Towing a Teardrop with a Tesla
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- Опубликовано: 8 окт 2023
- This week we talk to Kris about what it's like towing his Bushwhacker 10HD teardrop camper with an EV. Kris lives out of his camper full time and tows it with a Tesla so naturally we were QUITE interested to hear from him about his experiences. If you missed the tour of his camper we talked w/Kris about his setup at length in this video:
• Kris Lives Full Time i...
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A man straight after my heart! Towing with my Tesla is the only way to go! We travelled all throughout Washington and Oregon and charged exclusively at state parks, all for the price of admission!😁 Thx for this content Brian! There’s not enough of this subject on RUclips
Thank you so much for swinging by! You were one of the first people I talked to that w successfully towed with a Tesla. It's great to hear the amount of success that you guys are having with EV towing.
Hey Brian,
I love that you have the attitude of "having a discussion" rather than preaching and considering the carbon footprint. There are lies, damn lies and then there are the worst kind called statistics. I hope that viewers consider all sources of information about carbon footprint and not just the voice of the guy who yells the loudest and talks the fastest. As you probably know I have a plug in hybrid Jeep and I like to take my camper out and pull it with my Jeep. I have not had the success finding charging stations as easily as you describe and my hybrid doesn't have the range of a tesla but it does have 15 gallons of gas to run the 4 cyl 2.0 gas engine. So I can drive it like a normal gas powered vehicle when the battery has been depleted. One thing you did not mention with regard to braking is that if you don't use your trailer brakes you will generate more electricity to recharge the battery. I found that I don't use my my brakes very much and just let off the gas and let the regenerative brake kick in and I get a lot more charge from it than when I am not pulling. Especially when I am going down hills I just let off the brakes and I have gotten as much as 10% more charge in my battery in a downhill span of about 5 miles.
The really bad part of the EV argument is what happens if you need to replace the battery? The batteries for my Jeep are about half of the cost of the vehicle. So for me the lease seemed to be the most economical option. Once the lease is up I may or may not purchase this one or I might move over to lease a Gladiator. It really all depends on what's available and what is best for my current economic situation.
Thanks for having this discussion about EVs and camping with them.
All the best,
Pat
We had a really good time just chatting like normal people, ignoring the camera. He's retired military, wanted to travel, and wanted to own a sports car. he was more concerned with the ridiculous performance that the car has than any of the other stuff. There's definitely nonsense on "both sides". There is some amazing technology, but it's certainly not ironed out yet. if I had all the money in the world, I would go with a hybrid like the F150, or the soon to be released hybrid Tacoma. I also love that 4exe!!!
Very helpful, thank you!
Thank you for watching the video!
Great video guys. Very informational! I've been looking at the tesla, not to tow, but everyday use. Thx again Brian. Great job
Pretty sweet ride!
Not something I would do, but hey, it works for Kris, so more power to him!
I like his style but I would need a little more range. It fits into how he travels and doesnt seem to burden him at all, I think Id like around 250 miles before I had to stop... F150 hybrid sounds cool.. lol
@@DIYOutdoorLife The only reason I wouldn't do it is cost of entry. But if I could find a used Toyota plugin hybrid (Prius or Rav4), and a teardrop/squareback under 1000lbs, I'd consider it. I think plugin hybrids are really the best solution for now until the charging grid becomes more ubiquitous.
This is great. Thanks for highlighting EV camping. Well done.❤
He really carved out an amazing set up for himself, it was a lot of fun to speak with him.
Loved the video and DIYOL, great channel to learn about minimalist camping! Bought a 2023 Model Y this year and a pop-up camper, love it. We are weekenders and using campgrounds. Every day we can leave camp with a full charge to explore the area. I do have a Bluetti AC200Max and solar panels, and I can charge the car with it, but the EV battery is huge. 23 nights camping this year (so far), it works for us!
Thank you for watching the channel, that seems like an awesome set up! I can't believe how many people have reached out with their experience towing with EVs.
I'm on the Facebook Group and I am currently getting a tow hitch installed on my 23 Model Y. Will be towing my 10HD. Free Supercharging is awesome! I wish I had that.
That's awesome, please keep me in the loop with how you make out!
Hi, can I ask where I would get hitch installed on model 3? Uhaul refused to do electric. Tesla said it would void warranty.
@@OCOma2ask your local mechanic, its an easy job
I drive a 2014 Tesla S with a 90 kw battery. I tow a nucamp tag xl ,my max tow wet weight is 2000 lbs . My tow range is 120 miles.
Those are awesome numbers. Does your Tesla have the free super charging?
@@DIYOutdoorLife yes
I’ve been towing a similar trailer with my Ford Lightning, found range only dropped about 30% (215 miles vs 277 on freeway). I don’t even feel the trailer. I plan my trips before I leave and ensure and use PlugShare to make sure the stations are good. It’s a bit more work, but honestly I was getting 8-11mpg on my ICE F150, and fill ups were over $120 each. Last month I paid a total of $42 in electricity (home and away) for 1200 miles.
That's impressive. I have been a total fan boy over the F150 hybrid, I would have to make a lot more RUclips videos to afford it but a guy can dream...
This was a GREAT video!! Loved all the info from Kris about the Tesla. Kinda makes me feel like we should all get one of those vehicles. Had to laugh at you guys, you are both Tim the Tool Man's that is for sure!
