Tow Vehicle for Tab 400

Bill&Suze

bandr1tnj said:

Just got our new to us 2019 TAB 400 last month and tow with a Rivian R1T (large 135kW battery pack and 20in AT wheels). Normally get 2.1mi/kWh (283mi) but dropped to 1.1-1.5mi/kWh on our recent trip from NJ to Acadia National Park in ME. New to towing so we were conservative and stopped to charge every 100-150 miles which works out better for my back anyway. R1T tows like the TAB 400 wasn’t even there but it does take a range hit like any other ICE truck. Finding chargers hasn’t been an issue so far (and it helps to have access to Tesla stations) but most don’t have a pull-through spot so unhitching is a pain if I have to so I usually plan around less busy times when the lots are usually empty (aka early or late hours).

It's encouraging to see that a few forum members' TVs are electric. Susan and I recently made our maiden voyage towing our T@B 400 to Rockport, Maine from near Portland. We're towing the Mimi with a Kia EV9. It has a smaller battery than a Rivian, 99 kWh as opposed to Rivian's 135 so I doubt we'll see a similar range - maybe 120 miles give or take. Maine is somewhat slow in building out our much needed DC fast charger infrastructure and Tesla has still not provided Kia/Hyundai owners with its NACS to CCS adapter so I'm limited to the one Tesla site in Maine with Magic Docks. Luckily there are eight Superchargers with Magic Docks in Rockland, just ten minutes from the campsite in Rockport.
A question for @paulgbernard and @bandr1tnj, when you stop enroute for a meal or rest break do you unhook the camper's electric cable from the truck so the camper doesn't continue drawing power from the truck's 12V battery after you've shut the truck off? I found this is happening when we stopped for lunch and I happened to check the camper's lithium battery with the VictronConnect app and saw that there was no load on it. After disconnecting the cable from the Kia the app immediately showed power being drawn from the camper's battery. My concern is that a long stopover with the EV shut off will result in the camper drawing down the EV's small 12V battery more quickly than the high voltage battery can restore it. I'm curious to hear if you've noticed this and come to the same conclusion.