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quoteElectric pulling power caused a real split amongst caravanners in our recent poll on electric tow cars!
As we see a rise in the popularity of electric cars, particularly the hybrid variety, we asked caravanners if they’d consider using an electric car or an electric hybrid car to tow their tourer.
Here’s the results….
With almost 500 votes, a third of caravanners (33 per cent) said they wouldn’t consider using an electric car to tow but 32 per cent said they would use an electric hybrid car.
A small section of voters – four per cent – said they already use an electric hybrid car to tow but nobody said they used an electric car.
A further 19 per cent were undecided, opting for maybe and 12 per cent said they would use an electric car.
Your comments…
This poll certainly caused a debate with a mixture of love and hate for electric pulling power. One of the main concerns is having enough charge for long journeys as well as the cost of electric cars.
John Pye had a hybrid DS5 but feels there’s still a long way to go before electric cars can cope with the load and distances associated with caravanning.
“Yes they are great for nipping to shops but long journeys or put under load and the battery will be drained in no time,” he said. “We are still some way off cars that will charge quick enough or simply having enough charging stations to be viable. Sure Tesla and Porsche’s Mission E now offer long range and fast charging if you have £80K to £100K+ to spend. I am not saying never, just don’t think they are advanced enough yet.”
Mike Lowe agreed and said the range of the best electric cars, especially those capable of towing a 1.4 ton caravan, was limited.
“The range whilst actually towing a caravan … well, I doubt it would get my van as far as the gates of the storage yard!” he added. “Technology has a long way to go before towing with an electric car becomes a realistic prospect.”
Norman thinks there are more advancements to be made before electric 4x4s will give him the brake horse power and torque to tow his heavy caravan.
“I think this is a long way off and certainly not possible in my life time,” he said. “Until then I’ll stick to my trusty diesel.”
But David shared his experience of towing with a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid:
“It’s very disconcerting towing for the first time on electric only, as you can hear so much noise from the hitch, but you soon get used to it.,”he said. “For motorway driving I always select the petrol engine, as that is an efficient use of the engines. For driving through towns, villages and sites I use the electric. Five up it will pull my Elddis in either electric or petrol modes. I’m happy to take the 25 mph hit when towing as I don’t do it too often, and can do my daily commute on electric only. Easter 2017 was very wet on the grass pitch I was on and faux 4×4’s were spinning wheels even before hitching up. The PHEV has a four-wheel drive lock, and pulling the van away silently through the wetness received many incredulous looks!”
Some voters also voiced concerns about the green credentials of the batteries used to power electric cars.
M Comber voted no, adding: “They haven’t got the range and required charging points are not readily available. I am dubious about their green credentials as battery’s are notoriously hard to recycle.”
Paulus said: “Would have one if it could go far enough, batteries were not expensive and were made environmentally friendly both in manufacture and disposal (which they are not at the moment), and the electricity used to charge the batteries were generated in an environmentally friendly way (which it mostly isn’t at the moment) … and, of course, if the cars were suitable for towing (which the information available at the moment says they are not … yet !)”
Over to you…
What do you make of the results and comments? Feel free to share your thoughts in the box below.
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I bought my Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV without any idea that I would be buying a large 1490kg (loaded) caravan two years later. Last year I towed it 2200 miles through France and Spain. No problem with power on long ascents although the tortoise light came on for about 30 seconds to a minute a couple of times indicating lack of battery reserve. Still able to outpull our friends with a similar caravan towing with a 2.0 litre diesel Golf. MPG while towing came in at about 21 mpg but this is very speed dependent. Between 50 and 60 mph the figure drops from 23mpg to 20mpg. I tend to sit with the lorries at about 55mpg on the motorways. Our worst MPG figures came in at 15mpg during a very long ascent over a mountain pass in Spain but by the time we got to the bottom on the other side this had increased to 25mpg average for the complete ascent and descent combined.
While not towing most of our trips are short enough to be done about 90% on battery alone so we benefit strongly there.
As in our hybrid Prius of which I have had two since 2004 you have to get used to the high revving engine when there is a demand for power.
Thanks for sharing Berty.
I think we are still in the early days of towing with an electric car. One must keep in mind that when towing with electric it is like going up a hill all the time and therefore there is more power used, with the result of more frequent stopping and time taken to recharge.
What’s happening with Hydrogen ? the future fuel we were told was on the way,no end of life battery’s too find away to dispose them ?!!
I have an Outlander PHEV. My usual weekly trips are covered entirely on electric, charged up at home in the daylight with the benefit of having solar panels on the roof at home. Long trips and towing are when the petrol engine comes into play, the lower MPG not being to dissimilar to that of my previous diesel vehicles when towing. Overall, lower costs balancing the lower performance when towing which is more than acceptable as the car is used without the caravan far more than the other way around.
A good read and mostly comments are accurate. The biggest issue is range and that hybrids are petrol electric so when you click into fossil fuel model the economy is a joke. Often the petrol engine is paltry too e.g BMW X5. I’ll stick with my Porsche Cayenne S Diesel which will pull anything! One reader is mistaken about torque, the electric motor has plenty of torque, more than a combustion engine. Just doesn’t have the range. I also agree with the comments about the green credentials. There’s no denying them at the point of use but it’s fair to say that they are not green on whole life use nor when you consider the amount of electricity that is generated from fossil fuels. Also, if everyone went electric the power generation companies couldn’t cope with the demand and this government is not investing in new power generation. Just banning fossil fuel vehicles from 2040 is ridiculous show boating unless they invest in generation and infrastructure. Typical lies and misrepresentation from this government I’m afraid
I am looking forwards to the day we have solar panels on the roof of the car to charge the batteries, this is being worked on! Once we have such efficient solar panels and in great quantity then every house in the country will have no excuse and we can be so much better for the earth as a nation! I know that there are currently batteries for Astra size cars with a range of 500 miles, these are in testing so shouldn’t be too long before they are available.
Battery with 500 miles plus solar panels on the car is planned within the next 3 miles. Free motoring, once the car is purchased!
Thanks Caroline. That could be the next big thing!