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Try2Relax

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Maybe instead of individual threads, an ongoing list of potential vehicles would be an easier search for future use.

 

I'll start.

 

https://www.rivian.com

 

11,000lbs the rating

 

1700lbs payload

 

Up to 400 mile range

 

[attachment file=Rivian Pick-up.jpg]

Rivian-Pick-up.thumb.jpg.aecdaca5c7b015f29477c79d0fecd012.jpg

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Randy


One Life Live It Enjoyably


2017 F350 6.7L SRW CC LB


2015 Oliver Elite II Hull #69

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I read about the Rivian and don't recall if they mentioned a range while towing. If it is less than 200 with an Ollie in back, you will certainly have range anxiety on just about every trip. And towing out west in states with VERY limited charging choices will be impossible. For getting your boat to the lake it might work very well as long as you can get back to your home charger at night.

 

I do like the looks, except for the Happy Face on the front, ....

 

3546B0A6-2A03-40F9-90FF-9FFA9CC73596.jpeg.b6c44b6a3b947d89dea7700e4ad7c5fe.jpeg

 

AF785AF6-2331-486B-9E9D-5FAAB1E07CFE.jpeg.d9ebf059df67c078c07fe00d3ff5de91.jpeg

 

and I like the vast amout of secure storage. Perfect for personal stuff you want to keep hidden.

 

I don’t think combining all vehicles into one thread is wise. The title of a thread has to have the subject in it or Search will become completely disfunctional.Members need to contact Matt Duncan and tell him to make it useful instead of a joke.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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I’m not crazy about the front end, but the interior and features are attractive.  As is the base price, though I bet it could get above $100k real quick.  Also, I’d be very nervous about going with a new company.  Tesla has shown that the key to success is less in the design as it is the manufacturing.

 

I don’t know if it’s time yet for an all electric truck for towing, but certainly it’s far past the time that all the manufacturers offered hybrid versions.  A small gas or diesel turbo for cruising with electric boost for acceleration and steep grades should be a killer combination.

 

Of course, I also think it’s past time for powered trailers with independent stability control so that you don’t need a big honkin truck to tow.

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it’s past time for powered trailers with independent stability control so that you don’t need a big honkin truck to tow.

 

5AB54ACE-A188-438F-A0A2-C449D47904A6.jpeg.d3eac760668f29c5096670dcd81ee0dd.jpeg

 

https://gearjunkie.com/dethleffs-e-home-coco-rv-trailer-electric-motor..... You can also park it with your smart phone without a tow vehicle.... Sorry this drifted off topic.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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Spending that much hard earned cash on a new vehicle like this is crazy unless you have a lot of disposable cash. I’m amazed how people take out basically a house mortgage for a vehicle.

 

That’s what my friends and family are saying about anyone (like me) who buys an Ollie instead of some cheaper trailer.   ?

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That’s what my friends and family are saying about anyone (like me) who buys an Ollie instead of some cheaper trailer. ?

 

Cheap often costs more and most people will save a nickel to lose a dollar. Oliver is about quality. I would never finance one personally, but my mindset differs from many.
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While I wait for the Tesla pickup truck, I'm loving the new jeep gladiator.  My neighbor  (jeep wrangler) and I  ( stepside Silverado) both love it, but bemoan the idea of trading out our  well loved legacy vehicles... we studied the web sites and reviews today.  So darn cool... still some time away, so i can spend another year loving the Silverado.... at least.

 

Sherry

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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While I wait for the Tesla pickup truck, I’m loving the new jeep gladiator. My neighbor (jeep wrangler) and I ( stepside Silverado) both love it, but bemoan the idea of trading out our well loved legacy vehicles… we studied the web sites and reviews today. So darn cool… still some time away, so i can spend another year loving the Silverado…. at least.

 

Sherry

 

Sherry, these trucks will be selling for MSRP, or marked way up, for a while. There will be a crazy feeding frenzy, then the price will come down to normal. If you want a new one, wait at least a year. I think buying a two or three year old low miles Certified Gladiator with no scrapes and dents on the skid plates or rocker guards, one that was built in 2020 so the bugs are worked out, would make a lot of sense... look for one that already has the Mopar 2” lift and 35 inch tires. That is how this truck should have come from the factory.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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John davies, i think that makes sense.

 

With a well loved 2005, I'm in no rush... only 130 k miles on my Silverado. I may have to replace the driver side seat foam, but... i love my little stepside truck..

 

I can wait    .... at least another few years.

 

Sherry

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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I don’t know if it’s time yet for an all electric truck for towing, but certainly it’s far past the time that all the manufacturers offered hybrid versions. A small gas or diesel turbo for cruising with electric boost for acceleration and steep grades should be a killer combination.

