Hi! My partner and I are thinking about buying an A-liner or some other more modest tent trailer. We want to tow it with my Model Y. Does anyone have input for us on how well this has worked for them? We want to know, I guess, if we're going to have to charge every hour or two and how inconvenient it can be. Also, how convenient do SuperChargers tend to be to National Parks
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Towing a tent trailer or Aliner with a Model Y & Superchargers near National Parks?
- Thread starter heatherG
- Start date
bradtem
Robocar consultant
There is a "Tesla Camping" group on the Facebook that is fairly active. Many talk of towing trailers there. The short answer is, expect your range to be cut in half, maybe slightly less with a teardrop but still plenty. And no, many national parks are a bit sparse with charging, though some are OK with it. Towing is doable but it's one of the things that ICE cars do better for now.
Of course the good thing is you can stay at RV parks with 50a service and recharge your car there. Though there is a minor challenge of plugging in both your car and your trailer at the same time. However, since you probably won't run your AC at night, you can probably get away with plugging the trailer into the 15a plug (though it's probably 20a) and dialing your car down to 30a and you will still refill all but a model X and not blow the breaker. You can now dial your car down in the app. You might dial it down before microwaving, that and the AC are the only things going to draw more than 10a. In the future you'll get a device in the trailer that measures how much it is using and automatically dials down how much current the car takes so it can take full power once you get to sleep. If you really worry, and the rv park is sparse, bring a 12AWG extension cord and plug the trailer into the next pole and your car into the 50a plug to get the full 40a (if you have a long range.) Probably no AC that way, though. Clear it with the park.
Of course the good thing is you can stay at RV parks with 50a service and recharge your car there. Though there is a minor challenge of plugging in both your car and your trailer at the same time. However, since you probably won't run your AC at night, you can probably get away with plugging the trailer into the 15a plug (though it's probably 20a) and dialing your car down to 30a and you will still refill all but a model X and not blow the breaker. You can now dial your car down in the app. You might dial it down before microwaving, that and the AC are the only things going to draw more than 10a. In the future you'll get a device in the trailer that measures how much it is using and automatically dials down how much current the car takes so it can take full power once you get to sleep. If you really worry, and the rv park is sparse, bring a 12AWG extension cord and plug the trailer into the next pole and your car into the 50a plug to get the full 40a (if you have a long range.) Probably no AC that way, though. Clear it with the park.
bradtem
Robocar consultant
As for the charging situation in your parks, there is no one answer. Get plugshare and look at the parks you are going to. Get a CHAdeMO or CCS adapter if you can to open up more charging options. And, while you never want to use it, get a TT-30 adapter for RV parks. You will only pick up 100 miles of car range (50 miles of car with trailer range) in a night, but it's more than nothing. However, you may have to boondock unless you can use that extension cord if there is only 30a at the pole
