Towing tested with 6,000lb Tesla and trailer load

[Teslaman]

My typical tow, 2T (each bin 1/2T full of grapes), occasionally 3T. Trailer has car ramps and would fit my Tractor or Model S. Almost always under 50mi trips. Methinks doable in AWD CT.

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[VDR]

And besides, that vast majority of towing miles are in-town, short-range.

-Crissa

Then it is going to work great for local trips towing very aerodynamic loads, glad to hear it is going to work out so well for you?.

Funny to see all these accounts that post nothing but FUD have been created in the past 3 months. In any case....

I can't wrap my head around why people think legacy auto makers who couldn't make Tesla competitive EVs to this point, will suddenly surpass Tesla in the pickup truck market at prices that are competitive. Very unlikely.

The hummer EV can do 140 miles while towing, that is with a pack larger than the Silverado(217kwh vs 200kwh), and with no open bed to reduce efficiency.

Maybe during the recent strikes legacy automakers made some revolutionary EV efficiency breakthroughs... ??

FUD<Fact
Funny all the reports I found for the Hummer were 1mi/kwh towing.

ROTFLMAO

 

[Gigahorse]

Not a very aerodynamic load
But if in vineyard country likely not a lot of highway? so should be ok as long as you can charge at each end, or if your total trip is sub 50 miles

 

[Bsimmer3000]

This unacceptable range is bothering me alot. I am expecting delivery in a month and considering eating the $1000 and getting out. That much torque and hp should not result in 87 miles of range.

Yet there’s people who say well don’t tow! If I wanted a vehicle that didn’t tow I wouldn’t buy a truck. The CT has diesel HP and TQ and 12k tow rating. Why have that if you are not towing. It’s a truck not a race car. I would have been happy with 150miles. I would have made do wilth 100miles but 40miles is beyond stupid. I’m not even close to the 12k tow rating. I should have known better. I always hear how Tesla over promise and under deliver non stop and I was hoping that them guys were wrong but clearly they were right. I don’t care about the $1000 but what I care about is waiting 4 years to get a new truck and then I get 180miles not 500miles at $120k instead of $69k. What’s crazy is I’m one of the ones who don’t tow coast to coast, I don’t go up into the mountains, I don’t drive for 8hrs straight. I stay local and will be charging at home 99% of the time. I do no more than 50miles a day yet even with that it’s unlikely the truck will end up working for. That I can’t wrap my head around as my use case is very EV friendly. It might explain why there are zero options for a truck rack from Tesla as literally not a single contractor will buy this. Here’s hoping the ford T3 will solve this.

 

[davelloydbrown]

Who buys an EV to tow?? Cmon. EV battery technology has not evolved enough for that task, we are a long time away from an EV being considered a realistic vehicle for towing.

If you need to tow, get yourself a diesel pickup, end of story.

Elon marketed the CT as a work truck and most people who use it for work are towing something (I have 5 different trailers).

Until the price and range (towing) improve, it will be an expensive celebrity truck for rich people and city dwellers.

 

[REM]

Elon marketed the CT as a work truck and most people who use it for work are towing something (I have 5 different trailers).

Until the price and range (towing) improve, it will be an expensive celebrity truck for rich people and city dwellers.

How far does the average tradesman drive per day though?

And are they without access to charging both on site and at Superchargers?

 

[REM]

I agree but tesla went out their way to demonstrate the “prowess” when they lied about the Porsche race test and then did a tractor pull

I'm not up to speed on this. What did they lie about?

 

[agordon117]

I'm not up to speed on this. What did they lie about?

They didn't, but tesla haters are all over it because Engineering Explained did a video on it.

Long story long:

-The race was only 1/8 mile, because the trailer wheels were only rated for 80mph and after their fastest 7.808s and 88mph 1/8 mile, they called it a day before they blew the trailer tires
-Tesla had much faster runs but they opted for the best photo finish
-They ran all of the numbers and decided the 1/4 mile would be close enough but produce the same result
-So after using the most dramatic looking finish, people asserted they were just lying about the whole thing



Source^^

 

[VDR]

Yet there’s people who say well don’t tow! If I wanted a vehicle that didn’t tow I wouldn’t buy a truck. The CT has diesel HP and TQ and 12k tow rating. Why have that if you are not towing. It’s a truck not a race car. I would have been happy with 150miles. I would have made do wilth 100miles but 40miles is beyond stupid. I’m not even close to the 12k tow rating. I should have known better. I always hear how Tesla over promise and under deliver non stop and I was hoping that them guys were wrong but clearly they were right. I don’t care about the $1000 but what I care about is waiting 4 years to get a new truck and then I get 180miles not 500miles at $120k instead of $69k. What’s crazy is I’m one of the ones who don’t tow coast to coast, I don’t go up into the mountains, I don’t drive for 8hrs straight. I stay local and will be charging at home 99% of the time. I do no more than 50miles a day yet even with that it’s unlikely the truck will end up working for. That I can’t wrap my head around as my use case is very EV friendly. It might explain why there are zero options for a truck rack from Tesla as literally not a single contractor will buy this. Here’s hoping the ford T3 will solve this.

