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Initial trailer pulling report - 90D and Airstream 22ft Bambi Sport
- Thread starter JimVandegriff
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- Model X
Man, good luck. I hope you have a ton of fun, but I fear for your sanity. Charging with a trailer just sounds like a complete nightmare to me, especially considering how often you'll likely have to do it dragging around an efficiency killing rig behind you. Like you said though, at least you'll get a lot of good data, and even if the trip is a total nightmare you'll have some great stories and an unforgettable life experience. And if it isn't a total nightmare, even better!
I'd rephrase that to say that if you can't make it 113 miles, then towing this particular travel trailer isn't as practical. The Alto that @fortytwo towed is quite a bit lighter and more aerodynamic. The Bowlus Road Chief also appears to hit the range slightly less. But this data from @JimVandegriff is going to be invaluable for those of us considering trying something similar.
We made it to our first campground in Gold Beach. Total distance was 111.0 miles. The picture shows the distance, kwh's used. Car said we had 32 miles of range left. We did face some wind in this travel, but no net elevation gain or loss (there were coastal hills we went up and down). The trailer is fully loaded (4500 lbs.) I had X tire pressures at 46 psi front and 50 rear. More data to follow as we continue up the coast and then inland.
Thank you for gathering and reporting all this information. This non-X Tesla owner is also fascinated. 
Boy, your lifetime Wh/mi number is going to pay the price for this trip!
Thanks again.. great info!
A day in which disaster strikes... The Airstream Bambi needed a special led lamp out switch adapter to connect with the 7 prong adapter for the model X to recognize that there was a trailer behind it. It fell off the car today and we noticed that the blue traitor mode light was glowing red. We stopped the car in front of an RV repair place in Reedsport Oregon and realized that the adapter was gone and the 7 prong plug from the Airstream to the car was partially sheared off from dragging on the ground.
What this means is no brake lights, no turn signals and no trailer brakes until we get the part replaced.
None of the area automotive stores has the part whose part number we got from Josh in service at Bay Area Airstream Adventures.
To top it off, there are no rv spots available on the Oregon coast this weekend due to the heatwave inland. A local casino opened up spaces in its parking lot and there are hundreds of rvs here now where we are. One good thing though is the level 3 fast charger in the casino parking lot.
We have to head inland into the heat to find parts tomorrow.
Average whM was about 575 today through rolling coastal hills...more adventure on the morrow.
What this means is no brake lights, no turn signals and no trailer brakes until we get the part replaced.
None of the area automotive stores has the part whose part number we got from Josh in service at Bay Area Airstream Adventures.
To top it off, there are no rv spots available on the Oregon coast this weekend due to the heatwave inland. A local casino opened up spaces in its parking lot and there are hundreds of rvs here now where we are. One good thing though is the level 3 fast charger in the casino parking lot.
We have to head inland into the heat to find parts tomorrow.
Average whM was about 575 today through rolling coastal hills...more adventure on the morrow.
cmc5dc
Member
I now know more about LED lamp out adapters than I care to. It seems like the one we had which dropped off was a Tow Ready 20142. Curt also makes an adapter 57003 which allows the Tesla to read the existence of led lighting.
We now have one of each on order to be delivered to our RV park in Eugene OR. Adventures continue tomorrow.
We now have one of each on order to be delivered to our RV park in Eugene OR. Adventures continue tomorrow.
hacer
Active Member
I found that drafting behind a semi with a TACC setting of 5 (note this is nothing like tailgating) produced quite a bit lower Wh/mi for my model S. Perhaps if you kept pace with a semi going 60-65 you could go that fast with a similar range if the opportunity comes up. Of course with a tall trailer the drafting benefits will be smaller at that distance. Still it's probably worth a try for a few miles if the chance arises.
Yes, we have the CHAdeMo adapter, and have been using it. We are parked in the lot of a casino that has an Aerovironment charger.
High tech meet low tech: We visited the Sutton RV dealership in Eugene, Oregon today to have our sheared off 7 pin trailer connector plug replaced. When we returned to our trailer park, UPS delivered a package for us from Amazon which consisted of two different lamp out adapters which are needed for the Tesla to recognize the trailer LED lighting system. The problem we are facing is a design problem with attaching the lamp-out adapter to the 7 pin Tesla connector, and then adding the 7 pin trailer connector to the bottom of the lamp-out adapter. Basically, one is requiring small plastic clips which do not fit exactly on the lamp-out adapter due to its design, to fight gravity. We believe we lost a lamp-out adapter to a bump, and the 7 pin trailer adapter then dragged on the ground and was damaged. We think Tesla should re-think this design and incorporate a Tesla designed adapter in a more horizontal position to receive a trailer's 7 pin plug.
The low tech part of this is that we used double sided sticky tape to try and keep the clips that hold the whole thing in place in their proper positions, and then used a shoe string to tie the end of the trailer's 7 pin plug to the frame of the Tesla underneath to fight the gravity force and keep the 7 pin from dragging on the ground in case the whole thing comes loose again. Let me just say (as you may sense) that this whole exercise has been exasperating.
The low tech part of this is that we used double sided sticky tape to try and keep the clips that hold the whole thing in place in their proper positions, and then used a shoe string to tie the end of the trailer's 7 pin plug to the frame of the Tesla underneath to fight the gravity force and keep the 7 pin from dragging on the ground in case the whole thing comes loose again. Let me just say (as you may sense) that this whole exercise has been exasperating.
Above pics: sheared off 7 pin trailer plug, jury-rigged adapter and plug. More info at:Electric Adventures - The West | Facebook
ccutrer
Active Member
I'm curious about the adapter. Does the manual say anything about needing it for a trailer with all LED lights? I don't remember anything. My trailer the brake lights are LED, and the running lights are half and half (I'm not done replacing them all yet). My X detects the trailer just fine, and all lights work.
fortytwo
Member
The LED problem is strange. Our Alto Safari Condo R1723 has all around LED light. They just work fine. No adaptor needed. Thanks for the number and good luck. We are now 13,000 km into out cross Canada trip. One more province and we are done.
Good luck! I have to be honest, if I was pulling a tailer around the US I would use my Honda Pilot. Its also rated at 5,000 lbs. I would just feel more comfortable using fossil fuels for that type of vacation. I did get the tow package on my X but only to tow the golf car or utility trailer around town.
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