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Model X Travel Trailer Consumption Analysis

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Interesting that you're seeing under 500 Wh/mi with the Alto - Ohmman's chart showed the smaller Alto does much worse. If the average on flat terrain is really under 500 - that's better than the 22' Sport Airstream and only slightly worse than what was listed for the Bowlus.

The Airstream has a full bathroom with a separate shower - which is a plus. Most of the smaller trailers have the combo toilet/shower (including the Bowlus).

We really like some of the features on the Limited Edition Bowlus - the ability to go off grid - even run the air conditioning for "up to 4 hours", plus the provided cellular booster and WiFi repeater/cellular/router. But those are features we could add to other trailers - and have been looking at upgrades to the Airstream to give us LiOn batteries to power the 110 outlets and solar for recharging without a generator. But even with those upgrades - the Airstream would be much less than even the entry Bowlus.

Going to look at an Airstream this weekend - hope to see a Bowlus next month - and will take a look at the 21xx Alto trailers...
 
Interesting that you're seeing under 500 Wh/mi with the Alto - Ohmman's chart showed the smaller Alto does much worse.
My analysis for the Alto was based on owner reports for the teardrop shape Alto, not the one @ecarfan owns. As noted upthread, research has shown that most teardrops are not aerodynamic and create quite a bit of draw at the rear due to sloping too rapidly.

This is one factor which drove @ecarfan to the model he owns.
 
I love charging at Petaluma. Might see you there! This is my trailer trying to squeeze in unnoticed, like a piglet in a litter of kittens

IMG_9329.jpg
 
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But those are features we could add to other trailers - and have been looking at upgrades to the Airstream to give us LiOn batteries to power the 110 outlets and solar for recharging without a generator.

I've been happy running the house off 12V power through the 7 way adapter coming off the Tesla. AFAIK the line stays hot.

My 22FB didn't come with inverters so I added a cigarette lighter adapter under the fridge which powers a small 180W inverter to run the computers and monitors.

Might be worth a try before committing to an upgrade. Of course it depends on your boondocking scenario, you don't want to be stranded.
 
@bob_p, I see that @ohmman beat me to it with the explanation of why I can see below 500Wh/mi with my Alto F1743 compared to the Alto R1723 numbers that his chart in post #1 in this thread shows.

I agree that the Airstream Sport 22 has a very nice bathroom layout, I’ve seen it in person.

As you noted, the features of the Bowlus Limited Edition can be added to other trailers after purchase if the manufacturer doesn’t offer suitable options. After taking delivery, I added 600Ah of Lion batteries and about 1000W of flexible solar panels, as well as a 3000W inverter to provide 110V power from the batteries when there is no campsite electrical hookup, I also added a cell signal booster and router that creates a local WiFi network for my use. It’s really amazing how it can pull in a cell signal and provide a useful internet connection when my iPhone shows nothing: the power of a rooftop antenna! But the antenna is low profile, like a big hockey puck, so not obtrusive and I don’t have to take it up and down.

I don’t know where you are located, but unless you are in Quebec you are going to have a very difficult time seeing an Alto F2114 in person. That model only went into production a few months ago, it proved so popular it almost instantly became back ordered out to over a yea. The Safari Condo dealers in Canada are unlikely to have a showroom model and Safari Condo has no US dealers. I waited 16 months after ordering to receive my Alto F1743; every Alto trailer that Safari Condo makes is ordered far in advance of production and delivery. But I think they are worth waiting for.
 
Just a note that the Sport 22 has the tallest bed in the Airstream lineup, that I’m aware of. It’s 84” long and 54” wide.
Understood. But as a 6’ 2” tall (though not wide) person with a 5’ 1” spouse, I could not possibly be comfortable in a bed that narrow. The Alto bed at 81” long by 60” wide is barely large enough for me to be comfortable sharing it. ;)
 
Understood. But as a 6’ 2” tall (though not wide) person with a 5’ 1” spouse, I could not possibly be comfortable in a bed that narrow. The Alto bed at 81” long by 60” wide is barely large enough for me to be comfortable sharing it. ;)
I'm 6'2" and the Bowlus has plenty of room in the bed. We actually went with the two twins instead of the king insert. The reason being it's easier to get out of the bed in the middle of the night without waking up your sleeping partner.
 
I'm estimating that a 400 mile trip in the Airstream would take about 9 hours (driving + charging) and about 8.5 hours in a Road Chief.

Here's info on an actual 335 mile leg from Denver to Kansas with a Bowlus. X90D on 20" wheels. Starting with a full charge. Temps mid 70's. Average speed just under 55mph.

