Hook

Dragging a 7,000-pound box through the air is not a towing plan, it is a physics experiment. In an EV pickup, the lab results show up right on your range meter. Here is why towing crushes range and what you can do about it.

The problem most owners hit

EV trucks are torque monsters, but towing at highway speeds exposes the two hardest constraints in electrification: battery energy density and aerodynamics. Real-world tests of the Ford F-150 Lightning show range can drop by roughly 50-60 percent when towing an enclosed trailer at speed, with full-charge towing ranges often landing near 120-150 miles depending on weight, speed, weather, and terrain, as seen in this towing review and discussed in this overview. Ford itself notes that towing reduces range and uses Intelligent Range to adjust estimates in real time, per its towing FAQ.

Battery physics: energy density and mass

Even the best lithium-ion cells are energy-dense relative to gasoline only at the cell level. Modern EV cells often sit around 250-300 Wh/kg, but once you add cooling, structure, wiring, and crash protection, pack-level energy density is much lower. More battery adds weight and cost, and it yields diminishing returns on towing range, especially up hills and in headwinds. For background on EV battery technology and targets, see the U.S. Department of Energy’s overview here.

Aerodynamics: the silent range killer

Aerodynamic drag rises with the square of speed. That means going from 60 mph to 75 mph increases aero force by roughly 56 percent, independent of drivetrain. Pickup trucks have relatively high drag coefficients, and a boxy trailer boosts frontal area and creates turbulent flow. Put simply, highway towing multiplies drag, and drag multiplies energy use. NASA’s primer on drag coefficients and the drag equation is a great quick refresher here. For pickups specifically, tonneau covers and aero aids can help modestly; SAE work examining pickup bed covers has documented measurable drag reductions in certain configurations, as noted in this technical paper.

Why 800V fast charging matters for trucks

Power equals voltage times current. If you double the voltage, you can deliver the same power with half the current, cutting I^2R losses and heat. That is the logic behind 800V architectures: higher-voltage packs enable faster charging, more efficient power delivery, and lighter cables. You can see the approach in production today: the Porsche Taycan pioneered 800V in a performance EV, Hyundai’s E-GMP platform supports 800V and 350 kW peak charging as detailed here, GM’s Ultium-based GMC Hummer EV supports 800V DC fast charging, and the Ram 1500 REV is designed around an 800V electrical architecture with up to 350 kW DC charging. For towing-heavy use, faster top-ups between legs are the difference between practical and painful.

Thermal management and heat pumps

High loads and cold weather both add heat-management headaches. In winter, cabin heating can eat range if you rely on resistive heaters. Heat pumps lower that burden by moving heat instead of making it from scratch. AAA’s testing found cold-weather operation can reduce EV range by around 41 percent at 20 F when cabin heat is used, underscoring why efficient HVAC matters here. Many newer EVs, including trucks, offer heat pumps to keep consumption down.

Structural packs and smarter packaging

Reducing pack overhead is another lever. Structural packs integrate the battery into the vehicle body to cut mass and improve rigidity, a direction popularized by Tesla in its Battery Day presentation here. BYD’s Blade battery focuses on cell-to-pack efficiency and safety for LFP chemistries, as announced here. These trends aim to shrink the gap between cell-level and pack-level energy density so trucks can carry more usable energy without excessive weight.

The bigger picture: costs and design trade-offs

Recent headlines about Ford rebalancing EV production and costs highlight the economics behind all of this. Ford has trimmed F-150 Lightning output amid demand and cost pressures, as covered by Reuters here. Meanwhile, even performance icons are grappling with electrification physics: Porsche’s latest 911 hybrid is not a plug-in, explicitly to avoid weight and packaging penalties that would harm dynamics, per Porsche.

Practical steps to mitigate range loss when towing

• Slow down. Dropping from 75 mph to 65 mph meaningfully cuts aero drag and extends range.
• Pick the right trailer. Enclosed trailers with rounded fronts or aero nose cones beat flat-wall boxes. Keep frontal area as small as practical.
• Mind weight and balance. Keep total trailer weight within limits and distribute load for stable, efficient towing.
• Raise tire pressures within spec. Underinflated tires increase rolling resistance for both truck and trailer.
• Use a tonneau cover and remove roof racks when not needed. Small aero wins add up at highway speed. See SAE’s pickup bed cover data here.
• Precondition the battery and plan fast-charger stops on 800V-capable networks where your truck can take advantage.
• Leverage your truck’s towing tech. Ford’s Intelligent Range adjusts estimates based on actual trailer data and conditions, as noted here.
• Warm up smart in winter. Use seat heaters, heat pump HVAC if equipped, and cabin preconditioning on shore power to save battery energy on the road. AAA’s cold-weather findings are here.
• Route with grade and wind in mind. Tailwinds help, headwinds hurt, and long climbs are range-intensive.
• Charge strategically. Smaller top-ups at high-power sites can be faster than deep charges at lower-power stations.

What is coming next

Expect more 800V trucks, broader access to high-power DC fast charging, and better thermal systems. The industry’s move to the NACS connector standardized as SAE J3400 makes planning simpler for owners as networks converge, as announced here. Battery chemistry and packaging improvements will keep chipping away at mass and pack overhead. The core physics will not change, but the engineering will get better.

Bottom line

EV pickups can tow well, but physics taxes your range most at highway speed with big frontal-area trailers. Know the limits, plan smart stops, and pick equipment and routes that play nicely with aerodynamics. Combine better aero, heat management, and 800V charging, and you turn towing days from anxiety into competence.