Power Hungry Tesla Model X vs The World's Toughest Towing Test | Adventure X Ep. 2

( www.Transwest.com/frederick ) Can a Tesla Model X Tow? Yes, but can it tow a maximum load up the world's toughest towing test up a mountain? That's the question that we set out to answer in this week's episode of TFL's new Adventure X video series.
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[@TFLcar]

So how much more range does the Tesla Model X have towing vs not towing? We found out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJm7ZHWjna-LmZo

[@843MudMafia.]

When y'all driving the new EcoDiesel

[@jamesbeaman6337]

@- whoami - it's probably because they released it to their Patreon supporters at that time and added that comment.

[@chanseormon]

The Fast Lane Car y’all should buy a 2019 Hyundai Sonata Turbo

[@staly23o]

***Thank you for the vid.*** Did you use range mode this time? Cause range mode uses less energy cause of the more efficient motor on the front of the vehicle. The old front motor was smaller but on the new front motors Tesla claim is a lot more economical. Since you guys are towing and range is an issue with towing, I thought you would test range mode this time. Can you use Range mode for your next test Please?

[@staly23o]

Ugo Sugo it would be nice if this time they mentioned if they used range mode. I think they didn’t have to use the truck. They just had to charge at the supercharger at Silvethorn by quickly unhook trailer for return trip driving faster than conventional truck.

[@danaf321]

You forgot to wait 30 seconds and plug it back in to make sure it's topped off.

[@mattbrew11]

If you shake it for more than two seconds, you’re playing with it

[@BigBoy4005]

@@mattbrew11 At least this new equipment doesn't dribble on your shoes so much as the older apparatus.

[@lfcbraga]

@@mattbrew11 hahahah

[@theworldaccordingtochris4370]

And where was Mr Truck?

[@ZipZoomZip]

These KZbin dweebs forgot to plug their brains in. They don't have a clue what they are doing.

[@jjmarz1001]

I'm trying to decide if I should get a Tesla X or 17 used Touaregs.

[@itechiwizard83]

Get the X. It's the better investment.

[@fradaja]

Well the running costs of 1 Tuareg probably will equal 17 model x

[@dzelpwr]

Touareg can tow 7700 lbs ;)

[@highbrass3749]

Repair cost would be the same either way you go.

[@brightivan]

Zoltán Kárpát not when it’s time to replace the battery packs.

[@chldof1truekng434]

Very disappointed you wimped out and didn't use the downhill regen to see if you made it. You had the truck right there to save the day.

[@davidbeppler3032]

It would have showed the Model X in a positive light. Can't have that.

[@JeanPierreWhite]

@@davidbeppler3032 Yeah towing 70 miles and using say 20 miles of range isn't allowed.

[@davidbeppler3032]

@Leopold No reason. Why didn't they use the regen down hill? Again, no reason.

[@davidbeppler3032]

@Leopold Don't have to. I know traveling down hill with a trailer will put energy back into the battery. This is not rocket science.

[@davidbeppler3032]

@Leopold Funny, the words used were, "I don't trust it."

[@TeslaRoger]

At least you kinda figured out how the trip meter will predict your range based on your previous 5, 15 or 30 miles.

[@mowcowbell]

I'm shocked you guys haven't installed a 240v 50amp plug in your garage. Can't imagine charging a Model X on Level 1 12 amps.

[@SledgeOfHouseHammer]

First thing I did when I got my 3 was to install a NEMA 14-50 outlet in the garage. It just makes sense.

[@johnbradley2016]

Maybe they dont plan to keep it that long or saving that for a future video

[@smarticus6384]

I don't even own an EV and I had a NEMA 14-50 installed in my garage. To be honest I justify it by having it for my backup generator in case of a Hurricane. But it can also be used for an EV.

[@josem6929]

The tesla is not a daily driver. The have literally too many cars/trucks to choose from. They can afford to have it sitting charging.

[@smarticus6384]

@@josem6929 I am not an EV owner nor at this time do I have any plans to being an EV owner, but sitting at chargers should really only be an issue on long trips, etc. As a daily driver (assuming you can charge at home) most people will charge overnight and never need to stop at a charger during their commute. That to me is the draw for owning an EV as a daily driver.

[@N8TheSnake]

Let's not forget that just 7 years ago, the idea of ANY electric car towing ANYTHING was a ludicrous concept in and of itself.

[@smiller225]

Fax

[@joeyscleaninglady2877]

False google JB Straubels Porsche... he towed a pusher genset all over california

[@smiller225]

@@joeyscleaninglady2877 if we have to Google it that itself proves his point.

[@chadkclark]

Trains have been doing if for 90 years.

[@loungelizard836]

@@joeyscleaninglady2877 Towed a pusher genset? Or allowed a genset to push him?

[@derajslc]

Interestingly, 1,819 Wh/mi works out to about 20mpg. As for the truck getting 8.7mpg on the approach tow, that works out to 4,100 Wh/mi!

[@megadawg342]

Yep. Electric trucks are comin'! Tesla had developed(?) a Big Rig and introduced it 2 years ago. Haven't seen any on the road yet.

[@humdinger5701]

@@megadawg342 Electric trucks I imagine we will start to see in the next 5 years. Semi Trucks on the other hand are still a bit of a pipe dream. I've seen them at a few different places where they are testing them and they are nowhere near what they would need to be to be utilized industry wide. The only way I see them being used is by large companies for testing on dedicated routes with specific mileage that never changes. So in other words (daycab) i.e. short hauls could work but long haul is completely out of the question because of the requirements.

[@dustman96]

Yeah, the video was obviously dishonest.

[@jjanovsky1983]

@@humdinger5701 Well, the last time I checked dedicated routes, local delivery, etc. are 80% of trucking. And most of the long haul trucking is still done with 1 driver, so you have mandatory stops, during which vehicle can charge. IMO only a few % of trucking will be beyond the reach of EV trucks in 10 years.

[@blackhatter011]

@@dustman96 Said the butt hurt Tesla fanboy. Relax and drink some more kool-aid.

[@davesbrewing]

If you tow a diesel generator you could charge the battery as you drive.

[@marioarchuleta8723]

I was more thinking a tesla energy bank to extend the range !!!!????

[@marioarchuleta8723]

Yez zir .. I mean its from a tesla anyways

[@TrashPanda2801]

isn't that completely counter-intuitive to why people drive tesla's, you know, cause they live in places like commiefornia with gas prices out the ass and they dont want to buy it.

[@taunuslunatic404]

@David Star The Fisker Karma had a similar setup. It had a ICE which drove a generator.

[@FJT1978]

The car’s software would not allow you to open the charge port while driving nor would it allow you to put the car into drive while charging. So that wouldn’t really work. But your point mostly remains.

[@victorkellems]

I'd like to see you guys compare a horse trailer to a flatbed going up the IKE. It's amazing how much wind drag affects towing.

[@rkan2]

Also test going the same speed as other trucks

[@victorkellems]

@@loganholmberg2295 I pull a horse trailer nearly every weekend weighing about 8k lbs loaded and it's harder on the truck at highway speed than hauling 15k lbs of shingles on a flatbed. I'm just saying I'd like to see the difference between the trailer types because there is a huge difference.

[@jamesavery6671]

Yeah but they use a horse trailer for about every test so its consistent

[@OneNationUnderGod.]

At least it's a V-nose trailer, they pull so much better than the flat ones. Source: I switched from a 24' flat nose haulmark to a V-nose, better fuel economy and you really notice when a semi coming from the opposite direction hits your rig with that gust of air.

[@robertweekley5926]

@@loganholmberg2295 - Put a Model 3 on the Flatbed, then! Or, a BMW 340i, for fun!

[@chaleowin7732]

I don't care what vehicle I drive, I WANT a screen like that. I want all the data it can provide and all the bells and whistles. I love tests like this, they are interesting and informative.

