Why Tesla's are bad at towing!

"All marketing hype with no data.

1. Range with how much weight?"

Weight really isn't important. It takes very little power to keep weight moving. Just a little extra tire flex. Where vehicles are hurt by weight is when brakes have to be used to take energy out of the system for stopping and speed control.

More weight actually tilts the scale in favor of an electric truck since it can use regen to recapture about 90% of the energy that would normally be lost to braking.

The real issue on long trips is air drag. This concerns me more because the range of the pickup is given without a trailer. The truck itself is very aerodynamic. This means that a typical trailer with little or no thought given to aerodynamics is going to be felt much more than it would be behind a regular truck. It is going to be interesting to see how much impact trailers have on fuel economy. It might even be worthwhile making the bed cover come straight back from the high point to reduce the amount of wind hitting the trailer.

"2. Acceleration with 80k pounds. How much is profit generating payload not the extra weight of batteries?"

This depends a lot on what you are hauling. My understanding is that a large percentage of box trucks on the road are limited by volume, not weight. Walmart is a big early purchaser and I know that their trucks are generally pretty light. Battery powered trucks should qualify for the weight bonus given to trucks with an APU since they also have eliminated main engine idling.

One could not drive from coast to coast in 1910 because of the lack of fueling stations and automobile infrastructure. Give it another 50 years and the EV infrastructure and battery technology will be in place and the ICE will be done.

How many folks tow at 75 miles per hour? 55 would make more sense.

Charlie D. wrote:
Tesla said they have a goal of installing solar panels on the roof.

BUT . . . . .

Adding a solar panel on the roof of that new Tesla truck will only add about 30-40 miles per day... I have no data on that other than our resident Tesla Cult Member here in the office has stated it several times a day... :B

ShinerBock wrote:
Funny part is, he is an actual Tesla owner and has made many pro-Tesla videos in the past. I guess he and the guys at TFL are right, the Tesla fanboys are fanatical and will go after you if you say anything that they perceive as a negative about Tesla regardless if it is true or not. Almost like a cult.

He is most definitely an electric vehicle proponent.

mich800 wrote:
:h who called out Tesla? Are you suggesting that Jason Fenske's analysis is flawed because it references Tesla?

Main title to the thread. So that is member ShinerBock that called out Tesla.
Not flawed at all. Just that it is an EV problem not a Tesla problem.

Same as calling out FORD because the DEF hurts performance and economy when ALL have the same issues.

Tesla said they have a goal of installing solar panels on the roof.

Fuel cell based EV is my guess, same old limiting component system...fuel storage and everything in that food chain....but that only one limiting factor

Laws of Physics does not care what type of vehicle...even a Tesla has to deal with them


Anyone ever read the fine print on all thongs discussing crude oil reserves ? "Known" is always on there... Aren't they still finding more ?

About 10 years ago, all of my automotive feeds talked about 2 types of algae that produced produces hydrogen and other an oil much like diesel, but cleaner

Was going to invest in both, but both dissapeared at about the same time...

Now seeing ads from one of the major oil OEM'S pitching next gen diesel from algae...

So ICE'S are not dead just yet...if ever...

A lot comes down to the type of towing you do. Granted, most people on this forum are expected to hitch up a camper and go cross country so range is very important. On the other hand, I tow a trailer most every day with my business but rarely travel more than 120 miles in a day and there are probably quite a few contractors that meet that description. The Tesla truck would probably work out very well for me. There are quite a few people that just want to run down to the building supply store and pick up some lumber. The Model Y towing a small trailer would work for that. The advance orders for the Semi are mostly from companies with defined runs less than 500 miles between facilities that they own and can put charging stations at. I think that we will see EV's towing trailers first in niche markets then expanding. It would also be nice for me to be able to leave home every day fully charged and not have to worry with getting my trailer through gas stations.

Meanwhile, Tesla keeps improving battery life and charging rates. This will make the EV as a tow vehicle more and more practical as time goes by.

agesilaus wrote:

4x4ord wrote:
I think it makes sense to have the power for electric vehicles embedded in the roadways to keep the batteries charged as the vehicles drive along the road... kind of like trolley busses.

LOL how many millions of miles of roadway are there in the US? Aha! There are about 4,071,000 miles of road, changing all the time of course. And figuring a conservative $100,000 a mile to electrify that would be $4,000,000,000, that 4 Trillion bucks plus operating and maintenance costs. And that does not include all the dirt an gravel roads that we like so much out west.

Not to mention the fact that wireless charging is very inefficient and wastes a lot of energy. There is also the factor of voltage drop over long distances.