First trailer towing experience

[DBN66]

2023 XLT ER. Went on a trip to pick up a lawnmower. Approximately 34 degrees F. Started at 100% charge from home fresh unplugged . Small FeatherLite aluminum trailer 3,500# rating. Drove 67 miles and pulled into charging station as display showed 52% charge remained and 45 miles to go. 50 minutes to add 38% to take it back up to 90%. Unexpected blizzard, and the prospect of driving an additional 45 miles away from home spooked me so drove 67 miles back home from charging station. Arrived back home with 58% charge remaining, apparently only using 32% of charge to do so. It will be a rare thing for me to pull a trailer, but I’m interested to see what kind of range I get in the future.

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[Heliian]

How big is the airbrake on your trailer and how fast were you going?

Temp, weight, speed and aerodynamics are important factors when towing.

 

[DBN66]

No air brakes, this is a lightweight open utility trailer, weighs ~750 lbs. I was driving anywhere from 55-69 mph.

 

[TheWoo]

No air brakes, this is a lightweight open utility trailer, weighs ~750 lbs. I was driving anywhere from 55-69 mph.

Was it windy? Did you precondition? That first stretch was pretty poor efficiency, even for towing (just over 1 mi/kWh), with a light, open trailer. The stretch home looked better. Makes me wonder if you were battling a headwind on the way out and had a tailwind on the way back.

But, cold weather + towing is a bad range combo.

 

[DBN66]

A little headwind, I would say winds up to 20 mph. As far as preconditioning, I pulled the charging cable and got on the road fairly quickly. Is there something to be done manually to precondition? Sorry if that’s a dumb question, I haven’t studied it enough.

Researching that now. Looks like I should have set a departure time. Thanks for asking about that.

 

[Grumpy2]

A little headwind, I would say winds up to 20 mph.

When that wind hit. You were actually going 75 - 89 mph while towing.

 

[PA Lightning]

A little headwind, I would say winds up to 20 mph. As far as preconditioning, I pulled the charging cable and got on the road fairly quickly. Is there something to be done manually to precondition? Sorry if that’s a dumb question, I haven’t studied it enough.

Researching that now. Looks like I should have set a departure time. Thanks for asking about that.

Delete. OP found departure time

 

[TaxmanHog]

Researching that now. Looks like I should have set a departure time. Thanks for asking about that.

Glad you know about the Departure Timer, you might have been able to make the round trip with mid trip charging on both legs!

A couple points to maximize your performance in COLD conditions:

Set maximum charge SOC to 95%, plug in and let the schedule bring your SOC to this point as your TOU allows, leave plugged in through the night or prior to trip.

Set your departure time for an 60-90 minutes prior to real leave time, that will get the battery warmed up for the trip.

1 hour prior to leave time hit the charge to 100% button, this will top up your battery.

15 minutes before actual leave time use REMOTE START to warm up the cabin.

Following these steps in order will improve your range, pay attention to your energy consumption rate (MPK) as you go, time your charging stops so that energy level is in the 10% to 30% low level, then only charge to 80%, go higher if the distance to next available DCFC station is out of reach.

 

[DBN66]

Thank you sir, I appreciate that info.

 

[Maquis]

Moral of the story: don’t pickup lawn mowers in a blizzard!

 

[DBN66]

The best advice of all, my friend.

 

[JRT]

Ah 20mph wind is not lite wind lol. That really is one of the issues with EV trucks like this, wind is a big impact that wasn't as noticeable in ICE.

 

[rv7pilot]

Did the trailer have a big expanded metal ramp sticking up?

 

[DBN66]

Yes, it is equipped with a ramp. Here is a sample image…

 

[TheWoo]

Yes, it is equipped with a ramp. Here is a sample image…

That ramp creates a big part of the aerodynamic challenge. Even though it's slotted (which will help) it's going to create a ton of drag at hwy speeds.

I'd love for someone a lot smarter than me to look at a bunch of different trailers to identify their aero properties. Never thought that would be an issue I'd care about, but EVs continue to create new curiosities!