Towing with Tesla Model X

[thefortunes]

Range is an important aspect to me and why I won't consider a 300-mile option for our two vehicle. 400 miles minimum, 500 preferred. And it's not because we plan to regularly drive those distances but because I expect 50% range in adverse conditions such as a monster snow storm or when towing the boat.

How often have you driven > 150 miles in a "monster snowstorm" in the last 5 years?

 

[Tyguy]

Someone at Tesla took a photo of the new test truck shown at the track. The styling isn't for everyone but I dig it. I appreciate how much rubber they're putting around those rims versus huge wheels with low profile tires. I've done the stagecoach wheel thing before with an Audi and didn't enjoy the ownership experience (bent wheels, harsh ride, etc..)

 

[Tyguy]

How often have you driven > 150 miles in a "monster snowstorm" in the last 5 years?

My commute is 130 miles. And I drive 500 miles between 2 states pretty frequently. So several times a year I find myself in a storm. Why do you ask?

 

[thefortunes]

My commute is 130 miles. And I drive 500 miles between 2 states pretty frequently. So several times a year I find myself in a storm. Why do you ask?

Cuz 99.9% of the population has NEVER driven 150 miles in a "monster snowstorm."

I've lived >50 years in Wisconsin and have probably done it ONCE. (Maybe we have differing definitions of "monster").

 

[2kwik4u]

Aren't you in Georgetown?

Georgetown, IN.

We're about 14mi west of Louisville, KY downtown area. I work over on the south side of Louisville, near the airport.

 

[thefortunes]

Georgetown, IN.

We're about 14mi west of Louisville, KY downtown area. I work over on the south side of Louisville, near the airport.

Thought so (based on location in your profile).

Interestingly enough, I don't see ANY chargers in your town (plenty in Louisville, though, including 3 Tesla SuC with 20 stations). You actually have chargers in Georgetown?

 

[Tyguy]

thefortunes, good for you and good for the average population. My definition is any condition that will degrade your range. I've had rainstorms double my Tesla's energy usage, so it's not just snow. Anything that adds resistance like snow or standing water, as well as headwind or sidewind, and cold temperatures that reduces battery capacity at the same time as upping energy usage to warm the cabin. I've owned EV for a few years now so I've had a little experience with it in adverse conditions. How about you?

 

[2kwik4u]

Cuz 99.9% of the population has NEVER driven 150 miles in a "monster snowstorm."

I've lived >50 years in Wisconsin and have probably done it ONCE. (Maybe we have differing definitions of "monster").

I've done it once in my '03 Yukon. Louisville to Milwaukee. Left Louisville in 2wd. Was in 4wd by Indy. 4wd Low by Chicago. Was plowing snow when I pulled into Oak Creek, WI. They didn't even delay schools. Roads were clear the next morning. I've had a few other "long-ish" snow trips. That was back when I was bad at planning and never watched the weather. I'm at a point in life now where I would just say the hell with it and wait a day until the roads were reopened.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Range is an important aspect to me and why I won't consider a 300-mile option for our two vehicle. 400 miles minimum, 500 preferred. And it's not because we plan to regularly drive those distances but because I expect 50% range in adverse conditions such as a monster snow storm or when towing the boat.

We all have different wants and needs.

My wife and I would be perfectly happy with a 300 mile range for an EV. But, then, we would not be driving it a monster snow storm or use it for towing a boat. Our EV would be a second vehicle and we would keep my Ram for those tasks. Thus, our future EV could have a smaller battery bank and less hp, actually would like a smaller crossover SUV.

Jim

 

[2kwik4u]

Thought so (based on location in your profile).

Interestingly enough, I don't see ANY chargers in your town (plenty in Louisville, though, including 3 Tesla SuC with 20 stations). You actually have chargers in Georgetown?

Nope. No charging stations in Georgetown. It's a weird place. We're really close to downtown, but it still feels like we're in the sticks (both in terms of technology, as well as community feel, and general attitudes). Not any in Highlander Point either (That is the highway 150 and I64 intersection just east of home). Floyds Knobs, Greenville, and to a lesser extent Georgetown are the "high end" neighborhoods in southern Indiana near Louisville. Lots of money up here, so we see lots of high end cars, and that includes a good deal of Tesla's. Hell, I watched a Bentley go through the car wash in front of me yesterday (who does that?).....Anywho, there is little support for EV's in this area of the country outside of larger cities. Most have some backwards thinking, and poor/misconceived notions on what they do and how they work (reference my thoughts at the beginning of this thread). Not to be overly political, but this area leans VERY VERY heavily red, with only small pockets of blue here and there, the EV mentality goes right along with that same trend.

