Can you tow with an electric car? We find out!
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- Опубліковано 30 тра 2024
- What happens when you tow with an electric car? Does it destroy the range? To find out, Gav grabbed a 300 kW all-electric Polestar 2 & a caravan and went on a New Zealand camping holiday!
In the process, he learned about speed versus hills, estimating the range and the pros and cons of towing in New Zealand without using diesel or petrol.
If you enjoyed this review, be sure to hit the Subscribe button because next week's review features a car that's just hit the New Zealand market (that's the only clue you're getting).
Are you thinking of going electric but don't know where to start? Now that petrol's passed $3 a litre, check out the EV Buyer's Guide to find an electric vehicle in your price range or with your desired range: buyersguide.ecotricity.nz/
And if you're keen on minimising your footprint on our planet's fragile ecosystem, why not switch to using 100% renewable electricity? With Ecotricity you can do that right now.
Plus, you might be surprised to see how much money you'll save, being New Zealand's only CarboNZero certified electricity provider with very competitive rates. Check out www.ecotricity.co.nz to join the future! - Авто та транспорт
As a farmer I do a lot of towing with my Skoda Enyaq IV80x. My main trailer is a box trailer which is quite large. The car normally does 18kw per 100km but with a loaded trailer (about 1500kg) the consumption drops to about 28kw per 100km. The car tows very well & is good & stable, probably due to the weight. Yours was an excellent video thanks. 😍
Maybe next caravan challenge you could see if going from camp ground to camp ground is doable with just charging at camp grounds overnight.
In 240v countries I don’t think that would even be a problem
1. The Polestar 2 always uses regenerative breaking. The setting is for how much of a one peddle experience you want OFF - Low - Standard (or as I call them, Rolling - Engine Breaking - One Peddle) - so makes zero difference on how much it regenerates.
2. The latest software will read the "Open Road" (or UK National Speed Limit) signs now.
3. The Seat Belt - Had that many times ... as the wife always forgets to put it back correctly.
I've had mine since Oct'20 ..... damm good car with only the one cup holder up front being the most annoying part. I've only towed a bike rack .... never a caravan, so great to see this video.
A regenerative breaking overview would have been interesting to see, especially as hills and passes feature so much in NZ.
This has some serious production value, very impressive.
The amount of detailed information about energy consumption and efficiency that we get in modern EVs is impressive. I pity those of us in their diesel-powered Range Rapers and Land Bruisers whose only feedback they receive is a needle pointing somewhere between an F and an E, and maybe an orange light. I often wonder if more of us would understand how much more energy-efficient electric driving is if fossil-fuel vehicles had guessometers and fuel consumption displays, too. But hey, maybe ignorance is bliss?
Real driving with real driving frustrations, well done. Loving that you don’t take yourself too seriously. And kudos for pulling over and letting others pass
No surprise that the "fuel consumption" doubled on that trip.. it would roughly double on a petrol or diesel car of similar size towing that caravan. The difference is in the availability of suitably arranged chargers that can charge a car with trailer attached (and of course the speed of the "refueling" operation) relative to the huge number of suitable petrol stations..
EV range and charge speed will slowly improve, but it is important that the infrastructure becomes available as well... we should email MPs, councils and charging infrastructure companies pointing out the need. A few emails might not achieve much but a few thousand might get noticed!
Thanks for a useful video Gav, much appreciated.
ooo! Auto trailer light lamp test! That's an awesome feature! But not as much fun as watching you tow something! Excellent video with some great information about the Polestar and entertaining! Thank you!
Always hilarious. You forgot to mention the PSC of the Caravan though. Anyway good to know it can be done in NZ.
Awesome review. Really useful to see the efficiency stats collated at the end of the trip. Comparing the same route with and without the caravan is going above and beyond.
First! Top stuff Gavin. Shared this on facebook... hope it helps!
Heres a comment to for engagement. Get those numbers up.
Top video Gavin! Not really a caravan person but I see the appeal
Great in depth video and review.
Yes you can tow a caravan with any car petrol/diesel/electric/Hydrogen/Hybrid depending how big the caravan is.
If you are travelling short distances you can scrape thru but not in Australia where you can travel at least 400km in one day without a major town let alone an electric charger.
The biggest problem with EVs, they are at least 10 years from better development in battery technology.
My honest opinion, if you want to tow without the worry of range don't depend on the EV, Diesel is the best option.
Unfortunately, the manufacturers are under pressure to produce EVs only because the politicians are forcing them to do so, not because they want to, this is the reality.
Great video - very informative and fun.👍
Thanks Gav, that's really useful information😀
Thank you very much for this video. Not only very informative but also fun, compared to all other boring car reviewers. Go Gavin!
Funny and informative. Brilliant as ever!
Great review and of particular interest as we have a Polestar2 due in a couple of weeks that we will use for infrequent towing duties.
Two things that need mentioning; the Polestar2 foldout towbar does indeed have a 50mm coupling ball but we have opted for the NZ fitted (removable & stowable) version with a 1 7/8 inch ball as our own trailer and all of the hire items we tow (log splitters, hire trailers) all have 1 7/8" tow hitches, which is usual in NZ. From past experience a 50mm ball won't fit in a 1 7/8" socket but a 1 7/8" ball will fit in a 50mm socket, but is prone to detaching itself. Both towbar versions are a $2,800 option on Polestars which must comply with the car's sensor devices (i.e. the trailer is not a closely following vehicle) according to the Polestar staff.
Secondly the brakes on the trailer would negate much of the regenerative braking so wouldn't it be better in terms of battery range to back off the severity of the trailer's braking ability so that the inertia can be more effectively used to recharge the battery to some extent. Some experimentation may be required to get the best happy medium between safety and economy but worth a try at least.
Yep. I do love me a good "jack knifing" off road caravan adventure.
