Tesla Model X Sees 71 Percent of Range While Towing a Luxury Travel Trailer

Towing a trailer is not great for range, with the added weight and increased drag from pulling something large making your vehicle work harder–and using more energy. While internal combustion rigs still dominate the towing space, electric vehicles are becoming more common on the road. Naturally, EVs will be increasingly called upon to handle a family’s towing tasks. With that in mind, the team at Bowlus, a luxury travel trailer manufacturer, strapped one of its trailers to a Tesla Model X to see how much of a range penalty customers would expect.

Surprisingly, the Bowlus Terra Firma travel trailer only dinged the Model X’s range by about 100 miles. With the trailer in tow, the Model X traveled 235 miles according to Bowlus. This is, expectedly, down from the Tesla Model X’s 330-mile range, but considering the circumstances, this 29 percent drop in range isn’t as bad as might have been imagined.

To put this into perspective, the Bowlus Terra Firma is a 3200-pound trailer that spans nearly 26 feet. Bowlus says this test was performed similarly to the way the EPA performs its range tests. That means Bowlus followed the posted speed limits and the company hit primary and secondary roads. This mixed driving should give a realistic look at what you can expect from your Tesla Model X when towing this particular trailer.

Obviously, more tow-friendly battery-electric machines are hitting the market. Bowlus says it’s going to strap its trailer to the Ford Lightning, Rivian R1T, and more upcoming battery-electric rigs to see how they manage hauling this luxury trailer.

This should be good news for folks considering switching out of their internal combustion tow rig and into a battery-electric machine. Of course, there’s still the problem with charge times adding to your overall travel schedule, but if you’re hauling a trailer, you’ll at least have a fun place to hang out while your EV charges.

Would you ever consider towing a travel trailer with an EV? Is this 29 percent range reduction surprising? Tell us your thoughts below.

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