I think that is coming sooner than later. The new Lincoln Aviator:

 

Under the hood, there's just one engine offered: a twin-turbocharged 3.0 liter V6 making 400 horsepower with 400 foot-pounds of torque. But there's another drivetrain available: A sporty Grand Touring model will have 450 horsepower and 600 foot-pounds of torque. It uses the same V6 but couples it with a plug-in hybrid system.

 

https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/12/02/why-the-all-new-2019-lincoln-aviator-is-a-big-deal.aspx 

 

That sort of electric boost would do wonders when accelerating, and I don’t see why it won’t be offered in light duty pickups. I am not sure how long the boost would work climbing up toward the Eisenhower Tunnel, but it could help for short steep clmbs. You would need enough reserve torque to use in case you ran the battery pack too low. The Aviator does not have the ability to recharge the pack on the move, there definitely needs to be a small APU (auxiliary power unit) that could run on long trips to recharge. A small constant rpm rotary or similar mini-engine would work, they can make them very small and stick one under a seat. There is talk about using one of these opposed piston engines as an onboard generator:

 

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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I do think it's time for an all electric truck. I  personally think it will come from Tesla in the next three years. They are the only company so far with the infrastructure to make the investment  sensible.

 

At least, I hope so. I'd really like to drive one ..

 

Sherry

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
Here’s the newest one

 

http://www.atlismotorvehicles.com

 

Ha ha.... snake oil! None of the numbers make sense with the technology we have in 2020. Maybe in another decade .... You can't do a full recharge of a big pack in 15 minutes, and all the wild range claims mean nothing when the temperature drops. Range vs temperature for a Tesla:

 

Screen-Shot-2018-09-20-at-19-55-53.png.e41c8b5103db97968893c29562f0a3e6.png

 

When a startup goes belly up you are severely screwed; your cutting edge vehicle now has a number of "unobtanium" parts. Like Alta motorcycles: ... https://electrek.co/2018/10/18/alta-motors-closing-operations/

 

OTH I really like the styling and features. The frunk with tailgate is brilliant, as long as it has great weather seals. I don't know how you could possibly keep it dry.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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John, your chart is a little skewed to temperatures that many of us never see...

 

Not to mention,  the Tesla is extremely popular in Norway....

 

The Atlis probably isn't even in production yet. Still crowdfunding,  as far as i know. But, it's a really pretty truck. And, I agree, that 15 minute charge is not very realistic.

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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John, your chart is a little skewed to temperatures that many of us never see…

 

Not really....  for example -20C is -4F, and that is not an unusual temperature for a large part of the population. At that temp you have lost 40% of your theoretical range. Not an insignificant number.

 

I am not completely against electric trucks but I think hybrids make so much more sense. Unless you are just using it as a daily driver and for distances that don’t push the envelope too far.

 

It is cool technology tho.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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  • 1 month later...

Rivians spotted in the wild....

 

105B007B-2D4C-4F1B-9B0F-79C9C85F0EF6.jpeg.6796c2aa5992875af03b80300809a7af.jpeg

 

https://insideevs.com/pickup-truck-rivian-r1t-r1s-suv-side-by-side-image/

 

These are rather smaller than I thought they were. They are more like a mid sized truck, unless that photographer is a giant. I still hate that wierdo front end but the ground clearance and overall sIze would make these wonderful offroad, as long as you didn’t stray too far from your charger.

 

Amazon and GM are interested in investing in Rivian. With enough cash Rivian should be able to bring these on line. I wonder what the true towing range would be...

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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I rather like the front end. As a totally new vehicle,  it should look different...

 

https://electrek.co/2019/02/15/rivian-electric-pickup-truck-amazon-investment/

 

https://electrek.co/2018/11/26/rivian-r1t-all-electric-pickup-specs/

 

Looks like they will have a whopping 11,000 pound towing capacity.  I  have been waiting for the tesla pickup, but. ..

 

Rt1 is available ( maybe) next year.

 

Sherry

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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Can't wait for the discussion on generators to accompany these creatures.  Unless one stays within a few "tens" of miles from the Homefront, a rather large generator will be needed to recharge, for the next 200 miles. Just stay away from generator restricted campgrounds.

 

Perhaps the forward thinking vendors will provide charging stations at select RV sites.

 

……...

 

 

Cindy,  Russell and  "Harley dog" . Home is our little farm near Winchester TN

2018 Oliver Legacy Elite II - 2018 GMC 2500 Duramax 

"Die young - As late as possible"
ALAZARCACOFLIDMTNVNMOKORTNTXUTWAWYd56201

 

 

 

 

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The range limit makes the towing figures on this truck mostly irrelevant for now.  But it’s just a question of time, waiting for battery capacity and price to come down.

