Why the Cybertruck is in Nevada = SAE J2807 Towing Test

[CyberGus]

The "internet experts" claim this must be a hoax after watching the Cybertruck accelerate away. "Surely that trailer is empty!"

Fortunately, my crack team of investigators has captured visual evidence of the trailer's contents.

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[SKUUT]

Earlier today the “RC” wrapped CT was seen being trailered into and around Nevada. It was also seen at a charge station with a hitch.

“Why’s it in Vegas?,” many wondered.

But now that it’s been sighted near Laughlin, Nevada, it seems obvious why it’s in Nevada

Earlier today the “RC” wrapped CT was seen being trailered into and around Nevada. It was also seen at a charge station with a hitch.

“Why’s it in Vegas?,” many wondered.

But now that it’s been sighted near Laughlin, Nevada, it seems obvious why it’s in Nevada

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J2807 “Performance Requirements for Determining Tow-Vehicle Gross Combination Weight Rating and Trailer Weight Rating” fordetermining a given truck’s trailering ability.

The J2807 has been discussed at length elsewhere on forum, but one of its dozens of standardized tests isthe J2807 “Highway Gradeability” tests takes place on a well-known stretch of Arizona highway, the 11.4-mile-long Davis Dam Grade. A minimum temperature of 100 degrees required at the base of the grade.

The Davis Dam Grade Arizona State Route 68 is a stretch of road that starts in the Davis Dam area of the Colorado River, close to Laughlin, Nevada, and Bullhead City, Arizona, with an elevation of just about 550 feet. This stretch of highway travels through the Black Mountains and climbs to Highway 93 near Kingman, Arizona. The section used for the SAE J2807 Highway Gradeability Test starts just past the intersection of SR 68 and Highway 95 outside of Laughlin and climbs to more than 3,500 feet in just 11.4 miles.

According to the above-linked xweet (and FB post it came from), the truck was seen near Laughlin - unclear if those are the trailered photos, or the trailering photo.

In any event, the required >100° temps were met each of the last and next few days.

Notably, it is possible to satisfy the J2807 grade test in simulated conditions, so Tesla need not have sent the CT there to test.

But where there’s smoke(ing trailer brakes)…

I've been a lurker on the board for a while but had to post when I saw cvalue13's post. I saw the truck heading towards Union Pass yesterday. I'm assuming that they had just turned around and headed back to the starting point, or they possibly headed into Kingman and charged there (not sure if there were any sightings reported at the Kingman superchargers). The truck was Cruising at about 55 mph and was being followed by an F250 support vehicle, there were probably three to four guys in each truck. I did a quadruple take when I first saw it, and had to be a stalker following it all the way down the hill to where they pulled over in a truck lot next to the river. I overheard one of the passengers mention 37% on the battery. This could be what was left over after heading up and coming back down; I'm not sure. If someone wants to bother doing the math on what this could mean for pack size. Attached is my upside-down video haha... I followed the truck to see if they were going to head towards Needles, CA or up the opposing mountain range and into Boulder City so that I could guess the size of the pack. But, they apparently loaded it onto that truck after I left. Enjoy!

 

[PilotPete]

Fortunately, my crack team of investigators has captured visual evidence of the trailer's contents.

Gus,

Are you saying your team is looking for crack, or that they ARE on crack?

 

[CyberGus]

Gus,

Are you saying your team is looking for crack, or that they ARE on crack?

They crack skulls

 

[anionic1]

At least those kind of temperatures will prevent people from leaving finger prints.

Oh, they will leave them. They just wont get them back.

 

[anionic1]

The "internet experts" claim this must be a hoax after watching the Cybertruck accelerate away. "Surely that trailer is empty!"

Fortunately, my crack team of investigators has captured visual evidence of the trailer's contents.

So your both right. The claim is full of crap.

 

[TyPope]

I've been a lurker on the board for a while but had to post when I saw cvalue13's post. I saw the truck heading towards Union Pass yesterday. I'm assuming that they had just turned around and headed back to the starting point, or they possibly headed into Kingman and charged there (not sure if there were any sightings reported at the Kingman superchargers). The truck was Cruising at about 55 mph and was being followed by an F250 support vehicle, there were probably three to four guys in each truck. I did a quadruple take when I first saw it, and had to be a stalker following it all the way down the hill to where they pulled over in a truck lot next to the river. I overheard one of the passengers mention 37% on the battery. This could be what was left over after heading up and coming back down; I'm not sure. If someone wants to bother doing the math on what this could mean for pack size. Attached is my upside-down video haha... I followed the truck to see if they were going to head towards Needles, CA or up the opposing mountain range and into Boulder City so that I could guess the size of the pack. But, they apparently loaded it onto that truck after I left. Enjoy!

Thanks for joining in the discussion. I think the 37% would be helpful if we knew the starting charge amount. It's unlikely they went from 100 to 37 in a 42 mile round trip though we also don't know the amount of weight or how many chickens they are towing in that trailer.

