Did Not Expect 401 Wh/mi with Rack, awnings and U-Haul trailer

[Urander]

We were just doing some casual towing this morning, and because of a little traffic on the highway, our average speed dropped to around 50.7 mph. But the Wh/mi result really surprised us.

We got 401 Wh/mi while running the full-length rack, two awnings, and a U-Haul trailer. The lower number is likely thanks to the slower pace, some uphill and downhill sections. We covered 26.2 miles in 31 minutes, which works out to about 50.7 mph. That’s actually pretty close to another brand’s efficiency test of 38.4 miles in 44 minutes, or 52.3 mph.

Of course, this isn’t super helpful for long-distance towing, but still interesting to see. A more controlled test is coming soon with our upcoming tent and flat panel rack at 70 mph using FSD. Stay tuned for that one. It should be a good one!

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[Urander]

The return trip came in at 477.7 Wh/mi, which brought the overall “Since Charge” average down to 444.2 Wh/mi. That’s with some elevation gain, around 1,800 lbs of new gear in the trailer, a 4.7 mph wind from the northwest. But honestly, it’s mostly because daytime traffic kept our speeds lower.

Considering we were in Beast Mode the whole time, 444.2 Wh/mi for the round trip really isn’t bad. We still need to tow everything to Fremont, so we’ll share more numbers soon.

 

[Urander]

From Dublin to Fremont, with a bit of downhill, we got 371.4 Wh/mi. Also ran into a few more U-Haul buddies on the freeway lol.

 

[Urander]

The return trip from Fremont to Dublin was tough. Bay Area traffic was insane. It took us 33 minutes just to reach the top of the hill, and we were averaging 734.2 Wh/mi.

After 56 minutes, we finally made it out of traffic with an average of 546.9 Wh/mi at that point.

Once the road cleared, we picked up to 55 mph and set cruise control around 3:55. At that moment, we were seeing 591.1 Wh/mi.

By the time we exited the highway at 4:05, the number had dropped to 507 Wh/mi.

We returned the trailer at U-Haul with a final return trip average of 499.4 Wh/mi, and which is the return trip to the earlier Dublin to Fremont at 371.2 Wh/mi.

Overall, we used 45.6 kWh for 103 miles of towing, averaging 442.9 Wh/mi for the day.

 

[Urander]

The return trip from Fremont to Dublin was tough. Bay Area traffic was insane. It took us 33 minutes just to reach the top of the hill, and we were averaging 734.2 Wh/mi.

After 56 minutes, we finally made it out of traffic with an average of 546.9 Wh/mi at that point.

Once the road cleared, we picked up to 55 mph and set cruise control around 3:55. At that moment, we were seeing 591.1 Wh/mi.

By the time we exited the highway at 4:05, the number had dropped to 507 Wh/mi.

We returned the trailer at U-Haul with a final return trip average of 499.4 Wh/mi, and which is the return trip to the earlier Dublin to Fremont at 371.2 Wh/mi.

Overall, we used 45.6 kWh for 103 miles of towing, averaging 442.9 Wh/mi for the day.

Given:

• Cyberbeast range = 301 miles
• AWD Cybertruck range = 325 miles
• Cyberbeast Wh/mi on that trip = 442.9 Wh/mi

If the Cyberbeast averaged 442.9 Wh/mi, the AWD Cybertruck would be expected to do approximately 410.2 Wh/mi (442.9 × 301 ÷ 325) under the same conditions. That’s even lower than the 416 Wh/mi seen in other tests without a U-Haul trailer and 1,800 lbs of cargo.

 

[Urander]

Given:

• Cyberbeast range = 301 miles
• AWD Cybertruck range = 325 miles
• Cyberbeast Wh/mi on that trip = 442.9 Wh/mi

If the Cyberbeast averaged 442.9 Wh/mi, the AWD Cybertruck would be expected to do approximately 410.2 Wh/mi (442.9 × 301 ÷ 325) under the same conditions. That’s even lower than the 416 Wh/mi seen in other tests without a U-Haul trailer and 1,800 lbs of cargo.

Does this number tell us anything? Maybe. We did two round trips to help even out elevation changes and wind impact.

But the problem is Bay Area traffic during the day is too unpredictable, so this data point isn’t very helpful for those planning long-distance trips.

For more useful info, check out our towing test from CA to UT with controlled speed and real-world results.

 

[Urander]

Here are three sources explaining how they conduct Cybertruck range tests

Source	Model	Test Type	Range	Wh/mi (est)	Conditions
Edmunds	AWD	60/40 mixed	334 mi	~364	Warm, city/highway mix
InsideEVs	AWD	70 mph highway loop	302 mi	~404	Flat loop, mild temps
Out of Spec	AWD	70 mph highway (cold)	254 mi	~480	Cold (~46°F), highway

We ran a similar test by setting cruise control at 70 mph and traveled 49 miles in 45 minutes. The average speed was 65.33 mph because we spent about 3 minutes getting out of the Supercharger and another 2 traffic lights before hitting the freeway.