Fantastic review. Very informative, and pretty hilarious. Keep up the good work.
very interesting and good test
Brilliant effort and planning with a great result Gavin. Well done and THANK YOU for paving the way in our new EV world.
Great video Gavin. I hope you get all the views this deserves. Informative and funny as usual.
I'll share the link you posted on Twitter for you, to be extra nice 👍.
Love it ! Thanks ! Polestar is good ! Serious competitor!
Great Video mate. if i ever get an ev, i need to try this.
How good is The Orville !! hehe
Loved it! Made me want to get a caravan and hit the road :)
Do Model Y next! 🤘
Missed turn twice,pulling in to let other motorists pass and air con on all reduce range 😂. The Volvo xc40 recharge is the same drivetrain a can tow 1800 kg.
Wow! 42-44 kWh/100km. Towing the caravan took double the electricity that I use for a camper trailer of similar weight but much lower roof in hilly country at 90kph (22kWh/100km). Aerodynamics matters!
Brilliant work. Your content is excellent and it's so helpful to have a New Zealand perspective.
I am thinking of changing from my 2018 320d wagon to either a current model 320d or a Polestar - but is the $20k plus worth the saving in diesel costs? I know it's more complicated than just cost to fuel or charge.
Well done, how about that TTK (Tesla Towbar king) what a legend. Bit sad to see 95 views and only 17 likes, another masterpiece tough crowd
Excellent concept to show the impact of towing. By the way I love your videos. I have gone from an EV skeptic to seriously considering a Polestar 2. On,y downside for me is no wireless Apple CarPlay
Will be interesting to compare the same trip with a Rivian when(ever) they become available down under.
Amazing video but, my god, it's more stressful than Mission: Impossible driving through Auckland. And that's why I didn't try towing our 6-berth caravan when we had it.
Wow Gav I did not expect a modern Polestar 2 was going to have 25% worse (21 kWh/100km on a wet day and 32kWh/100km when towing the caravan in the dry.) than my 2016 Kia Soul EV (getting 16 kWh/100km in warm dry summer day and 22 kWh/100km when towing a commercial trailer.)
Nice video.
Would be interesting to see how numbers change with bigger load. 700kg is quite small. Small boat would be around 1400kg?
I wonder if the caravan brakes are ruining your regen ability on hills?
I've observed that small (800-1000 kg) sailboats seem to take 25%-40% of the range away on US highways. Speed seems to be the biggest factor with a big difference between 90 kph and 110 kph.
What was the cruise control set to when you weren't towing while on the motorway?
I think the high hill consumption is because of the trailer doing some of the braking, causing the car to regenerate less.
I wish I could find a caravan as light as that one so that I can actually tow one with my new LRDM Polestar 2 here in California..Americans, for some reason, think you need a pickup truck or SUV to tow a 'camper trailer' (caravan) , so all the non tear-drop caravans are heavier than 3500lbs.
So in NZ, you can legally install an aftermarket towbar on a Tesla and have it rated for towing? Interesting. In Finland at least, Tesla has 0 kg tow weight in reg slip, if not with factory tow bar.
Casserole of awesomeness 🤣
How are the Plug&Charge capabilities in NZ? Because I read Polestar 2 is capable of it.
Does your caravan have batteries
Like the car or are they lead acid and what is the power (current ) of the van battery.
Never heard of the open road sign before and suspect Polestar didn't know about it either it seems, software update will fix that though if they get told about the issue. What does the sign mean though unlimited speed or ???
What is the max towing capacity? I tow a 1.8 tonne caravan.
Clearly, the key question that remains after watching this relates to the size of potatoes used. At certain times of the year potato sizes tends to vary and so the accuracy of any conclusion has to be questionable. Tough one to tackle.
I don’t get why hills are such a surprise for consumption. Batteries are the same as any other fuel.
I would put a quick release on the Caravan so it may be saved when the EV catches fire.
Let's Tow, Mr. Potato Man!
Why didn't you try it with a proper size (1.5 tonne) caravan, you know, the sort that a family might use? The car seems to be capable of it.
Oh absolutely, that car would easily handle a bigger caravan but I had a devil of a time locating one. After two weeks of enquiries that caravan was the only one I could arrange! -Gav
Charging every 200km? Think I'll stick with my 5 series diesel and just enjoy the drive.
Towing the caravan is bound to be more as you missed your turning twice and added kms to your journey.
OK this video needs some comments.
So I'll start.
No potatoes? At all?
Oh the irony....a Volvo pulling a caravan.
Volvo's(it basically is one)and Caravans go together like butter and toast
Entertaining
But that’s not really a caravan lol
Cute guy
I like fish and chips
Careful of the fruit bowl!!
Could you not find a smaller caravan ??....🙄😂
Not at such short notice, unfortunately. If you've got a huge caravan I'd love to borrow it! Wouldn't mind doing a super heavy EV towing test! -Gav
Simple. If I spend $100,000 on a car I can tow a caravan to Taupo for $16. Seems like a no brainer.
Wow that Abby caravan is almost vintage most of them have been destroyed here in the UK by that trio of Englands best idiots, from Top Gear 😂😂😂😂😂
Not very helpful.and somewhat misleading How many people go caravanning solo? You chose the smallest caravan in the Lunar range (MRO 861kg) so it will give the lightest figures. How about towing a 4 berth family sized van (Lunar Alara MRO 1634kg), two adults + two children in the car and all of the relative luggage, food, bedding and extras required for a family holiday. I live 193km from the nearest beach and wouldn't want it to take 3 days to get there ... and neither would the kids, .and btw, there would have been no caravan to go back to after charging, it would have been stolen.
Simple. If I spend $100,000 on a car I can tow a caravan to Taupo for $16. Seems like a no brainer.