Once again, Out of Spec Studios has been delivering exceptional content, this time by subjecting all the major electric trucks on the market to a rigorous tow test. At Electrifying Insights, we’ve previously covered Out of Spec’s previous electric truck test “Four Electric Trucks Go Toe-to-toe in Real-World Range Test”. This time, they’ve brought back all four electric trucks for a 500-mile tow test and race through the challenging terrain of the Rocky Mountains.
For those unfamiliar with the vehicles being tested, let’s introduce them in no particular order. Leading the pack is the Chevy Silverado EV 4WT trim, boasting a crazy 215kWh battery pack, followed by the Rivian R1T Quad Motor equipped with the 135kWh battery pack. Of course, the lineup includes the tri-motor Cybertruck Cyberbeast trim featuring the smallest battery of the bunch, rated at 123kWh. Finally, we have the Ford F-150 Lightning Extended Range with a 131kWh battery. Each truck was equipped with the same U-Haul trailers, towing Tesla Model 3’s with a gross weight of about 6,500 lbs, ensuring uniformity across the board.
The test began outside Denver, Colorado, at a joint Electrify America and Tesla Supercharger station in Lakewood, where each truck was charged to 100% before departure. The journey took them to their destination and turn-around point in Grand Junction, Colorado, covering approximately 500 miles round trip. Throughout the trip, drivers were told to not exceed five miles over the speed limit.
Each contestant in this race was required to create their own route plan for the trip. However, this task was more challenging due to towing, which significantly impacts range and makes it very difficult to precisely predict. Terrain, elevation, wind, and other weather conditions played a crucial role in driving range, especially since each truck had to climb 10,000 feet in elevation.
After towing 6,500 lbs for about 140 miles, the F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T made their first charging stop at an Electrify America station with 350kW stalls in Glenwood Springs. The Cybertruck also stopped at Glenwood Springs for charging but faced a disadvantage due to Tesla’s limited infrastructure in that area, which only offered a 120kW Supercharger. Moreover, Tymen, the Cybertruck driver, had to unhitch his trailer to charge, unlike the F-150 and Rivian.
Throughout the rest of the route, the F-150 and Rivian remained closely matched, while the Cybertruck faced challenges primarily due to Tesla’s lack of higher-power Superchargers in the area. As for the Silverado, it made it to its destination, Grand Junction, without needing to stop and charge once. Kyle Conner, the Silverado driver, charged to about 90% at a 350kW Electrify America station in Grand Junction and headed back to Denver, leaving the others behind.
The journey back home was challenging, especially for the Cybertruck, which had only older 150kW chargers available in Grand Junction. The F-150 used the same Electrify America station as the Silverado, while the Rivian utilized the Rivian Adventure Network. A bad snowstorm unfortunately caused significant delays for the F-150, Rivian, and Cybertruck. However, near the end of the test, it was deduced that the Rivian came in second, followed by the F-150 and then the Cybertruck. This conclusion was based on the order of the trucks finishing their last charging stops before the snowstorm hit. Needless to say, the Silverado EV was the clear winner, needing to charge only twice throughout the entire trip.
In summary, the test underscored the insanely impressive towing performance of the Silverado EV. While the Rivian, F-150, and Cybertruck delivered competitive results, none could match the performance of the Silverado EV.
For those interested in watching the full two-and-a-half-hour video documenting the test, we’ve provided the link below.
