There are lots of electric pickup trucks in the automobile industry these days. People sometimes get into a dilemma about whether electric pickups are able to perform the same as fuel trucks. Well, all-new powerful electric trucks are now available in the EV market. EV Trucks are able to offer exceptional performance including towing of more than 5,000 lbs capacity.
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You must be wondering which electric trucks offer impressive towing capacity. Well, the latest EV pickup trucks are able to tow up to 14,000 lbs.
What is Trailer Tow?
A trailer is an unpowered vehicle that needs to be towed by a powered tow vehicle. It is used to transport cargo, necessary equipment, materials, and other goods. Travel Trailers, Recreational Vehicles (RVs), and Campers are examples of trailer tows.
A Travel Trailer is used to create a recreational vehicle (RV) to tow 5th-wheel trailers, camper trailers, towable campers, and other cargo equipment. There are various types of travel trailers including basic travel trailers, pop-up trailers, toy haulers, and fifth-wheel trailers.
Fifth-wheel travel trailers require a powerful pickup truck as the tow vehicle while other lightweight trailers can be towed by a mid-sized SUV or larger Sedans.
Basic travel trailers (sometimes called ‘bumper pulls’) are connected to the tow vehicle’s bumper using the trailer hitches but fifth-wheel trailers directly sit on the back of a tow truck.
What electric vehicles can tow a trailer?
As we discussed above, heavy-duty trailers like 5th-wheel require powerful pickup trucks however, basic travel trailers can be towed by mid-sized SUVs or larger Sedans.
The weight of trailers ranges from 1,200 lbs to over 10,000 lbs depending on the type. For instance, smaller 5th-wheel campers weigh as little as 5,000 lbs whereas heavy 5th-wheel camper trailers weigh up to 16,000 pounds.
Lightweight trailers can be towed by electric SUVs like the Tesla Model X. (You can read this blog to explore the towing capacity and features of the Tesla Model X). The towing capacity of the Tesla Model X ranges from 3,500 lbs to 5,000 lbs. But, if you have to tow more than 5,000 lbs you need to purchase any of the following electric pickup trucks.
Ford F-150 Lightning
Ford F150 Lightning is one of the most popular EV pickup trucks in the United States. It is built by the Ford Company to deliver power-packed performance with serious toughness and unbelievable handling in all driving situations.
The all-new powerful F-150 Lightning is built with a maximum towing capacity of 7,700 lbs to 10,000 lbs depending on the mode. That means it is capable of towing a trailer with a maximum weight of 10,000 lbs.
The following table represents the towing capacity of the latest Ford F-150 Lightning.
FORD F-150 Lightning Models | Towing Capacity |
F-150 Pro | 7,700 lbs (Standard-Range Battery) |
F-150 XLT | 10,000 lbs (Extended-Range Battery) |
F-150 LARIAT | 10,000 lbs (Extended-Range Battery) |
Platinum | 8,600 lbs (Extended-Range Battery) |
Tesla Cybertruck
Tesla Cybertruck is an upcoming light-duty electric truck that is expected to show up on the road by the end of 2023. As per international media, there are over 3 million Cybertruck orders now, and it would take Tesla 6+ years to complete orders.
Talking about the towing capacity, the Tesla Cybertruck single-motor RWD can tow up to 7,500 lbs. Likewise, the Dual-motor AWD offers a maximum towing capacity of 10,000 lbs and the Tri-Motor AWD variant provides 14,000 lbs.
Tesla Cybertruck Variants | Towing Capacity |
Single-Motor | 7,500 lbs |
Dual-Motor | 10,000 lbs |
Tri-Motor | 14,000 lbs |
GMC Hummer EV
The 2022 GMC Hummer EV is another competitive pickup truck with a maximum towing capacity of up to 7,500 lbs. It can easily tow motorboats, jet skis, trailers, and other cargo equipment. The 2022 GMC Hummer EV Truck comes with 4 trim levels: EV2, EV2X, EV3X, and EV Edition 1.
GMC Hummer EV Variants | Towing Capacity |
GMC Hummer EV Pickup | 6,500 lbs to 7,500 lbs |
GMC Hummer EV SUV | 6,000 lbs to 7,500 lbs |
Rivian R1T and R1S
Rivian Electric Pickup trucks are among the top electric vehicles that can tow more than 5000 lbs weight. R1T and R1S are the two electric trucks introduced by Rivian company that compete with other EVs we mentioned in this article. The maximum rated towing capacity of R1S is 7,700 lbs whereas R1T offers the highest towing of up to 11,000 lbs.
Rivian EV Variants | Towing Capacity |
Rivian R1S | 7,700 lbs |
Rivian R1T | 11,000 lbs |
Chevy Silverado RST
The Chevrolet Silverado RST is the first-ever all-electric pickup truck introduced by the Chevrolet company. It is currently in the production phase and will be available by Fall 2023.
The actual tow statistics of the Silverado EV will be available once the vehicle goes through tow testing. For now, the company has claimed the Silverado RST will offer a maximum towing capacity of 10,000 lbs, and the future model Silverado WT will offer up to 20,000 lbs.
Chevrolet Silverado Models | Towing Capacity |
Silverado RST | 10,000 lbs |
Silverado WT (Future Model) | 20,000 lbs |
Lordstown Endurance
Lordstown Endurance is also among the top electric pickup trucks that is able to offer competitive towing performance. This all-new 2023 Endurance is built with a unique design, 4 in-wheel hub motors, a few moving parts, and a true 4-wheel drive.
The 2023 Lordstown Endurance offers a maximum towing capacity of 8,000 lbs when properly equipped.
Lordstown Model | Towing Capacity |
2023 Endurance | 8,000 lbs |
Conclusion
The EV market is growing day by day, and the government of various countries has supported the EV makers. Within the next decade, the global automobile industry will be dominated by EV vehicles.
If you are worried about the performance of EV vehicles especially, meeting your towing requirement, you don’t need to worry because the EV pickup trucks will handle your task with ease.
The weight of trailers including RVs, Campers, Travel Trailers, and other tow trailers ranges from 1,200 lbs to over 10,000 lbs which can be easily towed by powerful EV trucks like Tesla Cybertruck, F-150 Lightning, GMC Hummer, Rivian R1S, and Silverado RST.
Besides, there are various other powerful EV pickup trucks set to hit the market soon including the 2024 Toyota Tacoma EV, the 2024 GMC Sierra EV, the 2024 RAM 1500 EV, Rivian R2, and more. All these upcoming pickup trucks will be equipped with efficient technology to cater to your towing requirements.
Stellan Carter is an accomplished writer, entrepreneur, and avid Ford Raptor owner. As a co-founder and content contributor for this renowned blog website, Stellan brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the automotive industry. When he's not behind the wheel of his beloved Ford Raptor, Stellan can be found exploring new terrains, capturing the essence of his automotive adventures through his camera lens.