Towing with an EV - trip report
Warning - Very long post alert!
Towcar - Polestar 2 LongRange Dual motor Launch edition. (300kW motors (408ps) , 78kWh battery)
Caravan - Bailey Unicorn Vigo S3 Max weight upgrade.
2 Passengers on way - me and SWMBO - 4 on return (daughters joined us mid trip).
Start - Towcester in South Northants. Destination Borrowdale cub site in the Lake district.
7:00am 100%
We left home on the Friday morning (22nd Oct) at about 7:00am Car was charged to 100% over night and preconditioned using mains power. Roads were damp but clear skys and about 8C. Our route planned was A43 to M1, M1 to M6, M6 to Penrith and then down to Keswick and the site. I had planned for two charging stops, the 1st near Stoke on Trent and the second around Lancaster.
We got going in fairly light traffic until joining the M1. When towing with the EV, I set cruise at 56mph, but as soon as I find a big lorry, I tuck in behind it for slipstreaming and follow it. If a faster lorry comes past, I will pull out and follow that.
Progress was fine with a minor slow down on the M6 near J3, and good all through Birmingam. From getting started, I was watching my economy (kWh/100miles is how the car displays it) and looking for a number below 67 (lower is better) - my target for the journey. By Birmingham the number was at about 60 and I was very comfortable with a 2 stop strategy. Unfortunately, as we drove we were getting reports of major congestion on the M6 after Stafford with major queues. While that would be good for the EV economy - not so good for arrival time, so we opted for an early pit stop in Stafford services.
9:00am 35%
Stafford Northbound has two new Gridserve chargers and I had already looked at the location in the carpark. Ignoring the "caravans here" sign, we headed for the main carpark and found a quiet spot away from the cafe area near the white vans that accumulate there. Unhitched the van in a space, and I drove the 50 meters to the charger. One was in use and I popped the car on the other, starting the charge at 9:09. After 2 hours on the road I was ready for a coffee and cheeky bacon sarnie, so Greggs did the job. My wife and I took turns to head in and use the facilities, while the other guarded the van (corner steady down, sat inside). I consumed my coffee and food, opted for a second bathroom break and then we were ready to go again. 40 mins of charging yielded 34.7kWh (half a battery) and 72%. The charge was pretty slow by my cars standard averaging about 40kW
9:50am 72%
We hit the road again and battled through the rest of the M6 hold up with some rain kicking in. While in Stafford, we had decided to stop at Crow Orchard, a new 8 station charging hub South of Charnock Richard or - if the battery would stretch - at Charnock Richard, and then again near Penrith. The 1st stop at Stafford was earlier than I had planned and a 3 stop strategy seemed inevitable. As the miles rolled on, slipstreaming another big rig, I realised my economy was around 57kWh/100miles - much better than I had hoped. A quick calculation and look at WhatsApp and ABRP, revealed the E.ON chargers at Preston East - an ultra rapid, and in reach of our destination in one go if we got a good charge.
11:35 16% 164 miles
We pulled in again to the Starbucks at Preston East. A big wide space, right next to the 2 chargers was sitting waiting to take the caravan. Quick unhitch and onto charge. Once again, we took turns to use the facilities, had a coffee, and decided to eat a bit of early lunch. A couple of other EVs came and went, with the usual chatter (Is that a citroen - no, its a Polestar; What's it like towing the caravan - great; is it fast - very.) 48 mins ticked by and we hit the 90% needed to get all the way to Keswick. In the time it took me to get out and ready to unplug we hit 92.
IMG_6990X.JPG
12:31 92%
The E.ON charger had been fast, 63kWh pulled in in 56 mins, still not as fast as the car can charge, but good. On the road one final time. We had a hard time finding a lorry to follow after ours inconsiderately left the M6 toward Blackpool, but did get onto one on the way up Shap. Economy suffered a bit, but not too badly, and I had built in a reserve. We left the M6 at Penrith, and headed down the A66. Back on the single lane section, it was much harder to keep the speed below 50. With the car set up to coast when my foot was off the accelerator, it would roll very easily over the speed limit on the down hill sections. Much attention needed.
