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Towing with a Rivian electric truck

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  • OutlawStar

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    Have you ever thought about the additional demands that would be put upon an aging infrastructure if so many people went to an EV? Also consider that the population is increasing, not decreasing, so that is additional housing that will also end up on the aging infrastructure, that I suspect is already running at it's limits. I seriously doubt it could stand such an additional strain.
    Well I was going to point out how at least the Texas grid is still overbuilt by at least 15% until the new article came out saying multiple power plants are offline asking us to raise our thermostats to 78 or higher this weekend. But yeah I think the grid would still be able to handle the "additional load" simply because of when the EVs would likely be charging.

    Traditionally electricity use dropped during the day when everyone left the house and went to the office. Not so much anymore now that many are still working from home. Realistically the peak usage would be in the late afternoon and evening as people were getting home, ramping up AC, and turning on the oven for dinner. But just as many do, the theory is you'd charge your vehicle overnight when cooking is done, temperatures drop (slightly less AC usage) and lights in the house get turned off.

    Probably hopeless optimism on my behalf as well; given the (i know you guys hate this) average ownership of a vehicle being about 12 years, that would mean even if ICE cars became illegal to sell or buy tomorrow, you'd only replace about 30-40% of ICE vehicles in the next decade and I would hope ERCoT and utility companies would be able to keep up their own infrastructure over a decade to keep up with demand. Maybe you're right and it would fall apart under the spike of electricity usage, but going off their numbers it'd be fine over the next decade or so as-is.
     

    Darkpriest667

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    Saw my first Rivian in the wild today in Norman OK. Of course, it wasn't pulling anything.

    Trucks almost never are. Most people who own trucks do not need them. Even if they DO need them sometimes it's only 1 or 2 times a year. If they had any math sense they'd RENT a truck to do a dirty job once or twice a year and save their asses in fuel and payments (truck payments) the other 360 days a year, but you know. Everyone's dick needs to be measured in a certain way and for a lot of Texans it's their truck.

    If you have a work truck and it's for work then use it for work I get it, but that should not be your commuting vehicle . You think the payment is so bad on a second car + insurance. The amount of money you'd save in gas is unbelievable. My Corolla gets 38 mpg if I do the speed limit. At the speed I drive it gets about 34 to 35. You divide that by 100k miles and then do your truck which (3/4 ton) MIGHT get 10 mpg and it starts adding up.
     

    Lost Spurs

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    I'll try and chime in here next week with some pics and stats on a couple different chargers.

    At my work (mercedes dealership) we have 3 soon to be 4 chargers. Not counting the 120v option, we have some level 2 and a level 3 DC fast charger on order.

    Cost ranges from a couple grand to a couple handfulls of grands. The infrastructure and placement can be the bigger cost. One of the units required a transformer placed next to it. One unit was close enough to the electric room to just run some conduit. The one out front (level 2 chargepoint) was pre wired when they built the building.

    The new lever 3 DC fast charger will be setup outside the shop next to the electric room. The cost to run wires to put it out front was cost prohibitive.

    Sent from my SM-G998U1 using Tapatalk
     

    Younggun

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    Trucks almost never are. Most people who own trucks do not need them. Even if they DO need them sometimes it's only 1 or 2 times a year. If they had any math sense they'd RENT a truck to do a dirty job once or twice a year and save their asses in fuel and payments (truck payments) the other 360 days a year, but you know. Everyone's dick needs to be measured in a certain way and for a lot of Texans it's their truck.

    If you have a work truck and it's for work then use it for work I get it, but that should not be your commuting vehicle . You think the payment is so bad on a second car + insurance. The amount of money you'd save in gas is unbelievable. My Corolla gets 38 mpg if I do the speed limit. At the speed I drive it gets about 34 to 35. You divide that by 100k miles and then do your truck which (3/4 ton) MIGHT get 10 mpg and it starts adding up.

    If your 3/4 ton truck is getting 10mpg it’s because you’re towing, in which case the Corolla wouldn’t cut it, lol. Hell, my 27 year old K1500 gets 14-16 on the highway.

    And why 3/4 ton? Most people who get trucks just because they want one and only use it for truck stuff on occasion get a half ton.
     

    F350-6

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    I need to tow 9000 lb a few times a year.
    The rest of the year, I travel about 50 miles a day and spend 10 hours a day in my truck watching contractors work. I burn a lot of fuel on AC/ heat .

    Tell me how I can save money and I'll listen.
    Turn the motor off and sweat in the summer and shiver in the winter. Not fun, but it will save you money
     

    F350-6

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    Have you ever thought about the additional demands that would be put upon an aging infrastructure if so many people went to an EV? Also consider that the population is increasing, not decreasing, so that is additional housing that will also end up on the aging infrastructure, that I suspect is already running at it's limits. I seriously doubt it could stand such an additional strain.
    And along the same lines, don't forget the gas tax that pays for roads. Those funds have been drying up as MPG's have increased. If there's a large switch to EV, then they're going to have to switch to a miles charge or add the tax somewhere else, like your electric bill to cover the gap.
     

    toddnjoyce

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    Sorry for dragging this back on topic, but if Ford does even halfway decent on getting their F150 Lightning to market, Rivian and the Tesla Truck are dead.

    I got to see it at the launch event here last weekend and almost drove it, but had a margarita at lunch and didn’t want to risk it.

