Towing a caravan with an electric car?

Do you know the NORSK ELBILFORENING? No? yet this organization is the largest of its kind in the world with more than 75,000 members. This non-profit association promotes electric or hybrid vehicles. And we owe this association the first test of electric cars towing a caravan. To carry out this test, the Norsk Elbilforening team embarked on a 1381-kilometre journey behind the wheel of 3 of the most powerful electric cars on the market, the Mercedes-Benz EQC 400, the Audi e-tron 55 quattro and the Tesla Model X Long Range. Each of the cars towing a Hobby 460 DL caravan, a mid-range model of 6.6 meters and 1160 kg. Not too heavy, nor too light to make sense of this test. The team makes it clear that for the three cars to be on a par, the Audi would have had to have 20-inch tires, like the other two cars. Unfortunately, the only model available was equipped with 21-inch tires.

The conditions of the test

The three cars made the journey with an average speed of 70 km/h. On the double straight lanes, the team drove with the cruise control and cut them on narrower or winding roads. The air conditioning was on to maintain an indoor temperature between 17 and 20 degrees.

The results of the test

The first stage of the test was a 226 km route between Nittedal and Vinstra. The Tesla arrived at its destination with another 115 kilometers of range announced. The Mercedes also arrived at its destination without any problems, but it had only 8 km of range. The Audi, on the other hand, was forced to recharge for a few kilometres before reaching its destination or it would probably have run out of electricity. It is indeed a little more greedy than the other two.

On the second day of the test the three vehicles faced the Norwegian terrain. And all three showed very good results thanks to the regeneration of energy downhill as shown in the table published by the NORSK ELBILFORENING.

And so, even though the three electric cars towing caravans consumed a lot in the climbs, the regeneration of electricity more than compensated for this effort.

At the finish of the test, if we take into account only the ability to tow a caravan the Tesla took the first place of the podium with a distance of 300 km per load while its two competitors showed results around 240-250 km. But it is also the most expensive of the three models. For its part, if the Audi proved to be the most greedy, it also displayed a very fast loading time which therefore compensates for its “weakness” in terms of consumption.

Conclusion

Even if the NORSK ELBILFORENING conducted the test with vehicles costing more than 60,000 euros that few people can afford at present, he demonstrated that towing caravans with electric cars was feasible and will probably be possible for a smaller budget in the years to come. On the other hand, as underlined in the test findings, it is necessary to consider long trips with an electric car towing a caravan that the supply of charging stations is sufficient. Especially on the campgrounds. You will already find on our website a list of campsites equipped with charging stations for electric vehicles.

Technical information on the three vehicles:

Source and photos: www.elbil.no

 

Written By

It is because we love traditional camping that we thought of this site. Because we sometimes regret that the rental accommodations now occupy so much space on campsites, we wanted to highlight the sites where tents, caravans and motorhomes are still the majority. And to offer all those who share our love of the outdoor life, a site with travel ideas, technical advice and above all a choice of campsites where it is good to come and put up your caravan or tent.

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