Summary of "The Truth About Electric Towing"

Summary — The Truth About Electric Towing

Goal and methods

The video tests whether electric trucks can tow in real-world highway conditions and which factors most affect range: weight vs aerodynamics, trailer type, tow vehicle, cost, charging, and regenerative braking.

Test setup and repeats:

Most tests used a 60‑mile loop driven at a steady 75 mph (out-and-back so start/end elevation matches).
Runs were repeated empty, with payload in the bed (~1,500 lb pallet of shingles), and towing different trailers/loads:
- empty low‑profile trailer
- a “wall” (air‑bra / 5 ft sail) erected on the front of a flatbed
- a Polestar (~4,500 lb) on a trailer
- a U‑Haul cargo trailer
- an F‑150 (~6,000 lb) on a trailer
Comparisons were done with a gas F‑150 (5.0L V8) and a Rivian R1T (Andrew).

Main findings

Weight (payload) matters very little on highway towing
- Adding ≈1,500 lb in the Silverado EV bed reduced efficiency only about 4.3% (from ~1.86 to ~1.78 mi/kWh).
- For the F‑150 V8 the change was essentially negligible (16.7 → 16.6 mpg).
- Adding 4,500 lb to the trailer (Polestar) barely changed consumption when a big aerodynamic penalty was already present.
Aerodynamics (wind resistance) matter a lot
- An otherwise low‑profile empty trailer reduced efficiency substantially versus no trailer (example: ~1.93 → ~1.45 mi/kWh).
- Erecting a flat “wall” (air‑bra/sail) on the front of the trailer cut efficiency roughly in half (e.g., ~1.45 → ~0.72 mi/kWh).
- Removing that front sail and just carrying the Polestar produced much better efficiency (~1.09 mi/kWh).
- Anecdote: driving with a tall sail at 75 mph nearly drained the battery mid‑loop and required unhooking and calling a tow — an illustration of how a poor aerodynamic setup can ruin range.
Tow vehicle efficiency has limited impact when towing
- Unloaded, the Rivian was substantially more efficient than the Silverado.
- When both towed the (nearly) identical U‑Haul trailer side‑by‑side, their towing efficiencies converged (Silverado ~1.11 mi/kWh, Rivian ~1.08 mi/kWh).
- Conclusion: trailers tend to “equalize” vehicles — raw energy capacity matters more than having the most slippery truck when towing.
Charging performance and practical range
- The Silverado EV Max has a very large battery and can charge fastest among current electric trucks (peak ≈370 kW; 10→80% ≈40 minutes, assuming climate off).
- Practical recovery examples from a 40‑minute session: ≈160 miles at 75 mph when towing a Polestar, or ≈300 miles unloaded.
- Trucks with smaller packs may charge slower in effective range-per-charge terms even if advertised 10→80% times look similar.
Cost of fueling
- With home electricity ≈ $0.09/kWh and gas ≈ $3/gal (local example), the Silverado (empty) at 1.86 mi/kWh costs roughly $5.32 per 100 miles (including ~10% charging loss), vs ≈$15/100 mi for an F‑150 at 20 mpg.
- At DC fast‑charger prices ≈ $0.40/kWh, EV cost per 100 miles can exceed gasoline cost (e.g., Silverado empty ≈ $24/100 mi).
- Fuel-cost advantage depends heavily on access to cheap home/work charging. Some public fast chargers are free; some local chargers reduced the author’s costs for many tests.
Regenerative braking
- 0→70→0 tests showed net energy used ≈0.4 kWh unloaded; repeated with the 1,500 lb pallet resulted in slightly less net energy used.
- Author observed consistent results and concluded regen is more effective with greater mass, though the exact reason was not fully explained.

Practical takeaways

Electric trucks can tow on highways; aerodynamic drag from trailers dominates energy loss — keep trailers as aerodynamic as possible.
Payload weight (tools, cargo) has much less effect on highway efficiency than commonly assumed.
If you rely on home/work charging, EV towing can be considerably cheaper than gasoline. Frequent fast‑charging at expensive public stations can negate that advantage.
Choose a truck with sufficient battery capacity and strong fast‑charging capability if you plan frequent long‑distance towing.

Notable testing incidents and limits

The presenter ran out of usable battery while towing with a tall sail and had to unhook and call a tow truck (self‑described mistake).
All tests were on the highway (75 mph); city/stop‑and‑go results could differ.
The presenter had limited time and could not test every trailer type (campers, many cargo trailers, etc.); the results are representative but not exhaustive.

Speakers

Host / Narrator (the video creator presenting the tests and commentary)
Andrew (owner/driver of the Rivian R1T who ran side‑by‑side towing tests)
Tow truck driver (briefly present during the battery/stranding incident)

(There are incidental audio bits — engine sounds, rain, short single‑line comments by the host — but the main spoken participants are the three listed above.)