350-Mile Boat Tow Puts Cybertruck Battery Range To The Test

The EPA-rated range on your electric vehicle will likely differ from the real-world range you get — and by that, it means real-world range is usually a lot lower, but that’s because people are using their vehicles a lot differently in the real world than the automaker usually expects. For example, a Cybertruck owner recently owed a 6,500 lb boat for 350 miles, giving car enthusiasts a closer look at how heavy towing impacts an EV’s range. 

Ahead of the Cybertruck’s launch, Tesla claimed it would have a 500-mile range. Once it was released and tested, the controversial EV was confirmed to have 325 miles of range. In Inside EVs‘ real-world testing, it only made it to 252 miles. While towing a 6,500-pound boat, the owner reported the Cybertruck made it 170 miles — driving 145 miles and leaving 25 miles of reserve in case of wind, traffic, or simply going the wrong way. Why did towing a boat make the Cybertruck lose so much range?

Contrary to what some may believe, the lost range wasn’t due solely to the boat being heavy. At 6,500 pounds, the boat is below the Cybertruck’s 11,000-pound tow rating (also much lower than the claim before its launch). There are a few other factors at play. “Overall this trip went way better than planned,” the Cybertruck owner wrote on Facebook. “Going faster killed range and meant more charging stops. So paradoxically, driving slower (55mph) made us reach our destination quicker.” 

Going faster will use up more battery in all EVs, and that’s especially true with a boat behind you, since you’ll need to accelerate faster to reach higher speeds and brake harder to stop in time at those speeds — not to mention the added drag. Towing will lead to more charging stops, and some of those charging stops may not have room for a 6,500 lb boat. You’ll definitely want to plan your trip with these charging stops in mind, since the trip will be a lot slower with the boat in tow – each charging stop may take 45 minutes to get back up to 80%, depending on the charger you have stopped at. 

If you want to make less frequent stops in an EV while towing a boat, you’d maybe want to consider the Chevrolet Silverado EV, which has an EPA-rated 492 miles of range and a 12,500 lb towing capacity. However, the Cybertruck really isn’t that far behind the competition, and while the strange-looking vehicle has other shortcomings, leading to frequent Cybertruck sales drops, this experiment actually proved the Cybertruck quite capable when it comes to heavy towing in an EV.