Pulling a trailer with an electric vehicle
Can you pull a trailer with an electric vehicle? Last month in Norway, a group of electric car enthusiasts decided to put it to the test. They brought 3 electric cars: Tesla Model X Long Range(100D), Mercedes-Benz EQC 400, and the Audi e-tron 55, and put them to the ultimate challenge of a 3-day trek across Norway. The trip included passing through
Dalsnibba, Geiranger, Ørnevegen, Trollstigen and the Atlantic Road. The crew drove 1,381km(858 miles) in just three days. But how did these vehicles fare during this journey?
Trailer and vehicle specs
The trailers weighed just under 1,200kg(2,640lbs). They were basically small RVs. They were Hobby 460 DL On Tour RVs/Caravans. They were all roughly 21 feet in length. The vehicles all had different weights as follows: Tesla Model X – 5,511lbs, EQC – 5,650lbs, and the E-tron – 5,852lbs. The Model X was the lightest, and generally most aerodynamic vehicle of the 3.
Day One
The first day was a 350km(770 mile) journey. It started in Nittedal and ended in Vinstra. The RVs were towed the entire first day. The Tesla Model X held it’s charge the best after one day. After 1 day, the Tesla is in the lead in efficiency.
Day Two
The second day began in Donfoss and ended in Andalsnes after 3 ferry rides and various climbs up and down mountain roads. Again, after a long journey on the second day, the Tesla remained the most energy-efficient and proved to be the most aerodynamic of the 3 electric vehicles.
Day Three
On the third day, the group of cars and trailers headed towards Gudbrandsdalen. It was raining which made it more difficult to tow the trailers. The increased rolling resistance did not seem to change the power consumption much.
What about charging?
With each day, the vehicles were nearly empty and needed to be recharged. They ran into a couple of problems when recharging vehicles as the trailers being attached posed problems with accessing charging ports for the vehicles. Having a trailer attached also drastically increased charging times.
Electric vs Gas
Towing trailers in a scenic environment like the mountains of Norway with an electric car is definitely a welcomed change of pace. The cars are extremely quiet when compared to traditional gas powered vehicles. Not only are they quiet but they’re also much better for the environment. Two birds with one stone here, good for the environment and you’re disturbing the local ecosystem less. I can’t see much reason to tow with a loud gas powered vehicle when options like this exist. Gas-powered vehicles create emissions that are terrible for the environment. If technology continues to move forward in this direction, we should see more and more options for vehicles that perform work related tasks that are electric-powered.
But which vehicle performed the best of these three?
The Tesla Model X performed the best by far. For all 3 days it had the most remaining charge left. It charged the quickest as well and ran into the least amount of snags when actually towing the trailers. It was the most ergonomic, most energy efficient and dare we say most stylish as well as far as a towing vehicle goes.