 

Personally, I think the design draws too much from current truck layouts.  I mean, I like the forward storage, but that compartment is there simply because that’s where the engine isn’t.  Moving the driver position to a forward control arrangement and/or streamlining the front end would be a better way to go, IMO.

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Can’t wait for the discussion on generators to accompany these creatures. Unless one stays within a few “tens” of miles from the Homefront, a rather large generator will be needed to recharge, for the next 200 miles. Just stay away from generator restricted campgrounds.

 

Perhaps the forward thinking vendors will provide charging stations at select RV sites.

Nah, the Rivian owner will just fire up his little cold fusion power pack and recharge the truck in an hour.

 

These will never be useful for real, long distance RV towing. But for very local trips, to the lake and back with a boat, or to Home Depot for building supplies they may be great. But the owner will always have severe range anxiety... because in inclement conditions or steep terrain it will be so hard to calculate.

 

Do these have regen? If so, when you hit the red mark at the top of the Ike Gauntlet, you could u-turn and coast back to the bottom... And then trade it in on a real truck......

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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These will never be useful for real, long distance RV towing.

Never will be here sooner than you think.

 

EV range has increased 17% per year over the last 5 years. If that trend continues, a 200 mile range today will be 600 in eight years. 600 miles is 8 hours towing at 75 mph, so at that point the bottleneck will switch to campground/highway charge locations or charging time.

 

And since most campgrounds have dozens of 30 and 50 amp “charging stations” in the ground right now, allowing you to charge overnight, neither of those two things are actually bottlenecks.

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EV range has increased 17% per year. If that continues, a 200 mile range today will be 600 in eight years. 600 miles is 8 hours towing at 75 mph, so at that point the bottleneck will switch to campground/highway charge locations or charging time.

 

And since most campgrounds have dozens of 30 and 50 amp “charging stations” in the ground right now, allowing you to charge overnight, neither of those two things are actually bottlenecks.

 

You never know. I thought the Betamax system was the greatest ever. Nobody knows what future battery types will be able to do. OTH you run into very serious heat management and fire risks with current ones, they can’t just keep making these bigger and bigger. Can you imagine smashing through the belly pan of your Rivian by running over road debris and crushing some cells...? Uh oh. You can keep increasing the operating voltage to reduce the current draw, but at some point that gets very hazardous.

 

Campgrounds with 30 or 50a hookups may be every where in the East but they are not out here. For sure the campground system isn’t able to run a bunch of RV air conditioner and other loads while simultaneously recharging massive Rivian battery banks. That is a huge amount of current. But there could be technical ways around that bottleneck...like charging the TV at night. But I bet the overnight fee will go up by $10, a “Rivian Fee”, just because they can.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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I’m not sure any of that is of practical concern to most campers. Most travelers stick to paved roads and commercial campgrounds with full hookups, and $10 for charging is a ton cheaper than a tank of gas.

 

I was probably wrong though about charge time, not because of AC use but because as the battery capacity on these trucks increase, so will the time it takes to fill them. A 270kWh battery bank would take the better part of a day to fully charge from a 240v 50a pedestal.  So they will require something similar to the 480 volt Tesla Superchargers. That might be a problem for smaller independent operations but no big deal for KOA, etc.

 

Apart from vehicle and trailer payments, fuel is by far the greatest expense for full timers, and being able to save $100+/day in travel expense is a big motivator. The demand will be there and supply will follow. Smart campground owners should be thinking about installing a few higher capacity charge points now, and advertising them as Tesla chargers until demand from campers catches up.

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 as the battery capacity on these trucks increase, so will the time it takes to fill them. They will require something similar to the 480 volt Tesla Superchargers.

True, but one huge handicap is you have to park a Tesla for 40 minutes for a partial 80% charge from a Supercharger station. An hour + for a full one. Bigger battery packs in trucks will mean longer charge times. A double sided gas pump can handle two cars every five minutes, where are you going to park all these electric vehicles with trailers while they reload with electrons? If you are overnighting, and there is a connection right there, no worries. But what about in-between stops?

 

But if the towing range is 600 miles that would probably be a moot point. If it remains at 200, it will be a problem. No more five minute gas-and-go pit stops. It will be harder to cover lots of miles in a day. Unless you can do the whole trip nonstop.

 

I just don’t see how that will ever become an acceptable situation. Maybe it could work for small self contained van type E-RVs.

 

Our highways and bridges are falling to pieces from neglect and the constant pounding of forty ton semis..... What we really need are cargo teleportation pads.... No more heavy commercial traffic! Highways filled with self propelled Eco-Olivers driven by all those out of work truck drivers!

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

  • Thanks 1

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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