There is a single public free plug in downtown New Albany. That's the closest public "fast" charger I know of.

Louisville's only EA charger is in Clarksville in front of the Wal-Mart on Veterans Parkway (Where I saw the Rivian pulling out from).

Honestly the superchargers at Preston Highway, and Towne Center are news to me at this very moment. The last time I checked (a few months ago I think), we only had the one on Gardiner Lane (see cars there all the time, it's adjacent to my preferred bicycle shop). Glad to see we have more in town. I work within a few miles of the Preston Highway location actually.

Here's a screenshot from Plugshare. I know it's not all inclusive, but it gives you a good idea of the "charging desert" I'm in.
Red Dot is home. Black circles are favorite boating locations that are +/- 50mi away from home (100mi round trip-ish). Blue circle is ~100mi radius or so .And I want to make these trips with a boat attached with an estimated usage in the 750-800wh/mi range......In general, there just ain't much here to help charge. The whole Louisville, Cincy, Indy triangle is pretty barren.



The Rivian 135kWh pack gets me close. The estimated 200kWh pack in the Silverado gives me a little more reserve capacity. I think it's doable, but it'll take some planning in advance, or overnights to make it happen.

Edit.......

The zoomed in view looks a little better. Red dots are home and work.


*edit [HASH=3848]#2*[/HASH]

Now this is interesting as all get out......One of the marinas at Green River has a plug available. NOW, we're getting somewhere on this whole EV tows a boat thing! Bonus points that Emerald Isle has the best ice cream on the lake!

Only one plug right now, but this is a HUGE step to making the Green River trip possible as a day trip with an EV and a boat in tow. I can make Emerald Isle on a single charge. It's 106mi one way from my house to there. SO......assuming I can use that plug, then I should be able to pickup enough electrons during a day of boating to make it home again. If the plug is in use though, not so much.

 

[Tyguy]

Totally agreed about different wants/needs, Jim. Our next vehicle will make us EV-only, so we're weighing real-world range needs much more carefully. No ICE backups after the next purchase.

 

[Tyguy]

2kwik4u, great to see that charging options around you are growing. Tesla's online map will also show upcoming chargers so I glanced at it to see if there's growth planned for your area. Unfortunately it looks like the 3 superchargers around you are the only ones in their 2022 plans (grey are slower 220v destination chargers, red are superchargers):

 

[2kwik4u]

Totally agreed about different wants/needs, Jim. Our next vehicle will make us EV-only, so we're weighing real-world range needs much more carefully. No ICE backups after the next purchase.

This is really where the "rubber meets the road" so to speak. Once you have no backup and MUST be self reliant (or pay out of pocket to supplement) the stakes are a bit higher.

For me, alone, the premise of being an "early adopter" on this sort of tech is no big deal. I can weather some bumps and bruises along the way to learn the tech, how it works, and how it's applied. I might even be able to say the same with the wife thrown in there. She's somewhat adventurous from time to time, so it might not be too bad. Once I have to start thinking about how to get the whole fam damily from here to there, safely, and with relatively less work it becomes a bigger deal. THEN throw on top, that the most taxing use case is during out leisure time, the penalty for failure has grown significantly.

That is not to say it won't work, or that it can't work. Just that the confidence interval needs to be much higher before you embark on a particular journey. That is also NOT to say that ICE based adventures don't have different or more severe drawbacks. A mechanical failure will ruin anyone's day just as fast as running out of energy (fuel or electrons). It comes back to acceptable risk, both perceived and actual, and managing that risk to the height of your comfort level for that event.

I don't see anything wrong with holding out for EXACTLY what you want, not necessarily need, but WANT. Needs can be argue'd and justified and placated away. Wants are personal and subjective.......That's not to say we won't try and bench race the details all day long, I mean, that IS why we're all opining on the internet anyway right?

 

[thefortunes]

thefortunes, good for you and good for the average population. My definition is any condition that will degrade your range. I've had rainstorms double my Tesla's energy usage, so it's not just snow. Anything that adds resistance like snow or standing water, as well as headwind or sidewind, and cold temperatures that reduces battery capacity at the same time as upping energy usage to warm the cabin. I've owned EV for a few years now so I've had a little experience with it in adverse conditions. How about you?

Your definition of a "monster snowstorm" is "any condition that will degrade your range?" Are you serious?

I've had EVs since 2007 and have been ICE free for 3 years now.

Over 300k EV miles.