[@angelelijaheden7574]

at the end, going down with truck instead of the X, just ruined the gain test, why did you not do a 50 mph uphill, basically you just wasted our time with your scared to test tests.

[@rogerheuckeroth7456]

Ya, I was bummed about that too. Bet they would have made it no problem with it mostly being down hill.

[@stephendenagy3396]

Agreed, scared.

[@paulehlers2225]

The technology is coming along for sure. The range & re-charge times are still the biggest factors to overcome. One of the cool things in this video that goes unnoticed is at the 12:17 mark when they are coming out of the tunnel, they are passing a semi loaded with locomotive traction motors, which are the ultimate hybrid electric vehicle motors with dynamic braking. I was surprised at how well it towed up the hill, that's impressive!!

[@OneNationUnderGod.]

I'd say cost of the cells is still the biggest factor to overcome, weight of a decent sized pack is also a major factor. I'm very interested in how the upcoming Tesla pickup handles this issue, it needs a 150kw pack to have a decent range and 200kw would be better for those that tow. Problem is what kinda payload capacity will be left when the battery pack weighs so much? Not to mention a 200kw pack is gonna drive the cost of the pickup into the +$100k range.

[@paulehlers2225]

I agree to a point that the batteries & the overall costs are major issues with electric cars. I'm looking at it from a drivability standpoint. The electric car as we know it now will work well as a commuter & daily driver car in our cities, but if you live out west where we have long distances between places, they still have a long way to go to be practical. They simply aren't ready for prime time as a car to take on a vacation. I can't imagine anyone who has let's say 500 miles to drive in a day willing to pull into a charging station & hang around for two or three hours while their car charges so they can finish their trip.

[@saliston]

I dont see the problem with unhooking the trailer and charging up.

[@SupremeSupra]

trailer could get stolen....

[@silvy7394]

People are lazy. Either they are lazy to un-hook it, or they are lazy to check on it every so often to make sure no ones picking it up

[@mikes2381]

@@SupremeSupra Let's see. A good trailer lock weighs 3-5 lbs and costs $20-30 Nah. Too difficult and expensive. Especially for model X owners. Not sure why TFLT didn't just say this. Unless they only do truck reviews and don't actually tow much outside of their reviews.

[@fastfreeks]

It would be a pain if you're trying to do a long road trip. Trying to plan on there always being a spot to park a trailer is unrealistic and most chargers are in tight parking lots which makes it a nightmare I avoid tight streets and gas stations towing right now. That will need to change we need large open lots with drive through chargers. Think about it for a minute imagine 500 cars and trailers trying to charge in the same area there will be a pile up situation due to the longer charge time vs pumping fuel. This show is a great example of the reality of the charging infrastructure it needs some serious expanding.

[@gregmcmullen9753]

They probably forgot their special gloves for hooking and unhooking trailers...

[@joshlemons3662]

At 13:09 you can see the brake lights are on because of regenerative braking, so the trailer brake controller is probably applying the trailer brakes. Because the only signals it gets are brake lights on and it’s inertial sensor. Y’all might have been riding the trailer brakes all the way down the mountain.

[@joshlemons3662]

Don’t get me wrong, I love EVs and I think regenerative braking is more effective down hill than engine braking. This is new territory; mixing trailer brake controllers with vehicles that have regen braking.

[@ruudfalun]

Here's another way to do the math for your descend and ascend test, please correct me if I have extracted wrong numbers from your video. The distance traveled downhill was 12 miles (8 down + 4 flat to SC). Same distance back up, so a total of 24 miles. You recovered 4% on the way down and used 17% on the way back up, so effectively consumed 13% battery, roughly 12 kWh of energy. So average consumption over the 24 miles up/down was 12,000 / 24 = 500 Wh/mile. You would have easily made it back to HQ with the Model X pulling the trailer, even with the consumption previously measured. With half battery left you would have driven 60 miles flat, but because you're going down the mountain again for half the distance, you would have reached HQ with 10-15% battery left. Forget about the projected miles when pulling a trailer. Just look at battery % and expected consumption. Just as you look as expected miles per gallon and the gallons left in the tank for an ICE car to decide where to fill up your gas tank. I would argue that when reducing the speed to 60 mph on a flat road (which is still quite fast towing such a heavy trailer), you can do 140-150 miles while pulling this trailer. So the only thing to look at when driving long distance with this heavy trailer is the distance to the next SC. Take a $25 lock with you, so you can unhook the trailer while supercharging without the trailer being stolen and you'll be just fine. Would be nice to see comparison in cost towing this trailer between EV and ICE car. Here's my prediction: RAM truck would be using 3 gallon driving up and 1 gallon driving down, so 4 gallon total at $2.75 amounting to $11. Tesla using 12 kWh at $0.25 would cost $3. Stop thinking like dinosaurs guys and your info will get a whole lot better! Thanks for the good quality video's though, nice scenery!

[@ScantSphinx9]

Betcha they put the Model X in ludicrous mode all the way back to HQ lol Only good reason to have it unhooked coming back

[@swss12]

it's too bad you guys didnt start at the bottom of the hill, went up, turned around and regen'd all the way back down to see the difference in charge from the continuous round trip. would probably only be 2-4 times energy of regular driving, not 8.

[@Resch60gmail]

A couple things. First you can tow 5500 lbs with 20inch wheels. 2nd you should not extend the ball hight as requirements for this hitch. You unhook the trailer and charge. Set you speed with the cruise controll and turn the brake controller down when you go downhill i just finished 1000mile trip with over 4000 ft in elevation multiple times and a 4300lbs trailer . Uphill lower your speed to 55. If you make the math when driving up and down you will see that you get almost the same range as going straight ( close to 80%) keep the speed consistent and your range goes up again. You can drive around 110 mile in very hill parts and and 140 in flat area. I am just cutting the last film with from Vancouver to Revelstoke and back 1400 km with 8 charging stops

[@franklast7955]

You charged every 120 miles and thats the future. Mmmmm

[@Resch60gmail]

@@franklast7955 Frank Last i have 3 little kids i am lucky if i make it 120 miles. You need to see it thise way i traveled 875 miles. The same distance on my truck cost me 310$. The same route in my tesla came to 132 $. That makes 178$ saving. The future will be probably in the tesls truck with a larger battery where you can travel 240 or 300 miles on a charge. But for now that is it.

[@franklast7955]

@@Resch60gmail a used model x is 70k. A used dodge ecodiesel is 35k. So thats how many trips at 200 a trip. And when tesle can go 300 miles on a tank and fuel up in 15 mins give me a call

[@Resch60gmail]

@@franklast7955 i just sold my dodge ecodiesel. Down to one car that does it all main reason was maintenance and insurance cost per year.

[@Cannibal440]

Stopping 8 times to charge in 875 miles is just not going to sell. If time is of no concern and of little value, I can certainly see it as just part of the adventure. I have no argument with that. Typical business and non retired pleasure towing, it just make little sense. For instance, I often drive(non towing) 900+ miles in 16 hours and stop once for 5 minutes to fuel up. I don't have the time to wait for charging. The customer is paying me for my expediency. In an EV vehicle, you plan the trip around refueling, whereas in an ICEV refueling basically isn't even planned. With less than 1% Superchargers than gas stations in the US, and the time it takes to charge, those are just the realities.

[@saddist1Gtown]

Hark! What did I spot @ 05:13?? That is certainly a Peugeot 508 no doubt it would be rebadged as a GM brand in the US... while in Europe in July (Goodwood Festival) my mate picked us up in one and I must say it is leagues ahead of some of the more expensive cars there in terms of interior styling and quality I especially liked the estate...

[@koomaj]

Drama about not being able to unhitch at superchargers was really stupid. Obvious attempt to create drama is really annoying. Anton must be very happy about your attempts =)

[@OneNationUnderGod.]

