Towing with Tesla Model X

[Tyguy]

Man, I just can't get behind the Cybertruk. To many answers to questions nobody ever asked. Sure the tech will be great, and Tesla still holds the (now diminishing) lead in EV efficiency and manufacturing. They're making the same mistakes of creating a car around tech instead of creating tech around the car, add in the polarizing style and IMO, it's an "also ran" in the EV truck market. Ford is poised to take that market by storm, and will be the front runner. Rivian will be a close second I think. GM needs to get moving on the Silverado version they've been teasing. The Hummer is too much like the Cybertruk, more sizzle thank steak.

Talking about tech in the pickup market; my uncle has one of the new "Powerboost" hybrid F150s. Power went out at the river house a few weeks ago. He just backed the truck up to the side of the house and turned on and plugged in the built in generator and let it run overnight. Powered the fridge, TV, A/C, and some lights for the evening until the power company got the issue resolved. That same battery/generator/motor setup gets him almost 30mpg on long road trips. THAT, is usable tech for a pickup owner that is applicable and, IMO, the evolutionary kind of improvement the segment needs. You talk to farmers, construction workers, developers, or anyone else that relies on the supreme flexibility of a top tier pickup, and you'll find these are the kinds of features they need/want, not bullet proof glass or stainless steel exoskeleton construction, or matching electric ATV's. Point being, in terms of "knowing your market", Tesla is an outsider here in comparison to Ford/GM/Dodge. Tesla just doesn't have the data to play, and the publicity stunt of the Cybertruk shows that. I do think that it will find some buyers, and it will likely do what it's been sold as, but I don't think it'll be the sales leader in EV pickups once GM/Ford/Rivian come online with sales.

I have to disagree. I'm open to different brands, and currently we have Tesla, Nissan, and Subaru in our garage, but the Ford doesn't cut it for me. Short driving range, way lower on power than the CT, far less towing capacity, nearly half the payload capacity, standard suspension system, shorter bed, fewer useful charging stations, and just boring to look at. Everyone has their own priorities and for me the Ford has been eliminated from the short list. I hope they sell the heck out of them, though. The more EV wins the better.

 

[Bluewater272]

Space. Gas stations cover a pretty big area. EV stations fit where existing parking spaces are. That said, pull through will become important in the future as more toys are towed and when semi trucks switch to electric. Until now it hasn't been a need.

This is basically it. You need a lot of real estate for a pull through covered fuel station, whether gasoline or electricity. Charging station? You can set that up in the back corner of the parking lot that nobody ever uses anyway.

 

[2kwik4u]

Cool two part story in crossing the country in a Rivian. Not much to do with towing, but a good read if you're bored and some good insights and pictures of the Rivian.

Exclusive: We Drive the 2022 Rivian R1T Off-Road Across the Trans-America Trail, Part 1

Follow our historic electric off-road crossing of the U.S. in the new Rivian R1T electric pickup along the Trans-America Trail.

www.motortrend.com

If I had to choose an EV right this moment, Rivian would get my dollars. Still not 100% sold I want an ET (can we call Electric Trucks ET's without having weird visions of little aliens?), but this one is closest.

 

[tabbibus]

Cool two part story in crossing the country in a Rivian. Not much to do with towing, but a good read if you're bored and some good insights and pictures of the Rivian.

Exclusive: We Drive the 2022 Rivian R1T Off-Road Across the Trans-America Trail, Part 1

Follow our historic electric off-road crossing of the U.S. in the new Rivian R1T electric pickup along the Trans-America Trail.

www.motortrend.com

If I had to choose an EV right this moment, Rivian would get my dollars. Still not 100% sold I want an ET (can we call Electric Trucks ET's without having weird visions of little aliens?), but this one is closest.

Why rivian over the f150? Just curious

 

[adrianp89]

This weekend we made a trip to Jacksonville in my truck, which we usually take in the Tesla.

