Couple Towed Trailer Behind $80,000 Electric Truck, Had to Stop Every 100 Miles on 2,700-Mile Trip
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
Electric vehicles have been under the spotlight lately as they consistently don’t measure up to the hype.
While many politicians are quick to push electric cars on the American public, one couple’s experience shows why some members of society are skeptical.
This story took place in November of last year as the couple decided to try out their new Rivian R1T — an all-electric pickup truck starting at a whopping $79,500 — by making a cross-country road trip from Detroit to Los Angeles and back.
The return journey was documented on their Instagram account. The expedition amounted to almost 2,700 miles and 27 charging stops.
According to Car and Driver specs, the R1T has 314 miles of range — not bad. However, this is when the truck is not towing anything. Many Americans do use their trucks for truck things. It is not absurd to demand a pickup be able to do so.
The couple pulled their Ford Mustang Shelby GT on a flat-deck car-hauler trailer. The total weight — including the Rivian, the couple, their luggage and the loaded trailer — came out to 14,260 pounds.
The approximate weight of the loaded trailer was a bit over 6,000 pounds — a standard load to tow.
On the first leg of the trip, the couple logged nearly 2,000 miles from Los Angeles to Sikeston, Missouri, with 20 stops to charge the Rivian — for an average of 100 miles between charging stops.
On the second leg, they traveled 695 miles and stopped seven times to charge, again averaging 100 miles between charging stops.
The voyage obviously was painful. The couple spent an estimated 10 to 20 hours charging their Rivian during the cross-country trip.
Some pit stops were better than others. Fast chargers are able to charge at 150 kW or even 350 kW, but the couple noted “one charger with a low output of just 30 kW,” according to The Fast Lane Truck.
Not only this, but the couple had to either take up the entire charging station area sideways, park with the trailer hanging far out, or even unhitch and leave the trailer until the truck was charged.
This hair-pulling story of a road trip highlights the issues facing electric vehicles. Never mind that the average price for a new electric vehicle is about $66,000; it does not work as efficiently as gas-powered vehicles.
And yet, liberal politicians don’t let up on their push to get all Americans to drive EVs.
The technology is not there, and while politicians in D.C. may not understand this, these trucks are not ready for real-world use.
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