Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Model Y Towing - Experiences Post here

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
The MY LR towed the 16ft scamp very well from the factory in Minn back home to Texas. We were able to get 170 -180 mi per charge but noramally stopped more frequently. I was keeping the speed at 60. So basically was hitting every super charger sort of do that anyway, just with the trailer I charge to 90 ~ 95 instead of the 75 ~80 w/o a trailer, and would come in around 10~15 %. Anyway it works great the free charge from the RV campground. Scamp is a fantastic little travel trailer and pretty aerodynamic. It isnt wider than the car, anyway if someone is looking for a travel trailer for the Y...I would recommend the Scamp.

Cheers
 

Attachments

  • IMG-0053.jpg
    IMG-0053.jpg
    416.9 KB · Views: 195
I traveled in Michigan in June and used some of the County Campgrounds. They had 50 Amp 240 service, so charging was a breeze with Power and Campsite for $29 it was a steal... There were no rooms available within 75 miles of our destination, so we booked a campsite. A local B&B had a cancelation and we were able to stay in a lovely B&B in Port Austin, MI - The Garfield Inn is a beautiful 190 year old Inn. If you are in the area don't pass up the opportunity.

...
 

Attachments

  • Michigan_County_Campground.jpg
    Michigan_County_Campground.jpg
    528.8 KB · Views: 149
  • Like
Reactions: MikeR99 and GOVA
The MY LR towed the 16ft scamp very well from the factory in Minn back home to Texas. We were able to get 170 -180 mi per charge but noramally stopped more frequently. I was keeping the speed at 60. So basically was hitting every super charger sort of do that anyway, just with the trailer I charge to 90 ~ 95 instead of the 75 ~80 w/o a trailer, and would come in around 10~15 %. Anyway it works great the free charge from the RV campground. Scamp is a fantastic little travel trailer and pretty aerodynamic. It isnt wider than the car, anyway if someone is looking for a travel trailer for the Y...I would recommend the Scamp.

Cheers
What was your average watts per mile?
Great write up!
 
Hello all, newbie MY LR owner here with OEM tow hitch (took delivery a month ago).
After reading this and many other threads, I decided I will do my NYC to Woodland Hills, CA move with an enclosed 5x8 U-Haul trailer almost fully loaded.
I am using U-hauls official starter kit and the 7 to 4 light adapter.

Here's some tips I've collected so far:
1. Keeping it at 55-60mph is key
2. Using ABRP it's making me going through the North side of the map (it seems more chargers per mileage) so would have to deal with those winds/cold
3. Be ready to unhook on some stations (hopefully not many!)
4. I am not going over 100 miles per each segment without a charge (just to be on the safe side) expecting 450 to 500 wh/m
5. Buy a good lock

This is taking me 6 nights and 7 days,

If you guys have any other tips or tricks to maximize that range or if you want to hear back from the results, please let me know,
Wish me luck! :)
 
Hello all, newbie MY LR owner here with OEM tow hitch (took delivery a month ago).
After reading this and many other threads, I decided I will do my NYC to Woodland Hills, CA move with an enclosed 5x8 U-Haul trailer almost fully loaded.
I am using U-hauls official starter kit and the 7 to 4 light adapter.

Here's some tips I've collected so far:
1. Keeping it at 55-60mph is key
2. Using ABRP it's making me going through the North side of the map (it seems more chargers per mileage) so would have to deal with those winds/cold
3. Be ready to unhook on some stations (hopefully not many!)
4. I am not going over 100 miles per each segment without a charge (just to be on the safe side) expecting 450 to 500 wh/m
5. Buy a good lock

This is taking me 6 nights and 7 days,

If you guys have any other tips or tricks to maximize that range or if you want to hear back from the results, please let me know,
Wish me luck! :)
Good luck, sounds like fun! Let us know how it goes....
 
Hello all, newbie MY LR owner here with OEM tow hitch (took delivery a month ago).
After reading this and many other threads, I decided I will do my NYC to Woodland Hills, CA move with an enclosed 5x8 U-Haul trailer almost fully loaded.
I am using U-hauls official starter kit and the 7 to 4 light adapter.

Here's some tips I've collected so far:
1. Keeping it at 55-60mph is key
2. Using ABRP it's making me going through the North side of the map (it seems more chargers per mileage) so would have to deal with those winds/cold
3. Be ready to unhook on some stations (hopefully not many!)
4. I am not going over 100 miles per each segment without a charge (just to be on the safe side) expecting 450 to 500 wh/m
5. Buy a good lock

This is taking me 6 nights and 7 days,

If you guys have any other tips or tricks to maximize that range or if you want to hear back from the results, please let me know,
Wish me luck! :)
Definitely will be interested to hear your actual results after your trip compared to your assumptions - which sound pretty reasonable to me.

Would also like to hear what charging ranges you typically end up doing/needing (i.e. 10%-80, 20-90, etc) on your charging stops as you go along. Due to charging time we tend to target arriving to charge at around 5-10%, and only ever charge to 70-80% (with no trailer) just because of the speed of charging is so much faster below 70-80%, will be interesting to know if you end up needing to wait longer and always charge higher to 90-100% for instance to get to each next charging stop or whether you can apply a similar 10-80% charging approach by stopping every 100 miles.
 
Good luck, sounds like fun! Let us know how it goes....

Thank you! I will! very excited too, starting in a few hours...

Definitely will be interested to hear your actual results after your trip compared to your assumptions - which sound pretty reasonable to me.

