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electric trucks

How Towing Affects an Electric Pickup’s Range

Towing cuts electric-pickup range through added weight and aerodynamic drag. Test results show why trailer shape, speed, weather, and route matter.

By CarCody Team 4 min read
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Towing usually cuts an electric pickup’s range substantially, but there is no single percentage that applies to every trip. A trailer adds weight and aerodynamic drag; its size and shape, the truck’s configuration, speed, weather, route, and load all influence how much energy the combination uses. Published tests illustrate the possible impact, not a guaranteed range for your truck.

Why does towing reduce electric-truck range?

A pickup uses more energy to move a trailer because it must pull the trailer’s weight and push air around both vehicles. Ford identifies added weight and aerodynamic drag as the basic reasons towing affects EV range. Ford’s EV range guidance also names factors such as speed, temperature, vehicle use, and climate-control energy use.

How much range do you lose towing with an electric truck?

Published figures vary with the vehicle, trailer, and test conditions, so they should be read as examples rather than universal predictions.

Ford’s engineering estimates

A Ford Pro brochure for a 2022 F-150 Lightning with the extended-range battery shows about 56% estimated range remaining with a listed 7,700-pound SAE trailer configuration, 40% with a listed 10,000-pound configuration, and 34% with a 10,000-pound configuration that has greater frontal area. The chart distinguishes trailer weights and frontal areas, including a 5.3 m² configuration at 7,700 pounds and a 5.8 m² configuration at 10,000 pounds. These are rounded, non-EPA engineering estimates: Ford used an EPA-cycle dynamometer baseline in an indoor 25°C facility and computer simulations for trailer cases, with climate control and accessories off. They are not guaranteed trip ranges. Ford Pro’s brochure says lower-frontal-area trailers have better aerodynamics and a less negative impact on range.

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Road-test examples

In a 2022 Car and Driver test, a Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, and GMC Hummer EV each towed the same 6,100-pound, 29-foot camper at 70 mph on a flat highway loop in 85°F weather. Reported distances were about 100 miles for the Lightning, 110 miles for the R1T, and 140 miles for the Hummer EV. These results apply to that test setup and are not vehicle ratings. Car and Driver’s test provides the methodology and results.

In a separate 2023 Edmunds test, a 7,420-pound enclosed trailer stood more than a foot taller than the trucks. Over more than 200 test miles, the Lightning returned about 1 mile per kWh and the R1T about 0.9 mile per kWh. That test’s trailer and conditions differ from Car and Driver’s, so the results should not be combined into a single expected range. Edmunds’ test describes its setup.

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What matters most when towing a travel trailer?

Trailer shape and frontal area

A tall enclosed trailer or camper presents more area to the wind than a low-profile load. That aerodynamic difference can matter even when comparing trailers of similar weight. Ford’s estimates distinguish both weight and frontal area, and its brochure reports a less negative range impact for lower-frontal-area trailers.

Loaded weight and truck limits

Use the trailer’s actual loaded weight when assessing the trip, not just its empty weight or the truck’s maximum tow rating. A maximum tow rating is a capability limit, not a range estimate. Check the truck’s towing and combined-weight limits for its specific configuration, and account for cargo and passengers. A tongue-weight scale can help check tongue load, but it does not measure total trailer weight, energy use, or remaining range.

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Speed, terrain, weather, and cabin use

Higher speeds, hills, cold or hot conditions, and energy used for heating or air conditioning can change consumption. Test figures are meaningful only alongside their speed, route, weather, trailer, and measurement method. Ford recommends preconditioning the vehicle while it is plugged in, which can reduce the energy drawn from the battery for initial cabin conditioning.

How should you plan charging stops while towing?

  1. Confirm the exact vehicle configuration. Battery, trim, and model year affect the starting range. Use the rating and owner information for the specific truck rather than treating another configuration’s result as yours.
  2. Assess the loaded trailer. Consider its weight, height, and shape, and verify that the combination stays within the truck’s towing and combined-weight limits.
  3. Map charging along the actual route. Ford says Connected Navigation can locate charging stations. Check that stations are accessible with your trailer and suit the route; availability and access depend on location.
  4. Plan shorter legs and leave margin. Towing can reduce the distance between charging stops. Do not plan to arrive with the battery nearly depleted, particularly when weather, terrain, or station access is uncertain.
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Which F-150 Lightning figures are current?

Ford’s brochure also lists 2023 Canadian-market EPA/EnerGuide estimates of 386 km for standard-range and 515 km for extended-range Pro, XLT, and Lariat configurations, plus 483 km for Platinum. Those figures are model-year- and market-specific; the brochure notes the extended-range Pro was fleet-only. They should not be substituted for current U.S. ratings or treated as towing distances. Ford’s current F-150 Lightning page says the current form is no longer available to order, that existing-owner support continues, and that the next-generation extended-range electric vehicle approach has no announced availability date.

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