Polestar 4 towing review
Seeing as the TCotY thread got locked, and being in the every luck position of actually having one of the entrants (though not a class winner), I thought I would leave a review here.
So we finally got to test the Polestar 4 as a tow car this week. Not a huge trip but far enough to get a good feel. Due to a mess up on my part with the home charger we left home last (South Northamptonshire) on Sunday with just 71% battery and a 115 mile run to Danebury CL near New Milton in the New Forrest. However it gave us a good opportunity to test out the chargers at Winchester on the way.
The Polestar 4 in LRDM (Long range Dual motor) spec, has a 101kWh (96kWh usable) battery, 400kW / 536 bhp motors, 686Nm / 506 lbf- ft torque with AWD. Towing limit is 2000kg with a 100kg max towball load. So lots of capacity to tow our 1550kg MTPLM Bailey Unicorn S3 Vigo.
When we got going, there had been a bit of rain over night with wet roads, and some rain persisting. It had also been cold, so the battery was chilly, and a large unit takes some time to warm up, so I wasn't expecting peak performance. Deploying the fully automatic towbar was simplicity its self, with it unfurling from the back of the car at the touch of a button in the boot, and locking into placed with a satisfactory whir. The reversing camera (while missing the centre line guide on the Polestar 2, (come on Polestar - add it over the air please), made it easy to hitch, with a distance readout on the screen in cm from the closest point.
The trailer light check offered to start automatically, but some how I messed up the activation, so a manual one ran (I did manage to get an automatic one this morning when I returned the caravan to storage). All hitched and off we went. With the caravan on hook, the car automatically disables pilot assist, Blind spot warning and the rear fog light, but does let you use the adaptive cruise control - very handy for following lorries.
With all the torque on tap, and AWD, pulling away and getting up to speed is very easy, and the weight of the car keeps the caravan under control. The adaptive dampers manage the extra weight with no problem.
Having left home at 10:30, we pulled into the Instavolt Winchester hub at 12:11, 82 miles later, at 18% battery. Winchester has 4 pull through charging stations designed specifically for towing, so by 12:13 the charge had started. We both used the facilities, and I grabbed a coffee. 30 mins later, having added 70kWh of energy (an amazing average rate of 140kW - MUCH faster than the previous car), I stopped the charge and we got going again, having increased charge level to 82%.
The remaining journey of 37miles taking us down to 62%.
Over all the journey of 115 miles used 73% of the battery or 70ish kWh of energy, for an average of 60.93 kWh per 100 miles or 1.6 miles per kWh giving a theoretical maximum range of 157 miles.
We pitched and had a great week. Danebury is a lovely CL with individual water as well as metered 16A hookup (10kWh included per night). It also has the possibility of using their 7kW car charger, though we opted not to.
Having spent a great few days, the threat of the winds arriving tonight, and the potential for a very wet day led us to come home two nights early. We had been out and about during the day, and had the car charged to 83% ready to come home. After a quick pack down, we got underway just before 5pm. This time the battery was warm (it had been 18C all day, and we had charged on a 30kW charger in Lyndhurst), and the roads were bone dry, so I was expecting much better performance. Once out of the of the forest, and back onto the M27, I set the cruise to 55mph, until a lorry passed us, when I set it to 60, and let the car follow the truck at a safe distance. While stopping again was an option, looking at the economy readout, I was confident we could get home without a stop, a journey that would not have been possible on that starting state of charge in the Polestar 2. As we carried on, the economy kept improving, until as we pulled home at 21%, the car was reading an average consumption of just 52.9 kWh / 100 miles or 1.89miles per kWh, giving a potential maximum of 181 miles towing range, an amazing performance with very good results.
The combination of very rapid sustained charging (140kWh average up to 82%) and a real range of well in excess of 150 miles with a buffer in all weathers, makes this quite a machine. It allows for 300 mile days, with just one stop of 45 mins or so, if the bladders of the driver and passenger can manage, or 400 miles with two shorter stops - far more than I would normally consider in one day myself. Perhaps the south of France with the caravan is on the cards for next year
Comments
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@ChocolateTrees Very interesting post. Just shows that towing with an EV is perfectly possible but perhaps just a bit more planning. Although I imagine that as you gain confidence with range and charging opportunities it all becomes easier?
David
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Hi ChocolateTrees, we tow with a Suzuki Across (rebadged Toyota RAV4 PHEV) when we travel down to the New Forest from Stafford we are in no hurry and cannot get on site until 13.00, 50mph on the motorways and 45mph down the A34, we see around 38mpg, on the return journey towing 55mph on the A34 and 60mph on the motorway fuel consumption drops to 33.6mpg.
We do note on the way down travelling at a lower speed we are seeing around 33/34% electric mode due to regeneration, on the return journey at the higher speed we are seeing around 20/22%.
My question if one was to tow at the lower speed is it possible 2.0 to 2.2 miles kWh ?
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@Oscarmax Certainly towing at low speed is more efficient. I am not at all sure how slow you would have to tow to achieve 2 to 2.2, but maybe just 50 would do it.
The absolute biggest component of energy use is overcoming aerodynamic drag, and that drag increases with the square of speed, so the options you have to increase range are tow slower, take more energy (bigger battery) or reduce your drag by having a smaller more aerodynamic caravan.
The easiest of those is of course towing slowly.@DavidKlyne yes, as with everything, practice makes perfect, and experience tells you what you can and can’t manage, and when planning is important or not.
In addition, the infrastructure has improved markedly in the last 4 years, and is still improving.0