For comparison, the other manufacturer only traveled 38.4 miles in 44 minutes, with an average speed of 52.36 mph, yet used that to claim their efficiency.

We’ll be doing a serious range test at 70 mph with our upcoming flat panel rack and rooftop tent. Stay tuned!

 

[ModelAZ]

Here are three sources explaining how they conduct Cybertruck range tests

Source	Model	Test Type	Range	Wh/mi (est)	Conditions
Edmunds	AWD	60/40 mixed	334 mi	~364	Warm, city/highway mix
InsideEVs	AWD	70 mph highway loop	302 mi	~404	Flat loop, mild temps
Out of Spec	AWD	70 mph highway (cold)	254 mi	~480	Cold (~46°F), highway

We ran a similar test by setting cruise control at 70 mph and traveled 49 miles in 45 minutes. The average speed was 65.33 mph because we spent about 3 minutes getting out of the Supercharger and another 2 traffic lights before hitting the freeway.



For comparison, the other manufacturer only traveled 38.4 miles in 44 minutes, with an average speed of 52.36 mph, yet used that to claim their efficiency.

We’ll be doing a serious range test at 70 mph with our upcoming flat panel rack and rooftop tent. Stay tuned!

Will the range test also include towing a trailer?

 

[FL370]

Thank you. This is really helpful. I am looking at the flat panel rack or cap primarily because it will hopefully reduce drag while towing a trailer (aussie style offroad or a small Airstream.)

 

[SanJuanCT]

When are you expecting the mole panel full rack to start shipping again?

 

[PungoteagueDave]

Given your wide range of wh/mi depending on conditions, my take from this is that a tiny trailer and racks requires planning about 700 wh/mi for range purposes. My 9,500-lb boat trailer (12' tall) averaged 1,250 wh/mi on a recent 200-mile trip. That's real towing, and I will be charging every 100 miles or less on the trip from Maryland to south Florida in November. Really missing the promised range extender.

 

[FL370]

Given your wide range of wh/mi depending on conditions, my take from this is that a tiny trailer and racks requires planning about 700 wh/mi for range purposes. My 9,500-lb boat trailer (12' tall) averaged 1,250 wh/mi on a recent 200-mile trip. That's real towing, and I will be charging every 100 miles or less on the trip from Maryland to south Florida in November. Really missing the promised range extender.

We towed a 6000lbs trailer for 1300 miles from San Diego to Bryce Canyon, Kanab and some offroad dispersed camping and got around 718 watts per mile. I drove like a grandpa a lot of it aka the mandatory 55mph in CA while towing. Lots of climbing and descending. I am hoping the rack may actually improve this by routing the air up and over the trailer. Longest leg I got was 133 miles with 11% left in "the tank"

 

[Urander]

Thank you. This is really helpful. I am looking at the flat panel rack or cap primarily because it will hopefully reduce drag while towing a trailer (aussie style offroad or a small Airstream.)

We towed a 6000lbs trailer for 1300 miles from San Diego to Bryce Canyon, Kanab and some offroad dispersed camping and got around 718 watts per mile. I drove like a grandpa a lot of it aka the mandatory 55mph in CA while towing. Lots of climbing and descending. I am hoping the rack may actually improve this by routing the air up and over the trailer. Longest leg I got was 133 miles with 11% left in "the tank"

Of course! It helps guide the air up and over the trailer instead of hitting it right in the middle. The U-Haul trailer might feel a bit more efficient since it is lighter and has regular tires. But with your off-road trailer, you can go so many more places, and that is a big win!

 

[BLUR1895]

Maybe not super long for towing, but still a marathon nonetheless!

 

[Urander]

Given your wide range of wh/mi depending on conditions, my take from this is that a tiny trailer and racks requires planning about 700 wh/mi for range purposes. My 9,500-lb boat trailer (12' tall) averaged 1,250 wh/mi on a recent 200-mile trip. That's real towing, and I will be charging every 100 miles or less on the trip from Maryland to south Florida in November. Really missing the promised range extender.

Yep, we averaged 647.7 Wh/mi on the flattest 100 miles we've driven - between Bonneville Salt Flats and Salt Lake City.

It went pretty well! We started at 92%, and it recommended staying under 69 mph to reach the next Supercharger with more than 9%.

We set cruise control to 65 mph and actually arrived with 30% left.

So next time, we could probably charge to just 80% and still arrive with around 18%, which would cut down at least 10 minutes on charging time.

Actually, this whole thread is just to show that Wh/mi in traffic doesn’t mean much for long distance travel. We saw another brand market 416 Wh/mi in traffic, and we saw even lower number yesterday morning. So we decided to share some city towing data to show that without steady speed or cruise control, the numbers don’t really mean much.

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