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Towing with Cybertruck

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My X towing range with my 17 ft/2,300 lb trailer is reduced by 35 t0 50% depending on speed and conditions. With some planning I don’t find that an obstacle in most cases, especially now that the Supercharger network is becoming so extensive. Sure I charge more often compared to when not towing, but I don’t mind. Most of the time I unhitch to charge, but that only takes a few minutes.

The 500 mile range Cybertruck would obviously offer much better towing range than my X100D. I would love it, but I can’t get over the length of the Cybertruck; three feet longer than my X. Urban parking lot stalls don’t accommodate vehicles that long very well.
Everyone talks about the stainless steel being so awesome, the great range, ground clearance, air suspension, 240 power outlet (7 powerwalls in a truck...wow!) but not a single person has highlighted the advantage that you just pointed out...

You cant park this in the mall parking lot!!!!! AWESOME :) As if the truck was not a slam dunk that should pretty much tip the balance for hundreds of thousands of fence sitters. :D
 
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Everyone talks about the stainless steel being so awesome, the great range, ground clearance, air suspension, 240 power outlet (7 powerwalls in a truck...wow!) but not a single person has highlighted the advantage that you just pointed out...

You cant park this in the mall parking lot!!!!! AWESOME :) As if the truck was not a slam dunk that should pretty much tip the balance for hundreds of thousands of fence sitters. :D
I see plenty of trucks this size parked in mall parking lots.
 
Charging is a big issue. I recently towed my camper with the Model 3. Range was effectively cut in half with my Aliner popup. So a 370 mile trip requires two if not three SuperCharger stops. Few SuperChargers are set up for towing so I often blocked 3 stalls, not an issue as they were not busy, but will be an issue when they do get busy. My hope is I could get over 300 miles with the CybrTrk with a small camper. If true and if they enhance the SuperChargers, it could work. The steering wheel is also very impractical for backing in spaces and for off road driving. I want a round wheel.
yup towing is a hassle at most superchargers what about locating charger port in front of vehicle for pull in charging with trailer still not great in many locations ... but would increase the odds of being able to charge w/o having to disconnect the trailer
 
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yup towing is a hassle at most superchargers what about locating charger port in front of vehicle for pull in charging with trailer still not great in many locations ... but would increase the odds of being able to charge w/o having to disconnect the trailer
Or better yet, two charging ports. One in the front and one in the back.
 
There are a number of threads asking various questions that apply to towing with the Cybertruck, but I thought it might be useful to have a single thread where we can discuss specifics of towing.

What do we know?
  • Single motor RWD: 7,500+ lbs., 250+ miles
  • Dual motor AWD: 10,000+ lbs., 300+ miles
  • Tri motor AWD: 14,000+ lbs., 500+ miles
This is great, but there are a number of things we don't yet know.

First, there's no published hitch/tongue weight capacity. Going by standards, hitch weight is typically 10% of the rated towing capacity. That implies that we'd be seeing at least a 750 pound capacity at the single motor level. Whether or not they'd be scaling that up for the dual- and tri-motor versions remains to be seen. Since hitch weight carrying capacity is related to structure and suspension, it seems likely that the entire line would have the same capacity rating. With diesel trucks, the larger engine models have beefier suspension and therefore the higher towing capacity naturally comes with higher tongue weight capacity.

Next, and related, I'm curious about weight distribution capability. The general rule is that vehicles with an exoskeleton aren't to be used with weight distribution because it flexes the body and can cause damage. That said, the Model X is a unibody vehicle and I use weight distribution with it. The feedback I've received from Tesla is that the skateboard provides a lot of rigidity that doesn't exist with standard vehicles. I think it's extremely important for Tesla to provide guidance on this. Typically, when weight distribution is allowed, the vehicle hitch rating goes up. For instance, the F-150 has a 5000 lb towing capacity with a 500 lb hitch weight (10%). But when used with weight distribution, the tow rating goes up to 13,200 and 1320 lbs, respectively.

And the question most people will be asking - how far can I tow with the Cybertruck? Really, this is probably best phrased as "what is the efficiency penalty, in percent, for towing a certain type of trailer?" We know that with relatively efficient, relatively lightweight campers, the Model X has a penalty in the 35-50% range when traveling at 55 mph. Because a higher towing capacity is very likely to result in larger, less efficient campers, I believe that the Cybertruck will see penalties above 50%. That is, range seems likely to be cut by more than half in most cases.

Any other thoughts or criticisms of what I've laid out here?

The 14k+ towing without gooseneck or fifth wheel requires a weight distribution setup and either a class IV (2.0") or class V (2.5") receiver (I'm ignoring pintle).
Trailer Hitches, Hitch Accessories, Hitch Wiring

I think Tesla may use the same frame/ body for all 3 varients, but may include load specific changes as part of the rear drive unit subframe.
 
It's my belief that the towing range will be much better than our single speed transmission X. I hope there is a two speed option for the dual or tri motor truck. If there is an option, range won't be cut in half, but more like 1/3.

I don't think motor efficiency changes enough over the operating range for gearing to change the power consumption that much. 80%-90% for the old Roadster. Likely much smaller range for the new Model 3 type.

Changing torque curves
 
It’s an odd thing to say, but here is their plan to solve charging with a trailer.

How Tesla is Targeting Electric Pickup Range Anxiety With the Cybertruck - Motor Trend
Thanks, Ohmman.
My wife and I have been saying since we got our first Model S a bit over 5 years ago, that truck stops would be the perfect partner for supercharging stations.
I'm seeing more and more SC's located behind new Wawa's here in Florida - so clearly you can conclude that there is some type of agreement between Tesla and Wawa's, and Wawa's is factoring SC network into their new store design and construction specs.

When we first purchased our Airstream, which we tow with a diesel BMW X5, we used the pull thru semi fueling stations at truck stops. So simple to pull in and fill up. Of course, the delivery hose nozzle is different and you need an adapter to fit into the X5's fuel door, but for the newbie at towing, it made all the difference.

If Tesla starts to build pull thru SC's for both the semi and CyberTruck, I think that will seal the deal for most people who tow with a pickup, but want the efficiency of electric. (IF they can get over the design, which is very polarizing).

The future of Tesla continues to be bright.
 
right now, I plan to buy an Airstream and the CT as a tow vehicle. No hurry but the CT is MUCH more appealing than owning a large Ford or Ram truck. To me, having 250 towing miles from the top variant would be perfect.

I saw a picture of the CT with some kind of camper top attached - I wonder if something similar to fill the gap to the trailer would help efficiency?

Watching with interest!