463 Wh/mi
6hr 25min driving
1hr 17min supercharging
First stop 38-->87% 35 minutes
Second stop 43-->93% 42 minutes

Onboard storage seems better with the Airstream, with the large storage area underneath the bed and a larger closet, plus more overhead storage.

Here's a great post from a Flying Cloud owner who bought a Bowlus. Good comparison of the two.
Bowlus Road Chief - Page 2 - Airstream Forums

Also you'd be shocked how much space you have in the MX/Bowlus combo. We traveled cross country with three large dogs. Had the third row down all the time. Dogs had the entire back plus the second row up to the back of the front seats. Everything in the MX was in the frunk, under the second row seats, or in the under back storage.

Plus when you travel you can put stuff on the floor of the Bowlus. When you get to your destination it's a quick unload.

even run the air conditioning for "up to 4 hours",
My experience with A/C and camping is that you either need it or don't need it. If it's hot/humid enough for A/C you need it most of the day. So although being able to go 4 hours sounds nice I'm not sure it would be enough.

and have been looking at upgrades to the Airstream to give us LiOn batteries
This isn't AS or Bowlus specific. But it's easy to build an external battery bank/"battery generator" that you can just plug into your shore power connection. A few LiIon blocks, bms, and a separate inverter/charger. Just plug into the shore power and no need to re-wire the stuff in the trailer.

For charging the bank you can use solar and a charge controller. Or just plug into shore power at some point.

I'm not sure you even need extra capacity with the Bowlus. The lights/fridge/electronics seem to be really efficient. The few times we've been on battery alone we've barely used any battery. I estimate that the stock battery could go 5-7 days before 50% DOD. I think water and tanks are more the limiting factor for us. I plan to do some boondocking once it cools down here on the East Coast to get a better idea.
 
My experience with A/C and camping is that you either need it or don't need it. If it's hot/humid enough for A/C you need it most of the day. So although being able to go 4 hours sounds nice I'm not sure it would be enough.
While I mostly agree with the rest of your comments, this is not necessarily true on the West Coast. At home or camping, we often need an hour or two of AC just to bridge the gap between 95 degrees at 7pm and 60 degrees at 9pm. We just returned from Lassen and found that running the AC for an hour or two at night would cool all the materials in the camper enough that windows open at 9pm would be comfortable all night.

Similarly, for those of us who cannot stand the smell of combustion (campfires), being able to run the AC during prime campfire hours keeps the camper free from the smell and particulates of that particular activity.

I could see the use, but agree that it’s limited to certain conditions.
 
The storage is a concern. We plan to bring a telescope for star gazing away from the city light pollution. While we would likely drive with the telescope in the car - once the trailer is parked, we want to store the telescope in the trailer somewhere that it's out of the way and not have to move it to use the bed, sofa or chairs.

The Bowlus closet is smaller than the Sport and already has other items stored there (solar panels, …), so it's not clear we'd be able to use that space - and it's not clear there is an alternate location. In the Sport, the bedframe appears to be taller and deeper, providing access to most of the area under the bed - enough for AS to provide 4 large tall storage containers - with both front and top access - which should be more than enough space to store the telescope - and probably still have enough room for 3 of the containers.

The lighter weight Bowlus has the advantage of longer range - and easier to move when hitching. Bowlus posted a video showing how easy it is to move the Road Chief when hitching. Haven't seen anyone try to roll an AS by hand - all of the videos show moving the towing vehicle into place.

With aftermarket upgrades, we could install in the AS a comparable or better power system than the Limited Edition - even put solar panels on the roof and be able to charge while driving. Though the Bowlus A/C is a smaller unit, using less power - which is why it's able to run for "up to 4 hours" on the 4KWhr battery.

The Bowlus only has a standard microwave - wonder if you can replace it with the Cuisinart convection microwave used in the AS... The Bowlus has a smaller refrigerator - the AS has a double sink.

The Sport bathroom is large - and separate (unlike the Bowlus which has the bathroom between the bed and the living area) plus it has a full shower (with more height). And, it has a wall mounted TV that we can use for playing recorded videos or streaming live news/sports, with an external cable connection to connect to cable or satellite.

We like the sealed underneath of the Bowlus vs. the exposed underside of the AS.

So each has advantages and disadvantages. Since many of the features in the Limited Edition can be added aftermarket to the AS, what it comes down to is the items you can't change - price, weight (range), and storage space.

We're guessing an upgraded AS 22FB Sport would run between $70-80K about 1/3 of the cost of the Limited Edition; we'd likely do what ecarfan has done - and add LiOn batteries, inverter and roof panels (the flex panels look interesting due to the lower weight and thinner profile). The biggest disadvantage is the greater weight of the AS, reducing range and making it more difficult to maneuver when hitching or unhitched.

