Tesla Model 3 and a glider

On Sunday, December 15, 2019 at 7:42:37 AM UTC-8, Scott Manley wrote:
My bad. I did mean 3 miles per kWhr when not towing, and 2 miles per kWhr when towing the glider trailer. Other considerations mentioned. Wind is a factor: headwinds hurt, tailwinds help, but I checked winds before I made a trip and factored it in when charging. I was usually running the A/C while towing. I didn't notice any effect on range, although logically there is some effect. I was not traveling in 100 degree heat, but 90s were not uncommon. I did have to unhook the trailer about 1/2 the time at charging stations. We tend to spread out total trip time over more days (luxury of being retired), so a few extra minutes at a stop to unhook/rehook the trailer was not an issue. Traveling mostly north/south through the eastern U.S. I didn't have to deal with a lot of terrain. By the way, the Tesla navigation system does factor in elevation changes when calculating the energy required for a proposed route. The most dramatic elevation change in a short period of time was a 1000 ft ridge in Tennessee. The climb occurred over about 7 miles and the energy consumption on the way up went off the chart. On the flats, while towing, the Model X uses about 400-450 watt-hrs/mile. Climbing the ridge saw values well over 900 watt-hrs / mile. To minimize consumption on the way up, I got in line with the semis and drove at 35 mph (minimized aerodynamic drag). On the 7 mile trip down the other side, the regenerative braking (no need to use the actual brakes) returns more than 1/2 of what was required to climb the ridge (descent at about 55 mph). Another point of reference, for safety sake, we came to traveling in the right lane with the professional truck drivers, moving along at about 5 miles under the posted limit at a steady pace, so about 65 mph most of the time. Besides being safer, right lane travel was much more relaxing and often entertaining as we calmly watched the neurotic behavior of those to our left. Tesla's adaptive cruise uses the maximum distance to the vehicle ahead setting when in trailer mode. Tesla's automatic lane tracking (auto-steer) is disabled in trailer mode.

It's interesting how much different the power consumption is, 23%, between the glider and the travel trailers, which must be due to the larger frontal area. Correcting for a correspondingly shorter charging time, the cross country trip speed will jump to an eye-popping 27.6 mph. Ely, NV, however, would be out of the question.

Tom

On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 1:19:35 PM UTC-8, bertvaneyken wrote:
Is there anyone using a Tesla Model 3 to tow his/her glider regularly?

Curious about the impact on range and usability to go on (European) gliding holiday.

More importantly, how long until the Tesla Model 3 is autonomous? No more need for ground crew!

On Monday, December 16, 2019 at 8:16:13 PM UTC-8, wrote:
On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 1:19:35 PM UTC-8, bertvaneyken wrote:
Is there anyone using a Tesla Model 3 to tow his/her glider regularly?

Curious about the impact on range and usability to go on (European) gliding holiday.

More importantly, how long until the Tesla Model 3 is autonomous? No more need for ground crew!

Sorry, but all Tesla autonomous features are disabled in the towing mode.

Does the car know that it's towing a trailer or do you have to tell it
so?Â* My mere Ford has a separate towing mode, but I have to manually set it.

On 12/16/2019 9:37 PM, 2G wrote:
On Monday, December 16, 2019 at 8:16:13 PM UTC-8, wrote:
On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 1:19:35 PM UTC-8, bertvaneyken wrote:
Is there anyone using a Tesla Model 3 to tow his/her glider regularly?

Curious about the impact on range and usability to go on (European) gliding holiday.
More importantly, how long until the Tesla Model 3 is autonomous? No more need for ground crew!
Sorry, but all Tesla autonomous features are disabled in the towing mode.

--
Dan, 5J

On Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at 9:21:37 AM UTC-6, Dan Marotta wrote:
Does the car know that it's towing a trailer or do you have to tell it
so?Â* My mere Ford has a separate towing mode, but I have to manually set it.

On 12/16/2019 9:37 PM, 2G wrote:
On Monday, December 16, 2019 at 8:16:13 PM UTC-8, wrote:
On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 1:19:35 PM UTC-8, bertvaneyken wrote:
Is there anyone using a Tesla Model 3 to tow his/her glider regularly?

Curious about the impact on range and usability to go on (European) gliding holiday.
More importantly, how long until the Tesla Model 3 is autonomous? No more need for ground crew!
Sorry, but all Tesla autonomous features are disabled in the towing mode.

--
Dan, 5J

Dan, the scary thing is that yes, the car knows. My Mercedes SUV gives me a warning that the blind spot feature is disabled as soon as I hook up the trailer.

You can set trailer mode manually, but the Model X goes into trailer mode when I plug the trailer lights in.

