Towing a Tesla at 70 MPH replenishes battery at fast charger rates

Post by dahfizz » Tue, Jun 22, 2021, 12:51 PM UTC

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #351

dahfizz wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> However, towing for awhile ... is something that could presumably be done by just about any passing car A Tesla model 3 weighs over 4000 pounds. A base model Toyota Tacoma isn't even rated to tow that weight, there's no way any passing sedan could. Now remember that for regenerative _braking_ to work, the tesla's brakes have been on! Definitely not something any passing car can handle.

All modern trucks are conservatively rated in the towing department because of the grade pulling requirement in the test all the OEMs use.

Post by mensetmanusman » Tue, Jun 22, 2021, 1:26 PM UTC

elihu wrote: post #139

ErikVandeWater wrote: post #27

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> Just embed some wires in the road... No offense but that is the most loaded phrase I've heard this week. That would be a major overhaul of both roads and electric car designs.

Sure, but it would be worth it. The cost is that you'd have to re-engineer maybe ten or twenty percent of major freeways and interstates (like have two miles of charging per every ten to twenty miles of regular road), and you'd need to establish a standard for trucks and passenger vehicles and get automakers to adopt it. (Or make it simple enough that it can be added as an aftermarket kit.) You'd also need to install…

Post by throwaway0a5e » Tue, Jun 22, 2021, 1:35 PM UTC

lostapathy wrote: post #362

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #354

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It's more dangerous than sitting in an air conditioned office and posting on HN but if you're not trying to keep up with stop and go traffic it's not substantially worse than flat towing. You have to drive like a responsible adult and trust your buddy to do the same but that kind of goes without saying for any situation where you're moving double or more the weight you usually do.

This is really terrible advice. It's super dangerous, especially at highway speeds (i.e., fast enough to charge a tesla). Granted, leaning on the brake regen makes pulling a tesla a little less dangerous than pulling a gas car around at speed. There's a reason this is illegal most places. It's also, generally, pretty hard on both vehicles to tow on a non-rigid connection because there's a lot of shock transmitted bet…

Post by Unklejoe » Tue, Jun 22, 2021, 2:16 PM UTC

meatmanek wrote: post #90

baybal2 wrote: post #68

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Teslas have no resistor banks? A great omission.

Why would a resistor bank be better than mechanical brakes? Both get rid of excess power as heat, and you probably need the mechanical brakes anyway.

Post by hunter2_ » Tue, Jun 22, 2021, 2:53 PM UTC

rootusrootus wrote: post #255

shkkmo wrote: post #210

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> This is commonly called power braking, usually called up in an emergency. I've never heard it called power braking, always engine braking or j-braking. It isn't just useful in emergencies but also in steep descents with heavy loads to make sure your brakes stay cool enough to be useful. It may be obvious, but the other technique that really helps keep your brakes cool is descending more slowly.

Talking a little bit out of my ass here making some assumptions, but I'd guess that in this context, 'power braking' refers to grabbing an low gear and letting out the clutch to assist the front brakes when you're trying to stop really fast and maintain the handling dynamics of the car. It's hard to explain, but if you've driven a manual sports car for a while it's easy to learn. And it isn't the same as simple engin…