Towing with Hybrid/electric cars
Comments
-
I wonder how far it can tow that weight though.
0 -
In Oct 2018 i swooped my 65plate Ford Kuga for the 2019 model Outlander PHEV with the new 2.4ltr petrol engine.Without a doubt the Outlander does not come anywhere near the towing performance the Kuga had. I have done a lot of short breaks e.g 50/60 miles distance from home and found the Outlander sutable for the role. I have just come back from a long trek from Wakefield to Fairford. I did find the car lacking but what you have to take into account the many different modes you can put the car in, normal/Save electric/Charge and I found in the Eco mode and cruise set at 54/56 mph the car did well 32mpg average. But as mentioned previously the 6 days I was there I did not use any fuel as I charged the car overnight while on site, covering a total of 168 miles free of charge.
Just think on those members who doubt the coming of the electric age, not many of you tow the caravan every single day of the week i.e going to work shopping visiting family and friends, this is where the Outlander shines again I rarely put fuel in as I charge it overnight at home at a cost of 94p in return for 28miles distance.
0 -
For us this is an interesting article, at present like yourself we have a Ford Kuga, ours is a 2.0 diesel 150 powershift towing a 2016 swift Conqueror 480 1454kg, travelling around the 50-55mph we achieve 32mpg.
I am assuming the 32mpg you achieved is towing a caravan? if that is correct I am quite impressed, we are looking at the changing to a hybrid next year possibly the new Toyota Rav4 and the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
We are with Octopus energy off peak overnight tariff 5 pence a kWh = £0.50 for a full charge.
0 -
I believe the new Kuga due next year will have some electric and hybrid options with a respectable towing capacity.
Might be worth a look if you like your Kuga.
https://www.carwow.co.uk/ford/kuga/news/2791/ford-kuga-price-specs-release-date
0 -
It all comes down to how many short trips v long trips and towing trips you do and the economics are fairly easy to estimate. There is one thing that is rarely discussed (probably because so far its an unknown) how long the batteries will maintain a say 90% efficiency?
0 -
When all the people willing to spend their money on the experimental offerings from the major manufacturers have funded the development of a decent full EV capable of what an ICE can do, then, if I'm still around, I'll consider one.
Until then, I'll stick with filling up with Diesel in about 5 minutes, having a range of about 400 miles and be able to tow 2 tons.
1 -
-
Yes that does make sense. Our full EV can travel any distance thanks to the range extender topping up the battery, we just need an occasional 8 pints of petrol. The regenerative system works well too. The only thing missing is towing but the hybrids can do this so what's not to like (and in the long run save. )
It's good to hear from those who have experience with these vehicles.0 -
I am with Milo on this. The theoretical EV only distance referred to above will most certainly be a lot less in winter and even worse with 100,000 miles on the clock. The ONLY used hybrid in my budget (£11,000) that will potentially tow my caravan with a MTPLM of 1800kg is a Lexus RX400h SUV. However the nose weight limit is a bit low at 80kg and real world solo economy is poor in comparison with an equivalent diesel. There was Touareg Hybrid briefly available some years ago and MBZ sold a diesel hybrid E class estate however it does not appear type approved for towing. The only other possible option i have identified is the Volvo V60 diesel hybrid which will eventually drop in value into my budget, if it is type approved and can tow my caravan. Even our local Mitsubishi dealer does not recommend the Outlander PHEV for towing and suggests buying a Shogun Sport.
0 -
I fail to understand the logic of spending £1000’s of pounds on depreciation to upgrade a perfectly good tow car to one which is inferior at towing just to be able to drive (an alleged) 28 miles for 94p. The most environmentally sustainable car is the one you already have.... (or in this case had). Do people not get that depreciation is THE single biggest cost of motoring and their is nothing environmentally friendly about buying a brand new car, hybrid or otherwise?
2 -
The ONLY used hybrid in my budget (£11,000) that will potentially tow my caravan with a MTPLM of 1800kg is a Lexus RX400h SUV. However the nose weight limit is a bit low at 80kg and real world solo economy is poor in comparison with an equivalent diesel.
I towed an 1800kg caravan with a Lexus RX400h for over 6 years and can't say that the solo fuel economy was bad. On the contrary, I thought it was good, especially in lots of stop-start city driving where I was getting up to 50mpg, which can't be bad for a car of that size and weight. It was more the economy when towing that wasn't so good - somewhere around 20mpg, sometimes even worse, depending on the conditions.
0 -
Any view will be coloured by whether the tow car is also used for a relatively short urban commute. As they are not the most nimble in an urban environment requiring also bigger parking spaces, I would imagine such vehicles would only be used as a "last resort" urban choice. It therefore makes more sense to choose a straightforward capable tug rather than trying to get the best of both worlds. Most of us would do better to use public transport/bike. The environmental cost of manufacture rarely gets mentioned either.
0 -
A poster on the Volvo Forum quotes his MPG on a drive to the S of France in a T8 XC60 (hybrid) as 16mpg with a fairly large van, Aside from the cost he found it necessary to plan the fuel stops presumably due to a smaller fuel tank in addition to the consumption.
0 -
I used to get about double that towing a medium sized van with my diesel Kuga. So much for saving the planet.
0 -
Towing is a relatively small part of driving for most of us so the poor fuel consumption when doing this may be offset by the cheap travel at other times. If you are towing to Italy though hybrids look out of the question.
You do need to look at your towing mileage compared with the rest and do your own sums to see if they work for you.
0 -
You do need to look at your towing mileage compared with the rest and do your own sums to see if they work for you.
Exactly. 40% of our tow cars mileage is towing and I guess 50% is while on site and I guess only 10% running around at home as we have another daily driver at home.
I suppose that for lower mileage motorists that relative purchase cost of the car to make a saving is another factor.
0 -
-
could you imagine all the cars/lorries/buses and everything else plugged in to the network and there is another power outage on the grid, the country will come to a standstill. I have heard and read that we only produce 5% more electric that we need so when that's used up where do we go then. solar/wind and wave power is already added into this %.
0 -
well actually if you visit Lee on the Solent you will see 3 or 4 very large pipes popping out of the sea and onto the beach at the western end of the prom, these pipes will carry cables capable of transporting electricty, the other end of the pipes is on the shore of France and the intention is to buy electricity from the French nuclear power stations for use in the UK, work that one out.
0