14:30 11% 257 miles
We finally pulled into Borrowdale at about 2:30pm, having covered over 90 miles on the last leg, with 11% remaining. I paid for the pitch and paid for one nights EV charging from the post (£8). The wardens confirmed that we were the first full EV towing to use the site that they were aware of. We got set up and plugged the car in, with the car constrained to 8A to leave some headroom for the van appliances. By next morning we were back up to 55% and ready to head out.
Return Journey.
30/10/2021
8:40am 100% 7c Very wet 0miles
Again - we charged the car overnight on the Club site from the van, and preconditioned. The weather was poor, and had been for the last few days with the lakes making the national news due to rainfall. The lakes were high, rivers had burst, and the car had coped well.
We towed off the site, through Grange and gingerly headed back up toward Keswick, knowing there was at least one flooded section to drive through. Needn't have worried as the Polestar never missed a beat.
Heading up the A66 was miserable it was cold and wet and uphill all the way to Penrith. The target economy of 67 kWk/100m was nowhere to be seen with more like 85 showing. I told myself "its all up hill here, and Shap is downhill" and kept going. We joined the M6, and it was empty. Usually great for a holiday, but not if you want to follow a lorry. After a few mins we spotted on in the distance ahead and I eased the car up to 60 to catch it. We ducked into its stream and followed it to Preston. I shouldn't have worried as I was right; as soon as we were on the motorway, heading down hill and with a windbreaker lorry, the economy climbed and we were back below the target 67 by Kendal. Whilst we could have gone further on the battery charge remaining, we opted for the same stop as we had on the way up, as the driver and one passenger really needed to. Making the diversion into Preston East, we popped into exactly the same spot and charger as on the way up.
10:40am 17% 93 Miles
The sun came out, as we parked the caravan, this time with 4 of us. Coffee and hot chocolate, and a rapid charge. Target was 85%, but we hit 87% in 48 mins, loading in 60kWh. This time we had a two stop strategy in mind and I was aiming for Hilton Park services north of Birmingham.
11:30 87%
Back on the road, and the weather continued to improve. Following lorries all the way down, we got to Hilton Park services with no issues.
1:24pm 18% 187 miles
At Hilton park, the Caravan bays are separated from the main carpark by a low wall. We pulled into the caravan area and un-hitched. I then drove round to the charger and got started.
We manually turned the van round through 180, got a steady down and set up for loo stops and lunch. For whatever reason the new gridserve charger was on a go slow, delivering 51kWh in an hour. It didn't really matter as we ate lunch in the caravan, and had a coffee after. Our target was 80% and we left with 83% for the final leg home.
2:50pm 21% 260 miles
A stilly mistake as we came to the end of the M6, I got in the wrong lane, and ended up on the A14 east instead of the M1 south. Having chastised myself, we got of at the 1st junction and decided to head direct south through Northampton to home. A slightly longer route over all, but not as long as going back to the M1. We got home around 15 mins later than we would have hoped.
Take aways.
Average consumption
Outbound 57kWh/100miles;
Return leg - 60.6kWh/100m
(usually 34-36kWh/100m Solo)
1) The weather on the way back made a huge difference - wet more than cold impacts the economy.
2) We charged too much for the last section, I built in a good 15% more than I needed to, which was perhaps 15-17 mins of charging.
3) Planning really helps - knowing where you can stop, but not necessarily where you WILL stop. Gives you options.
4) Motorway services are not bad - just make up your own rules as to where you will park, and ask forgiveness rather than permission (not that I needed to).
5) Non-motorway services work really well too.
6) Longer distance caravanning works great in an EV if you are prepared to stop (like me). For those who want to do a 6 hour 300 mile tow in one go, not so much.
