70mph Range Test 4 EV Pickups

[Paratus]

Interesting review. Probably a best case scenario because most EVs do not come close to their EPA rated ranges on highway tests (nor should they).

The test was run from Colorado to Wyoming and back on a mid 60’s F day.

• Tesla Cybertruck Cyberbeast, 304 miles beat 301 EPA Range, 2.5miles/kwh
• Rivian R1T Dual-Motor Large Pack, 345 miles out of 352 EPA Range, 2.6miles/kwh
• Chevy Silverado EV 4WT, 434miles out of 450 EPA Range, 2miles/kwh
• Ford F-150 Lightning Extended Range 282 miles out of 320 EPA Range, 2.1miles/kwh.

Impressed by Tesla actually beating a range estimate for once and the high efficiency for a truck (same for the Rivian).

Also thoroughly impressed at the size of the battery on the Chevy at ~ 215kwh usable. It might actually get ~ 200+ miles on a highway towing test.

 

[Heartbreaker]

Motortrend compared three of those, and on their test non of them got near EPA range, they were typical 30% off:

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2024-tesla-cybertruck-vs-rivian-r1t-vs-ford-f-150-lightning-comparison-test-review/

https://www.motortrend.com/files/65f8b11fdb90fc00087ee0b2/2403-mt-cybertruck-vs-lightning-vs-r1t-ev-road-trip-range-chart.jpg

EPA RANGE, COMB

300 miles 380 miles 318 miles

MT ROAD-TRIP RANGE

222 miles 264 miles 224 miles

 

[Paratus]

Motortrend compared three of those, and on their test non of them got near EPA range, they were typical 30% off:

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2024-tesla-cybertruck-vs-rivian-r1t-vs-ford-f-150-lightning-comparison-test-review/

https://www.motortrend.com/files/65f8b11fdb90fc00087ee0b2/2403-mt-cybertruck-vs-lightning-vs-r1t-ev-road-trip-range-chart.jpg

Agreed. Which is why I said this test was a best case scenario. The reviewers were surprised at the ranges they got because they were uniformly higher than previous tests.

EV range can be highly impacted by the route driven and conditions during the drive.

To hit my EVs EPA rated range I’d have to drive at 55mph or less on a cool day.

Still the massive battery in the Chevy says EV pickups may actually end up with useful ranges even while doing truck things. Improve it’s economy from 2 miles/kwh to 2.4-2.6 like the Tesla and Rivian and 500+ mile unloaded ranges would be reachable.

 

[mindless1]

^ Why bother? Isn't it a bad choice to pick an EV pickup for long distances, unloaded?

 

[Ken g6]

^ Why bother? Isn't it a bad choice to pick an EV pickup for long distances, unloaded?

I dunno. Truck people seem to make lots of inefficient choices.

 

[Paratus]

^ Why bother? Isn't it a bad choice to pick an EV pickup for long distances, unloaded?

Well in the not too distant future most pickups will be EVs. They need to be able to do pickup stuff well. Getting a baseline for maximum range is good thing and you may not be aware but the bulk of pickup drivers (especially in Texas) are just using them for around town driving.

Long distance towing as about the only thing they aren’t as good at. They are already great for short distance towing due to the high torque from electric motors, simple transmission, and regen breaking.

However the Silverado EV has a 200+ kWh battery and can probably tow about as far as an average diesel pickup. I need to see if towing reviews have shown up yet.

Engineering Explained has a good explanation of the issues with EV towing

 

[Paratus]

I dunno. Truck people seem to make lots of inefficient choices.

Perfect example of a Texas pickup (except for the American flag - should be a Texas flag and/or Trump). Jacked up, hauling nothing and not a spec of dirt.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

"EV range can be highly impacted by the route driven and conditions during the drive."

Same with gas/diesel. You're going to be a lot less efficient driving into a headwind than with a tailwind for example, even on a level road with the same load.

 

[K1052]

Perfect example of a Texas pickup (except for the American flag - should be a Texas flag and/or Trump). Jacked up, hauling nothing and not a spec of dirt.

Come Take It and Gadsden flags really.

 

[nOOky]

I dunno. Truck people seem to make lots of inefficient choices.

We have a lot of these in Wisconsin. I was behind one at the gas pump last Sunday, and of course he was bitching about the price of gas going up. I looked at his pump as I walked by and it was $80. It took $30 to fill up our Honda HR-V dog hauler. I was going to suggest he trade it in for a Toyota Corolla, but freedom and all of that ya know.

 

[Paratus]

We have a lot of these in Wisconsin. I was behind one at the gas pump last Sunday, and of course he was bitching about the price of gas going up. I looked at his pump as I walked by and it was $80. It took $30 to fill up our Honda HR-V dog hauler. I was going to suggest he trade it in for a Toyota Corolla, but freedom and all of that ya know.

We’ve got a Chevy Suburban as our family hauler, (also for hauling dirt, mulch, sheet goods, family trips, and driving through flooded roads), and it has a 31 gallon tank. I’ve spent well over $100 filling that thing up.

Also hit a gas station on a trip last year that was so slow it took longer to fill up than our EV does to fast charge.

Would like to replace it with an EV version, which is likely coming. Just saw some reviews of the Chevy Silverado EV work truck. It was able to tow 6-10K lbs over the Rockies over an almost 500 mile round trip with a single charging stop.

 

[Brainonska511]

We have a lot of these in Wisconsin. I was behind one at the gas pump last Sunday, and of course he was bitching about the price of gas going up. I looked at his pump as I walked by and it was $80. It took $30 to fill up our Honda HR-V dog hauler. I was going to suggest he trade it in for a Toyota Corolla, but freedom and all of that ya know.

Whenever I see trucks like that, I want their gas, specifically for them, to always be perpetually expensive (plus, the whole individual freedom to choose doesn't mean you get to be free of the consequences). We shouldn't be subsidizing their polluting and dangerous vehicles with cheap gas.
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In some ways, it is great that they are making EV trucks, for the ones that legitimately could use them, but I want to see more normal sized electric vehicles. However, I don't want to see people just shift from dangerous gas powered pickups to heavier and faster accelerating EV pickups. Where is an EV Civic, or an EV Impreza?

 

[Ken g6]

Where is an EV Civic, or an EV Impreza?

There are plenty of those. The Chevy Bolt may have been the best in America; there's also the Nissan Leaf, and maybe the Volvo EX30. There's lots more in Europe and China, and more are in development.

But this thread is about pickups because these are the only four EV pickups available now. Tesla alone makes more EV models than there are EV pickups available.