2025 GMC Sierra EV+33' Airstream Classic - Wow!

[sesmith06]

After over 5 years of planning, a few changes, one major hiccup, we are finally pulling our 33' FBQ Airstream Classic across country with an EV truck! We have been dreaming of making this a reality and I have to say, both my hubby and I are impressed with the results so far. We have traveled from South Florida to West Texas pulling our Airstream with the new 2025 GMC Sierra Denali EV Max. There is no drama pulling at 10,000 pound trailer. Power wise: we can get up to speed in no time to get onto the interstate or go up a mountain. Towing range with the max is right around 200 if we charge at 90 and take it down to 10 percent and drive around 65mph. Charging hasn't been an issue. Yes, we've had to disconnect the trailer a few times, but we've had ample space to do it and it hasn't been an issue. We've also been lucky to find some pull-throughs or a way to pull up alongside without causing issues for others. Today, we drove over 250 miles (from Alpine, TX all the way down to Big Bend National Park plus exploring without the trailer) and still have 51% on the battery (charged to 98%). We've plugged our Airstream into the truck and can run one air conditioner plus lights or other things like the microwave or electric kettle. It pulls about 1kw per 30 minutes as a generator. What is really nice is the Super Cruise works when towing and it does a great job! We still have more to learn, but as far as range (both towing and without) are great. It is smooth, powerful, and super quiet on the inside so my hubby and I can actually have a conversation and hear each other! Did we have some hiccups with the truck at first? Yes! There was an issue with the condenser coil and hoses. Once that was fixed (4 months, GMC!) it has been running smoothly since. For those looking for an EV truck alternative, it is pricey, but worth looking at.

[Lafitte]

What did it cost ?

[Hans627]

Interesting report. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[nelsonh]

That's a handsome setup!

[sesmith06]

As I mentioned, it is pricey... You are looking around $100K for this model (the diesel we looked at was the same price). It was still cheaper than the Foundation series Cybertruck, has more bells and whistles, and way better towing and long range (we are currently averaging over 500 miles). I believe prices will come down. I love my youngest son's response to a guy who said 'Why pay that much for a truck!' The answer was simple: Because we could afford it. At our age, it will probably be the last truck we buy. :P

[sesmith06]

Thank you! We love it!

[pteck]

Beautiful setup and frankly the only EV that can currently do the job today.

[JJTX]

When money and time are not a factor, anything is possible. Glad its working out for you.

Let us know again in 5 years how it works then. Vs When things are new, its different after time passes.

[sesmith06]

I'll keep the post updated. I know we won't have the maintenance that most vehicles do, especially diesels, over the 5 year period. We have one electric vehicle that is 4 years old and the only maintenance are the windshield wipers, tires, and air filter. There are a lot less moving parts to go bad.

[jcl]

Thanks for posting. Interested to follow your adventures. We sold our last ICE vehicle 5 years ago and won't go back.

[Spartanfam]

That’s awesome! Our neighbor towed their 27’ Airstream with a Rivian R1T but could only go about 125 miles it seems… ultimately did not like camping or towing so they sold the entire rig!?!
That said, I can see where it would be enjoyable to tow with electric, time permitting and I wish you both many happy memories with the setup! Congratulations!

[sesmith06]

I know exactly what you mean! We drove an ICE vehicle in January and it was literally like driving a dinosaur! Congratulations!

[sfranklin]

I think the range is pretty darn good. My problem with the GM offering (and Ford too for that matter) is that they a have a fairly low cargo capacity of around 1500lbs from best I can tell. The Cybertruck has a much higher rating, but not as much range, and the extra battery to extend the range is pretty costly. I'm by far nowhere near a RAM fan, but the 2025 Ramcharger PHEV seems to check all the boxes, high payload capacity, pure EV range and towing range with range extender. I need to be able to go between 325 and 350 on a charge/fill up...more if possible....would also like to see better than 10-11mpg towing, but that last one alone is not a deal breaker for me.

[sesmith06]

We have a Model Y and tow smaller loads with it. It doesn't get near the range. If we were to buy another to replace it, it will be with a Rivian. We watched the Long Way Up where they had their very first prototype model and it was amazing even for being very crude at the time. The GMC range towing with a heavy load isn't bad. We have to stop for a restroom break before it needs to be charged so we combine the two. Stopping for an hour about every 3-4 hours makes it easy to walk around and eat before we hit the road again. Between that and the Super Cruise, there is less road fatigue. We are lucky that my hubby is semi-retired and I can work on the road which gives us more flexibility. One thing we considered was the balance between how often we would tow vs everyday use. The EV won out. The truck has 4-wheel steering and handles like a car and makes backing up easier, as well. We've done some U-turns that would have been impossible in our ICE truck that we had.