Have I? ?? You're cute with your "few years" of experience.

 

[Tyguy]

Very cool about being ICE free for so long. You've seen some big changes in tech since you switched over. What models have you owned? Do you tow your boat?

Yep, I'm serious. When my consumption goes from 250 to over 500 Wh/mile, I take it pretty seriously to make sure I can make it either home or to a charger. I've never been stranded and plan to keep it that way. I used a snowstorm as an example, not inclusive of all conditions. You can be a dick all you want, but I recommend you not place people in a position to be stranded somewhere because they overestimated range. Be honest about degradation and respect that people have different needs than you do.

 

[thefortunes]

2007 Zenn (sold)
2011 Tesla Roadster
2013 Tesla Model S
2015 Nissan Leaf
2019 Tesla Model 3 (sold)
2022 Tesla Model 3 (picking up this week)

Yes, I've towed my boat with the 3, but I had a lake house so it was a whopping 0.25 miles. I've towed the jetskis hundreds of miles.

Your original comment was that people needed to be prepared for range drop in a "monster snowstorm."

When I asked how often you drive >150 miles in such "monster storms" (since it's probably been once in 50 years for me - in Wisconsin), you decided to move the goal post and change it to rain, wind, etc... and question my experience.

So, yep, I'll call you out when you're throwing shit and I have (at least 10x) more experience than you.

P.s. you have to be an idiot to run out in a Tesla. It does everything but scream at you (including rerouting you to a supercharger or other charger) if you aren't going to make your destination.

 

[2kwik4u]

@Tyguy I saw those pictures yesterday I think. Maybe this morning. Either way, I'm curious if the person that shot them still has a job. Gotta think that level of leak is a big no-no at this level.

In terms of the truck. I see a LOT of sizzle here, but not much steak. It's got a cool new look (not for me, but meh, styling is subjective), and some interesting capabilities. Range, Power, Towing, Clearance, Tech......All that is very competitive. I think you'll be hard pressed to get traditional pickup buyers to come over to it with that styling. Hell even the Silverado EV is getting a lot of blowback for "not being a real truck, just another Avalanche", and it's not nearly this large of a departure from the norm. What capabilities is it offering over a more traditional pickup style at this point? If you're off-roading a lot, no "pinstripes" from brush on the trail might be nice. I'm sure I'm missing something here, but it doesn't feel to me like it will do "truck stuff" much better than any other pickup......and it looks funny doing it

I do think there is another group of buyers that are either closer to early adopters, or aren't current pickup owners. Be interesting to see what demographics look like once it's released. I'm really surprised how much more "approachable" it feels now that it has some decent looking wheels, some fender flares, a set of "normal" mirrors, and a windshield wiper. Just those little additions really feel like they have solidified it from concept to prototype, clearly looking at making it meet up with federal regulations.

I had a thought on this about crash testing. Typically cars are rated at how well they protect the occupants. I'm curious if the stainless exoskeleton will get any judgement for how well it does or doesn't protect others that are hit? I get hte idea is that safety systems should prevent the hit in the first place, but inevitably this thing is going to Tbone a family crossover at some point in time, and my crystal ball tells me the crossover isn't going to fiar well. Wonder how that will be taken into account in safety ratings (if at all).

No matter which way you slice it, competition is good. Keeps everyone on their toes. The Cybertruk isn't for me, but I'm sure it's for someone.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Car and Driver has a walkaround video of the Cybertruck, taken when the photos above were shot.

Jim

 

[Peelz]

Someone at Tesla took a photo of the new test truck shown at the track. The styling isn't for everyone but I dig it. I appreciate how much rubber they're putting around those rims versus huge wheels with low profile tires. I've done the stagecoach wheel thing before with an Audi and didn't enjoy the ownership experience (bent wheels, harsh ride, etc..)

View attachment 170117

View attachment 170118

I want it. The tesla platform has proven itself to me. And I like the futuristic look, that looks like its from a scifi flick.

I was online and was close to clicking my reservation spot, but didn't. I am admittedly a Tesla fan(not really musk fan) but really, I need to know the final specs, not day dreamed specs and and magical conjecture. LOL

Seeing the truck in a more finished form has me a bit more excited.

also, agree. more rubber is better. The low profile tires make me nuts when I see them on trucks and SUV's. We Got the 19" on the Y. Better ride, cheaper tires, last longer..... Yes low profile handles better, but I wont be hitting the nurburgring any time soon on my way to soccer practice. LOL

 

[2kwik4u]

More Cybertruk pics

https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/sdy8fz