It always depends . You would have to be very urban and in an area with plenty of charging stations, though I can’t fathom sitting anywhere for 30-45 minutes while my vehicle charges. What is the cost for that??
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The last time I charged it was about $20 from 14 to 84%. Battery on that truck is like 131 kW
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Well, no, if you are only going down the road to trail ride or school (urban or rural) then you don’t need to charge at all. I could easily get to all five of those locations I mentioned and back home without having to charge. I agree that I don’t want to sit and charge with a horse in a trailer, but for local trips it is a great option.
Power is pretty expensive out here. I have gone from about 8% to about 90% and it was around $40.
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I didn’t read too much about it, but RAM is releasing a new fully electric truck. 600mi+ range and 14,000lbs towing capacity.
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Wonder if they are holding out for solid state batteries. Like solar panels, the tech is getting really good really fast. When we have much smaller batteries with 500+ range that can swap out instead of wait to charge…that will be revolutionary
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Yeah I was just thinking thats nuts to have to sit there so long to charge the thing
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I know an engineer who worked on the design of an EV truck and he told me battery life is reduced significantly when hauling, so they’re really only suitable for short hauls at this point - especially since it can be hard to find and access charging stations, as mentioned in this thread already. But as a truck for local hauling, they’re apparently great.
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I was meeting with some folks from the Rural Electric Co-ops in DC last year and EV charging stations is one of their interesting legislative priorities and one I think could be great for horse folks.
As more and more EVs are on the road, its more and more important to actually locate charging stations in a planned and useful manner, and co-ops could be an ideal location for those folks towing with them. (Also that $ goes into regional/local economies rather into the pockets of corporations, which I personally think is pretty cool.)
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I’m sure things will continue to improve for the performance of the truck, charging times and range. IMHO the F-150 is a good start. I looked at it before I bought my last truck (F-250). The big problem in my view was the range and the recharging.
I typically go down from VA to Aiken to foxhunt. It takes about 8 hours. With the F-150 extended battery it would be 2.5 days.
I think with the trucks they need to get the towing range to about 500 miles and a full recharge down to an hour to make it worthwhile. I also think they need to standardize on a plug, so you plug into any charging station and pay with a credit card just like you use a gas pump.
My other vehicle is a 2016 Prius. I expect, in about another 7 years the next car will be an EV. After the current truck I don’t think we’ll be buying any more trucks as we’ll be out of horses and off the farm.
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I don’t mind EV’s and enjoy one for a short work commute and running around town. However, it’ll be a minute before my tow vehicle is one.
Mostly because things can be far where I’m at, and charging stations are not so common, and ones that would work for a truck and trailer are very rare.
Plus, if there’s an emergency or I have to haul far for some reason (clinic, evacuation, whatever) I can just quickly dump fuel into the truck and go. Refueling doesn’t take long at all. I can’t do that with an EV and I don’t want to be stressing if I’ll make it there and then back when I have a sick horse en route to a clinic.
Never mind if we want to drive a bit for a weekend venture (trails or whatever else) where it gets kind of remote.
So an EV isn’t for me yet when it comes to a tow vehicle. For “normal” car trip stuff, it suffices.
I like that others are trying EV’s as tow vehicles though and I could see it being suitable in some situations for sure (like the Rivian example above).
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That does not sound engineeringly possible with today’s technology. Maybe as a concept vehicle, but not ready for market.
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I think @Kaucos is referring to the Ramcharger, which is basically a plug-in hybrid. The mechanics of the hybrid portion are different from most PHEVs, it’s technically a “series hybrid,” where gasoline powers a generator which in turn provides electric power to the vehicle.
It does sound promising though. The EV-only range is supposed to be 145 miles (flat, no towing) before the gas-powered generator kicks on. It doesn’t sound like the gas mileage in the “hybrid” portion is expected to be spectacular but it could be a nice compromise, especially for people who use their trucks as their daily driver.
ETA: Our main vehicle right now is a plug-in hybrid RAV4 and we love it. The PHEVs really are a nice way to dip your toe into EVs.
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Actually, I am referring to the RAMREV. Which is a fully electric vehicle coming in Q4 2024.
Built on the strength of the new STLA Frame platform, the all-electric, zero-emission Ram 1500 REV is primed for performance with exceptional benchmarks in towing, payload, charge time and a manufacturer’s estimated total driving range of 350 miles with the standard 168 kilowatt-hour battery pack or a manufacturer’s estimate targeting an Unsurpassed-in-Class up to 500 miles total driving range with the optional 229 kilowatt-hour large battery pack. Launch from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds, get up to 24 inches of water fording depth, harness the power of 654 available horses and capture 620 pound-feet of torque.
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At present, the best bet for an electric truck with a decent range when towing is, IMO, the Rivian. Out of my price range, but definitely a capable vehicle. The thing can tow 10K pounds
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The lighting and the rivian are very on par. This article states that the rivian only got 110 mi of range in cold weather with a heavy load, almost identical to the lightning.
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Just reading this thread gives me anxiety! I would be nervous to tow with anything that I thought posed a risk of me running out of charge/fuel while loaded.
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I definitely wouldn’t haul a horse a long distance. That said, it isn’t bad on its own or with a trailer that isn’t holding live animals. You just plan your route, and know where the charging stations are. My first long (4 hour) trip was in September, and it was a little nerve wracking on the way there because I didn’t really know what the range would be. On the way back it was great - I left with a full charge and knew exactly where to stop.
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Same. The logistics of hauling are stress inducing enough. Give me a full tank of gas acquired in 3 minutes annnnnny day.
PS
I love Fords.
My first truck in 1984 was a Ranger.
I’ve owned a bunch more over the years. The one thing I will NEVER do with a Ford product is be an early adopter. Ooof. Been there done that with new technology they install. Nope nope nope.
Signed a proud F150 owner who hauls her horse all over creation.
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The other issue towing a trailer is getting caught in a large traffic jam where you are creeping along for several hours. I am in Alabama and this is not an infrequent occurrence on the interstate system. If you are stuck between exits you can’t get off on the side of the interstate because (a) there usually is not a good place to park that is safe and (b) you can’t get back on the interstate when the traffic starts moving again. So how does that affect the range of the truck when you are driving but going 3 or 4 mph? With a diesel I don’t run out of gas because I always tow with a full tank and that sort of driving doesn’t run down the gas tank all the way. Towing is stressful enough without wondering if you are going to run out the charge.
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Exactly ! I want to be progressive too. But you can pry my gas truck from my cold dead hands before I’ll trust an EV to tow.
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