Vet facilities really need to consider having chargers put in. Then you wouldn’t mind so much towing in, having your horse checked and waiting an hour to charge, then towing out. 
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Your second reason is the only reason I haven’t purchased a Rivian. It’s such a cool vehicle but I want to pull a trailer and charge without having to unhitch.
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Yes, that would be amazing. I fully expect that both these problems will be solved within the next 4-5 years, and I’ll trade my truck in at that point for an electric.
Current estimates are that they lose about 50% of range when towing.
The problem is that to.put in a high speed charger, you need a significant electricity supply. Most vet offices aren’t in places where this kind of commercial/industrial supply is available.
around here three phase power was run because this area used to be ranch land, I have three phase at my house, our AC unit is a commercial three phase unit… but the cost of a Level 3 charger begins at $15k the price ranges from $15k to $50k
Even a level two charger at a vet’s office would be nice. The Ontario Veterinary College is next to the University of Guelph, which is a very green school. While there isn’t a level 3 charger on campus, they have a few dozen level 2 chargers. You have to pay M-F from 8-5, but outside of those hours they are free.
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A bit of a tangent here…but, for those of you hauling (or considering) horses longer distances with EV, how will you handle recharging and having horses sitting in the heat during summer months while you recharge? What am I missing?
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We’ve only been intending it for hauling a work (cargo) trailer, but I suppose I would open the man doors for airflow (roof vents, windows, and top doors would already be open if traveling in heat), take the opportunity to offer water, and consider sponging necks and chests.
I’ve used my trailer as a shade source when showing off the trailer in the summer. It actually stays decent in there with the doors open.
just using an old antique truck that consumed dead plant life we would transport the horses at night during high heat to avoid the heating caused by that big bright thing in the sky that only shows up during the daytime
Yes, I get that. I was thinking more of those of us whose showing is limited to weekends or only have access to venues at the high end of the mileage limit range without stabling and have to do it without overnights.
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The problem is, though, that to unhitch the trailer safely, you’ve got to take the horses off. Which begs a whole new set of safety and convenience questions.
I’m thinking my diesel truck is going to have to make it at least another 5 years before the switch becomes possible. As, thanks to Putin, (autocortect changes that to Purina, by the way :)) I can’t afford to drive it at the moment, that seems an entirely doable scenario.
I would definitely not unhitch. If they don’t do the sensible thing and put a port in the front of the truck, then most banks of Tesla chargers have one spot that is accessed by pulling in instead of backing in. The trailer would be sticking out, but most locations are in large parking lots where there is room to get around.
Even with the port in front of the truck, pulling into these spaces straight with a trailer behind you would block a travel lane at nearly all of the chargers I’ve seen.
ETA: I would also not want to have to back up a trailer in that circumstance with a bazillion cars trying to go around me.
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So now we need charging stations that include separate trailer parking and available paddocks for the livestock that was in the trailer to be unloaded into.
Giggle.
I think @seabreeze has a very real question. How do we make this work for those of us who show in one day shows that are at the travel limit? I think people who would use more than half of their available charge, who show in one day (all day) things that do not include stabling and for sure do not and will not ever offer charging spots* are the majority of people pulling trailers around every weekend.
*not because horse shows do not care but because trailer parking is typically in some pasture and no one wants rows of charging spots in their pasture the other 364 days of the year.
Edit to add: I can say that in my part of the world, horse shows that take all day are pretty common. Open hunter shows (not rated one day things), or open shows that have English in the morning and Western in the afternoon.
We may need to draw a distinction between universal chargers and tesla chargers. I’m referring to the latter, and have thought about exactly this while charging at them. Some are unworkable, many of the ones around me I could manage. Though currently we’re really only wanting to pull a cargo trailer with it.
Right, I understand. In this area, there is only one place I can think of that has Tesla chargers that are in a place where you could pull a trailer through.
As I understand it, you can only use a very limited number of Tesla chargers on other cars in France, Norway, and the Netherlands. It’s a pilot program. You can’t plug a Rivian into one in the US.
That would be a limitation of a Rivian, yes.