To be fair that is a major pain in the ass, I tow everyday from mid March until mid November for my business and if I had to unhitch every time I needed fuel I'd be figuring something else out.

[@Sylvan_dB]

@@OneNationUnderGod. Especially if you needed fuel once or twice per day.

[@Sylvan_dB]

@@thomaspaul2465 These are the tests they bought the vehicle explicitly to do. I'm expecting there will be other tests.

[@applenut]

@@thomaspaul2465 the silverthorne charger has 5 spots to the left of the entrance that are perfect for unhitching and charging and frequently used just for that.

[@hajjdawood]

@@thomaspaul2465 Because this is a towing test, why should Tesla be exempt from scrutiny? Especially since Tesla claimed it is great at towing and because electric trucks are coming soon.

[@rye811]

I realize unhooking at a super charger is not ideal, but could you have charged, hooked up, made it across the mountain, and to the next supercharger?

[@beebeequail]

Rye No way this thing could work in real world. Just think of all the hassles and range anxieties that will hit you going up and down every hill.

[@rye811]

Litecoin John yeah I get it, not ideal. But think of any midsize suv pulling something like that. Explorer, traverse, atlas...not ideal. But could you still hop supercharger to supercharger?

[@staly23o]

You know they could have driven the trailer from their starting location since they had to unhook from the truck at the top of the mountain, they would unhook at the supercharger. I researched a trailer dolly motorized yesterday that could be handy or I hope they make an extension cable for supercharger one day. They could of demonstrated the supercharging speed at least 400 miles per hour charge and maybe they could of gotten to 500 miles per hour since their X was newer.

[@staly23o]

Rye they did said they made it faster than a regular truck to the top so they didn’t try to conserve and they wasted some energy by having a little fun too. The faster you go the more air resistant that cause a factor of double the consumption by speed. So going up that hill would already increase your consumption to 700 - 800 watthr without a trailer adding a trailer at 70 miles plus could add an additional 800 watthr. Since they made it to the top, if all down hill for 70 miles as described from the beginning they could of gain some of the consumption back to the battery with regen. They would eventually discover that and eventually post video about it. In other words a little more planning with the model X and not driving too fast.

[@AndrewPiercy]

They claim to be “journalists” but this is an entertainment channel. They’re going for views not actual information. This whole thing is sensationalism and not at all real world. It’s setups that make for good clicks and feed preconceived notions. They’re intentionally towing a horse trailer with no horses for crying out loud and they try to make it seem like that’s the vehicles short coming because they picked a trailer so big there’s not enough overhead capacity to actually load it. No one in the real world would by the largest most wind resistant trailer they could find that would most skew the numbers. They’d pick a trailer that was sized to carry the load they need to carry which would be much smaller and not nearly as inefficient. A real world test would have made the whole drive and made it to the supercharger without needing an ICE vehicle for the first leg. Would it be inconvenient to have to drop the trailer first before you charge? Yep. Is it doable and vastly cheaper to fuel and greener for the environment? Yep.

[@yehudagoldberg6400]

You mentioned that the ICE trucks have trouble keeping up with the speed limit, so to be fair you should not exceed those speeds. That will greatly reduce consumption.

[@OneNationUnderGod.]

To be fair most of the ice trucks they test are towing +10k lbs, some are towing +15-20k lbs. Many of diesels can do it over the speed limit. To be a more fair comparison the model X would be going against a Tahoe, Expedition or something like that that has a similar max tow rating around 5k lbs. In that comparison the Tesla would kick butt on speed but lose terribly on range considering the ICE vehicles could continue on into the next State before needing to refuel.

[@yehudagoldberg6400]

@@OneNationUnderGod. There's no doubt that an ICE would beat an electric when it comes to range. The point I was making was that it's not as bad as they make it seem.

[@michaelayliffe7238]

Didn't the Tesla have cruse control.

[@yehudagoldberg6400]

@@michaelayliffe7238 They weren't using it.

[@lanceguilin]

@@yehudagoldberg6400 agreed. It would like to see them go up at 50MPG, a much more realistic speed with a 4.5k lb trailer.

[@sherizaahd]

Can't wait for 100% electric Semi Future, the mountains will be far less annoying to drive thru with all those semis just going up the steeps without slowing everyone down. heh. Also, the massive number of mega chargers that the Semi Future will bring heh.

[@wolfman9999999]

The government will probably take two or three centuries to update the downhill speed laws to compensate for their ability to regenerate on the downhill.

[@DrDoom-qh6iw]

NOt in your lifetime!

[@OneNationUnderGod.]

Some semi trucks are capable of towing loaded up those steep grades, they don't because DOT doesn't want that kinda weight traveling any faster. Also the torque on those big rigs will destroy the tires on the drive axles when towing uphill.

[@alterbr33d]

It seems safer downhill, not burning up the brakes in light of what happened a few months back.

[@doomsday9973]

Aaron Williams lol never happen

[@kabloosh699]

If you notice the semis struggle to get up that hill. I'm curious if you go slower whether you can keep the power drain down and not use 7 times the power to get up a hill towing. My biggest concern about an all electric truck is how much will that impact maxgross vehicle weight. Those batteries can really weigh down a vehicle and can really hamper how much you can put into the bed. Of course I guess you don't have to worry so much about the engine, trans, transfer case for 4x4, and gas tank so it should be interesting what manufacturers do.

[@davva360]

I would expect if you slowed down to 55 you would save quite a bit of power. Also have to realize they are talking about putting way bigger batteries in the trucks that are coming out so that will help too. Definitely going to need to rethink supercharger set ups though if they expect people to really tow anything.

[@itechiwizard83]

Model X still use the old battery format. Model 3 use 21700 battery format which is capable of having higher density for the weight of the pack. Tesla semi is using 21700 and the more efficient motors of the model 3. Also with it's great aerodynamics, it would be able to tow quite well. Though it's yet to be seen in the real world tests.

[@rkan2]

It is important to remember that energy consumption when driving against wind resistance increases to the cube!

[@otm646]

For any semi towing near the weight limit an EV option is absolutely a no go even factoring the fuel savings. Tens of thousands of dollars are spent on lightweight chassis, lightweight engines, lightweight wheels, and lightweight trailers all to give you a few extra hundred pounds each of capacity. That capacity gained, or lost via excess weight is real money. A megawatt pack in a Tesla semi is about twice the weight of the current ICE drivetrain.

[@cybertrk]

In the same token they should take that gas truck and drive it that hard and see what kinda mpg they get. Also kinda let down they didn’t bother to even try to finish the last leg when it was possible and would have made for good suspense. Opportunity missed

[@tonygreen8221]

Giving a range prediction based on the trip up a hill is misleading. Why not a full battery test through similar terrain that includes the power generated in the total range as well as the lower consumption areas in between. A website in Australia tested an X against a Landcruiser 200 series. They used a mountainous set loop travelled twice over 2 days, swapping the trailer between the two for each day. The X’s power consumption went up by about 94% while the Landcruisers fuel consumption went up by about 63%. Interestingly, the Tesla with the trailer attached would still out accelerate the twin turbo V8 diesel Landcruiser without a trailer. I like that you tested in the real world but I don’t think your method and therefore result wasn’t reflective of real world use. I enjoy the channel though. Thanks.

[@williamthesling1201]

This is not really a surprise. Tesla's are rather energy efficient to begin with. When you are highly efficient, anything sizable out of the ordinary can have a relatively BIG impact. Going up hill, towing a large weight, at highway speeds with less than stellar aerodynamics... Suddenly you need 8X the energy. No surprise here. Still a fun video though.

[@joeyscleaninglady2877]

I think tesla could put a taller final drive to make the vehicle more efficient while towing.