    Let’s just say Ford ain’t gonna let the F150 reputation be risked over the e-truck, and it shows in a lot of ways. And you’ll get a pretty capable e-thing for $40K in today’s dollars.
     

    Vaquero

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    Sorry for dragging this back on topic, but if Ford does even halfway decent on getting their F150 Lightning to market, Rivian and the Tesla Truck are dead.

    I got to see it at the launch event here last weekend and almost drove it, but had a margarita at lunch and didn’t want to risk it.

    Let’s just say Ford ain’t gonna let the F150 reputation be risked over the e-truck, and it shows in a lot of ways. And you’ll get a pretty capable e-thing for $40K in today’s dollars.
    I could see a well designed hybrid truck working for 90% of my needs.
    The Ram could be relegated to backup/farm truck.

    I'll have to prove it for myself first
     

    Darkpriest667

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    Sorry for dragging this back on topic, but if Ford does even halfway decent on getting their F150 Lightning to market, Rivian and the Tesla Truck are dead.

    I got to see it at the launch event here last weekend and almost drove it, but had a margarita at lunch and didn’t want to risk it.

    Let’s just say Ford ain’t gonna let the F150 reputation be risked over the e-truck, and it shows in a lot of ways. And you’ll get a pretty capable e-thing for $40K in today’s dollars.

    The Tesla truck is already dead, the consumer one.. the long haul 18 wheeler is still on the table.
     

    Younggun

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    Sorry for dragging this back on topic, but if Ford does even halfway decent on getting their F150 Lightning to market, Rivian and the Tesla Truck are dead.

    I got to see it at the launch event here last weekend and almost drove it, but had a margarita at lunch and didn’t want to risk it.

    Let’s just say Ford ain’t gonna let the F150 reputation be risked over the e-truck, and it shows in a lot of ways. And you’ll get a pretty capable e-thing for $40K in today’s dollars.

    You can barely get a 4 cylinder ICE truck for 40k in todays dollars. I think they’ll struggle to bring it to market for that. Of course the gov is likely to have every tax payer help foot that bill while forcing anyone not wanting electric to pay a penalty for it.
     

    toddnjoyce

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    I could see a well designed hybrid truck working for 90% of my needs.
    The Ram could be relegated to backup/farm truck.

    I'll have to prove it for myself first

    The e-truck plant is next door to the F-150 body plant. Same body for both. Tow/trailer pkg is available. With the Ford panel in the garage, they say it can safely backfeed the house during a power outage. There’s a power pkg for charging portable tool batteries as well. I forget the numbers, but they said they were looking at jobsite needs on top of getting back and forth…saw a huge market there.

    1b1bb3d95fb1cdef2c1b531919fbf183.jpg


    46d0b7a906265f821b3b277bad604a25.jpg


    bf15ef87c7b00640f8a55d50fc6c0366.jpg
     

    Axxe55

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    I'm not against people going to an EV by any means, and I think they are a viable option for some people's needs and wants in a vehicle. But like masks, or vaccines, or anything else, it should be the consumer's decisions that drive the market, not the government mandating those decisions for us. Nor should a consumer be penalized because they make the choice to buy a gasoline or diesel vehicle if that choice better suits their needs.
     

    Younggun

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    I'm not against people going to an EV by any means, and I think they are a viable option for some people's needs and wants in a vehicle. But like masks, or vaccines, or anything else, it should be the consumer's decisions that drive the market, not the government mandating those decisions for us. Nor should a consumer be penalized because they make the choice to buy a gasoline or diesel vehicle if that choice better suits their needs.

    Or wants.
     

    Axxe55

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    Or wants.
    Exactly. I even started a thread similar to this back in April.


    I'm still very pleased with making the change to battery power and will more than likely looking at exploring other battery operated yard power tools as well.
     

    TheDan

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    I wonder how much of the e-F150 is US made, compared to GM's EVs being mostly Chinese (or Korean for the older ones).

    I'm talking BOM, not just final assembly location. As much as I dislike Tesla, they are are over 80% US made.
     

    Grumps21

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    And along the same lines, don't forget the gas tax that pays for roads. Those funds have been drying up as MPG's have increased. If there's a large switch to EV, then they're going to have to switch to a miles charge or add the tax somewhere else, like your electric bill to cover the gap.
    California transplants, chime in if I’m wrong here, but I seem to recall an incentive that we
    as either in LA, or greater Cali that incentivized EV use. Free access to HOV lanes or something like that. Folks took the bait in order to reduced commute times and before long those HOV lines were just as backed up as main the main lanes. There was talk about rescinding the program, but I don’t know if it was or not.
    I see something similar playing out on the bigger picture. Jack up fuel taxes while allowing EVs to skate by for free. Even offer free tolls or HOV access. A cash for clunkers program maybe or an energy rebate. Once a sizable portion of the populace switches to EV because it now makes financial sense to do so, our “leaders” declare the infrastructure is crumbling, and they add a per mile tax on the EVs that will roughly equal what the fuel take was.
    If they were serious about being “green”, they would give perks for folks to get on two mechanized wheels. Wife’s scooter gets 90+mpg which is in the EV equivalent territory and my little 500cc gets low 60s without even trying and mid 60s if I go easy. That’s better than a Prius. I suppose the only thing that matters is which pot that pols have their money in
     
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