7) Would I trade in the extra range for going back to an ICE tow car? Emphatic no for me. The Kia EV6 would be on my list of tow cars though for the ultra rapid (18min 10-80%) charge speed.
Comments
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Thanks as EV owners (over four years) I understand all your planning. We too would go for the Kia if towing! Winter EV driving puts extra demands on the car, I'm guessing you did this trip in longer daylight hours and warmer weather? Our main gripe is the lack of working superfast chargers, life would be a lot easier, lets hope things improve. We like our EV very much, the technology is there but the infrastructure is still lacking.
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Brue, this was the last week in October this year. It was about 8C on the way up and 7C on the way back. The clocks went back the night we got home. There is an impact on the range due to temperature, but (IMHO) its overshadowed by towing, specifically air resistance. Rain makes far more difference than temp. Drag makes more difference than weight.
Summer towing is nicer (no rain, or cold) but not much better for range.
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The two biggest (I hesitate to call them major, because to me they are not) drawbacks are
1) Having to unhitch to charge - this makes the process a 2 person job minimum.
2) Having to double check the availability of a rapid charger as you approach it. When there are only 2 chargers at a location, finding them both occupied would be PITA. So far we have never run into that problem towing. We have always been able to check the live status of the charger before getting to it, knowing it will be free when we pull up.
2) will improve over time as the number of rapids increase. Both of the services we stoped at were undertaking work to add additional non-Gridserve chargers (4 BP at Stafford, and a bunch of something at Hilton park). Gridserve are also expanding their offering doubling the number of sockets and adding extra capacity as they go.
I don't mind the enforced stop at all. I am ready to take a break after 2 hours. Having a shorter stop option (the ability to charge 10 to 80 in 20 mins with 800v systems like the EV6 and Ionic 5) would be amazing. At that speed, we would be charged before we were ready to move on.
Having an extra 20 miles range (say 110 to 120 on 80%->10%) would also add to the flexibility - being able to just go say 2:30 between stops if the charging or road situation called for it.
My ideal EV would have 120miles towing 80 -> 10, recharge in 20 mins and have a bit more payload than the Polestar. But for a 1st effort at an electric tow car - I am very very impressed and happy!
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The problems at this time with lack of infrastructure, also the reliability of what there is ,plus the costs of a vehicle with any decent range is the main reason we would not yet think about an EV
One up side with lack of range at this time it does make you take rest breaks even though they are much longer than most require
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Fascinating read, thank you. I think I will make this sticky as its a useful resource.
I am not familiar with the brand "Polestar" is it a manufacturer in its own right or a sub brand of one of the big manufacturers?
David
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Really interesting. We have an EV car (Kia e-Niro) but dont tow. Have a motorhome. I guess one problem in better weather and in summer would be more vans about, more difficulty in parking, unhitching etc. Especially with the design of some service stations.
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links with Volvo ..... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polestar
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I feel compelled to post...
A very interesting and informative read, thank you CT. For me, there are some issues, as with others. Cost of ownership, £45,000-ish is not to be sniffed at (looking at the EV6). Yes, as it stands, I could stretch to it, but do I need to? My current car/tow car is a Ford Kuga 2.0L diesel (180hp) that returns anything between 30-50 mpg, depending on conditions (solo/towing/speed). Rough calculations tell me that on an mpg basis, EV’s are far more economical, maybe a quarter of the cost? Even less when charging at home. On a day to day basis (charging at home) it’s very tempting, but the faff when touring (a chore?) kinda puts me off. Turning up to a long queue to charge up? Charge points on ‘the blink’? Having to make detours? I guess it comes down to the available infrastructure, as mentioned by JVB.
On another note, could you please give us some info regarding towing performance/stability? Info regarding having a tow bar fitted? (Cost/issues)
I must admit, as already mentioned, I’m very tempted, but in the back of my mind, I’m thinking will I see a reasonable return, given none of us know how long we have left (I’m 66) 🙁
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Freddy, I think you have good cause to hesitate. My car (Polestar 2 - a sister brand to Volvo and built on the same platform as the XC40) was an eye watering £55k in my spec. For me it’s a company car and I feel privileged to be able to drive it. As a company car it’s costing me only about £3 a week more than keeping my 12 year old XC90.