We plan to see an AS on Saturday - and hope to see a Road Chief next month... Looked at the Alto 21 specs and design - and will likely stick with our evaluation of the AS & Road Chief for now.

We also found someone nearby with an AS 22 Sport posted on an RV rental site; we could do a one or two day rental and try it out - and verify the energy consumption with our X 100D, like we did for the overnight test drive with a Model X before we placed our Tesla order.
 
I'm not sure you even need extra capacity with the Bowlus. The lights/fridge/electronics seem to be really efficient. The few times we've been on battery alone we've barely used any battery. I estimate that the stock battery could go 5-7 days before 50% DOD.
Speaking only for myself, my goal in adding solar and Lion batteries was to avoid using propane. So far this year I have not used any propane. I heat and cook with electricity. That said, I have not camped in frigid weather yet. But I don’t plan to do any winter camping at all, since my pipes would freeze. :D

The lighter weight Bowlus has the advantage of longer range...The biggest disadvantage is the greater weight of the AS, reducing range
Trailer weight only effects range when you are going uphill or accelerating. If your trip includes relatively short sections of elevation gain compared to the total mileage, weight doesn’t matter much. What matters is trailer shape; aerodynamics. The Bowlus shape apparently produces less drag than the Airstream or the Alto. The Bowlus appears to require about 5% less energy than the Alto, and about 20% less than the Airstream.

Note that the Bowlus dry weight is about 800 lbs heavier (almost 50% more) than the Alto F1743 but requires slightly less energy to tow. If the Alto had heavily radiused corners like the Airstream it might be equal in energy use to the Bowlus.
 
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As more manufacturers start producing long range EVs - especially cross-overs to compete with the X, hopefully the trailer industry will figure this out - and more trailers will have aerodynamic designs.

Just completed some more conservative range projections, assuming ideal supercharging locations, posted speed (for non towing) and 55 (for towing), plus allowing for 15 minutes to unhitch/hitch at each charging stop - and compared projected 10 hour road trip range for several configurations:
  • S 100D – 600 miles, 10 hours, 2 charging stops
  • X 100D – 581 miles, 9.74 hours, 2 charging stops
  • X 100D/Bowlus – 419 miles, 9.9 hours, 2 charging stops
  • X 100D/Airstream – 347 miles, 8.6 hours, 2 charging stops
    • Adding a 3rd charging stop (charging to 50%) – 388 miles, 10 hours, 3 charging stops
These numbers assumed more conservative driving ranges for the various configurations - at a 100% charge and not taking the battery below 10%: S 100D (283 miles), X 100D (209 miles), X 100D/Bowlus (151 miles), X 100D/AS 22 Sport (125 miles).

Unless I've missed something in these estimates, it appears towing results in about 2/3 of the distance for 10 hours of highway driving, which isn't as bad as I had expected.
 
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As more manufacturers start producing long range EVs - especially cross-overs to compete with the X, hopefully the trailer industry will figure this out - and more trailers will have aerodynamic designs.

Just completed some more conservative range projections, assuming ideal supercharging locations, posted speed (for non towing) and 55 (for towing), plus allowing for 15 minutes to unhitch/hitch at each charging stop - and compared projected 10 hour road trip range for several configurations:
  • S 100D – 600 miles, 10 hours, 2 charging stops
  • X 100D – 581 miles, 9.74 hours, 2 charging stops
  • X 100D/Bowlus – 419 miles, 9.9 hours, 2 charging stops
  • X 100D/Airstream – 347 miles, 8.6 hours, 2 charging stops
    • Adding a 3rd charging stop (charging to 50%) – 388 miles, 10 hours, 3 charging stops
These numbers assumed more conservative driving ranges for the various configurations - at a 100% charge and not taking the battery below 10%: S 100D (283 miles), X 100D (209 miles), X 100D/Bowlus (151 miles), X 100D/AS 22 Sport (125 miles).

Unless I've missed something in these estimates, it appears towing results in about 2/3 of the distance for 10 hours of highway driving, which isn't as bad as I had expected.
Bob,
I don’t know what software or estimates you are using for these calculations so I cannot independently validate them. However, we just returned from a trip between Sonoma and Lassen National Park. Our 90D required a full charge at Vacaville - 61 minutes despite arriving with a 57% SOC. Similarly, on the return, we had to charge at Corning for 65 minutes despite arriving with 51% SOC. The spacing of charger opportunities can sometimes force a less efficient/sized combo to slow down dramatically. That stretch is 109 miles and I have to take it relatively slow to arrive with a buffer.

