Supercharging with a trailer

Camper Van Someren

Well-known member
First Name
Joey
Joined
Nov 29, 2019
Threads
3
Messages
62
Reaction score
57
Location
Northern Arizona
Vehicles
2017 Focus RS, 2015 Sienna AWD, 2002 Ranger
Country flag
I’ve noticed that in most cases Teslas need to back in to superchargers because the port is in the back and the cord is very short.
The CT appears to also have the port in the back which will be problematic if it is towing a trailer.
Pull-through superchargers would be really nice but I don’t see this happening any time soon since Tesla has optimized space by placing them on the outside of parking lots.
An extension cord might work, but I assume Tesla designed the short cords to keep resistance low, and an extension might cause overheating or voltage drop.
Easiest would be for Tesla to redesign and place the port on the front of the truck, so that owners could pull forward into the supercharger, then back up with the trailer.
Thoughts?
Sponsored

 

Saskateam

Well-known member
First Name
Aron
Joined
Nov 29, 2019
Threads
36
Messages
447
Reaction score
687
Location
Saskatchewan Canada
Vehicles
1995 Jeep YJ, 2019 Jeep Cherokee, Cybertruck Tri-motor
Occupation
Operating Manager Power Lineman
Country flag
With air suspension it makes disconnect and reconnect fairly painless. Drop the air, back into trailer and raise air. Trailer picks up and then just lift the jack connect wires and close the hitch. To disconnect the trailer put jack down, disconnect and drop air to pull away.

On highway charging stations with space, I think they are doing pull through charging stations.
 
OP
OP
Camper Van Someren

Camper Van Someren

Well-known member
First Name
Joey
Joined
Nov 29, 2019
Threads
3
Messages
62
Reaction score
57
Location
Northern Arizona
Vehicles
2017 Focus RS, 2015 Sienna AWD, 2002 Ranger
Country flag
With air suspension it makes disconnect and reconnect fairly painless. Drop the air, back into trailer and raise air. Trailer picks up and then just lift the jack connect wires and close the hitch. To disconnect the trailer put jack down, disconnect and drop air to pull away.

On highway charging stations with space, I think they are doing pull through charging stations.
I didn’t think of how air suspension helps with disconnect etc, but that is still a fairly big pain to have to disconnect every time you need to charge. That takes a 30-min stop and makes it close to an hour. I’d definitely appreciate it if they would add a charging port near the front that could accommodate pull-forward supercharging.
Anybody who is on twitter want to hit up Elon and ask if we’re gonna need to disconnect trailers to supercharge?
 

Saskateam

Well-known member
First Name
Aron
Joined
Nov 29, 2019
Threads
36
Messages
447
Reaction score
687
Location
Saskatchewan Canada
Vehicles
1995 Jeep YJ, 2019 Jeep Cherokee, Cybertruck Tri-motor
Occupation
Operating Manager Power Lineman
Country flag
A lot of the charging stations are also congested making backing up difficult. I use air dump on a semi for trailer hookup and disconnect. Takes about 5 minutes to drop or pick up a trailer.
 
OP
OP
Camper Van Someren

Camper Van Someren

Well-known member
First Name
Joey
Joined
Nov 29, 2019
Threads
3
Messages
62
Reaction score
57
Location
Northern Arizona
Vehicles
2017 Focus RS, 2015 Sienna AWD, 2002 Ranger
Country flag
5 minutes sounds pretty good but you also have to find a place in that congested charging station to leave the trailer while you charge.
Also I will be doing this alone so they had better have multiple camera angles showing the hitch to help me line it up...
 


isync

Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2020
Threads
1
Messages
10
Reaction score
15
Location
tx
Vehicles
ct
Country flag
OP has valid concern. I tow a few times per year helping family members move, ranging from 250 to 350miles each way. I can't ditch my truck with CT that need trailer removed before SC. Some may said disconnec/reconnnect trailer is easy and quick, but it's just not my thing. I don't want to touch that once it got hook up by uhaul guys. Elon needs to figure out a way to solve this or his plan to over take F150 as work truck of choice will go nowhere.
 