I don’t find the hitch / un-hitch a faff, but ask my wife and you probably get a different answer. Is it worth it to be able to tow with the EV? Absolutely. The queues / broken chargers are real issues but, while towing I have not yet found a queue to charge, but tend to aim for chargers where I have real time info on their usage stats. I have run into a dead charger once and a charger that needed a remote reset by the support folks. That’s only 1 in 12 while towing. Not a great average but I really think it was an anomaly. Detours are really no worse than hunting for caravan friendly fuel stations.Towing wise - it’s very very good. The car is fairly firm suspension, and my last 3 tow cars (XC90, V50 and V60) all had self levelling suspension. This doesn’t and is slightly more jiggly as a result, but the control of the car over the van is very firm. Nose weight is up to 90kg (same as the XC90 and V60) were. Having no gear box is fantastic. Single speed means totally smooth power delivery with absolutely zero lag from throttle to wheel response. It’s a whole different world from even the slickest of auto boxes. Power is prodigious but very controlled. Rear visibility is good with the “Suck it and see” wing mirrors. I used to have Milenco Aero grand, but they don’t fit the Polestar rimless mirrors. I don’t miss them at all and wish I had tried them sooner.
The tow bar was a £1000 factory fit option. It’s brilliant. Semi automatic, released from under the car by a button in the boot, the 13 Pin socket is built into its side. Totally invisible when not in use. The car has a full towing mode including towbar alignment on the rear camera, trailer detection and stability control, and even a trailer light test mode that lets you test the trailer lights solo. You can get the same towbar as a dealer fit option too.Would I buy an EV specifically to tow? No. If was looking for a perfect tow car, and wanted to do continent crossing towing in a day, this is not for you.
If I wanted to have an EV as my main car, and also needed it to tow, is it viable. Absolutely yes.
I chose to have an EV primarily (if I am honest) because I am a geek and love tech. But also for the environmental reasons (I have had solar for 10 years, own a PHEV) and look for ways to keep my carbon footprint low.
In also loved the idea of the Polestar. The fact that it could tow my caravan was the icing on the cake. I kept the V60 PHEV in case I needed a more capable tow car. It has not been used for that purpose since the Polestar arrived. 5 caravan holidays with the EV and over 1300 towed miles, I doubt I would go back to an ICE. The EV is just too good solo and towing to give up, even with the shorter range.2 -
It's good to get an up to date review on real life towing with an EV.
I like the Ioniq 5 and have now contacted Hyundai by phone once and e-mail three times but no replies. I'd like to see if they are making one available to the press or club for a towing appraisal.
We run a VW UP as a second car and when this is replaced at 10/12 years old a small EV will be the vehicle of choice. We will then be in our mid 60's and with electric vehicles supposed to be more reliable it could be our last run around.
As we tow long distances I cannot see an EV for the main vehicle being a consideration for many years. A Hybrid would not be a consideration either. A recent article on the What Car website had ownership costs from cheapest to most expensive going, Electric, Petrol, Diesel, Hybrid. Pollution wise the Hybrid would be good around town, but the loss in economy resulting to increased emissions when towing [50% of my main vehicle driving] would be defeat the object of buying one.
Colin
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I'm guessing but assuming that for the vast majority of caravanners, and not just the ones who post on CT, the cost of a viable EV towcar is prohibitive. It certainly is for me although once I stop caravanning, possibly in about five years time when I clock 80, I'll be changing may car for something smaller so it may well be an EV. At that time my annual mileage may well be very meagre so charging away from home will almost certainly be a rarity.