[@thasickest]

@@joeyscleaninglady2877 no gears lol

[@aaronbounds1336]

You folks are testing physics, and it turns out that physics works, just like it should. Lots of positives about electric towing, and when the Semi comes out, I am sure it will be significantly different and better suited for towing. Enjoyed the video.

[@fastfreeks]

Who's going to buy a semi to tow a small horse trailer?

[@kevt9442]

What kind of batteries will be needed to pull 70,000 lbs down the highway for 800 miles in one day?

[@mattp5991]

@@kevt9442 - Probably a combination if the best batteries that Tesla is manufacturing right now, combined with super-capacitors that Tesla will develop through its purchase of Maxwell. Keep in mind that an EV semi will eliminate the weight if the diesel engine (and all if its support systems), most of the transmission, the exhaust system, and the fuel tanks (plus the 2000 pounds of fuel) that a conventional semi currently hauls down the road. I estimate that the weight savings will be around 5000-6000 pounds of weight that will be saved, that can be used for the huge battery pack plus the 1 or 2 big EV motors under the hitch that will power the drive wheels. My estimates taken from data here: www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/fact-620-april-26-2010-class-8-truck-tractor-weight-component www.thetruckersreport.com/facts-about-trucks/

[@RILEYLEIFSON_UTAH]

@@mattp5991 Welp....We're another year into the future. How's that Tesla semi coming?😂😂

[@thenum1379]

Been looking forward to this one! Nice video gentlemen.

[@ChainringTours]

FYI out there, the towing range of the truck is 231ish miles with a 26 gallon tank, but realistically 200 miles you would need to stop for gas. going from 8.9 mph from 17mpg is a huge drop. near 50% drop.

[@dunhillsupramk3]

a 50% drop isn't that bad when compared to the Tesla drop of 725%

[@ChainringTours]

We actually don't know the drop for the truck since we don't have it doing the same 8 mile climb as the Tesla. They lost 50% of range in the regular climb to the loveland pass spot, but did say they would often see trucks drop to 3mpg going up a hills, if that is the case, the 442 mil normal range of the truck drops to just 76 miles ... also a huge drop. The Tesla used 14.9 kwh, which is a rounded 15% of the battery, which means the hill climbing range is 54 miles (using their 8 mile climb test extrapolated). Also, be careful in how you are quoting numbers, 7.25x the energy is not the same as 725% drop. You can't go past a 100% drop in range, the physics isn't possible. The Tesla saw a 725% increase in the amount of energy required, but a reduction in range of 83% (1-(53/325miles)). The Ram (if getting 3mpg, would see a reduction in range of also 83%). If you have a link to it's hillclimb test (also done at the same speed, way above their goal time of 8 minutes) I can calculate the drop in efficiency more accurately.

[@Speenuh]

@@ChainringTours THIS! The whole time I was watching this video I was thinking about this. The energy usage increase in the Tesla is absolutely comparable to the increase in the truck. Really the only downside of the Tesla is the ease of "refueling" it once it needs to stop vs. the truck. Other than that, the Tesla handily beat the truck in this comparison.

[@ChainringTours]

@@JT_771 I'll be interested in what the Tesla Truck can do towing wise. Plus for the test to be as comparable we need to have the cars do the energy over the mountain and DOWN the mountain. Since an EV will use a lot over the top, but gain coming back down (and save on the brakes). The ICE car will be still using fuel all the way down (be it minimal to idle the engine). The key is we need energy density to go up 36% in the Tesla to match the range of the truck. the ICE truck will get the benefit of the quick fill ups, but there will soon be a day (10 years, maybe 7, that a 200kwh pack will fit into what the current setup of the Model X and it will be able to tow similar distances as the ICE trucks, but they will likely take 30 to 40 minutes to fill up that much juice.

[@fastfreeks]

@@ChainringTours The range isn't the issue as much as the recharge time and you can't supercharge to 100% as well as Tesla says supercharging is hard on the battery pack.

[@fatboy19831]

Guys in the real world you have to drive much slower when you have a trailer. Just slowing down to 50 mph would use 25 to 35% less power. With a gas truck you are limited by hp. In an electric truck you have to use your brain. At the supercharger you would have to unhook the trailer to charge or plan to arrive early am when no one is there.

[@alexanderhamilton8585]

Yes, this isn't the smartest crew.

[@javic1979]

they do the same will all the towing tests to give buyers a upper limit to give real world driving experience that you as a buyer can expect in a worst case scenario vs best case

[@tomasmica325]

Alexander Hamilton You know it’s funny, we run this test a few times a month with gas trucks and not once has someone told us to slow down. Do you expect us to change our test just because we’re using an EV? That would ruin the whole objective of the test wouldn’t it?

[@footbalr074]

"Guys in the real world you have to drive much slower when you have a trailer." what? no you don't.

[@fatboy19831]

@@footbalr074 Yes you do if you want to have any real-world range pulling 5000 pounds with an X.

[@jackwsandoz]

*during what's supposed to be the ultimate uphill towing test*: Tommy: "this has gotta be some of the highest consumption I've seen!" Well yea.. hahaha 2 min later: Andre: "Quickest uphill towing test I've ever seen in my life" Not taking the X back downhill was kind of a cop-out. I mean, if range is the main criticism and you're driving a vehicle with regenerative braking that's literally made to excel in that department.. that was kind of let down to what was otherwise a really enjoyable video.

[@SolGuy42]

How about some trailer air drag insight in the numbers. Go slower to use less up and get more back down. The record low time ascent had something to do with how much power was used. That trailer with horses is a parachute and unusable (too heavy) behind model X. Use an aero pop up camping trailer perhaps? Flatbed with a light enough truck on it just incase you have to swap em? :) Is there a small truck that can tow that weight?

[@newscoulomb3705]

12:26 This is the true advantage of EVs for tow rigs. Brake check sites will be a thing of the past because you literally don't need to use friction brakes except in emergency stops.

[@newscoulomb3705]

@@loganholmberg2295 Tesla isn't the only one building EVs. In terms of EV braking systems right now, no one comes close to GM. If others can follow suit, you won't have the rusting issue seen in early Teslas.

[@MikeCaseyMusic72]

News Coulomb that was a coupled of bolts only, and only where salt was used.

[@newscoulomb3705]

@@MikeCaseyMusic72 There were also issues with rotors rusting on early Teslas. GM found out about that early on in their Volt development, which is why they treated their brake systems with a special, corrosion resistant coating from that point forward.

[@davidbeppler3032]

@@loganholmberg2295 not true. Nobody has had brake problems from not using them. You only regen when the battery is not full. With a 90% full battery, you use the brakes.

[@davidbeppler3032]

@@loganholmberg2295 The articles said the cars regen when they have a full battery? I doubt that. The articles said road salt is bad for brakes? Yes, it is. I live in Missouri and we salt the roads every year. It is horrible for brakes. Every car with low profile wheels have problems. Tesla is no different.

[@theslimeylimey]

What's the big deal with supercharging with the trailer? It takes all of 5 minutes to unhook a trailer and there was plenty of space for it.

[@Bubbles99718]

These guys suck thats why

[@ElectronicsForFun]

because where are you going to put the trailer? you can't just unhook it and leave it somewhere. first of all chances are pretty good that somebody will have a problem with you unhooking and leaving your trailer in the parking lot. and you run the risk of somebody stealing your trailer, so if you're going to unhook it then you have to lock it up which adds more steps to a a process that really doesn't need to be this hard.

[@Bubbles99718]

@@ElectronicsForFun idiot

[@PistonAvatarGuy]

Have you ever towed anything in your life? Parking a trailer sucks, hitching and unhitching a trailer sucks, those things are to be avoided as much as possible.

[@ElectronicsForFun]

@@Bubbles99718 that's all you got? can I get an actual argument?

[@dogphlap6749]

So why wasn't the downhill done with cruise control. Unlike an ICE vehicle a Tesla under cruise control will maintains set speed up or down hill no matter how steep. Other EVs will probably do the same but I'm only familiar with Tesla.