First Name
Lewis
Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Threads
1
Messages
8
Reaction score
6
Location
Front Royal, VA
Website
thechez.car.blog
Vehicles
Honda Insight, Fort Explorer, Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar, Bicycle, nuCamp T@G, Tesla CyberTruck
Occupation
'mercan
Country flag
Most gas stations are setup to drive through them. I think chargers are pull-in/back-up because there is a longer waiting time to charge compared to fueling ICE at the moment, and you are able to charge more vehicles with a smaller footprint of space available. Larger stations will probably start to offer pull-through charging lanes, especially once the Tesla Semi and Cybertruck deliveries start to pickup.
 

C T Rick

Well-known member
First Name
Rick
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Threads
5
Messages
282
Reaction score
467
Location
Los Angeles
Vehicles
2008 Dodge Sprinter 3500, 2015 Nissan NV 3500, 2013 Chevy Traverse
Occupation
Plumbing Contractor
Country flag
Isn’t the typical charge port a 4 wire connection? How difficult or involved to have a front and rear port built into the ct?

I’m more familiar with the bmw i3 and being a short vehicle, I can reach the charge Port with the cord either pulling up from the front or rear.

What’s the typical length of a charging cord? Or a supercharger cord?
Is there such a thing as an extension cord that can be carried in the truck?

Costco who’s probably the largest volume gas station in the country has extended fuel hoses to allow for pulling up on either side and still reach. Yes, it’s a fuel and vapor hose, not electrical, but that’s where Larger wire gauge Comes in?

Rick
 

ldjessee

Well-known member
First Name
Lloyd
Joined
Apr 22, 2020
Threads
14
Messages
1,148
Reaction score
1,357
Location
Indiana, USA
Vehicles
Nissan Leaf, MYLR, Kaw 1700 Vaquero
Occupation
Business Intelligence Manager & Analyst
Country flag

ajdelange

Well-known member
First Name
A. J.
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Threads
4
Messages
3,213
Reaction score
3,403
Location
Virginia/Quebec
Vehicles
Tesla X LR+, Lexus SUV, Toyota SR5, Toyota Landcruiser
Occupation
EE (Retired)
Country flag
I'm guessing the hoses are 7' long. A V3 running at its maximum of 250 kW is delivering 625 amperes. The square of that is 390625 A^2. No. 4 copper wire is 0.2" in diameter and has a resistivity of 4.7421 Ω•m so that a loop of 10 feet would present resistance of 0.0035 Ω and dissipate 1.367 kW. That's equivalent to 4665 BTU/h which means about .4 of a ton of chilling would be needed to dispose of it and keep cable temperature manageable (the V3 cables are liquid cooled). Obviously doubling the length of the cable would double the amount of copper in the cable thus increasing its cost, double the cooling requirement, double the energy lost. Another factor is that 28' of No 4 is worth over $20 and is thus, believe it or not, a temptation for thieves.

Because of this I think that if extension cords are required they are going to have to be carried by the CT owner and they are going to be a sight to see as they will have to be appreciably bigger than No. 4 as I don't see them being liquid cooled.
 


ajdelange

Well-known member
First Name
A. J.
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Threads
4
Messages
3,213
Reaction score
3,403
Location
Virginia/Quebec
Vehicles
Tesla X LR+, Lexus SUV, Toyota SR5, Toyota Landcruiser
Occupation
EE (Retired)
Country flag
I think there will be "truck stops" for the Semi's where you will not be able to charge your S or X or 3 or Y but I think that maybe, if Tesla does indeed use the dual charge port configuration on them, may be accessible to the CT (or, perhaps, at least the TriMotor).

OTOH Semi's do, and I expect will continue, to use regular Super Charger stations as they do now.
 

Crissa

Well-known member
First Name
Crissa
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Threads
126
Messages
16,211
Reaction score
27,072
Location
Santa Cruz
Vehicles
2014 Zero S, 2013 Mazda 3
Country flag
When traveling, I usually stop at truck stops to refuel, honestly. They tend to have cheaper fuel and showers and 24hrs without going into an urban core and seeking out the Safeway or Costco whatever cheap local gas which usually isn't 24hrs.

-Crissa
Sponsored

 
 




Top