It is the here and now that intrigues me especially the charging infrastructure out and about. The Despatches programme on TV last week was quite an eye opener, I thought they were trying to be very factual throughout the programme. Checking whilst 'en-route' to see if a charger is available is obviously a good idea but, with the increase in EV ownership far outstripping the increase in charging points it's inevitable that there will be a lot of people wanting to charge whilst out and about, probably more so during the winter when battery efficiency is reduced. So what happens when several people all check online almost simultaneously to see if a charger is free and they all see that it is. They all turn up to find a queue.
Another interesting point made by the programme was that, according to the battery manufacturers themselves, to achieve a full life potential from the battery they shouldn't be charged more than 80% or allowed to drop to below 20% on a regular basis. this obviously reduces the number of miles between charges which in turn means that more people will be searching for the elusive working charging point.
The bottom line for me is that I can't afford an EV at present and, in any case wouldn't want the hassle of trying to find a vacant charging point and making a five hour, 220 miles trip to Dover, for example, with no fuel fill-up until I was there, into an 8 hour journey.
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A comprehensive 'real world' account. One observation I would make. When towing, my Kuga returned fuel consumption around 70-75% of solo figure. The Polestar would seem to be around a 50-55% figure, so a bit more of a penalty on range.
It did seem to require a fair bit of strategic planning. Perhaps an F1 team strategist might be a useful accessory to do the en-route calculations.
As a 77 year old motorhomer, it's all a bit academic for me as the developments for them are both too expensive and too far away to affect me.
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Pollution wise the Hybrid would be good around town, but the loss in economy resulting to increased emissions when towing [50% of my main vehicle driving] would be defeat the object of buying one.
The same Despatches programme I referred to were talking to vehicle emissions company that do official checks. They stated that hybrid EVs are the worst for emissions of carcinogenic compounds compared with diesels especially until the engine was up to full working temperature. This suggests that as a town run about they aren't good for the population as many cars will not get to full working temperature.
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"It did seem to require a fair bit of strategic planning. Perhaps an F1 team strategist might be a useful accessory to do the en-route calculations."
lol, CY this was the bit that caught my eye straight away....a 2-stopper or 3-stopper plan...also having to check for valid chargers miles in the distance.
agreed, electric is going to happen, but I'm happy to let others ride the 'bleeding edge' of technology (and infrastructure)....soon be too many EVs vying for not enough charging points.
at home, our shopper does 50+ to the gallon, the MH does 400-450m on a tank, both are deemed 'clean enough' to enter any of the city LEZ areas.
£40-55k is a massive investment to become 'clean' where the new car will probably do no more than the one being ditched..
my son still drives my nr 20 yr old A4 Avant which still has a range of 600+ miles and regularly gives 60mpg on a leisurely run...
im sure the market will get there, but (probably thankfully) not everyone embraces brand new tech at the outset..if we did, there would be no chargers available anywhere and we'd be gridlocked with EVs rather than ICEs.
BTW, no one mentioned charging costs above...are all these stations free...?
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To fill the battery at home costs about £4. The two charges on the way to the lakes were £10.42 and £24.55 respectively. So to travel 257 miles from home to the Lakes cost me about £40, arriving with 20 odd miles of range left for solo travel. It used to cost me 1 tank of diesel in my XC90 or V60 for the same tow (I used to top up at Rheged before heading to Keswick) and that would be £70 back when diesel was £1.20 a litre.
The return trip was £8 + £23.39 + £15.36 = £46.75 and I had about 40 miles solo at the end.Works out at less than ~17p per mile towing vs about 27p per mile using diesel.
Solo from home is more like 1.8p per mile for anything up to a 200/220 mile round trip.
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I would really like to get an EV but this post has shown that there is a lot of planning required for a journey towing a caravan. As AD has said it would make a long overseas trip very complex! So for as long as we go on our long overseas trips we will keep our present diesel and when we finally stop caravanning - maybe in a couple of years - we will go down the EV route.
