of my truck, but I will not miss $100 fill ups in California after 17 mpg highway trips to Big Sur, Tahoe, and Utah.

 

Yep it’s the $100 fill ups that are the problem. And I don’t see that number ever going back down. They’re going to force us to go EV unless you want to fork out $100+ every 300 miles. In CA at least

 

By the time that it's actually difficult financially to drive a gas car, EV technology will be comparable with gas cars in charge speeds and range. And the performance will make you want to drive one too

 

I'm happy for you. Unfortunately, I'm not planning to tow a 2000 lb teardrop with an R1T. Our next travel trailer will be between 5000 and 6000 lbs empty weight. The R1T has a maximum towing capacity of 11,000 lbs and payload of 1760 lbs. TFL Studios' test truck had a payload of 1419 lbs and they towed over 8000 lbs during the much more difficult Ike gauntlet test.

Why on earth would you tow with a significantly lighter and more aerodynamic trailer for the much less difficult flat towing range test? Then they try and justify their decision by stating that a 2000 lb teardrop is the trailer that most R1T owners will tow? Then why did they not use it for the Ike test? The majority of owners who will tow with an R1T will not be towing over the Ike gauntlet.

I'm simply trying to ascertain the real world range impact of towing a reasonably sized travel trailer with an R1T in order to determine if it is feasible as our next tow vehicle. For 80% of my annual driving the R1T would not be towing, as it would be my daily driver. Until we retire, we'd likely only tow for more than 153 miles twice per camping season. If we can tow our 5000-6000 lb travel trailer one way without having to stop and charge for almost all of our camping trips, it would be the ideal vehicle for us.

Real world, independent towing tests with EV's are few and far between, hence my disappointment with TFL Studios missed opportunity.

Call me whatever you like, but I'm simply trying to continue to enjoy our leisure activities while reducing our environmental impact. I'd prefer a Toyota BEV as a tow vehicle but Rivian simply beat them to market. I'd be an idiot not to at least consider their products.

 

You might want a 3/4 ton truck for towing a trailer that size/weight. Keep in mind that although the R1T is rated for 11k pounds it still is only just slightly larger than a Tacoma. The substantial weight of the R1T will help but it’s not a big truck designed to tow heavy loads. That’s not even considering the hassle of finding room to drop the trailer every 100 miles to charge.

 

While I appreciate you taking the time to share your advice, respectfully, I disagree.

 

The Rivian has 908 lbs of torque. That's plenty to tow 11k pounds.

 

Do you tow often? A 6k pound trailer quickly turns into an almost 8k pound trailer when loaded and wet. Towing that with a newer 1/2 ton still sucks even though you can get them with 10k+ tow ratings. I’m sure the Rivian’s weight and power will make a difference but not enough in my opinion.

Payload may also be a limitation depending on how many people you carry with you. A 1400lb payload disappears fast when you have 1000lbs of tongue weight. That’s one of the big advantages to a 3/4 ton tow vehicle.

 

I agree that payload will be a factor, as it almost always is with 1/2 ton and smaller trucks. That's the capacity I'm most concerned about. It'll likely be the reason we choose not to go with either an R1T or a 2022 Tundra.

The heaviest travel trailer that we're currently considering is the 25'11" long Airstream Flying Cloud 25RBT with an empty weight of 5700 lbs, GVWR of 7300 lbs and a hitch weight of 850 lbs. I'm well aware that the loaded hitch weight will be more. Everything else we're considering is shorter and lighter.

The R1T curb weight is 6800 lbs. It's GVWR is 8,532 lbs, making it an EPA Class 2b vehicle or HD truck. It produces 835 horsepower and 908 lb-ft of torque. As previously stated, the maximum towing capacity is 11,000 lbs using the J2807 test.

The R1T has an integrated brake controller, factory installed hitch receiver and regen braking.

 

Rated payload capacity is 1760 lbs. You'll be cutting it close.

Idk a lot of the electricity rates in CA are also pretty high. Fast charging costs about 40c / kWh .. and the Rivian is rated at 71 MPGe (2.1 miles per kWh) so it ends up being 19c / mile.

For a comparison, @ 5/gal and 40mpg, a 40mpg vehicle gets 12.5c/mile. 20mpg tacos will spend 25c/mile.

 

The cost to charge at commercial fast chargers is absurdly high... waayyy higher than typical electricity rates no matter where you are. If the infrastructure build out doesn't correct that and you get an EV you'd better stay within a charge radius of your house... or be prepared to pay the man.

 

Using an EV to tow, it would probably be more efficient to have something like a shipping container instead of a conventional trailer. That way the cargo could sit on the transport vehicle instead of being towed behind.

That would mean everything that is a trailer would have to be designed like a roll off container. This sounds over complicated, but we are talking about re-inventing the wheel. With the end result being efficient.