Tesla model X
Something I posted on another thread regarding EV but could be of interest.
Done some digging on the Tesla model X as it is possibly the most advanced therefore a likely likely towcar.
All this is gleaned from Teslas US owners forum and other web searches So may not be Factual. Please verify for yourself before making a purchasing decision!
OK so the P100 spec car solo has a specced range of 351 miles in ideal conditions. In the real world using heaters, aircon against the wind and up hills at motorway speeds owners report 250-260 miles with a slight drop off in battery capacity as the battery initially ages so your 351 drops to 340 over the 1st three months then stabilises.
Towing capacity on 20" wheels is 2250Kg and curiously only 1500Kg on 22" wheels.
Some considerations are that aerodynamics play an important part in all Tesla designs so wacking a brick on the back will mess up the aero package somewhat more than conventional cars. Also stop start traffic could have an impact on range especially on a gradient.
One US owner has reported towing a boat (probably more aerodynamic than a caravan) of 2204Kg Towing performance as expected from the powerful electric motors is more than adequate, but he quotes energy usage of 575Whrs/mile solo and up to 800Whrs /mile towing which is 40% more.The owner estimated that in the worst case energy usage could be up to 60% more on gradient (hilly) routes backed up by the other tow test below. Taking the above best case and simply extrapolating the real world mileage would indicate a towing range of 150 miles max. Reducing the towing weight to 1500Kg would give approx 160 miles range. so you would probably need to pull off the motorway at 140 miles for a recharge. Maybe less if Van aerodynamics play more of a part.
If the service station has a Tesla supercharger the battery will charge at a rate of 167 miles per 20 mins so about 45 mins or so for a full charge. However on a standard charger the charge rate is 25 miles per hour so you could be there 10hrs for a full charge.
another test
Here is a summary of a US model X user towing a teardrop van of 573Kg possibly 750Kg laden
Towing distance: 1,003 miles (1,033 total)
Number of Supercharger stops: 11
Average stop time: 1 hour, 34 minutes
Average Energy consumption: 612 Wh/mile
Travel time: 40.25 hours (23.02 hours driving, 17.23 hours charging)
Average travel speed: 24.9 mph
So EV's have a long way to go in my opinion, a decent battery would help!
90 miles between charges!
details of the above trip here
Comments
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However on a standard charger the charge rate is 25 miles per hour so you could be there 10hrs for a full charge.
at least you can kip in the van while you wait. Think the CMC will have to have 24 hour check in, as members could be running late if there's a queue at the charging points.
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So the chart on the video here:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iko35Oqzs2A
confirms that the range best case when towing 1600Kg maximum range is 112 miles.
so a comfortable range allowing for traffic and hold ups etc would be 80-90 miles. 6000Km = 3728miles = about 40 recharges of 45 mins = 30 hrs supercharging...Hmmm
With my car with 250 mile towing range 15 stops of say 15 mins max about 4 hrs
Don't get me wrong I want EV's to be the future which they will eventually be. But at present in my opinion they are not a practical proposition.
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Most of us will have packed it in by the time it becomes mainstream, especially those of us who don't buy new.
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Can you park in a charging bay with a caravan on the back? The charging point on a Tesla is at the rear of the vehicle.
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Never mind leaving the caravan attached when charging....what about motorway services only allowing parking for 2 hours before you need to pay? I wonder how they will react to a caravan in the car park without a car?
Most CMC sites have 24 hour admission - it's called the Late Night Arrivals area!
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One thing that hasn't been mentioned about the Tesla X which was tested on Grand Tour on Friday by JC who gave it big praise for its gizmos and its enormous speed. Obviously, JC didn't test it for towing a caravan? admitted he was sat in the car with five solicitors to make sure he didn't say anything defamatory about the car but he did!!. the main reason he could see to stop it from selling by the thousands was the £150,000 price. Not bad for a company that are struggling to make ends meet. Still had enough to put a model into space.
Steve
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The Tesla range is without a doubt the most advanced of all E/Vehicles. However the future will not be for even the best EV's to be used as tugs.Those wishing to tow caravans will still have to use Fossil Fuel driven cars.
EV Campervans and small EV Motorhomes will be the future for those of us who enjoy touring and using camp sites..
K
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I don't understand your reasoning K
Reducing the towing weight to 1500Kg would give approx 160 miles range
At present this car could tow 160 miles, that's probably more than what I do in a single towing day.