• The Tesla takes one stop there and one stop back. (This is to play it safe, we could potentially make it one way on a single charge)
• The truck can make there and back on a single tank of gas.
• On the way there we stopped for lunch, and on the way back we stopped for bathroom/snacks.
  • First stop we stopped by Panera to eat quickly. The time spent at Panera is same needed to get enough charge to our destination.
  • Second stop we filled up as well, just to play it safe. As slow as the pump was going, we could have gotten enough charge to make it back home.
• In either vehicle we would have stopped twice and our stop times would have been near identical. Add a 5 minutes to walk to Panera from the charger instead of parking right at it.
• All in all in this scenario, our travel time would have been almost identical between either vehicle.

 

[tabbibus]

This weekend we made a trip to Jacksonville in my truck, which we usually take in the Tesla.

• The Tesla takes one stop there and one stop back. (This is to play it safe, we could potentially make it one way on a single charge)
• The truck can make there and back on a single tank of gas.
• On the way there we stopped for lunch, and on the way back we stopped for bathroom/snacks.
  • First stop we stopped by Panera to eat quickly. The time spent at Panera is same needed to get enough charge to our destination.
  • Second stop we filled up as well, just to play it safe. As slow as the pump was going, we could have gotten enough charge to make it back home.
• In either vehicle we would have stopped twice and our stop times would have been near identical. Add a 5 minutes to walk to Panera from the charger instead of parking right at it.
• All in all in this scenario, our travel time would have been almost identical between either vehicle.

On Tesla it's less stressful for me thanks to autopilots.

 

[2kwik4u]

Why rivian over the f150? Just curious

It's a purpose built EV from the ground up, not just a truck chassis with a battery pack in it. I like the slightly smaller size of it as compared to an F150. I would most likely get the R1S over the R1T as well. Suspension design and one motor per wheel makes it drive less like a truck and more like a car when not doing truck things. Air suspension adjustability is huge now that I've had it, I'm not sure I would want to go back to NOT having it. Same with Adaptive Cruise Control, not certain if F150 offers that or not.

I dislike the lack of physical buttons in the Rivian interior though. Not really a fan of the F150 interior either to be fair. Kind of a wash there.

I also like to own "oddball" models and makes. Limited editions, one of a kinds, low production volume stuff is always a draw for me. Haven't seen another white/black Q7 in the 7mo I've owned mine. My Sierra SLT was a high option, low production unit (although @zipper has one identical to it now, but in blue). Before that is was a trailblazer SS. Before that it was rotary powered anything, as well as a slew of highly customized "not another like it" vehicles. The F150 doesn't fit in that even a little bit, and it's the low production/rarity is a complete NON value add to anyone but myself.

 

[2kwik4u]

On Tesla it's less stressful for me thanks to autopilots.

I've been finding that in anything but stop and go bumper to bumper traffic I don't like the driving aids. It's great when I use it, but in medium to light traffic it's more hindrance than help. The Audi isn't "predictive" enough. It can't read traffic patterns and anticipate that the car ahead will start moving and allow a little less following distance to prevent a sharp slow and restart. It only sees what's right in front of it and has a rigid set of rules to follow. Human flexibility leads to a more pleasant driving experience on the morning commute. Long distance is a mixed bag and super heavy traffic is great.

Would love to spend a week or two with a Tesla to try out those driving aids and see how. Lose they are in sentiment to Audis.

 

[tabbibus]

I've been finding that in anything but stop and go bumper to bumper traffic I don't like the driving aids. It's great when I use it, but in medium to light traffic it's more hindrance than help. The Audi isn't "predictive" enough. It can't read traffic patterns and anticipate that the car ahead will start moving and allow a little less following distance to prevent a sharp slow and restart. It only sees what's right in front of it and has a rigid set of rules to follow. Human flexibility leads to a more pleasant driving experience on the morning commute. Long distance is a mixed bag and super heavy traffic is great.

Would love to spend a week or two with a Tesla to try out those driving aids and see how. Lose they are in sentiment to Audis.

Don't know how the Audi is. And I have the previous gen Tesla system. But i love it. I definitely knows what's going on ahead of the car directly in front and will adjust accordingly.

One time the car in front of the car front of me braked hard and even before the car in front of me did so, Tesla was already braking.