[@Tesla_of_Borg]

Because they are not familiar with how Tesla's autopilot works or charging. You can tell by some of the information they give in the prior videos. As an owner and someone who has followed Tesla for a long time you find out there is a lot of things Tesla doesn't communicate well in their manuals. If they owned them longer they would learn more about them.

[@Cybernatural]

So it pulled it up the hardest hill climb in America super fast, and still had range to reach chargers after having left with only 68% charge. You just have to unhook the trailer to charge. This is an absolute win for the Tesla.

[@Landoram]

I was just on that stretch of road last month on vacation and can attest to it being tough on motoring. Seeing how effortlessly the car pulled that weight up and how it handled it going down (more impressive imo), I think this is the best video you guys have ever done in 10 years. Great video work, incredibly informative, and now I can't wait to see you take this thing off-road!

[@BrandonMeyer1641]

Nolan Ramsey if they take the Tesla off road they void the warranty.

[@randyhare6527]

Off road is definitely Tesla’s biggest weakness.

[@scottleggejr]

@@randyhare6527 I'd say towing up and down and basically being dead after one mountain is pretty useless!

[@randyhare6527]

@@scottleggejr Currently that is definitely an issue, there are ways around it though. Range extenders (a gas or diesel generator) or an extra battery in the trailer. In the future, with a better, bigger battery it won't be an issue. There's no denying the superiority of electric drive for towing control.

[@xmhkillz]

I Imagine if towing takes off with electric vehicles more expensive trailers that also have there own battery packs will become a thing the offset the range loss.

[@andyharman3022]

But you would be sacrificing towing capacity. If you want to get the same range with an electric truck that you get with a combustion truck, you basically have to sacrifice half of your payload capacity to get range. That's no way to make money if you're in the trucking business.

[@0xsergy]

@@andyharman3022 i mean, this is assuming you're at the weight limit. my own personal towing has been bigger lighter stuff so weight wasn't an issue too much but i'm sure that varies a bit depending on what you do. and ye, noone is saying that electric semis are a great idea which is why only tesla is trying to make them right now. our battery tech just needs more work.

[@jeffreff2000]

Thanks for the video guys. I think you might have had a small error for the down hill portion. Although you never touched the brakes when you don’t have your foot on the gas the car is regening and the car activates its brake lights. The brake signal is going to activate the trailer brakes on your trailer which is going to help slow you down. Not sure how much this affected your test but it is a factor. You would have to set your gain to 0 while going down hill.

[@13x]

You could have predicted the uphill results pretty accurately from the level tow test you already performed. Raising 10,000 lbs 1000 ft takes about 4 kWh (energy=m*g*h). So you expect about 8% battery use from a 100kWh battery for 2000 feet of climb, plus the 1% per mile you already tested, = 16% predicted. Actual results were 15-18% depending if you go by range, kWh, or percent.

[@stinger15au]

exactly, it's not like this is a surprise or anything. Of course in the real world, people don't try to do 70mph up 8% gradient's

[@mdemin]

@@stinger15au Exacly, I think about 40-45 would be enough for the uphill.

[@ECOBRAP]

If I did my math correctly, that is 18MPGe while climbing the Ike Gauntlet. I'm sure at the normal speed it might have gotten 20MPGe. Awesome vehicle and can't wait for the trucks.

[@JREwing78]

Impressive considering most ICE vehicles can't break 5mpg on the same test.

[@ECOBRAP]

@@JREwing78 We would like to take a stab at the gauntlet with our Ecodiesel. We are getting 22-23MPG hand calculated while towing 4,000lbs, check out the videos!

[@hajjdawood]

@@JREwing78 ICE vehicles getting 5mpg on this test are towing 2-2.5 times the weight.

[@ECOBRAP]

@DrScopeify They did test the uphill? And it did it in record time? To be honest though I am surprised the motor and battery did not overheat on the way up as well... I have overheated a Tesla in less than 60 seconds on a race track...

[@tonylourenco4393]

Etiquette to charge while towing is just to unhitch and pull into the charger normally

[@fastfreeks]

The worst part is having to do that every 130 miles or so and charge for 1-2 hours yikes I don't see a lot of people towing if that's the case.

[@tonylourenco4393]

No the range and efficiency isn't exactly there yet for Towing large heavy loads especially if you need to drive for a few hours that day. but on the other hand is within a couple of hours and you're able to charge wow you're let's say on the lake with the boat that you had to tow or at the farm for example then you have your range to go back without a sweat just depends on the circumstances

[@Apastorfield]

@@fastfreeks it only takes about 35 minutes to an hour for a charge on the X

[@applenut]

@@fastfreeks Takes me no more than 5 mins to unhitch at the Silverthorne trailer, and it takes me about 35-45 mins to recharge to 90-95%. often times its perfectly timed for me to walk my dog, use a restroom and/or grab a coffee.

[@satnitcboy]

I would think a "tow lane" behind the superchargers would allow for a couple of users to pull up perpendicular to other vehicles and find an available charger.

[@srnunan4783]

So 58 miles of range to go 8 miles.... does the RAM use 58 miles of gas (at its normal highway consumption) to tow that trailer 8 miles up that mountain? I'd like Tommy to have checked that!!

[@megadawg342]

Yep.

[@joeuncoolio]

I was trying to figure out the math on that. Most trucks they test get about 4 mpg towing up Ike. So that means 2 gallons of gas to get up Ike. I think Andre said the Ram normally gets around 16 mpg so that means the Ram would use 32 miles of range to go 8 miles up Ike. In this case, the Ram is more efficient (sort of).

[@wallacedavidg]

I love your content. It's good info delivered with humor.

[@kevinostberg1729]

What goes up, must come down. I'm curious about how much recovery charge was made on the way down?

[@jjj4888]

Saw you guys filming this! I'm from MN but I was out in CO for a little while and ran the Ike while I was there on the way to Leadville

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

isn't leadville toxic ?

[@mitchelllong5848]

I have a 2012 Altima and when I go down hills revs to like 3.5 rpm and somewhat holds me, great video, no one else is doing this 👍🏼😀

[@JetSkiBuyFixPlaySellChannel]

I'm surprised you didn't do a run up the hill at a slower speed to see how that affects the energy consumption.

[@oldblackdot]

I towed a uhaul across the country in my Lincoln before. Normally I get 30mpg but with the trailer I was getting 18mpg. 500 per tank vs 300

[@planbenterprise]

Sara-N- Tuned has clearly affected your vocabulary. Not a complaint. She is addictive.

[@jasonperryman3331]

Love these series guys, great job !

[@oisiaa]

Thank you!! I'm the guy who emailed you about doing this 2-3x over the past 3 years. I'm so happy that you did this! Hopefully the Tesla truck has a 200kWh battery pack to help with these long grades.

[@jaytate491]

Plug in hybrid turbo diesel with regenerative braking would be prime time towing.

[@1beaverfrank]

Yes a diesel hybrid with even only 10 mile range would be great.

[@sjoerdh7121]

Nice video.. only you should have driven home.. only down... Taking the risk is part of the fun..

[@zaneh6224]

They won't take the risk because Tommy is a little girl and afraid of running out of power, you saw him in the last video almost wetting his pants scared to death, put Andre in there he will do the test

[@evanch123456]

Awesome video! Really enjoyed it!

[@PowerSportsQuebec]

First time in a long time i'm riveted to the screen on the gauntlet! good job boys!

[@onlineo2263]

Ok. I think we can safely say the model X is great at towing but can not tow big heavy trailers long distance due to not enough batteries. Try towing a smaller lighter weight trailer and see what that does to the range.

