Towing test for upcoming travel season

[B177y]

I posted a much abbreviated version in the "Towing/Hauling/Trailering" section under the Data Thread sticky.

Truck:
2024 Lightning Pro ER Max Tow

Trailer:
2018 JayFlight 242BHSW, ~6500 lbs for this test

Efficiency:
Ford dash: 0.9 mi/kwh
ABRP towing profile: 0.96 mi/kwh @ 65 mph.


I made a towing profile on ABRP that estimated 1.15 mi/kwh, which ended up being too optimistic. I wanted to get some real world and more accurate towing stats for upcoming summer fun. My previous tow rig was a 2001 F350 V-10 gasser. This will be my first "travel trailer season" with the Lightning.

My travel trailer is 24' long (30' from hitch to rear bumper), 11' tall (with air conditioner), 8' wide. Pretty square front, not really aerodynamic. Maximum weight on the sticker is 7250 lbs with weight from factory listed as 5726 lbs. I haven't been on a scale but I estimate that I am probably around 6500 lbs for this test run.

I did a round trip from Sequim, WA to the Tesla Supercharger in Forks, WA and back to Sequim. Left my house at 80% charge since it was a spur of the moment thing. Combination of 60 mph highway and congested streets with construction through Port Angeles. Just under 140 miles total. Truck displayed outside temps mid 50's to mid 60's, sunny and no real wind.

The Lightning tows like a dream! When I got home I adjusted my WDH (an old Eaz-lift) adding one more washer of downward force on the tow arms as I felt a little light on the front wheels going over some poor sections of road. I had the Eaz-lift adjusted per the Lightning's hitch setup menu where you add your trailer details and it guides you through the sequence of hitched with no arms, then hitch with arms attached, and you adjust your WDH to get into the "green zone". Other than that, compared to my old F350 the Lightning drives MUCH nicer and the torque is supreme.

The downside is that I will need to plan for stops where I can charge with the trailer attached or have sufficient area to drop it while I charge. There is one trip that my family has taken for the past few years that is 335 mi one way that will require 4 charge stops along I-5 and I-84. Many of the fast chargers along this route are not optimized for larger towing rigs, so I'll be digging through ABRP and PlugShare to check for trailer friendly stops.

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[VTbuckeye]

This weekend I drove across NY to pick up a 20 foot sailboat for my 15 year old son (he found a boat that he wanted, has been sailing/racing for years and it was a combination birthday/Christmas present). We left the trailer attached for all of our charging (stations were not busy). I tried to pick a spot on the end and did my best to keep the boat out of the way. Total length was probably 26 to 28 feet ball to end of mast. My efficiency was much better than the travel trailer as the boat hides behind the truck (4ft tall 7ft wide with only the mast and boom sticking above the hull).
Ideally I would find charging locations that are trailer friendly. Then try to pick an end spot that does not obstruct the flow of traffic. Then consider dropping the trailer in an adjacent parking spot. Thank goodness Ford put the charging port on the front end of the truck. Of the 4 places we charged only one would have worked with a rear charge port location.

 

[B177y]

I should have added that I was able to keep my trailer attached while I charged at the Tesla charger in Forks. I did exactly as you say and took the left most spot that was facing sideways instead of the usual pulling up towards the charger with the front of the truck. The total length of the truck and trailer still left about 10 ft of parking lot behind me and didn't obstruct traffic. I did have to back out of the spot about 20 ft but then this allowed me to make a u-turn and head out to the main road. This station I assume sees a lot of trailer traffic (as much as there is for EVs) as it is the main loop around the Olympic Peninsula. During the summer, there are literally thousands of RVs taking this route everyday.

 

[rockfish]

My travel trailer is 24' long (30' from hitch to rear bumper), 11' tall (with air conditioner), 8' wide. Pretty square front, not really aerodynamic. Maximum weight on the sticker is 7250 lbs with weight from factory listed as 5726 lbs. I haven't been on a scale but I estimate that I am probably around 6500 lbs for this test run.

This is pretty close to what i will be pulling for memorial day weekend. 24 ft. grand design Transcend. Its close to 7000 lbs as well. Great to read you had a good experience with it. I am excited for my upcoming trip, only pulling about 100 miles this time, it will be the first pull since i traded in my 2018 ICE lariat.

 

[B177y]

This is pretty close to what i will be pulling for memorial day weekend. 24 ft. grand design Transcend. Its close to 7000 lbs as well. Great to read you had a good experience with it. I am excited for my upcoming trip, only pulling about 100 miles this time, it will be the first pull since i traded in my 2018 ICE lariat.

If you get similar efficiency to me, you should be able to make your trip one way without having to stop, as long as you are at 100% SOC when you leave your house.

If you are allowed/able to L2 charge where you are staying, you can get to 100% for the return trip home. If not, I would plan on at least one DCFC stop to get home.

You will LOVE the towing performance of the Lightning!

 

[Yellow Buddy]

This is pretty close to what i will be pulling for memorial day weekend. 24 ft. grand design Transcend. Its close to 7000 lbs as well. Great to read you had a good experience with it. I am excited for my upcoming trip, only pulling about 100 miles this time, it will be the first pull since i traded in my 2018 ICE lariat.

I’ve got a 247BH. I saw 0.8mi/kWh on the last tow which was slightly disappointing, but I was moving at a good clip and it was pretty windy (20-30mph) Hoping to get a bit better next time out.

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