Am I crazy - long trip towing boat upcoming....

[heckler1]

Hi all, long term lurker, first time poster..... I have a pre heat pump M3 LR and am proposing a trip, just want confirmation I am not undertaking the impossible..
I cannot find any reliable data of range impact towing a boat...
My Journey is from the Midlands to Kingsbridge Devon without a boat, then from Kingsbridge to Anglesey..
My supercharger network thoughts are as follows:
Kingsbridge - Exeter Darts Farm 42 miles. get to 100% charge
Exeter Dart - Michaelwood North 90 miles. To not make this would need energy use in excess of 775wh/m ( I've Lysander or Cribbs as emergency stops.)
Michaelwood - Telford 101 miles using M5/M6/M54. 694wh/m is the cutoff on this leg. (i'll have knowledge from leg 1 as a metric, and Hopwood or Hilton Park as emergency stops..)
I've then got Flint 68 miles from Telford and another 70 miles to destination. If the energy use allows that 134 miles in one go so be it, but that would need 512wh/m and I reckon thats unrealistic.

So can I get 101 miles on a full charge pulling a 950kg boat is the million dollar question..... I'm fully prepared to sit with the lorries at 55mph its not a race, and I am aware of the faffing that will be necessary at charge stops in terms of trailer removal..... Oh and this happens at end of January when it could be cold weather and rain..

What do we think?
Thanks in advance
Ewen

 

[Fursty Ferret]

Might be easier to just hire or borrow an ICE car with a tow-bar.

 

[qwickshot]

I’d expect range to but cut in half (or consumption to double), plan for that and of consumption is better/worse, adjust accordingly.

 

[pgkevet]

Don't forget to pick a nice gusty day and to park broadside to all chargers to take up 6 bays

 

[heckler1]

I’d expect range to but cut in half (or consumption to double), plan for that and of consumption is better/worse, adjust accordingly.

That was kind of my thinking. At 70mph and cold weather on a trip I'm usually around 320-340wh/m or 210-220 miles.So 50-55mph I'm hoping to be around 600wh/m. No idea if this is realistic but it feels sort of right..

 

[heckler1]

Don't forget to pick a nice gusty day and to park broadside to all chargers to take up 6 bays

Heh, if the chargers are quiet I might just do that....

 

[heckler1]

Might be easier to just hire or borrow an ICE car with a tow-bar.

That could be an option, but there is a bit of the adventurer in me that wants to give it a go!

 

[Jason71]

I have never towed anything in an M3. Fully qualified armchair expert here
and I agree it should not be any worse than half so I think your plan will work and as you say if you start to fall short just slow down.
mind you I don't know what a 950 Kg boat looks like? sounds big

 

[heckler1]

I have never towed anything in an M3. Fully qualified armchair expert here
and I agree it should not be any worse than half so I think your plan will work and as you say if you start to fall short just slow down.
mind you I don't know what a 950 Kg boat looks like? sounds big

I'm here for armchair experts!
If I'm honest I've guessed the weight.... 18ft with a 90 hp outboard. A quick google suggests 500kg boat, 180kg outboard, plus trailer at around 250kg. so 950kg is about there or thereabouts....

 

[Jason71]

Bjorn Nyland did a test with a 600kg trailer but it was like a brick so despite being lighter it might be worse than your boat.
he got 580wh/m which would give you a realistic range of 120m

I still think its more about the aero though so might be better than that even with more weight?

 

[LoudMusic]

Bjorn Nyland did a test with a 600kg trailer but it was like a brick so despite being lighter it might be worse than your boat.
he got 580wh/m which would give you a realistic range of 120m

I still think its more about the aero though so might be better than that even with more weight?

Correct - aero is the most significant concern. Added weight does create a consumption hit, but you also regen more when slowing down. Air drag causes consumption increase while accelerating, constant running, and takes away from regen as the drag helps to slow down the car rather than producing electricity.

 

[GRiLLA]

I am not undertaking the impossible

Cribbs as emergency stop

I'm not saying it's impossible to get a Tesla towing a boat into Cribbs, but any chance you could live stream it for our entertainment.

Other than that your plan looks possible, and exciting!

 

[heckler1]

Bjorn Nyland did a test with a 600kg trailer but it was like a brick so despite being lighter it might be worse than your boat.
he got 580wh/m which would give you a realistic range of 120m

I still think its more about the aero though so might be better than that even with more weight?

Really useful thanks

 

[heckler1]

Correct - aero is the most significant concern. Added weight does create a consumption hit, but you also regen more when slowing down. Air drag causes consumption increase while accelerating, constant running, and takes away from regen as the drag helps to slow down the car rather than producing electricity.

Yeah that trailer Bjorn was pulling is much more upright...

 

[heckler1]

I'm not saying it's impossible to get a Tesla towing a boat into Cribbs, but any chance you could live stream it for our entertainment.

Other than that your plan looks possible, and exciting!

Regrettably for you I was thinking John Lewis car park may be tricky, so whilst I am game for most things I really meant Lysander...

 

[Stranger Dings]

Exeter Dart - Michaelwood North 90 miles. To not make this would need energy use in excess of 775wh/m ( I've Lysander or Cribbs as emergency stops.)

Gordano Services might be a better emergency option than Cribbs or Lysander. Cribbs is in a multi-storey car park, so height restricted, and Lysander is a bit tight if you are towing.

 

[CMc1]

This post might help

Towing experiences with the Model 3

I did my first real towing with my Model 3 last weekend. The plan was to drive from my home in the Leamington Spa area to the gliding club at Bidford (about 30 miles), then collect my glider trailer from there and drive to the Black Mountains Gliding Club In Wales; a destination about 90 miles...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[Wol747]

Why not just take it for an out and back of say 50 miles, record the consumption and any confounding factors then use that figure for the trip (with a safety factor!)

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

I think the general view is double consumption but no doubt t varies by load and aero. You might want to check the towing limits as the M3 isn’t as high as some other cars.

You’ve also got the option of Hilton park if needed, it’s just after the M54 turning but leaving the m6 at the first exit after the services adds only a short stretch of an A road to get across to the M54. Something you can play by ear on the day.

Telford to Anglesey won’t be fun though. It’s a longer route on paper but staying on the M6 and then heading across the M53 might be an easier drive, that said, my frustration of the A5 is following people with trailers..

 

[pgkevet]

Flint is a nice stop but further off the A55 than you'd think it'd be.
A major point is that google maps gives the conventional drive time as 6hrs. Add slower towing speeds and recharge/food/bio break stops and you can easily get to fatigue or longer stops - perhaps 8hrs and more. It's a younger man's' game.
I did once do London to Prague with only petrol/toilet stops and in-car snacks but I was 30yrs younger.