[@brechtthebest]

But how is that useful? I prefer to know worst case scenario over a tiny trailer test. The only reason to go lower than max rating is when comparing it to another car that has lower rating. But since I tow with my cars, what use does it have for me to know it can tow a 1600lbs trailer without trouble, while I would use the max 4960lbs capacity? At least if I were to end up with the model X, but that doesn’t seem likely because for a big SUV I would demand at least 6600lbs, but I would prefer 7700lbs (which is the max I could legally tow in Europe with a B+E drivers license). And it is clear that model X won’t be rated that high and won’t get a battery pack for 250km towing range.

[@johnnycake3915]

Its safe to say that it sucks at towing.

[@brucec954]

It would be useful because I want to be able to tow a small trailer like my Aliner popup. Its obvious that range is going to be a problem with a tall / heavy trailer so no news. Question is can it tow a smaller one and be practical.

[@johnnycake3915]

@@brucec954 there are other videos of people towing smaller trailers. It kills your range.

[@brechtthebest]

@@brucec954 For that you came to the wrong channel. This channel is about finding what the thing is capable to do. And that is why they test all those trucks at max rating and not at 1000lbs rating. For a smaller trailer, you take the average between this and a run without trailer, and depending on how small the trailer, you add or subtract a part. But I think they will have a hard time to do this test with every type of trailer available

[@johnmerryman1825]

The big issue here is the aerodynamics. If you look at all Tesla vehicles you can see just how careful they are to make them aerodynamic. As soon as you hitch a giant sail to the back in the form of a horse trailer, it dramatically hurts the overall efficiency - far more than the trailer weight. I tow both a horse trailer and an open utility trailer with my Mercedes ML350 Bluetec and with the utility trailer I can get 21MPG easily. With the horse trailer it's more like 16MPG (on a good day), even without horses loaded. Aerodynamics make a massive difference when you are traveling at highway speeds.

[@scottleggejr]

Dude even a hill in an unladen tesla kills it. Turn the AC on and it's worse. Add ambient heat, even worse. Then add that puny 5000 lbs trailer and it's done in 12 miles of 'towing' lol.

[@lhaulins2549]

Thanks for the great vid!

[@coldblue32E]

I'm glad you all thought to do this "test" of the closest thing to a market ready electric pickup, but the "testing" was poorly done

[@gullatteacres2555]

Just drop the trailer and charge! Ain’t nobody gonna walk off with it!

[@stephendenagy3396]

Right, what a WIMPY excuse! Why even have the channel?

[@AWildBard]

they also had an extra truck and drivers so they could just park next to the truck and keep an eye on it the whole time if they wanted to

[@ElectronicsForFun]

it's not that simple. you can't just unhook your trailer and leave it, that considered abandonment and your trailer could get towed. it takes like an hour to charge your car and in that time somebody from a business that owns the parking lot could have it towed away. and if you're going on a road trip with a trailer then you're going to make a ton of stops and pretty soon you'll get really tied of having to hook and unhook that trailer.

[@ElectronicsForFun]

@@AWildBard not everybody is going to have an extra truck and crew sitting around to watch the trailer while you charge your car. if they did then they would be using the truck to tow the trailer in the first place and not the tesla.

[@gullatteacres2555]

Electronics For Fun a sign should suffice. But I also live in a more rural/small town area so maybe that wouldn’t work for a high density urban area.

[@javic1979]

major question is how efficient was it compared to a gas and to a diesel engined vehicle pulling the same combined load. never doubted its ability to go up and down but was supervised there was no noticeable de-rating of the battery, control units or the motors due to the high power demand, would of been interesting to see how much longer before something got overheated and it had its speed or power reduced.

[@alexanderhamilton8585]

Right.

[@javic1979]

@@thoth111 93Mpge would be the drive-train but you need to factor in the power-loss from charging and line losses. a good diesel engine is 40% efficient or better but you lose 3-8% on drive-train losses. without greed and control holding us back we'd have more advanced tech than nuclear power powering everything at 10% of the current cost. all vehicles would be able to run on electric power trough the surface of the major roads and only need ICE or battery on the less travelled roads.

[@cascivic]

Keep it up boys!! Shears great content

[@idratherberiding3456]

I'd recommend you read the comments and re-do the test. Some issues people posted to help you out sifting through the comments: 1) do not chicken out, do the entire test (the return to base); 2) check how the trailer brakes operate, especially check if the car's regen was impacting brake lights and trailer brake actuation; 3) climb the hill at the speed you climb with the ICE vehicles. As you know, a main issue is not only the weight of the trailer but its surface area going through the air; 4) you can unhook the trailer to charge the car. Didn't you unhook it twice to transfer between car and RAM truck?

[@MarcGXE95]

How much did it cost for the test, vs gas or diesel? How did it compare to other SUVs?

[@pspcfl]

true, we need a baseline (gas or diesel cars) for comparison, including the cost. It would be more convincing.

[@garthhayward9581]

Guys this was really interesting. The challenge of battery max charge and efficiency will be overcome I guess that's why Tesla purchased Maxwell technologies but as far as a commercially viable alternative goes for hauling and towing I think we need to see ranges of 600- 1000 miles in normal mode and once that happens it's game over. 2-5 years.

[@crazyhass84]

Law of diminishing returns. The freaking x is already $90 to 120k. How much is a future version with 1k mile range? 200k? Electric is for soccer moms going to the mall and suburban commuting. Not real world things like towing. Its a niche

[@JonP_4-31inf]

@@crazyhass84 Tesla is technology and technology doubles in every aspect about every year. They will have 1k range in 5 years.

[@optical818]

600-1000 mi range would be nice but how long will it take to charge that amount. Charging times/battery technology needs to improve

[@garthhayward9581]

Andy Hass Good points, perhaps the vision is to address pricing and range through the model Y?

[@Wirmish]

Tesla Semi: 800 mi range with ~80,000 lbs, and 30 min. recharge with Tesla Megacharger.

[@lanceguilin]

Hi Roman, I think you probably were going 70MPH trying to see just how fast the Model X could go going up with 4500lb hooked up. That may be fun to do but it totally screws up -- or dramatizes the amount of energy needed to adequately go up and down the mountain pass. I actually would like to see you guys do a much more realistic run going up at 50MPH going behind a semi truck.. My belief is that you'll dramatically decrease the amount of energy required to go over that pass if you do it that way. Please try it.

[@JeanPierreWhite]

I understand your logic of not driving the 70 miles towing the trailer to the IKE test since its mostly uphill. NOT driving it back 70 miles to HQ was plain silly. You will use next to no battery since its mostly downhill. Silly to wimp out.

[@TigerKurdish]

Adventure ruined by not finishing the last leg! This trailer is huge, I'm curious what would be the difference for a more main Stream trailer like hauling a motorcycle, a Seadoo or a small RV..

[@starman3868]

Yeah that would've been a more realistic applicable test for the every day man and not for a horse breeder.

[@hajjdawood]

@@starman3868 They use horse trailers for all of their teats to keep it consistent AND for the toughest test possible.

[@starman3868]

@@hajjdawood So they did and we are none the wiser. They went over board. Testing it to the max doesn't agree to anything. The only tick they got from a test like that is going the critics a leg to stand on. The model X isn't built to be a truck. It's not even close. Any person with a little common sense won't go pulling heavy things like that over mountains. He'll do his research first and use the right equipment for the job.

[@scottleggejr]

@@starman3868 You mean unicorn breeder since they state the tesla couldn't tow a trailer with the mass of an actual horse in it... An RV would have the same or worse aero profile.

[@BeStrong-nf5nc]

Put a lift kit on it with some a/t tires and do some off road videos with it

[@keon5779]

Model X's are really, really bad off road.

[@jamesbeaman6337]

Just give them a few more weeks and see. Not sure about the lift but some of that but they have said that some off road modifications are in the works.

