Towed Camper 6,000 Miles w/ Cybertruck - Here is What I Learned

[REM]

I tried. What crap they are.
used a public one in WY and it only had a CCS2 plug and my Tesla adaptor won’t work on the truck because of the shape of the hole on the plugging port. I got and extension for the Nacs plug but it is only good for 12 watts and nearly melted it because the charger was 85. 4 others in various locations failed after a minute or so or would not activate.

charging at campgrounds is easy and free, just slow so overnight is best and just used my mobile charger from Tesla.

Try an App called PlugShare. I will help tremendously while planning trips. I use it every single time with great success.

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[AgileMike]

Thanks for the write up. We need a sticky for different size/weight trailers and resulting efficiency. I’ve towed a 20” enclosed cargo trailer extensively on freeway. Use right at 900w/mile at 65-75 mph. Goes up to 1100 at 85 mph. Haven’t towed at 55mph, but hopefully it drops to 750-800w/mile.
I have the CCS adapter on order from A2Z, looking forward to charging at 350kw at EA chargers but don’t get adapter until mid-October

 

[MeadowShade]

Thanks for the write up. We need a sticky for different size/weight trailers and resulting efficiency. I’ve towed a 20” enclosed cargo trailer extensively on freeway. Use right at 900w/mile at 65-75 mph. Goes up to 1100 at 85 mph. Haven’t towed at 55mph, but hopefully it drops to 750-800w/mile.
I have the CCS adapter on order from A2Z, looking forward to charging at 350kw at EA chargers but don’t get adapter until mid-October

Aero matters most of all, that is why speed matters so much. If you had the choice to go 85 mph but have to charge on a 150 mile trip or go 55 and not charge at all, which would you choose?

Diving back from Florida last June in our Model Y, I saw the same ICE vehicles the whole way to Richmond. The CT is different IF you are towing. I got 180 miles three different times. Two times going from Lexington KY to Charleston WV each way and from Rock Springs Wy to Jackson WY. These do NOT have Tesla chargers on the routes. The Huntington WV charger shows as off line in the truck but still shows it as active online. I called the Sheets and they are closed it seems for construction. I have used it before.

Both ways take time ... stopping to charge and driving slow. I will choose slow and NO interstate if it makes sense. No rush for me as I am old and people expect me to be slow! Ha!

 

[CyberTruckeeTheOne]

Happy that you got better range.

Mine had only 30% going up Lake Tahoe via I-80.

A 100% charge on 84 miles left me with very little charge remaining. And my rig is only 4,200 lbs.

 

[langenbahn]

Do the leveling bars help increase range?

 

[DJAlan2000]

Happy that you got better range.

Mine had only 30% going up Lake Tahoe via I-80.

A 100% charge on 84 miles left me with very little charge remaining. And my rig is only 4,200 lbs.

I wish they included "Ave. Speed" as well with the trip meter... Would be really great to help 'train' us leadfoots (can we say leadfoots? There's not even any lead in GAS anymore!) to figure out what the 'best' speed would be on particular routes...

 

[tingmo13]

those guys have a great pictures with you/Cybertruck & Bison in the foreground.

 

[RadoRage]

Thanks for the details.

Looking at the possible need to tow a uhaul trailer cross country in a few months and curious how much range is affected. Trying to pick a trailer that has the best aero with the height and width of the CT.

 

[MeadowShade]

Happy that you got better range.

Mine had only 30% going up Lake Tahoe via I-80.

A 100% charge on 84 miles left me with very little charge remaining. And my rig is only 4,200 lbs.

Aero and speed. Interstae sucks because it is just GO. Stop and go or up and down really increase range.

on other thing is drafting. In the right wind conditions, about everything other than a cross wide, drafting about 3-5 car lengths behind a 5th wheel RV or a box tractor trailer can drop load from 700-800 wpm to under 600.
Some that you follow won’t like it so beeee careful.

also use chill setting.

 

[MeadowShade]

Do the leveling bars help increase range?

Maybe a little. It is really weight disruption that you are shooting for. The CT will be level because of the air ride system. But level does not mean safe. If you have 500 pounds tongue weight, weight distribution will put some of that on the front wheels and some back on the trailer plus it lifts the outside of the turn side of the trailer and stop trailer body roll.

 

[nevetsyad]

I wasn't going to do it, but you've convinced me. I'm picking up a little aerodynamic trailer for my AWD that I just got a VIN for.

You're rocking off-road tires without caps, right? Not 100% from the images. But, curious if my core wheels and caps will get a few percentage better efficiency. Also, not going to get anything near as big as you got, but GREAT to know it can be efficient if even something this big and heavy has good aero.

 

[Woodrick]

Happy that you got better range.

Mine had only 30% going up Lake Tahoe via I-80.

A 100% charge on 84 miles left me with very little charge remaining. And my rig is only 4,200 lbs.

At 1140 W, it appears that your trailer may have a very dirty aerodynamic profile and/or you were driving pretty fast!

 

[CyberTruckeeTheOne]

At 1140 W, it appears that your trailer may have a very dirty aerodynamic profile and/or you were driving pretty fast!

Kept to speed limits as my driving practice since it became a baby on board transporter.

And the RV profile is sloping and more aero than thr frontal brick of the OP (no offense meant).

I now have to plan RV camping on 33% range for contingency until Tesla releases range extender. Have done some RV trip planning at 50% but had to now revise my worksheet, lol.

No RV but I've seen some serious range or energy drains in my Idaho-Montana-Alberta and have not nailed down the causes with temperature not much different where I came from and terrain more brutal.

 

[MeadowShade]

Here’s the thing. Aero is everything for range when towing. Here is my Rx.

Chill mode

Drive like there is a raw egg still in the shell under your right foot

Never touch the brake unless you are going to hit something

Drive like you do not have brakes.

Watch Nascar and learn to draft. In NASCAR, the driver that follows a leader only needs half throttle to keep up.

Only draft when there is a straight on head wind or a nearly straight on tail wind. Know the wind by using the weather app in the CT when you touch the outside temperature.

Crosswind, drive slow. … yes 55! Remember Jimmy Carter!!

Jack up air pressure in all tires.

Charging takes time so if you drive 70 instead of 60, in an hour you have gone 10 minutes further but added 15 minutes to your charging time!!

 

[Jack27]

Not sure if this was asked and just out of curiosity, can you use FSD while towing ? Or does the truck read it has a load and lock you out of it ?

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