Tesla model X

viatorem replied on 29/01/2018 09:39

Posted on 29/01/2018 09:39

Something I posted on another thread regarding EV but could be of interest.

Done some digging on the Tesla model X as it is possibly the most advanced therefore a likely likely towcar.

All this is gleaned from Teslas US owners forum and other web searches So may not be Factual. Please verify for yourself before making a purchasing decision!

OK so the P100 spec car solo has a specced range of 351 miles in ideal conditions. In the real world using heaters, aircon against the wind and up hills at motorway speeds owners report 250-260 miles with a slight drop off in battery capacity as the battery initially ages so your 351 drops to 340  over the 1st three months then stabilises.

Towing capacity on 20" wheels is 2250Kg and curiously only 1500Kg on 22" wheels. 

Some considerations are that aerodynamics play an important part in all Tesla designs so wacking a brick on the back will mess up the aero package somewhat more than conventional cars. Also stop start traffic could have an impact on range especially on a gradient.

One US owner has reported towing a boat (probably more aerodynamic than a caravan) of 2204Kg Towing performance as expected from the powerful electric motors is more than adequate, but he quotes energy usage of 575Whrs/mile solo and up to 800Whrs /mile towing which is 40% more.The owner estimated that in the worst case energy usage could be up to 60% more on gradient (hilly) routes backed up by the other tow test below. Taking the above best case and simply extrapolating the real world mileage would indicate a towing range of 150 miles max. Reducing the towing weight to 1500Kg would give approx 160 miles range. so you would probably need to pull off the motorway at 140 miles for a recharge. Maybe less if Van aerodynamics play more of a part.

If the service station has a Tesla supercharger the battery will charge at a rate of 167 miles per 20 mins  so about 45 mins or so for a full charge. However on a standard charger the charge rate is 25 miles per hour so you could be there 10hrs for a full charge.

 

another test

Here is a summary of a US model X user towing a teardrop van of 573Kg possibly 750Kg laden

Towing distance: 1,003 miles (1,033 total)
Number of Supercharger stops: 11
Average stop time: 1 hour, 34 minutes
Average Energy consumption: 612 Wh/mile
Travel time: 40.25 hours (23.02 hours driving, 17.23 hours charging)
Average travel speed: 24.9 mph

So EV's have a long way to go in my opinion, a decent battery would help!

90 miles between charges!

details of the above trip here

https://www.edmunds.com/tesla/model-x/2016/long-term-road-test/2016-tesla-model-x-range-and-charging-while-towing-a-trailer.html

 

 

cariadon replied on 29/01/2018 09:48

Posted on 29/01/2018 09:48

However on a standard charger the charge rate is 25 miles per hour so you could be there 10hrs for a full charge.

at least you can kip in the van while you wait. Think the CMC will have to have 24 hour check in, as members could be running late if there's a queue at the charging points.

brue replied on 29/01/2018 11:21

Posted on 29/01/2018 11:21

Tesla towing in Europe YouTube video, if you look at the comment and reply there is a link to a blog with technical information, o

brue replied on 29/01/2018 11:25

Posted on 29/01/2018 11:25

I was unable to edit but if you go to YouTube itself you'll see further details under this video and others.

brue replied on 29/01/2018 11:36

Posted on 29/01/2018 11:36

Here's a link to the Tesla Super chargers in the UK etc. which can take only minutes for a part charge. 

YouTube videos can be found by using "YouTube Tesla towing caravan search."

viatorem replied on 29/01/2018 12:50

Posted on 29/01/2018 12:50

So the chart on the video here:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iko35Oqzs2A

confirms that the range best case when towing 1600Kg  maximum range is 112 miles.

so a comfortable range allowing for traffic and hold ups etc would be 80-90 miles. 6000Km = 3728miles = about 40 recharges of 45 mins = 30 hrs supercharging...Hmmm

With my car with 250 mile towing range 15 stops of say 15 mins max about 4 hrs

Don't get me wrong I want EV's to be the future which they will eventually be. But at present in my opinion they are not a practical proposition.

 

 

viatorem replied on 29/01/2018 16:54

Posted on 29/01/2018 16:54

The vehicle engineering seems to be almost there, if the batteries were two to three times the capacity and guaranteed 10yrs that would be getting closer. 

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