That is now, not the future. I would expect an even greater range by the time all cars are electric.
Also if a battery will exist to move a motorhome as you suggest, which are heavier than cars, then it will have the power to move a lighter car plus caravan. The weights of the two will be the same? Simple physics should have told you that from your schooldays.
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Also if a battery will exist to move a motorhome as you suggest, which are heavier than cars, then it will have the power to move a lighter car plus caravan. The weights of the two will be the same? Simple physics should have told you that from your schooldays.
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Oh Dear Corners., I would have expected a School Worker like yourself would have understood aerodynamics. For your information, towing performance is not calculated by static weight alone. There is the drag factor of two vehicles when towing a large box with the aerodynamics of a brick through air resistance, which has to be taken into account when considering power requirements.
Any school pupil will explain this to you.
K
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really K? so at the moment have you noticed all those cars towing caravans? It appears to work now with current models why should things change , are you suggesting that future cars and caravans will be shaped differently? But once again I suggest you read the OP, the tesla now can tow a caravan. But is there an electric MH?
As been said before you cannot change the laws of physics. Nice try though
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I suspect the laws of physics will also have a bearing on e-MHs.
I'm thinking lack of storage as space will be needed to accommodate the massive batteries and no payload allowance due to the weight of said batteries.
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My nephew has a Tesla S which cannot tow. He had looked into the various models and understood the realistic towing range of the X was about 100 miles. In practice this rules it out for caravans but might suit those needing to tow short distances with other trailers. There is little doubt though that in time the problem will be solved.
The big problem for us it that charging points tend to be set up for solo cars, and unless this changes we will have severe problems recharging when on the road as the caravan would have to be left elsewhere and this might not be feasible.
Tesla guarantee the batteries for 10 years, so the cost may not be the problem first thought although it is too early to say if they will last or there will be a lot of guarantee claims.
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I have a Tesla Model X....the standard range. We took delivery of this on 6th Sep.
.....and i have a 2018 Compass Casita 840 weighing in at an mtlpm of approx 1734 kg and its the 8ft wide and 26ft long too
I towed for the first time after doing loads of research and it was amazing!
By far the best towing experience i’ve ever had....better than any diesel or petrol, manual and automatic.
It typically uses double the battery.....we went from West Yorkshire to Morecambe on a Friday afternoon after school.
We had 234 miles in the battery when we set off and arrived 70 miles later with 100 miles left in the Battery.
It pulled like there was nothing on the back and because there is no gear changing in the engine (both manuals and auto’s have a lag), the acceleration was instant, at one point i checked to make sure the my van was still attached to the A frame!
The car comes with a Tow mode and a little camera that allows you to keep an eye on your hitch whilst towing.
Upon arriving at the camp site....Tesla provide you with a 3 pin industrial socket to charge from the caravan connection, so when not using the full mains in the caravan, we charged the car. This type of connection gave approx 12 miles for every hour it was on charge....ideal to get out and explore.
Anyway....it was amazing....i’ve attached a photo below
I do think it’ll restrict our distances with our breaks away, maybe even encouraging more overnight stops on to our final destination....however when you arrive and have not paid for any fuel....that leaves you with a nice little smug feeling.
Any questions, please ask...i’ve found it a mine field trying to get any British people to give advice on towing with an EV.
Manu thanks
Paul
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Great post Paul.
We’ve had our 2017 MX for 3 years now and are about to take delivery of a new one. Our current one is a standard range one and at the time they didn’t come with tow packs as standard but the new one we’re getting is the long range (actually we’re getting a p100 but the achievable range is the same really) with a tow pack. We’ve been thinking of caravans for years and most places we’d go to are JUST within a 100 mile range but we’d need a big van (4 kids plus us 2). I might see if we can rent/borrow one to try it all out. If I do, I’ll post the results on here.
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All the charge units in motorway services seem to be in the car parking areas .How due you charge with a big caravan on the back without unhitching ? And most motorway service areas marked as caravan parking are nearly always full of HGVs so even if chargers were put here you would probably not get near them.....
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It might be worth bearing in mind that since the posts of 2018/19, the club has stipulated that EVs can only be charged on club sites via the caravan and cannot be charged directly from the bollard.
Also, additional fees are levied for EV charging.
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I must admit I am impressed, unfortunately a Tesla is beyond my budget, but it just goes to show the technology is getting there.
Hopefully we are going for a new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV in June if the showrooms open and will tow a Swift Conqueror 480.
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