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I feel the same way, commeyras. I really like the idea of an electric car, but the range makes it difficult as does the cost of purchasing an electric vehicle. When our smaller car bites the dust, I will look at replacing it with an electric, keeping the Discovery for towing and long journeys. However, the cost will be an important factor. If we can't afford it, we won't be able to. At present, my wife drives the smaller vehicle - our usage may well change should we replace one with an electric....
David
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First, Chocolate trees thank you for a very interesting report. Like others who have responded, I just don't feel that I want the hassle of all the stops and planning. Furthermore, I suspect you were lucky to find charging points which were working and unoccupied. Although I tow with a Volvo, my classic car hobby means that I belong to the Jaguar Drivers and Enthusiasts Clubs and to the MG Owners Club. In recent months, their magazines have had a number of articles on electric cars and there seems to be a consensus that if all new cars are to be electric by 2030, the government needs to be ensuring the installation of 800 charging points a day! I find it difficult to believe that this is happening and can't help but suspect Boris Johnson is seeking to gain favour by making wild promises in the knowledge that he won't be there to pick up the pieces when chaos surfaces 9 years from now.
The other matter which seems to need sorting out is the rationationalisation of the process of paying for charging at public charging points. My daughter has a plug in hybrid and so far has had to download 5 apps on to her phone in order to use different operators' charging points. Surely we need a system where we just use our credit cards?
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Thanks for the comprehensive reply. I suspect that given fuel prices the way they are (and still rising?), folks might take to EV’s sooner rather than later. If one can charge at home, the difference in pence-per-mile really is quite stark. I think for day-to-day use, with the ability to charge at home, they make perfect sense (assuming one can afford the initial cost), but for touring, I think many/most(?) will be somewhat sceptical, not wanting the uncertainty/faff. You have though demonstrated that it can be done, in this country at least.
Thanks again 👍
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"I just don't feel that I want the hassle of all the stops and planning."
Thats totally valid. I have the EV because I want one for solo, and am prepared to make it work for towing despite the drawbacks.
"Furthermore, I suspect you were lucky to find charging points which were working and unoccupied."
Possibly, but in my experience, the more I plan the luckier I get...
"In recent months, their magazines have had a number of articles on electric cars and there seems to be a consensus that if all new cars are to be electric by 2030, the government needs to be ensuring the installation of 800 charging points a day!"
Hmmm. 365*8*800 = 2.3Million. Given there are only around 5500 fuel stations on the UK today, that seems like a very high number. Even if there are an average of 10 pumps in every station, thats still only 55,000 pumps in the UK. Given that around 90% of UK car journeys are sub 50 miles a day - all of which can be achieved without any rapid public charging - and more than 60% of UK house holds have the potential for an EV charger, the need for rapid public charging ports is probably less than the number of fuel pumps needed. Even if you allow for time to charge the actual number of rapid charge ports needed is not diss-simmilar to the number of fuel hoses. I would say we need more like 6,000 added a year. (17 a day). As of 29th Nov - there were 131 new rapid devices (278) new connectors in the last 30 days. an average of 9 per day. That's a very achievable ramp up.
"The other matter which seems to need sorting out is the rationationalisation of the process of paying for charging at public charging points. My daughter has a plug in hybrid and so far has had to download 5 apps on to her phone in order to use different operators' charging points. Surely we need a system where we just use our credit cards?"
All new rapids MUST accept contactless payment, and generally do. Apps are typically needed for lower speed charging - for example free charging in Tesco car parks, or if you want to get a lower cost for charging (loyalty club) or want to guarantee getting a VAT receipt.
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Thats very kind :-) Sometimes I do wonder if I cross the line between "Evangelist" and "Fanatic" ;-)
I think there is absolutely no harm in being a doubter. Everyone has their own individual requirements and parameters that need to be met before they choose to adopt any new technology, especially one as expensive and long term as a car.
For myself, I am happy to help answer questions and present the real view from the (b)leading edge. Sometimes the reports in the media don't quite match the view on the ground. There is nothing less news worthy than a story that says "its working ok, nothing to see here". I try and be as "real" as I can, showing the warts and all when they are there.
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