Towing with Tesla Model X

[haknslash]

30 minute stops to charge would prevent me from ever owning an EV, I just don't care to wait that long sitting around doing nothing in some random charge parking lot. Look at the other guy charging lol. You just end up burying your nose in a smart phone. It wouldn't be bad at first I guess but I could definitely see it getting old for me.

 

[Jim Crane]

Makes me wonder when they will make an awesome electric wakeboat. Seems that the problem with batteries in these cars is that they are so heavy, but in a wakeboat, everyone is filling their boats with water to make them heavier. It occurs to me that these huge batteries might be a decent solution. Until you try to tow it of course.

 

[haknslash]

Not to get off topic any further .... call me crazy but I wouldn't want to be sitting in a bunch of batteries with water. Besides the advantage to water ballast is I don't lug around that weight all the time on the lake and only when needed.

 

[Dean P]

30 minute stops to charge would prevent me from ever owning an EV, I just don't care to wait that long sitting around doing nothing in some random charge parking lot. Look at the other guy charging lol. You just end up burying your nose in a smart phone. It wouldn't be bad at first I guess but I could definitely see it getting old for me.

Recently took a trip to Atlanta. Charging to get you back on the road is 15 minutes. I stayed longer to finish my lunch and got 210 miles. I stopped one more time to do the same. Tesla is now introducing V3 charging which is over 1,000 miles of charge per hour. Obviously their goal is to beat the 5 minute mark. I'm sure they'll get there; just a matter of time.

Not to get off topic any further .... call me crazy but I wouldn't want to be sitting in a bunch of batteries with water. Besides the advantage to water ballast is I don't lug around that weight all the time on the lake and only when needed.

Is this worse than carrying 50 gallons of fuel? In downtown St Pete they offer boat ride in an all electric boat. Very quiet.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

For your distance, you will be fine.

I agree with others about sitting and waiting to charge. I made a trip to Wisconsin from Tampa Bay and only had to stop twice for gas, each time probably taking 10 minutes total. In a Tesla that drive would probably take 4 hours longer.

However, the tech will get there and I’m thankful for the early adopters that deal with the BS lol

 

[Beachbummer]

I had an all electric car in my home for 3 years (a Leaf) I never traveled with it, and it served 99.9% of my needs in the city, which is where I drive 99% of the time. I saved a TON on fuel, and they sell used for ridiculously cheap (which is how I bought mine cheaply)

Instant Torque and zero engine complaint when asked to deliver 100% power (No noise to me was a absolute super plus)

Reliability was super impressive. Very little to go wrong. Even brakes wear much less.

I traded it for a Volt and I have the very best of both worlds. Most all my days are electric only, but if needed I can quick charge at any gas station! If the back seat had 3 more inches It would be a perfect car. If I had more money I would have swapped it for a 3 in a heartbeat, but with the Volt so recent for me I can't justify it.

If you are a 2 household car, having an electric one for city/commute is absolutely a superb experience and a great use of the capability today. and not having to fuel it up in forever is so awesome. I haven't put fuel on the volt in 3 months or so.

We are not yet there with long distance travel, but if you go electric for the car you don't travel with, there are currently zero drawbacks to switching on many models, for many use cases. (Garage at home, 220v at home, less than 80 miles per day...Electric would bring a smile to your face with a leaf that you can buy used for $6-12k cheap to insure and even cheaper to run.)

It's not there yet for all use cases, but for many it's a real alternative.

 

[haknslash]

Is this worse than carrying 50 gallons of fuel? In downtown St Pete they offer boat ride in an all electric boat. Very quiet.

50 gallons of fuel is only 300 lbs. It would take a lot of batteries to get to 3k+ lbs lol. I don't want to carry around that kind of weight unless I want to do watersports hence filling water ballast when you need it is more ideal than lugging around thousands of lbs of ballast when you're not even using it. Besides V8 rumble is just sexy. I see these electric dragsters and just can't get into it no matter how zippy they are off the line.

