The versatility of the Tesla Model Y is perfect for adventurers. With its ample storage capacity and ability to fit a roof rack the Model Y should be enough for most things. But what if it’s not enough for you? What if you need to tow something? Can electric cars even tow? Today we’ll investigate the towing capabilities of the Model Y to see if this car is the right fit for you.
Electric cars have plenty of torque
The good news is that electric motors are very powerful. They’re capable of delivering an abundant amount of torque instantly, exactly what we need for towing.
Even the smaller Tesla Model 3 has a tow hitch. You’d certainly be surprised to see this sedan rolling around town with a trailer behind. Electric cars really embody big power in a small package.
The Model Y certainly has the power to tow. And the Model Y has been spotted out in the wild sporting a trailer hitch.
Unfortunately though the Model Y might not fit everyone’s towing needs. Since the Model Y shares the same powertrain as the Model 3 we can expect a similar towing capacity of only 2000 pounds.
Even though it’s a bigger car it will be limited to around the same level of performance. If you are looking for higher towing capacity you may have to opt for the more expensive Model X with 5,000 pounds of towing capacity. Or you could wait for the Cybertruck with an astounding 14,000 pounds of towing capacity.
Electric cars do not have plenty of range
While EVs certainly have the raw power to tow, they might not be the best option if you end up towing regularly. Reports have shown that towing can easily cut your total range in half.
We’re just now starting to see electric cars on the market with acceptable range. Cutting that range in half could easily bring back the dreaded range anxiety we’d all like to leave in the past.
Obviously towing around town, like if you’re helping a friend move, is totally possible. But trying to move across the country might prove a bit difficult. At that point, you’d be forced to stop to charge nearly every hour of driving. If you’re charging that much even the V3 Supercharger network won’t save you.
In the future towing with an electric car could be a totally viable option. With the Cybertruck expected to hit up to 500 miles of range towing with this truck would be totally possible. You’d still get more range towing a boat in a Cybertruck than you can get in the XC40 Recharge today without towing.
Our take
For now though, if you do have to tow regularly, an all-electric car though might not be for you. If you do still want to reduce your carbon footprint though, all is not lost. A plug-in hybrid might be perfect for you. It can run fully on battery to cover most of your in-town driving, but offers the versatility to run on gas when you need to tow.
Having the ability to tow is certainly nice, and I’m sure some people will get plenty of use out of it. But ultimately, if towing is important to you, there aren’t any good fully electric options on the market yet. They’re certainly coming though. EVs already have more than enough power to tow. We just have to wait for the batteries to catch up.
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