Haha... always more power!
Great video thank you! I would love to know how often you have to disconnect the trailer in order to charge. Do you find there are very many drive-through charge stations?
Hoping that Kris replies. From our conversations, he was amazed with the amount of easy charging stations, found all over the country. For the most part, he charges at super chargers before pulling into camp. If he charges at camp, he can plug his car in and his camper at the same time, if needed, on most pedestals.
Very innovative and thought provoking set up.
It's a pretty cool set up to live in full-time! I can't wait to see the innovations that take place in the industry.
That's such a sweet setup... I had never heard of anybody towing with a Tesla but this is proof it happens
I can't believe the amount of mileage, he's been around with this set up!
Great video! I sought out a 2016 1/2 ( aka with a facelift ) version of Kris's Model S that qualified for free Supercharging for life. I've had women pass me at 90+ mph to pull off to the side of the freeway so their kids can take pictures of my Tesla towing my Bushwhacker 10 HD as recently as two weeks ago. Kids love Teslas more than old muscle cars but all the picture taking is still pretty weird. Maybe they need visual proof for dad that you can tow a camper at freeway speeds with a Tesla? IDK but with the flood of Model Ys being sold it will become more commonplace. I swap from the stock wheels and tires to nice speed rated yet low resistance 205s on 14s that lowers the camper about 4". When towing with my Tesla, I drive like I normally do on freeways- at the cadence of traffic in the fast lane in self driving mode. But that's just my personal preference when more Superchargers are available than I need. Range anxiety IS real while the 50 amp service at State parks is definitely the best destination charger. I'm tempted to find a version of Kris's galley door sticker for the passenger rear side of my 10 HD just because sarcasm is one of my hobbies:) Maybe its Wisconsin's terrain, but I seldom see a difference in energy use between 65 and 80 mph. Aerodynamics and friction effect fuel economy when towing with any vehicle. Given the way I drive, I stay within 140 miles of the Tesla Supercharger and the campsite's 50 amp outlet with my old 2016.
Again, great intros to a growing type of alternative towing vehicle and great timing as well with used prices plummeting. Thank you for your service Kris! I wish you years of enjoying the S curve centrifugal force with that instant torque monster when not at basecamp!
What a great comment. Thank you for contributing to the content and sharing real word experience, sounds like a lot of fun to drive.
This is so cool. I love how Kris has incorporated this into his current lifestyle.
Pretty cool way to spend an early retirement... I doubt there's many people that have received a comparable value out of the free super charging for life.
Nice interview. As for electric vehicles where I live there are still too few, too far apart stations to make long trips practical in any brand of EV. Maybe someday, but not yet.
We're in a similar boat, I live in a very rural area. We did just get our first super charger, it makes things a lot more appealing.
Do you need a lifepo4 battery to power the electrical appliances in your teardrop?
Shoot me an email. Thanks
If they can get the Wrangler 4xe up to 50 full miles on battery, I'm sold. But I'm not paying the whopping premium they want for ~20 miles battery. Not worth it. Also the ability to charge the battery from (3) 100W solar panels on the roof while driving or parked.
I would love to see the plug-in hybrids with some solar! Soon...
Smartest comment yet. Perhaps, at the minimum 150 miles on electric!
Just go to the diesel powered "super" generator /inverter / charger & wait hours in line for the plug.
Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Never going to make sense for at least the next 100 years.... (Except for the 7year old Chinese children mining the minerals for the batteries. ) facts matter.
I have the same car. What kind of Range are you getting pulling that teardrop? What does the Teardrop weigh?
I think he discussed both of those in the interview.
I've been contemplating getting the Hybrid F150. Would make finding campsites easier in the hot and humid summers as I could just run the small camper off of the onboard generator.
Me too!!! That has got to be the sweetest camping rig out there!
Pretty cool car!
It's like a spaceship!
No comment. 🙄
lol... no reply 😁
Theres something for everyone, Im happy people are camping.
Yup.@@DIYOutdoorLife
Just waiting on the cybertruck to hit the market!
That would be pretty awesome. I'm not sure Lucía would approve of how that truck looks.... lol
@@DIYOutdoorLife just remind her how green it is. Easy sell LOL
I have an Ionic 5 and I have a similar experience: 80% charge can be recharged in 18 minutes. The car has a lot more range than my kid's bladder. I have have an inverter in mine so I can power a 15 amp 110 v circuit FROM the car so I can power AC, an Instant pot or even a microwave from the car and don't need a power station. The battery is 77 kWh. Great towing vehicle.
It's been amazing to hear from all the people towing with EVs. Can't wait to hear about future improvements.
@@DIYOutdoorLife When you showed your setup for AC and battery operating it, I was thinking that I could run it from my car and didn't have to invest in batteries for camping. Then again I have less practical range when towing but man, so comfortable to have the EV.
That would be completely off grid if he found a way to charge the car with solar
Would be nice but to charge the car at 1.5 kWh, you need 5 300 watt panels (and that's a really big setup) and would take around 70 hours for a full charge. Cars are hungry for power. It's doable but very long
@nixquev yea, seems like a Long and expensive process to do so. Definitely a nice set up you have , would have liked to see more of the camper and mods you have done to that
Last weeks video was all about his camper, check it out!