My sister lives near Peachtree City in Georgia and a lot of people have golf carts and can ride around town on them there. That is kind of cool riding on sidewalks and little golf cart trails around town while running errands.

 

[swatski]

Makes me wonder when they will make an awesome electric wakeboat. Seems that the problem with batteries in these cars is that they are so heavy, but in a wakeboat, everyone is filling their boats with water to make them heavier. It occurs to me that these huge batteries might be a decent solution. Until you try to tow it of course.

I would settle for a hybrid! AR240 Prius, lol. I’m in.

—

 

[haknslash]

Did y’all see where a woman keyed this guys Tesla and the camera system on it caught her in the act? He posted the footage and it went viral. The lady turned herself in and is facing possible felony charges lol. That’s awesome the car had like 9 cameras I think he said.

 

[Beachbummer]

In regards to weight/density... That's where the real next revolution will come from.

Gas has two huge advantages... Power density... How little it weights compared to electric... And of course, cost of storage. For $20 i can store 5 gallons of power in fuel... In electricity, more like $5-10,000 for similar storage....

Once this is really figured out, the possibilities will create a new paradigm of power. Disconnected grid, easy storage and the explosion of solar and wind power all depend on making this happen.

Looking forward to it, although not the market disruptions it will cause.

 

[Betik]

Looking forward to it, although not the market disruptions it will cause.

In what sense the market disruption is a “problem” ( besides a bunch of people loosing their jobs which is a different story altogether)?

 

[Beachbummer]

Yes....That for one,, and all the pension funds and other places holding debt from many of the "secure" and "safe" industries that will be affected. Look at how much each car contributes to oil companies on a yearly basis...and erase it over 20 years. I have a friend in the industry and they are planning for it and their plans are not bad...cars are only a percentage of their oil sales

Airplane fuel and electric production use up a big chunk too. Airplanes don't have another potential source in the short term, but if storage density is really figured out, using natural gas and diesel for electric production should go down too.

It's unstoppable, but it's coming.

 

[Dean P]

50 gallons of fuel is only 300 lbs. It would take a lot of batteries to get to 3k+ lbs lol. I don't want to carry around that kind of weight unless I want to do watersports hence filling water ballast when you need it is more ideal than lugging around thousands of lbs of ballast when you're not even using it. Besides V8 rumble is just sexy. I see these electric dragsters and just can't get into it no matter how zippy they are off the line.

My sister lives near Peachtree City in Georgia and a lot of people have golf carts and can ride around town on them there. That is kind of cool riding on sidewalks and little golf cart trails around town while running errands.

LOL @haknslash you missed my point (or maybe I missed yours). I believe you were referring to how dangerous batteries and water are? I just wanted to bring up the point that we carry several gallons of very explosive material around with us (all the time, actually).

@Beachbummer I owed a 2012 Volt followed by a 2015 Volt (7 years total). Loved both cars. It truely was the best of both worlds. I traded in the Volt for the Model 3. I'm in awe. Love everything about the car especially the OTA updates. Was just updated to version 10. Feels like a new car (again). Technology is about making our lives easier. I embrace it everyday and will till the day I die (hopefully "that" can keep me living forever )

 

[haknslash]

i was mainly referring to weight.

As far as explosions and fire goes, well we have been testing lithium ion battery fires for a while now. No thanks! I'll take my chances using the good ole blower.

 

[Nakk]

There will come a day, sooner than we think, that you won't be able to buy gasoline except for a very few places--and it will be very expensive. Don't get me wrong, I love internal combustion engines. I just rebuilt/restored a '92 Blazer I bought new. L94 V8, 6L80E six speed transmission. 450 HP, 450 Ft/Lb of torque on the dyno. I love that truck. But electric is coming on fast, and is going to come faster. First, gas will get cheap as demand drops. Yea! Then, as stations close and the vast delivery network shrinks to near nothing, gas will get very, very expensive. I don't know when this will happen, but I am certain it will happen far sooner than anyone now dreams. Such has almost always been the way of technology advancement. If they get energy density to be better than it is now, it will be really, really cool. Imagine a dead silent AR240 with massive torque and near zero maintenance... Just plug it in when you get back to the slip--never a fuel stop. If we don't get a revolution in energy density, boating is going to get very, very difficult.

