It’s true that many plug-in vehicles are either not rated to tow or have reduced capacity. But newer models are beginning to get into the groove of hauling stuff – like the Audi e-tron, which is rated for 1.8 tonnes. Or the Tesla Model X, which can lug 2.268 tonnes. Yes, that’s a weirdly specific figure, but it’s a nice round 5000 pounds in American maths.
Even those EVs that can’t tow… probably can. Case in point is the 2015 Tesla Model S run by Taupo-based dealership Drive EV. It was purchased as a $65,000, 170,000km ex-Japan used import, in P85 specification (85kWh battery, single-motor RWD) and has served as a tow car since earlier this year, delivering EVs to their new owners.
The 2015 Model S is not rated to tow. At all. But that didn’t stop Drive EV commissioning Raglan engineer Niall Darwin to build a towbar rated to 3.5 tonnes for the vehicle. That’s just a case of overdelivering in the interests of safety, as the Tesla tows a maximum of 2.5 tonnes at any one time: the trailer plus, say, a Model 3. The company now calls the car “Hulk”.
“There is no reason that EVs can’t tow,” says Drive EV owner Steve Greenwood. “In fact, they have excellent low down torque, an asset when towing. The most limiting factor is the impact on the vehicle’s driving range, but the great thing about the Model S is it does have a pretty good range to begin with.”
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Early runs indicated the real-world range was halved when towing, to around 160km. No different in theory to the extra fuel used by a petrol or diesel car, except that recharging regularly takes much more careful planning and management.
Drive EV has recently taken the Hulk theme further by doing a battery swap, from the 85kW unit (which, incredibly, still had a 92 per cent State of Health) to a 100kWh pack. The old one is being split in two for a pair of short-wheelbase Land Rovers, but that’s a story for another time.
So Hulk is now unique in NZ: technically a P100 RWD, compared with the factory P100D, or D-for-dual motor AWD, versions. Hulk has been on the dyno and makes 309kW/940Nm at the rear wheels. And tows other EVs.
"We have been towing with Hulk now since April and everything has been great so far," says Greenwood. "It's a heavy car with big tyres and brakes; it feels really comfortable with the load behind it. We have picked up cars from Auckland and had return trips from Drive EV to places like Otaki, Rotorua, Hawkes Bay and Whakatane. We even crossed the desert road in the snow!”
Hulk smash… preconceptions.