Airstream Basecamp 16X Towing Report

[tcmeyers]

25 kWh is not 5% battery SOC, it's 20% of your battery capacity. Which means you used 102% of your total battery capacity for the 240 miles (125.5 kWh).

That's 523 wh per mile or 1.91 miles per kWh. Still very good for such a large trailer, with the caveat that we don't know your speed.

Thank you! Who knows where I got 5%?! And 1.9 is a lot closer to my short run test guess of 2 mile per percent.

Speed was at the posted speed limit up to 65 mph which is the maximum speed rated for the Bowlus. I don’t know why that limit, maybe the electric brakes. Most of the time it was 60 mph.

No speeding, already an eye-catching enough combination, and the trailer’s license plate hasn’t arrived yet. The State Patrol troopers let it by.

Sponsored

 

[Cybertruck 1974]

How to use the wall charger in the RV park?

I made my own cable and plug to plug into the 14 50 plug at the RV camps which is typical for 50amp.

 

[Cybertruck 1974]

We just did a test towing loop 240 miles total, pulling a Bowlus Terra Firma. We selected that one because it is very streamlined (no bulges, tapered aft) and lightweight. I started at 100% SOC (first time ever, normally 80%) and returned home again with 18% remaining. With 60 miles left to go, we supercharged for 7 minutes, adding 5% battery SOC (25 kWh, $11) to add comfort pad.

Unless I’ve made a mistake, this is about 2-3/4 miles per percent of battery charge.

looks great. Seems to have the exact size and shape of the front facing forward that giveway to the wind as the Basecamp X OP and I have except maybe a bit heavier and longer. My 20ft 20x weighs 3500lbs what's you're weight? BTW, I got about 150 miles out of my 100% charge with about 25 miles left (buffer)

 

[tcmeyers]

looks great. Seems to have the exact size and shape of the front facing forward that giveway to the wind as the Basecamp X OP and I have except maybe a bit heavier and longer. My 20ft 20x weighs 3500lbs what's you're weight? BTW, I got about 150 miles out of my 100% charge with about 25 miles left (buffer)

This is 3500 dry, and 27 feet but I bet 4 of that is tongue and “front porch” step space. The door is on the front.

BTW I corrected my initial comment to 2 miles per percent of battery.

How many percent was you remaining 25 miles left over?

 

[Cybertruck 1974]

This is 3500 dry, and 27 feet but I bet 4 of that is tongue and “front porch” step space. The door is on the front.

BTW I corrected my initial comment to 2 miles per percent of battery.

How many percent was you remaining 25 miles left over?

I was showing 8 percent 1 time and 7 another at 25 miles left over. At 100% it was showing 319 miles of range. It's gone up over the past 14k miles I've been driving it.

 

[tcmeyers]

I was showing 8 percent 1 time and 7 another at 25 miles left over. At 100% it was showing 319 miles of range. It's gone up over the past 14k miles I've been driving it.

We used to tow an Airstream Nest with a Model X and stopped using the miles range display, only use battery percentage. It’s pretty correct but the remaining range display is a calculation that swings widely. It’s much more stable in the CT (I think it’s better in the X too, with updates) and it’s easier for me to think in miles per percent because it takes a while for the truck to re-evaluate based on the current load. Towing this or that or not.

If you go from 100% to 9% towing 150 miles, that is 1.65 miles per percent. If the truck had already known what the towing load was, it would have shown 165 miles range at 100% rather than the 319 miles. It seems like it does start to revise that pretty fast though, once you start towing, and most importantly correcting the speculative percentage remaining for your destination.

 

[Frank Mendez]

The range while towing is not acceptable. I guess it works if you have chargers along the way to a campground with hookups. I doubt I will be buying a CT unless it gets closer to the 500mile range as advertised back in 2019.

 

[fishtek]

If it really takes you 5 days to charge your CT with 240 v 30a, i think your adapter is faulty. It happened to me with the faulty 14-50 adapter.

Just wanted to chime in and mention that my 14-50 adapter that came w/ my CT mobile connector was bad as well. It would charge but only at 1 KW despite it recognizing that it was getting 239V from the plug. Swapped out the 14-50 adapter and boom now getting 7 KW with everything else the same.

