So how much battery will I eat with a junk trailer?

[Bombastinator2]

With no info budgeting double but I guess it might be higher. I’ve got to do some freeway driving in a move. I’ve got an open to trailer I’m gonna fill with boxes. The trailer is not huge. Single axel. How bad will it be?

 

[cornbinder89]

Impossible to answer. wind resistance of the load is unknown, weight is unknown, weight and wind resistance of the unloaded trailer is unknown. Try it and you will know! Not helpful I know but an impossible question to answer.

 

[Bombastinator2]

Impossible to answer. wind resistance of the load is unknown, weight is unknown, weight and wind resistance of the unloaded trailer is unknown. Try it and you will know! Not helpful I know but an impossible question to answer.

Yeah. I was hoping for some sort of vague ballpark. I got literally no idea. I don’t want to get stuck on the freeway. It takes me a bit over 10% to get there without a trailer. So I got 80+% to play with when I arrive. I can charge at the site but only phase 1 so if I need more than 80% to get back it’s gonna take me a couple hours to get it to full. I don’t even know if that’s enough though.

 

[knightmb]

Yeah. I was hoping for some sort of vague ballpark.

Oh, then I can help with that using my own trailer experience. If the Leaf profile is high enough to streamline the air over the trailer and what you have on it, expect good results, around 20% to 25% reduction in range. If the trailer is acting like a parachute because you have things literally being assaulted by the air flow, expect a range reduction in the +50% or higher range, gets worse the faster you drive.

 

[Bombastinator2]

Oh, then I can help with that using my own trailer experience. If the Leaf profile is high enough to streamline the air over the trailer and what you have on it, expect good results, around 20% to 25% reduction in range. If the trailer is acting like a parachute because you have things literally being assaulted by the air flow, expect a range reduction in the +50% or higher range, gets worse the faster you drive.

Woohaa! So double is conservative, and I can do that no trouble! And staying off three way is probably good. Thanks!

 

[morrisg]

Sounds like you're good to go, but I'll share my trailer towing experience anyway. 2013 Leaf S towing a home built trailer with full size tires and a 5'x8'x3' plywood box with full rear panel (more drag). Loaded with 1250 lbs (5/8 US ton) of dead oak trunk rounds. Took about double the normal 2013 Leaf consumption, only went 6 miles to the recycling place, but route was over a 1000 ft elevation gain hill. No problem at all with pulling the load up the hill, even with uphill starts at stop signs. Others have also reported about double energy consumption for their towing experience (Tesla Model X, Model Y).

 

[Bombastinator2]

Sounds like you're good to go, but I'll share my trailer towing experience anyway. 2013 Leaf S towing a home built trailer with full size tires and a 5'x8'x3' plywood box with full rear panel (more drag). Loaded with 1250 lbs (5/8 US ton) of dead oak trunk rounds. Took about double the normal 2013 Leaf consumption, only went 6 miles to the recycling place, but route was over a 1000 ft elevation gain hill. No problem at all with pulling the load up the hill, even with uphill starts at stop signs. Others have also reported about double energy consumption for their towing experience (Tesla Model X, Model Y).

That’s actually quite useful. Thx

 

[mux]

This fun trip took 393Wh/km at 80km/h. Only about 160km to go with a range-extended (40+23kWh) van and still needed to charge.

Also pretty important: you wont just have more drag, the battery also can't access the last bit of charge efficiently. And in this case: the motor is also pretty darn inefficient at high speeds. It adds up pretty quick.