It follows the lanes amazingly. Changes lanes very safely and deftly. When I so long drives with the expedition I end up tense and tired. Much less so with the Tesla

 

[2kwik4u]

Don't know how the Audi is. And I have the previous gen Tesla system. But i love it. I definitely knows what's going on ahead of the car directly in front and will adjust accordingly.

One time the car in front of the car front of me braked hard and even before the car in front of me did so, Tesla was already braking.

It follows the lanes amazingly. Changes lanes very safely and deftly. When I so long drives with the expedition I end up tense and tired. Much less so with the Tesla

The Audi feels very "short sighted" and isn't quite as aggressive as I would like. Things like going from behind a semi at 55mph with teh cruise set at 75, it doesn't pull out and speed up quickly. I have to do the lane change, but then it's a slow meandering increase in speed. Makes dealing with traffic difficult. Likewise in traffic it doesn't do well with the idea of a a fluid following distance. I'll let the distance between me and the car in front of my vary a little bit depending on how the person in front of me is driving, how traffic is ebbing and flowing, and in an attempt to prevent some of the "spring" in the traffic line behind me. Audi does a shit job of that for certain.

Would like to try the Tesla system to see how it does. In all honesty, I enjoy driving in general so the driving aids are a "nice to have", but not a completely mandatory set of features. Did the 11hr tow to the gulf earlier this summer, and aside from just being awake that long I wasn't overly worn out, tense, or tired. I somewhat enjoy the constant logistics, related rates problems, and other details of driving. The journey really is part of the vacation for me at some small level.

 

[adrianp89]

Don't know how the Audi is. And I have the previous gen Tesla system. But i love it. I definitely knows what's going on ahead of the car directly in front and will adjust accordingly.

One time the car in front of the car front of me braked hard and even before the car in front of me did so, Tesla was already braking.

It follows the lanes amazingly. Changes lanes very safely and deftly. When I so long drives with the expedition I end up tense and tired. Much less so with the Tesla

We have HW3 and latest software but only AP. For the most part it is great, but there are times where me taking over is just better. FSD would relieve some of it but not worth 10k IMO. In heavy traffic it will let everyone and their mom in front of me but still accelerate a bit too quick. Though I agree there is def less mental drain, especially in stop and go. I find my truck more comfortable to ride in, so I take that as a wash lol. AP would be damn near perfect for anyone ready to accept what comes their way in the right lane. I am on the more aggressive side of a driver so that doesn't always work for me lol.

 

[2kwik4u]

I am on the more aggressive side of a driver so that doesn't always work for me lol.

I think this is my point with the Audi system. I'm a bit more on the "active" side of the driver scale than the passive. So I want to have more control not less in general. My suspicion this will always cause issues with autonomous driving solutions, regardless of manufacturer.

Unless I program it myself

 

[thefortunes]

We have HW3 and latest software but only AP. For the most part it is great, but there are times where me taking over is just better. FSD would relieve some of it but not worth 10k IMO. In heavy traffic it will let everyone and their mom in front of me but still accelerate a bit too quick. Though I agree there is def less mental drain, especially in stop and go. I find my truck more comfortable to ride in, so I take that as a wash lol. AP would be damn near perfect for anyone ready to accept what comes their way in the right lane. I am on the more aggressive side of a driver so that doesn't always work for me lol.

I also only have AP and wish it was adjustable for "midwest nice" or "Cali FU" style of driving.

We just drove back from Florida (2 hours 27 minutes of charging for 1,040 miles driven btw - hit some busy SuC which slowed the rates) and just set the AP at the "aggressive" speed I would normally use. When I approached another car I manually passed it (as I would if not using AP) and returned to non-passing lane. Much of the drive was overnight so I wasn't encountering a ton of traffic during that time. FSD and the passing feature would definitely help on this trip, but not enough for me to pay for it .

On one of the legs between SuC I kept track and was on AP for 177 out of 182 miles (non-AP was to pass, drive to/from interstate).

Regarding AP accelerating too quickly - I usually change to chill mode when in AP so it slows and accelerates less aggressively.

