TESLA Electric Truck?

[Industrial Toys]

My late friend bought a used BMW EV. It quit on the highway, on account of some California Programming requirement. And had to be towed back to the dealer. Not a good start.

 

[California]

So can a EV be flat towed, as in behind a RV? Jon

Over on the biggest Chevy Bolt Forum this gets discussed. I think the answer for Bolt is: to tow with rear wheels on the ground you have to disconnect the 12v battery - and maybe lose settings, definitely the brake lights - so the car will release the rear axle parking brakes. Front axle has to be on a dolly as I recall because there's no Neutral, no transmission, only a front differential driven by the motor. Its a very simple drive train.

But search on that site if you want a more thorough answer.


Added: I found the thread I had seen over there: Lots of 'it depends ...' - partly because the first edition owners manual was wrong. But people have figured out how to tow the Bolt on a front wheel dolly. Page two of the thread is where intelligent replies begin.

Flat towing the Bolt behind motor home? | Chevy Bolt EV Forum

 

[crashz]

I feel like Tesla nailed the electric car. They made a fast powerful and relatively long range car that had very luxury option and pretty decent, if not bland looks. But that truck is hideous. I don't care how fast it goes, how far it goes and how much it can tow or haul. It is too ugly for my driveway, period.

 

[5030]

I feel like Tesla nailed the electric car. They made a fast powerful and relatively long range car that had very luxury option and pretty decent, if not bland looks. But that truck is hideous. I don't care how fast it goes, how far it goes and how much it can tow or haul. It is too ugly for my driveway, period.

Kind of like the Jeep pickup truck. Fugly.

 

[jjp8182]

I see EV's as just a stepping stone for hydrogen. Hydrogen has too many advantages over batteries. The speed at which it can be transferred to a car's tank is the same as gasoline. It can be made where power is made and transported by pipeline or truck. It can be turned into ammonia to be safer. All these "by 2050" predictions have no clue what the future will bring.

Amusing thing on that note is that a fair number of the fuel uses of hydrogen (rockets, fuel cells, etc) are also seeking to move to simple hydrocarbon fuels (e.g. methane, propane) as the energy density (energy per volume) is higher, and it has simpler handing considerations when compared to liquid hydrogen. While hydrogen has a higher specific energy (energy per mass), the support requirements, associated hazards, and handling requirements tend to make it costly to use. ...which if I recall correctly is part of the reason SpaceX uses a liquid fuel (similar to kerosene/diesel) with liquid oxygen on their launch vehicles.

So really even if the modern internal engine ever actually gets made obsolete (which I suspect is unlikely any time in the foreseeable future.... despite what some countries are already trying to legislate) I seriously doubt hydrocarbon fuels will ever go away as they're just too convenient as an energy storage method. ...hence my semi-tongue-in-cheek calling diesel/gasoline/hydrocarbons a "liquid battery"

 

[civilian]

Over on the biggest Chevy Bolt Forum this gets discussed. I think the answer for Bolt is: to tow with rear wheels on the ground you have to disconnect the 12v battery - and maybe lose settings, definitely the brake lights - so the car will release the rear axle parking brakes. Front axle has to be on a dolly as I recall because there's no Neutral, no transmission, only a front differential driven by the motor. Its a very simple drive train.

But search on that site if you want a more thorough answer.


Added: I found the thread I had seen over there: Lots of 'it depends ...' - partly because the first edition owners manual was wrong. But people have figured out how to tow the Bolt on a front wheel dolly. Page two of the thread is where intelligent replies begin.

Flat towing the Bolt behind motor home? | Chevy Bolt EV Forum

Thanks

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Friend bought a tesla about 15 months ago (model 3) and raves about it. Never seen under 90 miles range even in the coldest of last winter here in western pa. Before he bought it he was spending $300/month on gas for commuting to wokr, the car was $35k...the fuel savings just about pays for it.

My next car will likely be an electric. I see the 3's all over now and i"m pretty rural here. See teslas on the PA turnpike every trip i take.

$70k is a bit steep for me, BUT - my friend bought a denali diesel and spent that, so it's not out of line at all, especially with the specs - 2.9 0 to 60? Yowsa! 14k towing and lots of payload? 500 mile range?

Ugly as sin...

prof fate I think you are typical of people getting to the tipping point of moving to EV's in their next buy cycle. You know EV's are real and can function in a high usage setting. Knowing someone that has successfully moved to an EV helps because some still do not believe that fact. The fact Tesla is taking market share from other EV's as well as major brands is discussed in the article below. Telsa at $35K is no more expensive than lesser featured EV's and ICE's in many cases. I expect more and more are saying, "My next car will likely be an electric."

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

 

[cqaigy2]

....... But that truck is hideous. I don't care how fast it goes, how far it goes and how much it can tow or haul. It is too ugly for my driveway, period.

Sounds kinda like my wife. She asks me what my favorite colors is on a vehicle, and i always tell her, the least expensive one.

 

[5030]

Sounds kinda like my wife. She asks me what my favorite colors is on a vehicle, and i always tell her, the least expensive one.

You don't live on a dirt road. I do. Limited colors here. White, silver and light brown with light brown being top choice. I'd run the well dry with a black vehicle.

 

[davrow]

You don't live on a dirt road. I do. Limited colors here. White, silver and light brown with light brown being top choice. I'd run the well dry with a black vehicle.

I wasn't sure others felt this way! Dirt road for me, no way to keep a car clean. Light brown is best. Both my Siennas are light brown. (Toyota calls one 'desert sand mica', but it is light brown)

I'm hoping the stainless cybertruck will do okay...