Anyways, I'm going to order a Tesla soon--either a Model 3 or a Model Y. Because it seriously makes no sense to buy any car but a Tesla right now. Towing, that's a different story--for now. Within the next couple of years--or sooner--that will change too.

 

[Nakk]

30 minute stops to charge would prevent me from ever owning an EV, I just don't care to wait that long sitting around doing nothing in some random charge parking lot. Look at the other guy charging lol. You just end up burying your nose in a smart phone. It wouldn't be bad at first I guess but I could definitely see it getting old for me.

Tesla superchargers are all near restaurants and shopping. I took a trip with my buddy in his Model 3. We knew beforehand how long the wait would be to charge, the car told us that. This supercharger was zero wait. We parked, plugged in, went to the john, got a couple of burgers to go and got back in the car and drove away. Took no more time than if it was a gas fill up. If after 4 hours of driving you don't need a quick break, you are a better man the me. The seats and drive was by far the most comfortable stress free experience I've ever had driving. We took turns sitting in the driver's seat. Not driving really, the car did that. VERY weird at first. Soon though you get used to it and then all other cars are dinosaurs.

As far as wasting time charging, how much time did you spend at gas stations last year. My buddy spent just the time on that trip last year. Day to day driving you just plug it in at home at night. You'll waste a tiny fraction of your time charging compared to how much time you waste filling up with gas. How much time do you waste changing oil, brakes, etc? None of that with a Tesla.

Went to the track the other night and watched the guy's Model 3 stomp all over everyone else. After 10 races slaughtering Hellcats, supercharged Mustangs and Corvettes no one else would race him. Tesla's are so damn much fun to drive! Until you drive one you have no idea what the instant torque available feels like, and what a kick in the ass--literally--it is! ICE cars, there's always a delay after stomping it. The air starts to flow, the transmission shifts down, and eventually the car starts to accelerate. Drive a turbo car with a long turbo lag. See how annoying the lag is? That's what all cars feel like after driving a Tesla. With the Tesla, floor the go fast pedal and acceleration is instant.

All of that said, one of the big things that make Teslas worthwhile, and better than other EVs, is the Tesla supercharger network. That network is way better than what's available to other EV cars. Waiting for your car to charge being a pain is just a myth with Teslas. I bought two new cars just before my buddy bought his Tesla. After driving the Tesla, those two new cars turned out to be just a huge waste of money. The vast majority of Tesla/EV critics are people who've never spent time in a Tesla. Damn near everyone that owns one is a fanboy for life.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

While you can argue preferences all day. (Find it hard to believe you got a 300 mile charge in the time it took to take a piss and grab a burger, but whatever). I also think driving 4 hours of interstate driving on a single charge is bit far fetched., given their max range is hardly 300 miles. A Model 3 stomping everyone at the track - your buddy must be a significantly better driver than everyone else.... The highest optioned model 3 is drivers race against any Hellcat. And prime driver vs. driver, the Hellcat should stomp it. Of course the v8 sound is worth it alone IMO.

I am curious what happens with Tesla when you push your range to far, or you can't find a station in the middle of Nebraska? I doubt the road ranger has a battery charger for you.

 

[haknslash]

There are not a lot of charging stations for Tesla here in my state and even fewer Supercharger sites. Just not a big infrastructure for them in our area at this time.

 

[Beachbummer]

The Range is still 200 miles+ It seems likely you can make it to most of the state with the chargers shown in the map. In reality you only need the chargers for long road trips. Day to day you plug in at home and never visit the gas station or charging station, and you leave home on a full charge every day if you want to.

 

[sfadchi]

I towed my 2019 AR240 with my wife's GLE350 once. I'll never do it again. It has a towing capacity of 6,600 lbs. Just because it can, doesn't mean it should!