Pretty sure it will get 100miles safely @ 1mi/kwh which is pretty standard efficiency towing a large load.
The aftermarket will have plenty of contractor racks & accessories as things ramp up.

I'm not up to speed on this. What did they lie about?

My guess is that it was 1/8 mile not 1/4mile.

 

[davelloydbrown]

They didn't, but tesla haters are all over it because Engineering Explained did a video on it.

Long story long:

-The race was only 1/8 mile, because the trailer wheels were only rated for 80mph and after their fastest 7.808s and 88mph 1/8 mile, they called it a day before they blew the trailer tires
-Tesla had much faster runs but they opted for the best photo finish
-They ran all of the numbers and decided the 1/4 mile would be close enough but produce the same result
-So after using the most dramatic looking finish, people asserted they were just lying about the whole thing



Source^^

I have been a tesla bull since 2016, owning stock since 2016 and a m3 since 2018.

IMO it is very harmful for fanboys to attack anyone who trying to present a balanced argument as a tesla hater. Perhaps this is just a result of a fragmented society and the effects social media.

The worst mistake an investor can make is to fall in love with a stock, you must always keep a balanced view and be willing to admit that you may be wrong.

 

[Gigahorse]

Should be noted that the efficiency of the CT currently does not look to bad compared to other truck EVs like the Silverado. I think the significant issue (other than price) is that the battery pack in the CT is 123kwh where the Silverado and others just have a much bigger 200+kwh battery pack which allows them to get a lot further down the road when towing.

 

[VDR]

My typical tow, 2T (each bin 1/2T full of grapes), occasionally 3T. Trailer has car ramps and would fit my Tractor or Model S. Almost always under 50mi trips. Methinks doable in AWD CT.

You shouldn't have a problem

 

[cvalue13]

I have knowledge of aerodynamics and over 3000 hours as a pilot. I would caution attempting to apply aero arguments to cars and trucks. First of all all modern vehicles are extensively tested both in wind tunnel and CFD simulations. And the results are not intuitive.

It's largely the swirls and eddies on the surface and behind the object pushing itself into the forward wind that create drag, not the forward profile of the object.

not clear if you’re pointedly disagreeing with the basic concept I put forward in your quote, or instead helpfully piling on to the point of the basic concept I put forward.

no doubt that the precise details of the net drag effect of a vehicle + trailer package will depend on a lot of factors.

but in broad strokes, the general concept holds: the drag effects of a given trailer will be different between different tow vehicles, sometimes (sometimes more or less than expected depending on these other nuanced factors) - with the background principle remaining true: a tow vehicle that is smaller/more aerodynamic/shorter will experience greater drag effects from an given trailer than it will behind a tow vehicle that is larger/less aerodynamic/taller.

in that way, many of the things that tend to help the CT itself minimize drag, will tend to increase the drag effects of adding a towed package behind the CT.

 

[REM]

They didn't, but tesla haters are all over it because Engineering Explained did a video on it.

Long story long:

-The race was only 1/8 mile, because the trailer wheels were only rated for 80mph and after their fastest 7.808s and 88mph 1/8 mile, they called it a day before they blew the trailer tires
-Tesla had much faster runs but they opted for the best photo finish
-They ran all of the numbers and decided the 1/4 mile would be close enough but produce the same result
-So after using the most dramatic looking finish, people asserted they were just lying about the whole thing



Source^^

oh, ok. Thanks for the info. I think it would be reasonable for that Elon meant to (or needed to) say "1/8th" mile, but said 1/4 instead. Easy mistake; people use the phrase 1/4 mile much more often than 1/8th.

Besides that, Tesla has a track record of being more accurate with their marketing stunts than any other company... so anyone who took the test seriously and started to do math missed the whole point I guess.

The fact that the truck was able to have a car loaded on a trailer and they were at worst evenly matched for 1/8th of a mile is impressive enough for bragging rights.

 

[PerfectFlaw]

This is comical reading all these upset posts, as if this is a shock an EV, even in the shape of a truck, cannot tow very far without recharging.

EV battery technology has not magically evolved all of a sudden. EVs are just not capable of towing very far because battery technology is still not good. Even the Silverado EVs real world testing won't be good, maybe 140 miles at best?

The Cybertruck, and all EV-style trucks thus far are for people who want a truck format which is having a bed with a payload to carry things in it. Ground clearance. Interior space, etc.

I'll be using this "truck" the same way as my Ram TRX. To haul ass from a stop light, while still carrying bins of crap to my storage in the back and other odd things my cars and SUVs can't accomplish. You know, do truck things with it.

If I ever need to tow a trailer, which in my case I won't ever need to, I'll buy a diesel super duty.

That's the mentality people need to have, we are just not there yet with EVs and won't be for at least another 10 years.

If this bothers you, cancel the CT so people like myself who "get it" can get theirs faster.

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