[Merlintiaga]

We have GM Super Cruise on our Suburban. Amazing! I use it every time I get on a highway. Works great with the trailer too. Way less fatigue from driving.

The EV setup is interesting. Looking forward to seeing it in the Suburban.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by sfranklin

I think the range is pretty darn good. My problem with the GM offering (and Ford too for that matter) is that they a have a fairly low cargo capacity of around 1500lbs from best I can tell. The Cybertruck has a much higher rating, but not as much range, and the extra battery to extend the range is pretty costly. I'm by far nowhere near a RAM fan, but the 2025 Ramcharger PHEV seems to check all the boxes, high payload capacity, pure EV range and towing range with range extender. I need to be able to go between 325 and 350 on a charge/fill up...more if possible....would also like to see better than 10-11mpg towing, but that last one alone is not a deal breaker for me.

Need to go 325-350 miles between charging when towing, or want to?

EV towing has trade offs. We planned on 200 km between charges with our Model Y when towing, compared to 300 km when solo, but we have close to 500 km range. It just doesn’t make sense to use it. Charging to 100% regularly is hard on the battery, and less than 10% remaining would be stressful. The car charges must faster from 10-50% than it does from 50-90%. We plan on more frequent stops which are much shorter. Total stopped time is much less. When charging we put the next destination in the nav system and only charge long enough to have 20% left when reaching the next charger. This is true towing or running solo. We often come out of the restrooms and are ready to go.

One of the trade offs when looking for a very large battery is that it may only be beneficial a few times a year, but you pay for it up front, and you carry that extra weight around on every trip.

Last fall we towed a Basecamp on a 1570 km trip. 1025 km was towing, with two 500 km days. We charged 5 times that were planned, and stopped in two additional Superchargers just to check access. Our average charge time over the week was 16 minutes.

One of the trade offs on the positive side was that we calculated 39.5 mpg when towing, on a cost equivalent basis. And double that when not towing, even using Superchargers for every charge. At home with our electricity rate it is double that again.

[sfranklin]

Need to do at the very least what I can do now, 325-350 miles on a full tank hauling my rig, cargo and passengers. I can deal with the 20 mins charging (though that only gets me 100 miles from what I understand), maybe even having to disconnect every so often to do so, but until I can get between 325-350 hauling my 30' FB Bunk, it's non-starter for me, which is why I was thinking that the Ramcharger PHEV has not only the tow capacity, but a very respectable cargo capacity as well. Pretty sure between being on battery and on range extension I could fairly easily hit those numbers, maybe even a bit better. I was very pleased to see the GMC can get 250 miles on a charge pulling a 33 footer, I think it is definitely going in the right direction.

I ran the numbers on my trip last summer to Banff, Glacier, Teddy Roosevelt and home. I would have needed about 16 charges @250 miles vs 11 tank fills (math is estimated at 4k mile trip)

66 minutes to complete 11 tank fills of roughly 34 gallons @ 6 min to full.

13.3 hours to get 200 miles @20 stops, longer if I waited to get more than 80%.

If the EV got 350 per charge I would need 11.5 charges @40 mins= a bit over 7.5 hours

So a day vs an bit over an hour. Hard sell for those not retired or able to work remote with 3 weeks of vacation.

[SunchaserV]

sfranklin
No argument on your points, but the elephant in the room like Porsches, Lambos, rebuilt Mustangs and dragsters - people are often hobbyists. For this there is no logic by other hobbyists who choose another endeavor.

The better comparo for the Sierra EV would be the Ford and Rivian offerings and related pros and cons. Throw in the new Lightship pulled by an F150 7kw unit and a lively debate should occur.

Me? I like a 3,000 lb payload and the ability to tackle big mountains with impunity while pulling a 8-9,000 pound trailer. But this is a different hobby again, no better or no worse than others' fun toys.

[sfranklin]

Point taken. Perhaps I've over thought it.

Don't mean to sound bashing of EVs, I've been driving one as a daily for over 13 years, and back in 2012, the comments and naysayers was nearly a daily occurrence....flash forward 13 years and the landscape has changed considerably. Can't wait until they mature a bit more to be able to put it up front of my Airstream. Hopefully that'll happen before my current TV needs replacement....otherwise I may be diesel bound.

Thanks for the perspective.

[Proteus]

Looks fantastic. What do you use for towing mirrors on the Sierra EV? doesn’t look like they’re available as a standard option? Or, do the cameras work well enough to see around the trailer? Does the Airstream rear camera tie into the Sierra’s screen? Which WD hitch setup do you use?
Also, do you happen to have any CAT scale readings for that setup?
Thanks!