On Monday, December 16, 2019 at 8:37:55 PM UTC-8, 2G wrote:
On Monday, December 16, 2019 at 8:16:13 PM UTC-8, wrote:
On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 1:19:35 PM UTC-8, bertvaneyken wrote:
Is there anyone using a Tesla Model 3 to tow his/her glider regularly?

Curious about the impact on range and usability to go on (European) gliding holiday.

More importantly, how long until the Tesla Model 3 is autonomous? No more need for ground crew!

Sorry, but all Tesla autonomous features are disabled in the towing mode.

Get Elon into gliding and soon we will have self driving trailers!

Folks who don't drive electric vehicles often equate charging with putting fuel into a tank. Fill'er up. The reality is, when traveling I only charge to a capacity that allows me to reach the next planned charge location with a 20% reserve. If the next charge stop only requires a 60% charge (40% for travel + 20% reserve), I only charge until the battery reaches 60% (about 20 minutes at a Tesla Supercharger); then I hit the road. I rarely charge to 100%. For openers, the batteries don't like being fully charged, and secondarily charging is like pouring water into a bucket. When the bucket is empty, you can pour as fast as you like, but as the bucket approaches full, you need to slow down. So I can charge the Model X from 20% to 80% in the same time it takes to charge from 80% to 100%. To reduce time charging, the tactic is to run the battery down to as low a charge as is comfortable and then charge up only as needed to reach the next charging location. For what it is worth, having to stop for 1/2 hr to charge every 2-3 hours and driving in the left lane with the professional truck drivers and slight lower speeds makes for much more relaxed travel. Back to the topic of towing, the extra mass of the Model X (5500 lb) makes it a very stable towing platform. With the exceptions of a 35% reduction in range and not being able to see much out the back window, I barely noticed I was pulling a 30 foot trailer. The ample torque also allows for worry free and nearly instantaneous passing ability. A fellow Model X owner once told me, and after having driven mine for 3 years I must agree, none of the things you think would be a problem with an electric vehicle (especially a Tesla) are actually problems.

Scott Manley wrote on 12/17/2019 12:19 PM:
For what it is worth, having to stop for 1/2
hr to charge every 2-3 hours and driving in the left lane with the professional
truck drivers and slight lower speeds makes for much more relaxed travel. Back
to the topic of towing, the extra mass of the Model X (5500 lb) makes it a very
stable towing platform. With the exceptions of a 35% reduction in range and
not being able to see much out the back window, I barely noticed I was pulling
a 30 foot trailer. The ample torque also allows for worry free and nearly
instantaneous passing ability. A fellow Model X owner once told me, and after
having driven mine for 3 years I must agree, none of the things you think would
be a problem with an electric vehicle (especially a Tesla) are actually
problems.

You are still driving faster, though stopping about as often, as I do in my
motorhome towing my trailer. I fantasize about pickup/van electric propulsion
migrating to small(ish) motorhomes like mine, so I can get more than 400 miles out
of a 50 gallon tank. And, maybe get much better acceleration onto the freeways and
around the folks going 55 in the 65 lane.

Not sure which fantasy will arrive first, just hoping I last long enough to at
least see one appear: electric motorhomes or self-driving motorhomes.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1

Very informative, thanks!

On 12/17/2019 1:19 PM, Scott Manley wrote:
Folks who don't drive electric vehicles often equate charging with putting fuel into a tank. Fill'er up. The reality is, when traveling I only charge to a capacity that allows me to reach the next planned charge location with a 20% reserve. If the next charge stop only requires a 60% charge (40% for travel + 20% reserve), I only charge until the battery reaches 60% (about 20 minutes at a Tesla Supercharger); then I hit the road. I rarely charge to 100%. For openers, the batteries don't like being fully charged, and secondarily charging is like pouring water into a bucket. When the bucket is empty, you can pour as fast as you like, but as the bucket approaches full, you need to slow down. So I can charge the Model X from 20% to 80% in the same time it takes to charge from 80% to 100%. To reduce time charging, the tactic is to run the battery down to as low a charge as is comfortable and then charge up only as needed to reach the next charging location. For what it is worth, having to stop for 1/2 hr to charge every 2-3 hours and driving in the left lane with the professional truck drivers and slight lower speeds makes for much more relaxed travel. Back to the topic of towing, the extra mass of the Model X (5500 lb) makes it a very stable towing platform. With the exceptions of a 35% reduction in range and not being able to see much out the back window, I barely noticed I was pulling a 30 foot trailer. The ample torque also allows for worry free and nearly instantaneous passing ability. A fellow Model X owner once told me, and after having driven mine for 3 years I must agree, none of the things you think would be a problem with an electric vehicle (especially a Tesla) are actually problems.

--
Dan, 5J