With a more efficient trailer (and/or a larger pack) we could have saved significant time both ways on what is a relatively short journey. If you are including the taper in your calculations, you are probably close.
 
We live in the Houston area, so roads are relatively flat. Elevation changes will clearly have a significant impact - but not something we deal with for most of our driving.

The estimates I've made so far are likely still on the optimistic side - the next step is to do what I did when plotting out trips since our first S arrived in early 2013 - build a spreadsheet for the route, listing all of the superchargers along the way, and then making energy consumption estimates based on the roads/speed/elevation - and map that onto the actual superchargers. Doing that I can get a much more accurate prediction of driving/charging/total trip times.

And, I expect that when I start mapping out actual routes, the crude 33% penalty estimated above will increase, especially if additional stops are needed.

If the likely range of towing a trailer (Bowlus or Airstream) is closer to 100 miles - it's possible our trip times could increase a lot if we are forced to take some detours in order to add charging stops - and be able to stretch that last leg to 100 miles and reach the RV park (where we would have to charge overnight).

I went through this with our 2012 S P85 - doing several road trips when there were zero or only a couple of superchargers in Texas - when we would often end up with legs where we'd arrive at the destination (with a slow public charger) or a supercharger with less than 10 miles of range - and often had to slow down to stretch the charge.'

Hopefully it won't be that bad with an X 100D and a trailer...
 
the next step is to do what I did when plotting out trips since our first S arrived in early 2013 - build a spreadsheet for the route, listing all of the superchargers along the way, and then making energy consumption estimates based on the roads/speed/elevation - and map that onto the actual superchargers. Doing that I can get a much more accurate prediction of driving/charging/total trip times.
Upthread I recommended the EV Trip Optimizer app (EVTO) for that purpose, perhaps you missed it. It will do what you describe and far more accurately than you can estimate. Here’s how to use it Trip Optimizer Tutorial | Digital Auto Guides
If the likely range of towing a trailer (Bowlus or Airstream) is closer to 100 miles...
It will be significantly more than 100 miles on the flat level roads you say you will primarily be using, and at 50-55mph perhaps as much as around 150 miles unless you have a headwind or it is raining. If either of those conditions is present your energy usage can increase dramatically. Combine them and I wouldn’t even get on the road when towing unless I really had to.
 
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I second @ecarfan’s suggestion of EVTO. You can rapidly compare different vehicle/trailer combinations on real world trips.

For us, the 90D + Airstream combo means I’m eagerly hoping/waiting for a larger pack in the X. I realize Elon said it wouldn’t be needed anytime soon, but I feel with the new cells we will be seeing an improved pack at some point. Even if it’s a 100, Supercharging curves appear to be much more favorable with the Model 3 packs in comparison to the existing packs. For us, I t’ll be worth trading up to save hours on our camping trips.
 
I'll likely try EVTO and compare it against my estimates from a spreadsheet.

We visited the Fort Worth Airstream dealer today - nice facility - large indoor showroom with the entire Airstream line...

The 22 looks like it fits our needs - though if we decide to upgrade the electrical system (LiOn batteries, inverter, solar) or add a cellular booster, sounds like we're on our own. The salesperson mentioned a mod to the air conditioner to lower the surge when it turns on - which would help in running the A/C off battery or shore power.

We make a trip from Houston to west of Austin roughly once a month - we can make that trip in our S 100D or X 100D without charging. I suspect, that based on the location of the current superchargers - we'd likely have to stop at 2 superchargers, coupled with 55 MPH, would increase travel time considerably...

Next step will be to make some projections for total trip time on a couple of trips we'd likely take with a trailer - compare the Airstream to the Bowlus, and in driving our S or X without towing, using the current and possibly projected future supercharger placements.

As for the larger battery pack. For normal driving, the 100 pack is large enough on the X and S to drive at least 3 hours between charging stops. Anything larger provides decreasing benefits - and likely a smaller customer market. However, in the case of the Roadster 2.0 (higher speeds) and X when towing (greater weight), a larger battery pack could help considerably. Another advantage of a larger battery pack - the extra pack weight might allow the X to transport a slightly larger trailer, and open up additional options (such as the Airstream Flying Cloud line).

Though it could be a chicken-and-egg scenario for a larger X battery pack to support towing. Tesla may look at the current number of X customers that are towing - and because that percentage is so small - could decide there aren't enough potential customers to justify the investment for a larger X pack.

But, if the X had a larger pack with longer towing range - there could be more customers getting an X to tow.