I Towed 1,200 Miles in a Rivian R1S: Here’s What I Learned

This was one of my toughest EV towing trips: a 1,200-mile round-trip drive from Maryland to Hilton Head, South Carolina while towing with a Rivian R1S. At the time, EV towing infrastructure was still rough, route planning was more difficult, and the trip became a real-world lesson in what long-distance electric SUV towing was actually like in 2023. In this video, I share what happened, what made the trip difficult, and what I learned from towing long distance with an electric SUV. A lot has changed since this trip, including charging access, EV route planning, and my own towing experience. But this video still shows the reality many early EV owners faced when trying to tow longer distances. Topics covered: Rivian R1S towing experience EV towing range and charging challenges 1,200-mile towing road trip Maryland to Hilton Head towing trip Long-distance electric SUV towing Lessons learned from a difficult EV towing trip This was not a perfect trip, but it was a useful one. For more practical EV ownership, towing, road trip, and camping content, visit EVOutdoors.org. The travel trailer is a Coachmen Apex 245BHS which is approximately 28 ft long and weighs over 5,000 lbs with all our stuff in it. 0:00 Rivian R1S Towing Trip to Hilton Head 0:27 R1S Hitch Setup and Trailer Connections 1:31 Day 1 Begins: Towing With the Rivian R1S 2:42 Tow Mode Settings, Regen, and Trailer Brake Gain 3:18 First Rivian R1S Towing Efficiency Check 4:03 Stafford Electrify America Charging Stop 6:08 Fast Charging the R1S While Towing 7:30 Hot Weather and Rivian Battery Cooling 8:03 Richmond Charging Stop and Charger Etiquette 10:42 Leaving Richmond for Emporia 11:14 R1S Range Check Before Emporia 13:21 Emporia Electrify America Charging Problems 14:18 Switching Chargers for Better Speed 15:13 Helping a Chevy Bolt Driver With ABRP 16:03 Carolina Premium Outlets Charging Stop 17:22 Electrify America Derating Issues 18:20 Day 1 Towing Results: 415 Miles 19:07 Day 2 Begins: Hitch Height Problems 20:14 Lynchburg Shell Recharge Stop 21:33 Planning Around Slow South Carolina Chargers 22:24 Heavy Rain While Towing 23:29 Walterboro Electrify America Disaster 25:01 The Problem With Free Fast Charging 26:51 Efficiency Update Before Hilton Head 28:19 Hilton Head Arrival and Final Efficiency 29:02 Trailer Height, Aero, and Towing Range 30:53 Return Trip Begins: Avoiding Walterboro 32:24 North Charleston Electrify America Stop 33:32 Broken Chargers in North Charleston 34:32 Heading to Lake City Shell Recharge 35:12 Lake City Efficiency Check 35:58 Lake City Shell Recharge Charging Speed 37:57 Lumberton Electrify America Problems 39:26 Return Day Results and Charging Frustration 40:07 Rocky Mount Electrify America Fast Charge 41:21 Emporia Charging Stop on the Return Trip 42:39 Charging Speed Drops Again 43:37 Richmond Electrify America Stop 44:27 Final Stafford Charging Stop 45:41 Final Rivian R1S Towing Efficiency Results 46:16 Full Trip Recap: EV Towing and Charging Issues 47:28 Shell Recharge vs Electrify America 48:17 Why Tesla Supercharger Access Could Help 48:59 Campground Review and Final Thoughts #R1S #ElectricSUV #TowingTest #ElectrifiedOutdoors #EVTowing