Solution for EV towing

I've also seen some mentions of powered trailers. That to me seems like a valid solution as well. We have enough computer power to make it safe, so why not make the wheels of the trailer driven? Of course, that opens up charging issues, but what doesn't with that technology?
 
Most people can't drive well towing a trailer going forward and making basic turns, backing up is another story. Good luck with that tow-assist in the mix. I wonder what the insurance companies will think.
 
demarpaint said:
Most people can't drive well towing a trailer going forward and making basic turns, backing up is another story. Good luck with that tow-assist in the mix. I wonder what the insurance companies will think.
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I dunno, you could decouple the tow vehicle and stick a handle on it and use it like one of those little tugs you use to move small planes around. That would make backing up a trailer a cake walk.

Not much different from these:

www.safetytowingsystems.com

Safety Towing Systems, Inc.

Now Manufacturing the Automated Safety Hitch System.
www.safetytowingsystems.com

Except it's powered.
 
Insanely stupid. Tongue weight is supposed to be 10% of total, so you've got this thing trying to get traction with a few hundred pounds on its tires.
 
When I clicked on this thread I thought it was something funny in the Off Topic / Humor section. I guess I was wrong...

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Not such a bad idea.

We've wanted a small travel trailer for some time but don't want to buy the large vehicle required to tow one. This could make towing with a small car fairly practical.

Problems for sure. The 3 part system would be long and coordinating with the front vehicle would not be easy. I suggest they leave the idea with Tesla. Their engineers could figure out how to make it work. This might be something you rent for those occasions when you want to tow a trailer.
 
eljefino said:
Insanely stupid. Tongue weight is supposed to be 10% of total, so you've got this thing trying to get traction with a few hundred pounds on its tires.
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More like 15%, plus the weight of the drivetrain and batteries. It would still weigh at least 1000# I'd imagine. Plus you could intentionally load the front of the trailer heavier than normal.

Just looking at the trailer I tow, I'm near my maximum of 750# on my hitch, for a 5500# loaded trailer. That setup will surely weigh at least 500-750# all by itself.
 
I've tried backing a loaded car dolly, with a pivoting turntable. Pretty darn hard with two pivot points! This is like something a 7 year old would make out of legos.
 
Is this an April fools article? Its ridiculous. 2 pivot points, 4 more drive wheels/tires. Now you would have to worry about range on the tow assist as well as the EV tow vehicle? How would you charge both at the campground?. On a longer trip, how would you charge both at the same time?

Some people have great, and i mean great difficulty backing a trailer. Some camp sites are not level, is the tow assist device going to be able to stop and hold a 7-10 thousand pound trailer if you are " backing it with the handle" off the tow vehicle?

The size and requirement of a battery assist unit would be crazy cost wise, at least $10k. I mean if a Leaf replacement battery is $8500 alone.

The unit would also have to brake assist. How will the tow vehicle modulate the brake signal to both?

12 wheels? Thats a third more risk of a flat tire on the rig. A motor home would be far easier. Tire replacement time would be expensive every 5-6 years.

The Idea is nuts.
 
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ctechbob said:
More like 15%, plus the weight of the drivetrain and batteries. It would still weigh at least 1000# I'd imagine. Plus you could intentionally load the front of the trailer heavier than normal.
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So if the tow assist device weighs 1000lbs. And you are using it to increase your towing capacity. What do you do if it fails or the battery runs down. Will your tow vehicle be able to tow the trailer and the extra 1000lbs of dead weight?
 
spasm3 said:
So if the tow assist device weighs 1000lbs. And you are using it to increase your towing capacity. What do you do if it fails or the battery runs down. Will your tow vehicle be able to tow the trailer and the extra 1000lbs of dead weight?
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In my case, yes, I could. But I was more defending the physics of the system, not the EV'ness of it.

Plenty of examples of dolly's being used to tow trailers. That's was my main point, that it's not a new concept to use a dolly to tow bigger trailers.

--Edit--

I still think a hybrid trailer would be a good idea. Put motors and a battery on the trailer and have it assist the tow vehicle on take-off and climbing hills. Maybe an upgraded electrical system in the TV regen charge the trailer when coasting/going downhill. Then top the battery up over the days you spend in your campsite plugged into the 50 amp socket.
 
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spasm3 said:
So if the tow assist device weighs 1000lbs. And you are using it to increase your towing capacity. What do you do if it fails or the battery runs down. Will your tow vehicle be able to tow the trailer and the extra 1000lbs of dead weight?
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ctechbob said:
In my case, yes, I could. But I was more defending the physics of the system, not the EV'ness of it.
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If you have the capacity to tow it dead, then you would not need it in the first place.
 
We would all agree there are many potential problems with this concept, but developing this idea into a working solution is an engineering problem. At a different point in my career I'd have loved to work on it.

The concept would probably work best with an EV having a centralized computer control system, like a Tesla.
 
ecotourist said:
Not such a bad idea.

We've wanted a small travel trailer for some time but don't want to buy the large vehicle required to tow one. This could make towing with a small car fairly practical.

Problems for sure. The 3 part system would be long and coordinating with the front vehicle would not be easy. I suggest they leave the idea with Tesla. Their engineers could figure out how to make it work. This might be something you rent for those occasions when you want to tow a trailer.
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You can probably just tow something reasonable with what you've got. In Ontario you can tow near a 3k lbs single axle unbraked trailer with any car that has a hitch rated for the trailer weight, and most states and provinces are the same. In BC, 3k unbraked really isn't a great idea, but these guys at www.canamrv.ca set up some pretty big trailers(with brakes) for towing with just regular cars.
Legally in ontario, and likely in BC, you can tow like they do in the rest of the world if you want, you just have to be smart about it and understand your setup.
Can-am RV is also doing their own RV towing testing with a Model 3 https://www.rvlifemag.com/the-tesla-experiment/
 
ctechbob said:
I dunno, you could decouple the tow vehicle and stick a handle on it and use it like one of those little tugs you use to move small planes around. That would make backing up a trailer a cake walk.

Not much different from these:

www.safetytowingsystems.com

Safety Towing Systems, Inc.

Now Manufacturing the Automated Safety Hitch System.
www.safetytowingsystems.com

Except it's powered.
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LOL Why not just get a vehicle capable of towing the load you intend to tow? Then save the money for that idiotic device. At @AZjeff is right, "just what we need is a Prius towing a 30 foot trailer."
 
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