[@RubenKelevra]

@@keon5779 actually it's quite capable, if you consider the low ground clearance. If you lift it quite a bit, you should have similar performance than a the VW they currently test. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXWvl2mGea2Kj5Y

[@joshlemons3662]

Does the trailer brake controller engage when under regen? Like when you let off the accelerator but don’t push the brakes, because I believe the brake lights turn on in that scenario(?)

[@joshlemons3662]

The thought I had behind that, is if the brake controller applies the trailer brakes when the brake lights are on (it is this way when used with an ICE car), and the brake lights turn on when under regen, see 13:09, then they could have potentially been riding the trailer brakes all the way down the Ike. It might not have been much depending on what they have their gain set to but still never good to ride brakes down a mountain.

[@rjd827]

So a couple things to note here, the ram in the vid was lifted and had larger tires put on it so that kills mpg. Watch the truck page if you don’t believe me and 1500 trucks with V8’s have no problem maintaining the 60 mph speed up the hill well towing around 6-7k lbs. watch the truck page if you don’t believe me. The Tesla did well towing up the hill I praise it. The only problem is range while towing and the amount of time needed to charge, for reference I have a same ram truck that’s in the vid. I live in Michigan where the highway speed limit is 70 mph. Towing roughly 6,000-7k lbs I can get 12 mpg towing that average. I have a 33 gallon tank. 12mpg*33 gallons = 396 miles. That’s more range than the Tesla even tho I have a trailer. I support EV cars a ton and I do believe that they will be the future there just not there yet for towing any sort of load. I’m curious to see how the Rivian truck will do towing and the Tesla but until then I’ll keep my ICE truck until range increases and faster charging

[@brandonmacd07]

Why are yall still using a 110v plug?

[@Navaja09]

Because he can

[@erikstephens34]

With newer EV trucks on the horizon with batteries anticipated to be nearly double that of the Model X the age of electric towing is coming. Also there is now a very large number of 350KW DC fast charging stations using the CCS standard that have been installed in the US. This should also make charging reasonably quick.

[@Destinboubel]

You all have been killing it recently!

[@Davegvg3576]

thanks guys - solid way to analyze EV trailering - lack of Pull through chargers will limit pickup truck uptick

[@LordLoMR2]

You guys should try towing a car trailer next. Might do better with the lower drag.

[@jamesbeaman6337]

@@loganholmberg2295 I think he was referring to a flatbed car trailer.

[@xlthumper]

I would have rather seen you tow all the way and do a big picture,

[@putmeincoach7663]

1400Wh/mile = 700g CO2/mile. These Tesla fanbois are a joke, just like their leader Musk!

[@jaredshelton4718]

@@putmeincoach7663 I mean, it is the future

[@bootsy1968]

@@putmeincoach7663 1.15 pounds of coal to produce 1kwh. www.consumersenergy.com/company/what-we-do/electric-generation/electric-operations-statistics

[@MrHowdi]

Tommy, i was about to loose my mind on that down hill, thank you so much for mentioning that your not Accelerating, you just decreasing the regeneration . Thank you!!

[@sydjaguar]

Great show, love these test videos

[@electrohacker]

this is why I say, for getting around town and carrying a few things in a bed an electric truck is cute, but for towing biodiesel is the future

[@TelmoMonteiro]

If you consider a little better electric motors and way better batteries, maybe the point for diesel engines is lost.

[@electrohacker]

@@TelmoMonteiro no, Tesla motors are at near 98% efficient and their batteries are the top of current chemistry (though a break through would be nice) I still think as far as carrying heavy loads and variable loads an electric vehicle is not ideal. They work great as passenger cars but not for large loads

[@TelmoMonteiro]

@@electrohacker you're (much) probably wrong. That'd be cool tho. Simple words for explaining why: HET motors (by Linear Labs), "plastic" electric motors ("by" Fraunhofer and Karlsruhe), chemistry improvement with Maxwell technology (solid state battery). There's good room for for improvement in the near future. Btw, electric motors right know (the better ones in cars) are around 88, 90% efficient. Peak efficiency around 95% in perfect case scenarios, not realistic... They also have efficiency curves in function of RPMs

[@electrohacker]

@@TelmoMonteiro yes, the electrical engineer who study's motors is wrong. Thank you for your dumb

[@amircohen143]

Two things for this video: 1. Tesla has superchargers. 2. Use abetterrouteplanner.com for the next trip please.

[@amnottabs]

this is a test they use to show the truck's towing capabilities in an uphill scenario is not about planning the most efficient route

[@amircohen143]

I understand that.. but they defeat the purpose of it by using an ICE car for this demonstration.

[@AndreS_-df2nw]

Cheese to go with that whine? If all the trucks tested don't follow the same exact test procedure, what would the point be?

[@MojtabaHosseini89]

I seriously like this video. It was not in any ways biased or sth. thanks for the detailed info.

[@shockracer]

Great video, doing what no one does! This is awesome!

[@jays2002]

The guy in the black shirt get's it, the guy in the white shirt is a drama queen and the guy in the red shirt can't let go of his truck. They just proved how regen works and can't take 5mins to unhook the trailer to Supercharge. Really! 8.7mi/gallon (3.7kms/litre) ain't fantastic either at approx US$1 for 3 miles vs free Supercharging.

[@Apastorfield]

IF you have free supercharging

[@WANDERER0070]

Even if you have to pay for SC its way cheaper driving, Why dont they mention how much it cost in electric

[@jays2002]

@@Apastorfield There really aren't too many Model X's that don't have free Supercharging and Tesla just bought it back for Model S and X

[@joelamb8498]

The FASTEST EVER up the toughest hill climb while towing 4500 + lbs and it actually gained mileage going down!! That is impressive!!!!! Nice job Tesla!!!

[@dundonrl]

Except they towed 7000 lbs in a F150 Raptor and Dodge SRT Durango and were easily capable of pulling that at a lot faster up the mountain, except Andre kept them at 60 mph the entire distance.

[@joelamb8498]

@@dundonrl yes I know I have a F150 EcoBoost and I think it could Maybe do it in 7:23 as well but the mileage would be a lot worse than the 4mpg they got in doing it in 8mins wouldn't you agree?

[@joelamb8498]

@@dundonrl ike hill climb in 7:23 towing anything is impressive no matter the truck remember this is a luxury SUV not a Raptor or Ram. It can tow but it's not what it was designed to do. Trucks are specifically made to do that type of work. You're not gonna see a lot of model X used for work on job sites lol. So it was impressive that the model X was able to do what it did. This coming from me a truck owner. I also currently own a 5.7L Sr5 4x4 tundra as well as my F150 EcoBoost.

[@dundonrl]

@@joelamb8498 The 475 hp in the Durango could have easily beat 7:23 pulling the 7000 lbs up the Ike Gauntlet.. (looking at the test between the SRT Durango and F150 Raptor that TFL did recently)

[@joelamb8498]

@@dundonrl the Durango probably could but it didn't now did it?? lol!! Wonder what kind of mpg it would take to do that 2 or 3mpgs? Would it gain free mpg on the way down? Just admit it the model X did very well the Ike hill climb challenge is no Joke. 10 years from now when I'm driving an all electric f150 will look back at these ICE trucks and laugh at there limited ability to tow heavy loads up long grades.

[@JeepCherokeeful]

The whole test is an excellent example of why the electric truck concept has serious short comings. My wife isn’t going follow me with an ICE pickup every time we leave our town

[@AndrewPiercy]

This “test” is a load of goods. They manipulated everything about it to get the results they were after and confirm your bias. Pretty much the only thing they said negative that is accurate is that you would have to drop the trailer while you used the supercharger. That is a legitimate downside. Also the total trip time would likely be longer, but depending on your travel habits it might not be. The rest of the issues they spouted were half-truths at best and flat out manipulation at worst.

[@JeepCherokeeful]

Right, electric pickups will get here in due time.

