Towing Into Headwind

[RickKeen]

Towed our boat to a family gathering in central MN this past weekend. Previously tested this setup at 0.9 to 1.0 Mi/kWh, but facing pretty strong winds on Thursday, the mileage was crushed down to 0.7 mi/kWh for some stretches of the trip. Even when the wind was more of a side wind (WNW while driving due North) it seems like even a side wind prevents the trailer from drafting the truck as much.

Return direction of the trip we had lower winds and they were oriented partially in the tailwind direction and I got around 1.0 mi/kWh.

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[RickLightning]

Yup.

With our Mach-E last Fall in Arizona, we dropped from a 2.7 average to 2.3, then 2.1, with a huge headwind.

 

[CavRider]

Towed our boat to a family gathering in central MN this past weekend. Previously tested this setup at 0.9 to 1.0 Mi/kWh, but facing a pretty good headwind on Thursday, the mileage was crushed down to 0.7 mi/kWh for some stretches of the trip. Even when the wind was more of a side wind it seems like it prevents the trailer from drafting the truck as much.

Ouch. I wonder if a tight cover over the top of the boat would help. The aero of your pontoon looks pretty "dirty".

 

[RickKeen]

Ouch. I wonder if a tight cover over the top of the boat would help. The aero of your pontoon looks pretty "dirty".

Yes, I was wishing I had a better cover. We live on a lake, so mostly this boat is not taken on the road. I only have a lightweight "mooring" cover for the boat that is not suitable for prolonged highway trailering. I did test with it on but it inflated like a big parachute in the back portion and did not seem to help the mileage much. I left it off to prevent it from getting damaged.

I did try running with the front and rear gates of the pontoon both open and closed and it seemed slightly better with them both closed, actually.

 

[Wjburgin]

I have a similar boat and noticed that, even in my ICE truck, the "sail" that is the pontoon makes traveling at speed harder than when pulling my ski boat, albeit heavier.

 

[roddiaz1]

What speeds were you traveling at?

I recently towed my boat lift on a trailer (which was basically an oversized ) up to the lake.
While traveling 60 to 65 mph, I was eating up charge like crazy.
Realizing I would never make it to the public charger at that rate, I slowed to 50 - 55 mph. While I made alternate plans in my mind. Then I noticed that at this new speed my charge was holding up better. Wouldn’t you know it, I was able to make the charger after all(Phew!).

Speed really matters when towing, especially something not too aerodynamic.

 

[RickKeen]

What speeds were you traveling at?

Speed really matters when towing, especially something not too aerodynamic.

Was varied between 60 to 70 MPH depending on traffic.

 

[RickLightning]

Anyone who tows should read the sidewalls of the tires on the trailer. SOME are not rated for higher than 65mph.

 

[RickKeen]

Anyone who tows should read the sidewalls of the tires on the trailer. SOME are not rated for higher than 65mph.

Yep. Also, I probably should add a spare to the trailer if going to be doing more road trips.

 

[Grumpy2]

If you ever rode in a trailer (I know against law everywhere!), you won't go over 50 mph.

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