I thought forum folk might be interested in a converstaion currently taking place between Eribafolk Facebook Members Louis Devitt (Cornwall) and Nils-Hendrik Henningstad (Norway) about Nils' experience of towing an Eriba with an electric car.

Nils Henrik Henningstad.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Louis Devitt:-
What’s it like towing with an electric car? Presumably masses of instant low down torque for pulling away easily?Better than all these people with their 1 litre petrol cars pulling Trolls and the like.

Nils-Henrik Henningstad :-
I dont even notice its there 😁(except range of course). With the big battery you can go 300kms per charge with the Eriba. We are going to travel across Europe in August, putting it to the test 😎

Louis Devitt:-
Good luck. That will be a good test. Is it possible to charge the car at campsites at night? We are just back from a 4,300 km round trip to Austria (from the west of uk) which used around 500 euros of diesel. No worries about range as long as you can work out how to use those automated French petrol stations🤫

Nils-Henrik Henningstad:-
I think it would be possible to charge at the campsites, but it is not necessary. There are superchargers everywhere, and you can charge for free at Tesla's own chargers.

https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/supercharger

Randa

An interesting article in Carbuyer.co.uk :-

Why can’t many electric cars tow a trailer?
Electric vehicles are currently the most limited when it comes to towing, particularly if you’re after a supermini or hatchback. When every car is designed and engineered, the manufacturer works out exactly how much it can tow and establishes a legal towing limit in a process known as homologation. For customers who want to tow, the two figures that matter most are the maximum weight limits for towing an unbraked trailer and a braked trailer. If a car doesn’t have these figures published, it usually means the manufacturer deems it unsuited to towing – and this is the case with most electric cars.

There are a few reasons why. Firstly, the battery pack fitted in an electric car is very heavy. As an example, while a 1.2-litre petrol Renault Clio supermini can weigh as little as 977kg, the all-electric Renault ZOE supermini weighs 1,468kg, with the battery pack coming in at 305kg alone. With this much weight on board, there’s less capacity to deal with the extra weight of a trailer, which could put too much strain on components like the brakes.

A second reason often cited by manufacturers is that towing could damage the electric powertrain itself. While the instant torque and impressive power of electric motor can be ideal for accelerating with a trailer, the main issue comes when slowing down. Unlike a conventional internal combustion engine, electric motors can instantly switch to become generators as you come off the accelerator pedal, converting kinetic energy into extra charge for the batteries and slowing the vehicle down. Towing a heavy trailer down a steep hill will provide lots more kinetic energy than normal, which could overwhelm the electrical system.

Lastly, many manufacturers don’t put electric models through the homologation process for towing, because the extra effort of towing a trailer can dramatically reduce the maximum driving range. As most EV manufacturers are already struggling to combat the stigma of ‘range anxiety’, the possibility that towing could leave drivers stranded is a big risk.


Electric models that can tow
The only electric car on sale today that’s approved for towing is the Tesla Model X SUV. Not only can it tow, but its maximum towing limit is a substantial 2,270kg – easily high enough to haul a large caravan or trailer. Just be aware you’ll need to have passed your driving test before 1997 or have taken an extra car-and-trailer driving test if the combined weight of the Model X (weighing 2,439kg itself) and trailer comes in at more than 3,500kg.

Once you plug a trailer’s electrics into a Model X, it enters ‘trailer mode’, disabling many of its driver-assistance features like automatic steering and parking, active cruise control and the rear parking sensors. The Model X also activates Trailer Sway Mitigation, where automatic braking of the vehicle’s individual wheels can prevent a trailer from swaying dangerously behind you.

But the Model X starts from around £78,000, a “distinctly premium price point, making it challenging for early adopters to buy them”, according to Martin Spencer, technical manager for the Caravan and Motorhome Club.

Quote: Julie Grafo wrote in post #7

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It's a nice idea, just a little more thought needs to go into it (or a lot more money into my bank account).

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