Im going to be towing with an EV

[jimbo69ny]

I have a 2014 Toyota Rav4 EV

I am built a range extending battery trailer that I call the T-Rex. It was kind of an experiment that worked great!

My ultimate goal is to build another range extending trailer with a larger battery and build a teardrop trailer over it.

To check out my progress you can check out my youtube channel. http://www.youtube.com/jimbo69ny

Here is a video from another youtuber about my trailer.
https://youtu.be/Qb7vg08zluQ

[tx2sturgis]

That is pretty cool....I watched a few of the videos....

[jimbo69ny]

That is pretty cool....I watched a few of the videos....

Thanks!

[nedfunnell]

Hey, I plan to haul with an EV too. I have a Chevy Volt now, but would like to have a trailer that'd also work with a future BEV, like the Bolt. For that reason, I'm looking to go as light as possible, and to keep the trailer no wider or taller than the Volt.

I saw your battery trailer on Jalopnik- super cool! Where'd you find the extra battery?

[jimbo69ny]

Hey, I plan to haul with an EV too. I have a Chevy Volt now, but would like to have a trailer that'd also work with a future BEV, like the Bolt. For that reason, I'm looking to go as light as possible, and to keep the trailer no wider or taller than the Volt.

I saw your battery trailer on Jalopnik- super cool! Where'd you find the extra battery?

That article sucked. Guy was a dick and refused to change the wording. He called me a Nut. I didnt like that.

I found it from a battery recycler after looking for many years. It was very hard to find.

Glad you like my build!

[friz]

Hey, I plan to haul with an EV too. I have a Chevy Volt now, but would like to have a trailer that'd also work with a future BEV, like the Bolt. For that reason, I'm looking to go as light as possible, and to keep the trailer no wider or taller than the Volt.

I saw your battery trailer on Jalopnik- super cool! Where'd you find the extra battery?

That article sucked. Guy was a dick and refused to change the wording. He called me a Nut. I didnt like that.

I found it from a battery recycler after looking for many years. It was very hard to find.

Glad you like my build!

The only crazy ideas are the ones that we abandon. I set out to build a camper that I could tow behind an econobox. I got a great deal of pushback on forums saying I would not be happy with a small car as a TV. I was designing my own when John Harris over at Chesapeake Light Craft started sharing drawings of his teardrop concept. His looked much better then mine so I bought his kit. Could not be happier. It weighs in at 500 lbs and drops my mpg into the high 20's.

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[jimbo69ny]

I love that shape. That is a very cool build. They seem like a ton of work to put together though!!!

[friz]

I love that shape. That is a very cool build. They seem like a ton of work to put together though!!!

It was a lot of work. It took me 6 months of all my extra time with a full time job and season tickets to collage football. Did not miss a game.

I would not tackle this project without a climate controlled shop either. The epoxy is very sensitive to temperature.

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[rowerwet]

The focus is an excellent T.V. for a lightweight teardrop.

[wriconsult]

If I ever get my camper built I'll be towing it with an EV ... without a range extender. We have a 2015 Nissan Leaf (which FWIW we got barely-used for 1/3 the new price, which made it more economical even than a used Civic or Prius). It wouldn't be our primary tow vehicle, but I'd sure want to try it out for getting to some of the closer camping spots.

There are several campgrounds within the round-trip range of our car from home. That doesn't count the extra drag of a trailer, which I suppose could reduce the range by up to half ... but then again, we can charge it up overnight at our campsite since it will have a 240V hookup, so we only really need to worry about the one-way distance. Obviously I'd do some shorter test drives before committing to an overnight, but I think it would be doable. Even if towing doubled the energy consumption we'd be getting the same MPGe as a Prius without a trailer. And I don't think it would double consumption ... speed is everything when it comes to the Leaf. Even without a trailer, going over 60-70mph absolutely kills the car's range. But I could could get to some of these campgrounds mostly going 40-45mph on back roads if I had to. At that speed I doubt it would be an issue at all.

[bennelson]

I've been towing with my 2012 Mitsubishi iMiEV.

It's a very basic EV, with only a 16kWh battery pack. I have a Torklift Central 2" hitch on it. It's a rear-wheel drive car and tows GREAT!

The big downside is that my rule of thumb is that a trailer cuts an EVs range in HALF. Fortunately, there's still two state parks near us that have great campgrounds. They also have electric sites, so I can charge while I'm there.

We recently bought a used 2012 Chevy Volt. I plan to add a hitch to that and use it for longer distance towing. The only real downside I can think of is that car is FRONT-WHEEL drive. I love how on the iMiEV, the trailer just puts more weight over the drive wheels. I've only towed with rear-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicles.

I remember being at an event once where somebody had a small home-built trailer, and was towing it with a front-wheel drive car. (I think it was a Honda Civic Hybrid!) The car had enough power for it, but just couldn't get a grip on an ever so slightly muddy grass parking area. I had a similar setup, but rear-wheel drive and had no issues!

[NedBtoo]

I'm in the market for another Escape Hybrid for my tow vehicle. I've got a 2018 Volt with most of the warranty still in effect, so I'm loathe to void the warranty. I had a 2005 Escape Hybrid before, and it's 'enough' truck for me. I'm going to find as new an awd version that I can afford, and that will tow my foamie.
how did the RAV4 pull your trailer?

[green1]

EVs can tow. Lots of torque, lots of horsepower. No issues towing. Now your range is quite a bit less, but that's true in a gas vehicle too. It is kinda funny though that at the campsites it's always my car that's plugged in, never my trailer. Only one in the campground!

[bennelson]

I just installed a 2" hitch on our 2012 Chevy Volt and took the Teardrop out for a test drive.
Towed great, no issues at all.
Of course, electric range was reduced. I got 20 miles all electric, instead of the 38 miles that car would go on the battery typically in the summer.