Towing Capacity and Range?

Ogre

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I hope that is a tow ball mounted bike rack behind you MY and not a roof mounted one?
Yeah. But when you get 2-3 bikes hanging out there it adds more drag then you would think. I‘ve wondered if putting some kind of faring on the back of the car that wraps the bikes would help.

I’ve played with both at times. Or even run with both!

Tesla Cybertruck Towing Capacity and Range? 1651796053271
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charliemagpie

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My setup will be 2 E bikes at the front, similar to this.
It's the antithesis of aerodynamic

I googled .. Aerodynamic caravan stone guard - no results

Calling out for an inventor ?. Would a new stone guard design,.. taller , sleeker modified angles/curves, decrease drag ?.

PS. I like the idea of having the bikes on the front. A. - to see them still attached as I drive, and B. - to keep my RV back window clear.


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JBee

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Yeah. But when you get 2-3 bikes hanging out there it adds more drag then you would think. I‘ve wondered if putting some kind of faring on the back of the car that wraps the bikes would help.

I’ve played with both at times. Or even run with both!

1651796053271.jpeg
Hmm yeah the top one will probably be the worst unless you put a time trial bike up there and mount it further away from the roof. Airflow over the roof is compressed, so anything up there will be more than behind the vehicle.

But even the rear carrier looks like it will stuff up airflow, especially because with the bike mounted so high, over the top of the boot lid, it will force air separation over the roof. Maybe if you have to run more bikes you can get one of these upright mounts, and possibly even take the front wheel off and stow it next to the bike lower down:

Tesla Cybertruck Towing Capacity and Range? Shingleback-Vertical-Bike-Rack


A fairing around the rack could help, but only if it actually stays in the wind shadow of the vehicle, which doesn't look possible on the MY. You'd have to make a version that you can slot into the boot with the boot lid partially open and the back of the bike hanging out. Some sort of firbreglass molded affair where the boot can close onto to keep all the NVH out and keep it sealed. You'd loose your boot space though...why don't you get a CT?? :p
 

Ogre

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Hmm yeah the top one will probably be the worst unless you put a time trial bike up there and mount it further away from the roof. Airflow over the roof is compressed, so anything up there will be more than behind the vehicle.

But even the rear carrier looks like it will stuff up airflow, especially because with the bike mounted so high, over the top of the boot lid, it will force air separation over the roof. Maybe if you have to run more bikes you can get one of these upright mounts, and possibly even take the front wheel off and stow it next to the bike lower down:

Shingleback-Vertical-Bike-Rack.jpg


A fairing around the rack could help, but only if it actually stays in the wind shadow of the vehicle, which doesn't look possible on the MY. You'd have to make a version that you can slot into the boot with the boot lid partially open and the back of the bike hanging out. Some sort of firbreglass molded affair where the boot can close onto to keep all the NVH out and keep it sealed. You'd loose your boot space though...why don't you get a CT?? :p
The roof mounted one was a temporary thing.

I know the bikes on the back are like big parachutes. It’s all sort of a balancing act between convenience, not damaging the bike, and drag. I had a vertical rack, but my wife got an ebike and they are very heavy and it didn’t work with the rack so we went back to the platform rack.

Trust me I am jonesing for the Cybertruck. Lots of options. With just 2, maybe getting them both under the cover is possible. With 3 or 4 I could stand them up in the vault. I figure I can get up to 6 bikes and 6 people with the Cybertruck. It’s good to have stretch goals in life.
 

JSnow11

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Towing capacity is an important consideration for any vehicle, but especially for electric vehicles. As you noted, Rivian and Tesla both get around 1 mile per % of battery charge when towing near their capacity limits. However, I'm hopeful that the Cybertruck will be able to tow things further than 100 miles. The new Model Y is rated to tow up to 5,000 pounds, so hopefully the Cybertruck will be able to at least match that.
 
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TyPope

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Here goes nothing again..

Battery management plays a part, the tabless design generates less heat, the chemistry plays a part. The air dynamic design plays a part.

Little secrets play a part.

I am convinced, Elon would not quote a 500 PLUS mile range and 14,000 towing capacity and then say...

or BTW, Sorry about that Chief !!!, If you tow 14,000lb you can only go 200 miles.

Maybe call it faith, but I don't think it's blind.

Technically, I think we need to account for, and give credit to, Tesla's ability to improve beyond incremental.
Technically, physics will win out and you'll get range dictated by physics and available Energy.
 

HaulingAss

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Towing capacity is an important consideration for any vehicle, but especially for electric vehicles. As you noted, Rivian and Tesla both get around 1 mile per % of battery charge when towing near their capacity limits. However, I'm hopeful that the Cybertruck will be able to tow things further than 100 miles. The new Model Y is rated to tow up to 5,000 pounds, so hopefully the Cybertruck will be able to at least match that.
The top towing Cybertruck can tow 28% more weight than the Rivian R1T and 82% more than the Rivian R1S so it makes little sense to compare towing capacity at the maximum tow limits when they are so different.

That said, the aerodynamic drag of the trailer and the speed you chose to tow at have a much stronger effect on range while towing than the weight of the trailer. If you need more range, just slow down!
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