 

[Cybertruck 1974]

Just wanted to chime in and mention that my 14-50 adapter that came w/ my CT mobile connector was bad as well. It would charge but only at 1 KW despite it recognizing that it was getting 239V from the plug. Swapped out the 14-50 adapter and boom now getting 7 KW with everything else the same.

man, crazy to hear there's been issues like that about the mobile connectors. No issues with mine....yet...hope not ever. I carry it for emergency only. just too slow for over night charging. Here in Cali I have to start charging at 12am and leave at 7am latest so I installed the WC 48amp. Wish they had Gen 1 still available where it was adjustable up to 80amp. I have one and use it for road trips and at cabin (second home).

 

[Spacenoddle]

The range while towing is not acceptable. I guess it works if you have chargers along the way to a campground with hookups. I doubt I will be buying a CT unless it gets closer to the 500mile range as advertised back in 2019.

Just tbh, the problem is not mainly the battery capacity, say even it is 500 miles range, with towing it will be 250 miles for airstream aerodynamic like, because you still need to buffer 20% and only charge to 80%, so 250×0.6=150 mile which means you still need to charge every 2 and half hours at 60 mph instead of close to every 2 hours currently. The main problem is the charging speed. In stead of 10 minutes to fill the tank, you need to unhook/hook, then another 45 minutes to charge to 80%…

So until the much faster charging rate arrives, like solid state battery, EV truck never gonna be the replacement of long distance hauling ICE truck.

 

[tcmeyers]

Just wanted to chime in and mention that my 14-50 adapter that came w/ my CT mobile connector was bad as well. It would charge but only at 1 KW despite it recognizing that it was getting 239V from the plug. Swapped out the 14-50 adapter and boom now getting 7 KW with everything else the same

My NEMA 14-50 adapter tail was fine, luckily. For what it’s worth, at most RV sites with the 240V 50A outlets, you can get a -free- 20% to 80% charge in 10 hours (overnight) with this plug.

 

[tcmeyers]

Seems to have the exact size and shape of the front facing forward that giveway to the wind as the Basecamp X OP and I have except maybe a bit heavier and longer. My 20ft 20x weighs 3500lbs what's you're weight?

This Bowlus is called 27 feet long, but subtracting the front porch and tongue, and monkey bars on the tail, the Blimp portion of usable space is 22 feet. Rechecking, the dry weight is 3200 lbs, and 4000 GVW max.

I’ll try to add a video that clarifies the shape. The Basecamp shape matches the Cybertruck better, I think.

 

[Cybertruck 1974]

This Bowlus is called 27 feet long, but subtracting the front porch and tongue, and monkey bars on the tail, the Blimp portion of usable space is 22 feet. Rechecking, the dry weight is 3200 lbs, and 4000 GVW max.

I’ll try to add a video that clarifies the shape. The Basecamp shape matches the Cybertruck better, I think.

I've never seen one of those before. Amazing. Really cool features. The front near the tongue shape of the camper is more aerodynamic than the Basecamp I see. It's shorter too which will all give you more mileage. Yet I was happy with the trailer and trip over all. Only driving 2.5 to 3hrs a day, charge over night gave us time to enjoy the areas we were visiting. I did do one day of 6hrs of driving and charged twice that day not to full which wasn't bad, had lunch during one 40 minute charge and the last one gave us time to walk around the area for 20 minutes. I'm definitely going to keep trucking, towing our trailer across the country and to Canada some day. Enjoy.

 

[tcmeyers]

I've never seen one of those before. Amazing. Really cool features. The front near the tongue shape of the camper is more aerodynamic than the Basecamp I see. It's shorter too which will all give you more mileage. Yet I was happy with the trailer and trip over all. Only driving 2.5 to 3hrs a day, charge over night gave us time to enjoy the areas we were visiting. I did do one day of 6hrs of driving and charged twice that day not to full which wasn't bad, had lunch during one 40 minute charge and the last one gave us time to walk around the area for 20 minutes. I'm definitely going to keep trucking, towing our trailer across the country and to Canada some day. Enjoy.

I am easily happy being able the drive 2-3 hours and take a break and walk Bex ?‍ while supercharging, drive more. Then fill up for free at the RV campsite overnight. Works for me!

 

[Spacenoddle]

I am easily happy being able the drive 2-3 hours and take a break and walk Bex ?‍ while supercharging, drive more. Then fill up for free at the RV campsite overnight. Works for me!

As long as not hurry In time, like no kids around asking are we there yet or per set vacation time, i think i will be fine with this kind of relaxing towing.

Sponsored