Pulling CT with RV

[whitingdv]

Hi All!

We're new to the forum and ordered our CT a few months ago after taking possession of our M3. Anyone know if the CT will be able to be towed? This would be great because we can get rid of our Jeep.

Thank you.

Don

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[cvalue13]

Hi All!

We're new to the forum and ordered our CT a few months ago after taking possession of our M3. Anyone know if the CT will be able to be towed? This would be great because we can get rid of our Jeep.

Thank you.

Don

Luckily you’ll have a few years of others taking delivery before you’ll be troubled with it

but as you may already know, towing EVs is a special and troublesome thing

eg the Ford lightning can be towed at a maximum of ~30mmh for a maximum of ~50miles (if put in a special towing mode) - which is to say the Lightning requires a flatbed for most purposes

nobody will know the answer for sure with the CT now, but the answer will be clearer before you take delivery

 

[whitingdv]

Thank you

 

[CyberGus]

Hi All!

We're new to the forum and ordered our CT a few months ago after taking possession of our M3. Anyone know if the CT will be able to be towed? This would be great because we can get rid of our Jeep.

Thank you.

Don

Teslas cannot be flat-towed. The motors cannot be disconnected from the drivetrain, and they will be destroyed by overheating.

https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_au/GUID-FA9E3DC9-805C-45BD-A64D-C4B3F491B8C0.html

Teslas must be trailered.

 

[JBee]

Um sort of but not without someone in the drivers seat and the car in drive? Warranty is another issue, but technically yes without damaging it if done correctly.

A Tesla or other EV can't determine the difference between being towed and rolling down a hill, meaning that the car can actually be flat towed if it is on and in drive. The EV will try to regen though if you don't coast using the accelerator pedal, meaning it will brake and slow down the RV unless you can switch the regen completely off. The side effect of regen is that the EV will be charged in the process of towing it from the engine of the RV, which is probably fairly useful when roaming without nearby chargers at hand, and despite the critics not even that unefficient if done properly.

In a ideal world CT would have a front hitch receiver and have some "flat tow modes".

In the first "brake mode", in conjunction with a RV connected brake controller, the CT could actively assist in braking, by regening and braking on command from the RV brake controller (like a braked trailer) which would help retard the RV and not add the CT mass to the RV brake load. Doing this would also charge the CT each time you brake, for free, whilst reducing wear on your RV brakes. This could be significant if you are driving through hilly terrain or lots of stop and go traffic, but if you are cruising on a flat highway your extra mileage might vary. It could also be configured to help brake the RV, essentially giving it regen as well, and increasing the energy recouped from the RV too.

The next step up from "brake mode" would be a "assist" mode, where the accelerator is also linked to the CT. In this mode the CT can also reduce the extra drag it's causing the RV by carefully coasting using its own power and electric motors whilst being towed. It then can use the braking regen to supplement the energy for assisting, but could also be configured to only assist whilst accelerating or going uphill depending what the driver determines is the most effective way to save fuel on a given trip.

The third mode would add acfive steering to the mix, where the CT FSD AI and cameras actively track the position and orientation of the tow vehicle in front and the CT uses its 4 wheel steering to exactly match the tow vehicles rear axle track. This would mean your towed vehicle never cuts the corner and hits the curb or worse.

There's obviously some fringe cases, like emergency braking where the system needs to not add any unwanted side effects or create unstability. But overall, the only hardware required to achieve this is the front hitch and an interface for the brake controller inputs. The software side is likely to be a bit more involved, especially the active track, but Tesla already uses other vehicles to determine lanes and steering inputs, so not to hard to do.

Anyway, they might implement something like that one day, but I wouldn't hold my breath for it, as the CT is designed to tow, not be towed. Let alone from an ICE. Once you get your CT in a few years it might be time to switch your motorised RV for a towed one instead anyway. Overall, probably a more efficient and effective, let alone more environmentally friendly option.

 

[Cyberman]

Um sort of but not without someone in the drivers seat and the car in drive? Warranty is another issue, but technically yes without damaging it if done correctly.

A Tesla or other EV can't determine the difference between being towed and rolling down a hill, meaning that the car can actually be flat towed if it is on and in drive. The EV will try to regen though if you don't coast using the accelerator pedal, meaning it will brake and slow down the RV unless you can switch the regen completely off. The side effect of regen is that the EV will be charged in the process of towing it from the engine of the RV, which is probably fairly useful when roaming without nearby chargers at hand, and despite the critics not even that unefficient if done properly.

In a ideal world CT would have a front hitch receiver and have some "flat tow modes".

In the first "brake mode", in conjunction with a RV connected brake controller, the CT could actively assist in braking, by regening and braking on command from the RV brake controller (like a braked trailer) which would help retard the RV and not add the CT mass to the RV brake load. Doing this would also charge the CT each time you brake, for free, whilst reducing wear on your RV brakes. This could be significant if you are driving through hilly terrain or lots of stop and go traffic, but if you are cruising on a flat highway your extra mileage might vary. It could also be configured to help brake the RV, essentially giving it regen as well, and increasing the energy recouped from the RV too.

The next step up from "brake mode" would be a "assist" mode, where the accelerator is also linked to the CT. In this mode the CT can also reduce the extra drag it's causing the RV by carefully coasting using its own power and electric motors whilst being towed. It then can use the braking regen to supplement the energy for assisting, but could also be configured to only assist whilst accelerating or going uphill depending what the driver determines is the most effective way to save fuel on a given trip.

The third mode would add acfive steering to the mix, where the CT FSD AI and cameras actively track the position and orientation of the tow vehicle in front and the CT uses its 4 wheel steering to exactly match the tow vehicles rear axle track. This would mean your towed vehicle never cuts the corner and hits the curb or worse.

There's obviously some fringe cases, like emergency braking where the system needs to not add any unwanted side effects or create unstability. But overall, the only hardware required to achieve this is the front hitch and an interface for the brake controller inputs. The software side is likely to be a bit more involved, especially the active track, but Tesla already uses other vehicles to determine lanes and steering inputs, so not to hard to do.

Anyway, they might implement something like that one day, but I wouldn't hold my breath for it, as the CT is designed to tow, not be towed. Let alone from an ICE. Once you get your CT in a few years it might be time to switch your motorised RV for a towed one instead anyway. Overall, probably a more efficient and effective, let alone more environmentally friendly option.

Cool. So I could leave home with a 30% charge, and arrive with 100% charge. That's the way -aha- I like it.

 

[whitingdv]

Thank you All for your response. Yes, I know we can't tow our M3 and was hoping since the CT is a "truck" (and a lot more), just maybe it will allow this. Like this forum, there are a lot of smart people at Tesla.

Thank you again for your input.

Have a great day.

 

[rr6013]

Hi All!

We're new to the forum and ordered our CT a few months ago after taking possession of our M3. Anyone know if the CT will be able to be towed? This would be great because we can get rid of our Jeep.

Thank you.

Don

Keep the Jeep!

Its a great tow, easy combo and fun. Swap to CT when they tow behind.

 

[Crissa]

Thank you All for your response. Yes, I know we can't tow our M3 and was hoping since the CT is a "truck" (and a lot more), just maybe it will allow this. Like this forum, there are a lot of smart people at Tesla.

Thank you again for your input.

Have a great day.

It's a function of software and hardware; there is no 'neutral' gear: there is no variable gearing at all.

It might be possible to have a towing software setting... but only if the RV was also aware and linked so it would be aware of the motor, tire, and axle temperatures and could be commanded to stop if the Tesla was unable to store/disperse the energy being generated.

-Crissa

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