Would also like to hear what charging ranges you typically end up doing/needing (i.e. 10%-80, 20-90, etc) on your charging stops as you go along. Due to charging time we tend to target arriving to charge at around 5-10%, and only ever charge to 70-80% (with no trailer) just because of the speed of charging is so much faster below 70-80%, will be interesting to know if you end up needing to wait longer and always charge higher to 90-100% for instance to get to each next charging stop or whether you can apply a similar 10-80% charging approach by stopping every 100 miles.
Good point, I am trying to follow what ABRP gave me (I did input my extra weight and expected wh/m), which is an avg of 10/70... there are a couple of exceptions due to distances where is making me go to 100%, particularly the in Green River, UT station to Richfield, UT station.
Knowing myself and depending on how the MY performs in the first few legs, I might even wait the extra time to get to a 90% (just to avoid the anxiety) but let's see what happens..!

These are my estimates:
Total driving time: 62 h 23 min
Total Charging time: 10h 51m
 
Depending on how wide your trailer is, the car may mistake it for a large truck and ghost break while cruise control is on. Since autopilot is not allowed in tow mode, we just cover each of the lower side cameras with tape so the car does not “see” the trailer and ghost brake. Good luck!
 
Depending on how wide your trailer is, the car may mistake it for a large truck and ghost break while cruise control is on. Since autopilot is not allowed in tow mode, we just cover each of the lower side cameras with tape so the car does not “see” the trailer and ghost brake. Good luck!
I thought that it the camera were blocked that you could not activate Autopilot...
 
Autopilot can not be activated in tow mode, so it doesn’t matter. However you can still activate adaptive cruise control (speed control only) in tow mode. It’s in this mode that the car phantom breaks (in my case) when it sees the big box behind the car and gets confused.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MikeHolliday
The MY LR towed the 16ft scamp very well from the factory in Minn back home to Texas. We were able to get 170 -180 mi per charge but noramally stopped more frequently. I was keeping the speed at 60. So basically was hitting every super charger sort of do that anyway, just with the trailer I charge to 90 ~ 95 instead of the 75 ~80 w/o a trailer, and would come in around 10~15 %. Anyway it works great the free charge from the RV campground. Scamp is a fantastic little travel trailer and pretty aerodynamic. It isnt wider than the car, anyway if someone is looking for a travel trailer for the Y...I would recommend the Scamp.

Cheers
Sorry to bump this old post but I have a 13-foot Scamp and a new Model Y! If you don't mind some questions:

1. What hitch and ball?
2. Which brake controller?
3. What adapter or extension cord did you plug the Tesla in at the campground? Did you use 50-amp service?

Thanks!
 
Sorry to bump this old post but I have a 13-foot Scamp and a new Model Y! If you don't mind some questions:

1. What hitch and ball?
2. Which brake controller?
3. What adapter or extension cord did you plug the Tesla in at the campground? Did you use 50-amp service?

Thanks!
1. Depends on your trailer. I know you said Scamp, but there are some details people would need to know first. Basically you want to get the trailer as level as possible, within some limits. And get whatever ball size you need for your trailer. (will be one of two sizes)
2. I like my Curt Echo brake controller. It is totally wireless so I didn't need to install anything. Kinda expensive but pays for itself if you are able to use it on a few different vehicles.
3. Yes, 50 amp (14-50 I believe) works great. Make sure to get camping spots that have 30 amp (likely what your trailer needs) and 50 amp for your Tesla. Also make sure to have just the basic 120V Tesla connector just in case the 50 amp isn't working. I've run into my fair share of campgrounds where the 50 amp plugs are a bit sketchy.
 
Also, considering that there is a ball rise limit on the Y of 0.75", you may run into difficulty trying to level your Scamp unless it just so happens to line up with the Model Y height.

In addition to @HyperionMark's great advice above, I'd add that a 14-50 extension cord is really helpful at campsites since the Tesla UMC often isn't long enough to reach without some awkward positioning. I always carry mine and run the extension under the camper. It also makes the car charging less obvious, which shouldn't be necessary but does limit the attention you might get about charging while camping. I've had a few unfriendly comments about it in the past.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jbarnum
Also, considering that there is a ball rise limit on the Y of 0.75", you may run into difficulty trying to level your Scamp unless it just so happens to line up with the Model Y height.

In addition to @HyperionMark's great advice above, I'd add that a 14-50 extension cord is really helpful at campsites since the Tesla UMC often isn't long enough to reach without some awkward positioning. I always carry mine and run the extension under the camper. It also makes the car charging less obvious, which shouldn't be necessary but does limit the attention you might get about charging while camping. I've had a few unfriendly comments about it in the past.

Unfriendly comments from the campground operators, or just random jerks?
 
  • Like
Reactions: JeffnReno
Unfriendly comments from the campground operators, or just random jerks?
The vast majority of the time, I have had only positive comments and discussions. However, I have had a couple of campground operators and camp hosts say things that were not very welcoming of my EV charging. I was once told at an Oregon State Park that I couldn't charge from the pedestal. I got in touch with OSP when I got home and have a letter stating that the power is available for "any use" so long as I'm renting the space. I keep a copy of that with me. I also had a private campground operator ask how much it is costing him to have me plugged in. I tried to explain how the Class A next to me with two ACs running nonstop in the 90 degree heat was potentially drawing similar current, and even offered a few extra bucks. He grumbled and walked off.

I have also had a rare few interactions with other campers saying that EVs are going to "ruin" the campground experience if they all start trying to charge at the same time. It just takes a friendly response and a little education to get them to soften.

Just to reiterate - most people are impressed and happy with the concept of a Tesla and a camper. I just dislike the other interactions enough that I enjoy being a little more covert where possible.