Electric Utes: The BIG problem with EV pick-up trucks and towing
If you’re dreaming about an off-road towing expedition in a 4X4 battery electric ute, the facts are about to ruin the fantasy. It’s time to confront the harsh reality of battery tech in electric utes...
It’s time to point out exactly why the electric ute, as a heavy towing platform and load-lugging adventure machine, is such an enduring problem for the car industry.
There have been endless reports over several months out of the United States about pick-ups like the F-150 Lightning, the Rivian and the new Hummer. Doesn't the future look bright for electric vehicles?
I'd suggest, not so much, because the heavier they get the worse they get. It’s time to lay out the physics of that for you, right here in the engineering ghetto, so that at least you'll be able to base future fantasies on facts as opposed to just completely divorcing from reality.
If you’re completely new to towing and utes, here’s the Complete Towing Guide >> to get you started on the right path.
Once you’re done with that, you can advance to learning about the Applied Physics of Heavy Towing >> to deepen your knowledge.
In order to get cracking on this EV ute problem, we need a benchmark and in the physics-engineering sort of mathematics area there are all kinds of benchmarks.
They include:
Specific heat - which is a property of most materials, water being the most commonly used one in engineering, I presume because it's so good as a cooling medium. For example, the specific heat of water is 4.18 kilojoules per kilo per degree Celsius.
Brake specific fuel consumption - it's the number of grams of fuel that have to be consumed to produce one kilowatt in an engine. It's a way of controlling the massive fuel consumed to produce a kilowatt; it's just one of those benchmarks that the propellerheads use.
Brake mean effective pressure - which you can bastardise (simplify) by dividing the power of an engine by its volume and the number of RPM at which that power occurs - that gives you a bastardised form of this pressure that is useful to calculate when you're comparing different kinds of engines.
We’re going to devise our own mathematical benchmark for EV utes in order to compare them and understand how they work in a more consumer-focused way.
The reason we do this is to establish how much kiloWatt-hours are going to be needed to move X-amount of pick-up truck. But the BIG problem is, the bigger that battery becomes, the further the goal posts are pushed away.
Don’t worry, watching the full report, it will become entirely digestible and understandable.
It’s the dream, right? But the harsh reality is EV utes are severely compromised.
You might like to also check out The problem with EV utes: What PM Anthony Albanese doesn't seem to understand >> for more backstory on this EV ute subject.
And here’s the Fact Vs Fiction: 4X4 Ute Engineering Basics >> report about the basic underpinnings of a 4WD ute as corrected from CarExpert.com.au
My AutoExpert AFFORDABLE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE PACKAGE
If you’re sick of paying through the neck for roadside assistance I’ve teamed up with 24/7 to offer AutoExpert readers nationwide roadside assistance from just $69 annually, plus there’s NO JOINING FEE
Full details here >>
AutoExpert DISCOUNT OLIGHT TORCHES
These flashlights are awesome. I carry the Olight Warrior Mini 2 every day - it’s tiny, robust, and super useful in the field or in the workshop. Olight is a terrific supporter of AutoExpert.
Use the code AEJC to get a 12% discount >>
Generators suck! Go off-grid with AutoExpert BLUETTI PORTABLE POWER STATIONS
Need mobile, reliable power? If you’re camping, boating, caravanning or building a dirty big shed in the back paddock, and you need to run a refrigerator, lights, air conditioner, cooking, and/or a bunch of tools - Bluetti has a clean, tidy, robust solution…
Get your AutoExpert free shipping discount here: https://bit.ly/3n62heK
Mazda’s CX-70 is a large five-seat SUV with generous legroom, loads of equipment and a supremely comfortable ride. It’s one of four new additions to the brand’s prestige model onslaught, but for a fraction the price of a premium German SUV.