 

[Coolbreeze704]

I've been a lurker on the board for a while but had to post when I saw cvalue13's post. I saw the truck heading towards Union Pass yesterday. I'm assuming that they had just turned around and headed back to the starting point, or they possibly headed into Kingman and charged there (not sure if there were any sightings reported at the Kingman superchargers). The truck was Cruising at about 55 mph and was being followed by an F250 support vehicle, there were probably three to four guys in each truck. I did a quadruple take when I first saw it, and had to be a stalker following it all the way down the hill to where they pulled over in a truck lot next to the river. I overheard one of the passengers mention 37% on the battery. This could be what was left over after heading up and coming back down; I'm not sure. If someone wants to bother doing the math on what this could mean for pack size. Attached is my upside-down video haha... I followed the truck to see if they were going to head towards Needles, CA or up the opposing mountain range and into Boulder City so that I could guess the size of the pack. But, they apparently loaded it onto that truck after I left. Enjoy!

Getting Inception vibes from the video. Pretty cool!

 

[SKUUT]

Thanks for joining in the discussion. I think the 37% would be helpful if we knew the starting charge amount. It's unlikely they went from 100 to 37 in a 42 mile round trip though we also don't know the amount of weight or how many chickens they are towing in that trailer.

Gladly! I thought the same thing; I doubt they charged to 100% beforehand, likely in Vegas that same morning before being towed to Laughlin for testing. I thought that the truck was just making the rounds, had left Kingman, and was heading to the charger in Needles or in Boulder City on the way back to Vegas. If they had made that right turn heading into Nevada, that could have implied that it might have been a 500-mile pack. Looks like they were running this test instead. Who knows, 37% might have referenced how much capacity was used during the test, might have meant something entirely different, entirely speculation...

 

[madquadbiker]

Thanks for joining in the discussion. I think the 37% would be helpful if we knew the starting charge amount. It's unlikely they went from 100 to 37 in a 42 mile round trip though we also don't know the amount of weight or how many chickens they are towing in that trailer.

Well we hope not.

 

[sstevens805]

it’s possible there are/were two “RC” wrapped units there

notice that some of the NV photos show the unit with or without the tape and wires

could be the same unit with it on/off, or two units one with one without?

Maybe there was one in the trailer?

 

[greggertruck]

The truck on tow arrived back in Fremont late last night.

Great post, quite likely!!

Interestingly there was a middle of the night spotting of Cybertruck towing the trailer. Not totally sure where but that looks like a CA circular freeway on ramp. Possibly they're burning the candle at both ends and putting in tons of work to tie up the final loose ends.

 

[Xander]

Tesla CyberTruck pulling trailer smokes Prius getting on the freeway

 

[cvalue13]

I think the 37% would be helpful if we knew the starting charge amount. It's unlikely they went from 100 to 37 in a 42 mile round trip though we also don't know the amount of weight or how many chickens they are towing in that trailer.

Who knows, 37% might have referenced how much capacity was used during the test, might have meant something entirely different, entirely speculation...

Well we hope not.

well, let’s put some context to this particular test and how it directionally may effect range

• minimum of >100° ambient temperature

• air conditioning system to be set at maximum cold, with outside air selected (not recirculating) and the fan running at full blower speed

• truck-and-trailer combination must be able to drive at 40 mph and never drop below that speed until the end of the test segment at the peak of Union Pass

• 11.4-mile-long test route, uphill

• ascends from 550 feet elevation to 3,500 feet in that span

• the trailer weight depends on what the CT is attempting to be ‘rated’ for; if we assume this is a dual motor and the unveil stats remain, that’d be a max 10K lb test (as with the Lightning)

•24-foot long double-axle SAE-graded test trailers with frontal area of 60 square feet

Under these conditions, and based on experinice with the Lightning, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that this 11mi test ate up considerably more than optimum mi/kWh - but not that significant.

Because aero is a bigger range eater than rolling resistance, if kept at 40mph-50mph, it wouldn’t be that bad.

Yes, running air conditioning max is a range hit (whether towing or not), and in >100° temps (whether towing or not). And yes, pulling 10K up hill is a range hit (due to increased rolling resistance and power needs).

But more than all that, aero from the trailer is the big range eater when towing, and 40-50mph ain’t no thing.

Add it all together, and I’d wile guess that in terms of range the 11mi Davis Adam grade test at 40mph is less of a range-eater than would be the same towing on level ground at 85mph

This test is about stressing the mechanical systems (including cooling systems), not range-eating

 

[Ehninger1212]

The "internet experts" claim this must be a hoax after watching the Cybertruck accelerate away. "Surely that trailer is empty!"

Fortunately, my crack team of investigators has captured visual evidence of the trailer's contents.

Gonna need all those to measure the stopping distance.

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