P.S. Edited to add... We had to avoid a SuC for the first time on a trip. The Normal, IL parking ramp (where the SuC are) had an unrelated fire and is apparently closed for an undetermined amount of time. That added about 30 miles to our trip.

 

[adrianp89]

I also only have AP and wish it was adjustable for "midwest nice" or "Cali FU" style of driving.

We just drove back from Florida (2 hours 27 minutes of charging for 1,040 miles driven btw - hit some busy SuC which slowed the rates) and just set the AP at the "aggressive" speed I would normally use. When I approached another car I manually passed it (as I would if not using AP) and returned to non-passing lane. Much of the drive was overnight so I wasn't encountering a ton of traffic during that time. FSD and the passing feature would definitely help on this trip, but not enough for me to pay for it .

Regarding AP accelerating too quickly - I usually change to chill mode when in AP so it slows and accelerates less aggressively.

Switching to chill - good idea!

 

[thefortunes]

Switching to chill - good idea!

I actually have a driver profile set when I have a passenger behind me which:
1) Leaves them a little more leg room
2) Does NOT use Easy Entry (so they don't get squished when I open my door)
3) Uses Chill Mode (which I switch back to Sport if they want to feel 0-60mph in 3.0sec, lol).

 

[tabbibus]

All smart ideas! In my case, the only time I have passengers is my two girls when we go to school. They always yell "punch it chewie!" once we hit the on ramp. So chill mode may reduce the fun factor of driving to school.

So, I'm not sure what I have. What does FSD do that AP not do?

 

[thefortunes]

All smart ideas! In my case, the only time I have passengers is my two girls when we go to school. They always yell "punch it chewie!" once we hit the on ramp. So chill mode may reduce the fun factor of driving to school.

So, I'm not sure what I have. What does FSD do that AP not do?

Biggest benefits currently (in my opinion) are it will pass slower cars and take highway splits/exits without intervention.

When I tried it 2 years ago it was too timid passing, but it has apparently gotten much better.

It also has the "party tricks" - self parking, summon, stoplight and stop sign recognition.

 

[Enduro900]

This weekend we made a trip to Jacksonville in my truck, which we usually take in the Tesla.

• The Tesla takes one stop there and one stop back. (This is to play it safe, we could potentially make it one way on a single charge)
• The truck can make there and back on a single tank of gas.
• On the way there we stopped for lunch, and on the way back we stopped for bathroom/snacks.
  • First stop we stopped by Panera to eat quickly. The time spent at Panera is same needed to get enough charge to our destination.
  • Second stop we filled up as well, just to play it safe. As slow as the pump was going, we could have gotten enough charge to make it back home.
• In either vehicle we would have stopped twice and our stop times would have been near identical. Add a 5 minutes to walk to Panera from the charger instead of parking right at it.
• All in all in this scenario, our travel time would have been almost identical between either vehicle.

Good insight thanks. My big concern is not stopping for a 30 min charge on a trip (as mentioned you can grab lunch, use facilities, etc.). My issue is being on a Holiday weekend, you pull into a charging station, and there are 1-2-5-7 vehicles ahead of you also waiting.

The F150 unveil got me thinking about a future EV tow vehicle. They claim multiple charging stations to provide coverage…..yet when I checked those stations most in Northen Michigan had (1) charging unit. There are times when Northern michigan gas stations have 2-3 car lineup for the gas at each pump. Until there are dedicated multi-chargers at multiple stops an EV is off my list. I just see the situations on Holidays/long trips towing where you’d have to wait hours to get a charge…not just because of the charge time, but actually waiting for multiple people to get their charges completed……

 

[tabbibus]

Oh, I guess I have that. Lol. I can summon and it definitely can pass other slower cars without my input. I have it on "mad max" mode and it is ok

 

[2kwik4u]

It also has the "party tricks" - self parking, summon, stoplight and stop sign recognition.

Does Tesla do regular speed limit sign recognition? Audi does that, and has an option to set the speed of the cruise based on the signs it reads. I have that turned off as it's another thing out of my control that I'm not super happy with, but it's a neat feature.