[@mattp5991]

@@JeepCherokeeful - Plus the Model X isn't a pickup so the ICE "support" vehicle should have been a Honda Pilot, Kia Sorrento, or something like that.

[@JeepCherokeeful]

Matt P not according to TFL! You’ll have to bring that up with them.

[@duken4evr]

It is funny actually, the 11,000 foot elevation, which is tough on an ICE vehicle amounts to less wind resistance for a Tesla. Alas, that battery went down fast. It was an admirable display of power up the hill, and energy recovery down the hill though. Also impressive that the Tesla's batteries can output that kind of current over a sustained period of time and not melt. Tesla leads the world in battery design, and batteries are where it is at with EV. It is pretty amazing how far EVs have come and there may be incremental efficiency gains with current tech batteries in the future, but it seems we have taken current battery tech about as far as it can go. If we can manage to get solid state batteries upscaled to use in vehicle applications at a market affordable price, the age of the EV will fully arrive. Recently bought a plug in hybrid and am really enjoying it. So far it has traveled 750 miles on half a tank of gas (about 7 gallons). It only goes 20 miles on a charge, but that is enough for a lot of days, and then the worst it manages is 40 MPG on gas after that. I think for pickup trucks a beefy hybrid design is where it is at.

[@DougKremer]

Should have put a 10kW portable generator in the trailer as ballast and emergency charge..

[@philiphunt9383]

It's a horse trailer, put some horses in it and hitch them to the model X when it's batteries are flat.

[@DougKremer]

That would have been way too much trailer weight, not to mention live weight, for the X.

[@ram-ck7ti]

TFL - heard one of you say you planned to test the Model X off road in on of your recent videos.. The Model X is NOT NOT NOT an off road vehicle. It is a family SUV. After destroying the rear bumper of the Model 3 by backing into a concrete wall, I hope you guys do NOT destroy your Model X by using it for a purpose it was NEVER intended. Just sayin'

[@zboot]

Remind me. . what does the "SU" stand for in SUV? Family or not, it by definition should be capable of going offroad. If not, it should call itself "family really big car".

[@ram-ck7ti]

@@zboot -- SUV is a marketing term. It loosely describes Sport Utility Vehicles but the one thing they have in common is that they are all-wheel-drive and have higher than normal ground clearance than a standard car or station wagon. Some, like Jeeps are equipped for rugged off road activities, i.e. but are better described as ALL-TERRAIN SUV's. The Model X is NOT an all-terrain SUV and never pretended to be one. It fits more in a class with a Mazda CX-5 or Volvo XC60 neither of which would an owner take rock climbing. I should have worded my original post to say: "The Model X is not an EXTREME SUV like a jeep"

[@zboot]

@@ram-ck7ti nobody said it was an "extreme" SUV. Nice try moving thr goal posts.

[@JHuffPhoto]

This is great for videos but that is not a typical load you are towing. I mean the weight may be typical but the wind resistance that thing produces is tremendous. I wonder how the X would do towing a more typical load of a similar weight. I agree that the battery is the weak point for any sort of electric utility vehicle. A regular (ice) truck can be engineered to be durable with those sort of duty cycles but I wonder how long the battery will hold up in an electric truck. I think we are getting there but for towing a load the EV is still not quite the best tool for the job and I suspect it will be a while until it truly is. I love the videos guys. Keep up the great work.

[@davedyer3654]

If you want to tow farm trailers then use a suitable vehicle, if you want to have a 5/6/7 seater with no pollution and just tow a caravan/trailer for your holidays, buy the Model X and plan your trip. Might take a little while longer but at least you won't be poisoning your kids/grandkids

[@abusadoruci]

Let's see when the actual tesla pickup comes... we can run this numbers again. I don't think comparing a SUV/Crossover with a pickup is fair.

[@fastfreeks]

I have a feeling the range will be effected the same or worse, as the truck will be less aerodynamic. Now if they fit a 200kwh pack in it the range will be better but not the efficiency and probably take longer to charge.

[@abusadoruci]

@@fastfreeks Agree but remember the efficiency was affected by climbing so technically some of that energy would be regenerate while going down. The main issue they mentioned was the range. For sure the truck will have a better range. Other thing to consider they were beating the times while going up, that hurts a lot.

[@Frindleeguy]

@@fastfreeks Those v3 chargers are fast though. The v4 chargers down the road will probably be like 1000 amp, charged up to full in 30 seconds or something sick

[@fastfreeks]

@@Frindleeguy 1000 amp's well maybe but that's a ton of amps to use just for charging a car. That can power a decent welding/manufacturing facility I mean a house only has 100 amps. Plus the safety issues with people handling that kind of power. Imaging like 200,000s car or more charging at those amps. I'm sure it can happen but it won't happen fast.

[@Frindleeguy]

@@fastfreeks My house has a 400 amp service for 1. And for 2, that's the rate of charge. The amount of energy would remain the same, it just gets transferred more quickly. My truck takes over 1,000 cca to start btw ;)

[@TheMannyboy123]

Would be interesting to see if you gain more regenerative breaking energy if you use cruise control.

[@RubenKelevra]

This makes no sense, it does exactly the same as if you drive manually

[@blake031299]

@@RubenKelevra not exactly. We saw him continually modulate the throttle going down the hill. Cruise control would've been precise and consistent and maintained it to an exact. Probably wouldn't have been that different in the end, but would still be interesting to see

[@RubenKelevra]

@@blake031299 sure a very constant speed would optimize the efficiency, but unless you don't brake or accelerate, there's not that much of a difference in the end. The only thing which changes non-linear with more speed is drag (rolling resistance is very tiny in comparison). So that's the only loss here. The main issue is actually that the trailer is using a lot of energy, much more than you would expect. The decline is quite substantial and even without a heavy load attached, the Model X would have trouble to maintain it's speed with just the maximum regen. The Trailer adds a lot of weight and don't increase the issue? 🤔 Also Bjørn tested the older, less efficient Model X with a bit higher speed on flat ground with a pretty large boat and got nearly 100 Wh/km lower consumptions.

[@Pickuptrucktalk]

Good series.

[@mrxdeere]

I think electric cars are a great idea, but there is so much more stress involved. The decision at the end shows that. With a gas or diesel, if you are running low, stop by any fuel station and fill up in about 5 minutes. With the electric vehicle you couldn't charge it with a trailer. Great idea in theory, but the infrastructure just isn't there in the country yet.

[@Wirmish]

Please, clean the Tesla screen before filming. You can do it !

[@annroses11]

Ya, this is a standard MO with Tesla fans … looks like the owners have a habit of eating greasy burgers at McDonald's. Of course, eating at McDonald's is about the cheapest way to survive after making a monthly Tesla payment !

[@nroose]

The issue I have with your test is that you went so fast. If you had gone 20% slower, you would have likely used 40+% less power. Please stop cooking the results. Duh.

[@blackhatter011]

Another butt hurt Tesla fangirl.

[@marioarchuleta8723]

So butt hurt. Like your ignorant immatute comments let science an results do the data loggin .. An your comment wouldnt even be in here .. How old r u .. You cant even have a mature comment old fart

[@zacharyking6171]

70 mph for towing is insanely fast. max i would go at any time is 65 and only when passing, otherwise 55 or 60.

[@jadenantal1652]

@@zacharyking6171 lol i towed a uhaul trailer going 90 through the az white mountains downhill

[@zacharyking6171]

@@jadenantal1652 you definitely have more guts than me.

[@jonb2139]

Amazing video as always. Brings up an interesting discussion seems like electric towing would take you longer however you are stopping more often so you can explore more places while on the trip. On foot, bike or other transit means granted because your car is charging but still a different kind of road trip for sure.

[@musclezmarinara]

You guys might want to try teslafi for some serious details while you use the MX. Not plugging just thinking might show some really nice details of the trips.