Ford F-150 Lightning Vs Rivian R1T: Towing Range And Charging Battle

You may have heard EVs lose lots of range while towing, and charging takes forever. Is it that bad? Which electric truck prevails?

rivian r1t and ford f150 lightning towing box trailers

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Steven Loveday

By: Steven Loveday

Apr 23, 2023 at 10:35am ET

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As electric trucks like the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning make their way to market, and more are on the horizon, truck owners may be asking themselves about these EVs' capability. We know by now that electric powertrains provide plenty of instant torque and commanding acceleration, but range anxiety is still a concern for many people. Towing a heavy load amplifies that concern.

All vehicles, regardless of powertrain, will lose range while towing or hauling. The heavier the load, the more range loss you should expect. However, with a gas-powered vehicle, people likely don't pay nearly as much attention to the range since they can just stop easily and gas up when the fuel tank is getting low, at least in most cases.

If you're towing with an electric truck, especially on a longer trip, it's wise to plan your route ahead of time. In order to do so, you need to have some idea of the vehicle's range while towing, and make sure there are fast-charging stations along the route, and within the electric truck's range. A simple rule of thumb is that you can expect to lose around 50% of the EV's EPA-estimated range while towing. However, there are many variables at play, and getting stranded is not something you want to worry about.

With all of that said, Edmunds recently tested the towing range and charging situation related to the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T to give current and potential owners a decent idea of what to expect. To make things fun, both trucks tow identical box trailers over about 200 miles, and they're each loaded with a Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric crossover.

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The publication's goal was not only to get more data on the expected range of these electric pickup trucks while towing, but also to get an idea of how much of a hassle the whole process might prove to be, and which truck is arguably the better choice for such adventures.

Check Out These Related Articles About EV Towing:

Ford Pro Wants Customers To Know: Yes, The F-150 Lightning Can Tow

Chevrolet Silverado EV Towing Test Results Shared By GM

Edmunds provided the following topics and timestamps with the video to make it easy to hone in on what interests you most. Check out the video above and then scroll down to leave us a comment below.

00:00 Intro
01:46 The Rules
02:17 The Numbers
04:22 Range Estimate/1st Leg
06:55 Charging Round 1
07:55 2nd Leg
10:33 Charging Round 2
12:29 Final Leg
16:04 The Results
17:43 Edmunds' Take

Source: Edmunds Cars (YouTube)

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