So, you are thinking about buying an electric truck... (2023 Update)

...well, THINK AGAIN! Electric trucks are great for a run to the dump, but not much else. First, the weight of the battery is 3,000 lb! This is dead weight that SUBTRACTS from the tow capacity and brings the Hummer's weight up to a massive 9,400 lb. This limits the Hummer's tow capacity to 7,000 lb, not very much when you are looking at super-duty trucks.

The Hummer sports an impressive 327-mile range fully charged. Boy, you would think "No problem, I can go ANYWHERE I want" right? WRONG! That range doesn't account for towing shit, so these guys set out to find out what the Hummer's range REALLY is:

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compared it to a Dodge RAM turbo diesel towing identical 6,400 lb trailers (this is their EMPTY weight, so the Hummer would NOT be able to tow a LOADED trailer). They towed side-by-side, so the tow conditions were identical.

The Hummer's range started dropping immediately as it adjusted for the mileage it was actually getting, trailer in tow. He couldn't even get the Hummer to the designated charging station and had to double back. And, to add insult to injury, he had to unhook the trailer so he could BACK into the high-current charger, a process that takes about 10 min, adding 20 min to the charging time.

The Bottom Line: the 327-mile range dropped to 128 miles, almost ONE THIRD the advertised range! Plus, when the batteries got low the truck began limiting power which could have stopped him dead on a hill.

Note: this test DID NOT test cold weather conditions which would have exacerbated the issues with EVs, likely reducing the Hummer's range to less than 100 miles.

Conclusion: EV trucks ARE NOT for serious towing applications, but only for "Show and Shine" dudes.

Reply to
Flyguy
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I have zero interest in the absurdities they call pickup trucks in most automakers' lineups. I can't wait for the day they make an electric pickup the size of the Tacoma. That is the vehicle I need.

Reply to
Ricky

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I don't believe the pols in Sacramento have thought this through. The parallel effort is to basically phase out the electric supply.

Reply to
John Larkin

People who can afford a Hummer EV and 6,000 lb trailer, camper, or boat, can afford to have a second truck dedicated to hauling it around.

Well describes over 90% of their micro-dick tough-stuff owners around here..

Reply to
bitrex

Tough. Guy. Tough guy trucks. Tough guy trucks:

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Reply to
bitrex

210kWh in 8 hours would be a pretty heavy fast charger at home.
Reply to
Ed Lee

126kWh (60% of 210kWh) / 8 hr is 150,000W = 680A @ 220V heavy duty fast charger at home.
Reply to
Ed Lee

126e3/8 = 15750W = 71.6A @ 220V

...

Reply to
Lasse Langwadt Christensen

OK, i was off by a decimal point. But 70A at home is still heavy duty, considering the distance from junction box to car. The best way is to slow charge a equivalent sized battery next to the car and balance them with heavy cables.

Reply to
Ed Lee

Thanks - I forgot to mention that the Hummer cost $114k vs $68k for the RAM. Even if you could afford to spend $182k WHERE are you going to park them? No, the Hummer is just a yuppy Show and Shine for the filthy rich. Real people cannot afford both. The entire point was that the Hummer is useless as a tow vehicle.

That certainly describes you, but definitely not the RV population.

Reply to
Flyguy

That does not account for the 85% efficiency of home level 2 chargers, so you would need 81 A (77 A for the more realistic 240 VAC service). The nearest circuit would be 100 A. This could be a big problem for most homes with a 200 A panel. The fastest charger Andre could find delivered 341 KW for a PORTION of the charge, and then tapered off to 134 KW after just 30 min. The BIG problem, though, is do you have enough range to even make it to a fast charger? 100 miles IS NOT going to cut it.

Reply to
Flyguy

210 kWh * 60% * $0.12 = $15.12

I don't know much about the Hummer, other than that it's not about saving money in any aspect, even if I can't think of a car you can top off 60% for $15.12. My Kia Sportage has a 54 L tank so 60% @ $0.917 is $29.71. But my Kia has a bit more range.

Reply to
Ricky

And you think the person who buys a Hummer isn't going to have a 60 amp connection? He said 20-80% charge. No one runs a battery down to 0%.

Reply to
Ricky

Math is not your strong suit, is it? Use a calculator.

Reply to
Ricky

Not sure what chargers you are talking about. Tesla has 150 kW and 250 kW chargers. Why do people worry with amps and volts? No one uses those numbers to rate fast chargers. They do the math for you and rate them in kW. But it's the vehicle that controls the power. The charger simply sets the upper limit. The charge power varies with state of charge and temperature.

Reply to
Ricky

There are no chargers in homes. There are EVSEs, that consist of wire and a relay in the charge path. If you are seeing 85% efficiency in your EVSE, it would catch on fire.

Please read what you are about to post before you hit send.

Reply to
Ricky

Then the charger is in the car, which is ALSO subject to energy loss. AND you will be limited by the power handling of this charger (32 A), which is FAR LESS than the best fast DC super chargers. These guys saw a brief period of 341 KW, but it didn't last long when it dropped to 134 KW. That is still far better than 6.5 KW from your 32 A home charging station.

Reply to
Flyguy

Oh, REALLY? Think again:

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Reply to
Flyguy

If you can afford to own and use a boat or RV regularly you can afford a decade-old beater-truck to tow it around with, get outta here.

"Where are you gonna park them?" ???? Imagine pondering spending $114k on a new truck but meanwhile you don't own a driveway big enough to park two trucks:

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And they complain about the kids these days flagrantly buying avocado toast..

Reply to
bitrex

Why would a home charger be only 85% efficient? the process of putting current into a battery isn't all that efficient - you end up getting out about 85% of the 4energy you put in, but that's the battery, not the charger. The losses in the charger itself are going to be a lot lower, even for a home charger.

Again. that's dealing with the limitations of the battery - it's not a good idea to fast charge a battery that is getting close to fully charged.

And the gap between fast chargers is a function of the current relatively low penetration of electric vehicle. By the time that clowns like Sewage Sweeper have got around to realising that they are practical, faster chargers are going to be rather thicker on the ground, if not as thick as Sewage Sweeper.

Reply to
Anthony William Sloman

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