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

Post by bigiain » Tue, Jun 22, 2021, 1:29 AM UTC

asdff wrote: post #127

lapetitejort wrote: post #12

Regenerative braking is so neat. I drove up a steep windy road to go on a hike with my plugin hybrid. On the way down I tried to let gravity do all of the acceleration and regenerative braking do all of the deceleration. At the bottom of the hill I had racked up +3 miles in total. Another fringe benefit is that brake pads wear out slower and produce less pollution.

You can get this sort of benefit with a gas car with a manual transmission too. Engine braking uses no gas, its just your wheels turning your pistons and the friction from all of that slows the car down. Most of the time I only hit the brakes to go from 5mph-0mph in a manual car thanks to this.

Post by throwaway0a5e » Tue, Jun 22, 2021, 1:32 AM UTC

SomeHacker44 wrote: post #190

economusty wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you have much losses in the transfer, the strap is probably efficient. Although they would be extra so you are correct.

GP almost certainly meant losses in the transfer from mechanical energy to chemical energy by way of the cars motors being used as generators, then charging the batteries.

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jun 22, 2021, 1:37 AM UTC

adonovan wrote: post #214

shkkmo wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

Also known as "jake braking". It's useful if you're a dump-truck driver who thinks midtown Manhattan is too quiet.

Post by _ea1k » Tue, Jun 22, 2021, 1:38 AM UTC

quickthrower2 wrote: post #207

elihu wrote: post #120

This seems like an interesting solution to the "what to do if my battery runs out in the middle of nowhere" problem. Normally, you'd either have to have to call a tow truck or have someone with a generator come along and recharge. However, towing for awhile (probably at much less than 70 mph for safety reasons) to recharge the battery enough to get to the next town is something that could presumably be done by just a…

It probably means you need to get someone to tow you halfway to a town. But there isn't that much advantage over towing you all the way to a power outlet. And once you are asking strangers for help, just toe you to a residence that is happy to power you up.

Post by jcims » Tue, Jun 22, 2021, 1:41 AM UTC

devoutsalsa wrote: post #4

_Microft wrote: post #3

You have to pull it forward instead of backward but beside that it is not too different from a wind-up car, don't you think? Teslas do not support car-to-car charge transfer for a situation like this, do they? Nice to know that this actually works though.

Charging stations should be giant hands that pull the car backwards!