These trucks use their copious amounts of electric power to put on a show.
Another Kind of Tes
One of the most common questions most truck owners have about all-electric options like the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T are how much can they tow and haul, and what effect does doing those things have on the range - which makes perfect sense, because that's the kind of stuff a lot of folks do with their trucks. However, one question that has yet to be answered is which of these two trucks can win a tug of war contest, at least until YouTuber Tesla Raj recently hooked them up to find out.
First Time
Of course, the good old-fashioned tug of war is nothing new in the pickup world, as we've seen our fair share of them battle it out with humorous results. But this is the first time we've seen EV pickups attempt to out-pull each other. Even if there's no glorious screaming V8 soundtrack, it's fun to watch, regardless.
Weight and Power Game
Throw in the fact that EVs have tons of torque and are both very heavy, and this matchup seems to be fairly even. The R1T uses four electric motors - one at each wheel - to generate 835 horsepower and 908 pound-feet of torque, and tips the scales at somewhere between 9,500-10,000 pounds, depending on the configuration.
Light(er)weight
The Lightning - when equipped with the extended range battery - generates 563 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque - which is obviously significantly less. The Lightning is larger than the R1T, but it's also significantly lighter at just 6,500 pounds, which is still heavy but certainly not so for an EV pickup.
One More Factor
There is one more important factor here to consider in a tug of war - the R1T wears Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tires, while the F-150 Lightning is equipped with General Grabber HTS60 rubber more suitable for the road than the grass surface the two trucks are on. And that, it turns out, makes all the difference.
More Meat
The Lightning winds up getting pulled by the R1T as it struggles to find traction, underscoring the need for some meatier tires. While the Rivian has more power and is heavier, it may win this type of contest regardless, but we'd love to see a rematch with the same tires on both trucks to see which is truly the EV tug of war champion.
>>Join the conversation about this F-150 vs Rivian tug of war right here in the forum.
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