Engineering Explained: F-150 better than Cybertruck for towing duty (over distance)

[cybrtrk_maybe]

This information sounded familiar; Was this previously posted?

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[Cougs]

I have considered getting the EXP 4 however I cannot find any information regarding them in the USA even though I know that they will ship here. Where would you get it serviced at or warranty work? In the southeast I would also be interested in it having AC. I am not on Facebook so I can’t check there.

I am interested to buy the EXP 6 after I get my CT, though the EXP 4 is a better option for outdoor enthusiasts. It is a lot lighter and can go anywhere. Unfortunately they do not have service locations in the US.. They ship the caravan directly to you. I will reach out to the company as soon as the health issue (COVID 19) is resolved.

 

[CarsBarsMars]

I think the air resistance of the trailer is going to be higher than that. They are typically not very aerodynamic. Just slightly better than a brick, so call it 0.9 (the cyber truck is approaching 0.3, so almost 3x the drag coefficient). If its a 5th wheel, it sits up high, and probably max width, so the combined frontal area will be like 60-80 square feet (2x the CT's 30-ish). Drag is a combination of the coefficient of drag x the area, so that puts the aerodynamic drag of the combo around 5x the CT. Air drag is the bulk of the resistance at highway speeds, so the range will be proportionately lower. I would not be surprised to see it down around 100 miles.

Air drag is proportional to speed squared, so the air drag at 75mph is going to be almost double what it is at 55mph. Keep the speed low to get better range.

I don’t see how a large travel trailer and a CT are practical at all. Imho we would spend as much screwing around with expensive solutions in trailers to simply buy a used tow vehicle like a 2000’s full size. I’ve been thru trying to engineer a “perfect” solution so many times I shudder at the thought of how many tens of thousands I’ll have in my “perfect” trailer setup for a CT.

 

[cyberhunter]

If you are talking about a 10k to 14k lbs travel trailer, I feel it would be out of my comfort zone to use the CT often for something like that for concerns about range. I don't tow that heavy ever with my current 3/4 ton so it's not an issue for me. For my purposes, I'm looking to pull a 16' low boy utility trailer with a side by side UTV and / or hunting gear, deer feed, etc on it. Most of the time that would be 6k lbs or less. Other times I would want to pull my duck boat, which is even less weight. With my current 3/4 ton truck I get about 70% of the mpg when pulling the trailer in the pic vs. not towing. If that translates to about 50 to 60% range for the CT, then I'll be golden...250 miles to 300 miles for the trimotor gets me anywhere I'd want to drive in a day without stopping to charge. On the one off occasion where I want to tow long distance in a single day, I would plan the trip to have a supercharger in the route and make lunch of the stop. If the self driving features for highway use are allowed while towing, that would be such a nice trip. I'd be way less road weary after the drive.

 

[ldjessee]

Even if not FSD, I am hoping the cruise control that keeps its distance from the cars in front will be a huge relief.

 

[cyberhunter]

Even if not FSD, I am hoping the cruise control that keeps its distance from the cars in front will be a huge relief.

That's what I was referring to. The highway autopilot I'm hoping will do at the very least single lane tracking and adaptive cruise control. I don't expect when trailering that the CT will be able to handle lane changes, merges, etc. I just want to get in the center lane and set the speed and it will go. What would be even better would be if on curvy two lane highways it could do all that and adjust speed to compensate for curves that need the truck to slow down. If the CT could do that, talk about worth every penny for any trip more than 50 miles.

 

[ldjessee]

If Tesla ever runs out of EVs to make, I am sure that if they get the Tesla Semi pulling different sized trailers and such, then having software able to handle FSD and towing for the CyberTruck should be possible.

 

[Cougs]

If Tesla ever runs out of EVs to make, I am sure that if they get the Tesla Semi pulling different sized trailers and such, then having software able to handle FSD and towing for the CyberTruck should be possible.

Agree, FSD and towing will be possible. I will take one step at a time knowing that battery capacity and range will also improve with time as long as there is demand innovation will continue to be a priority.

 

[Cybr on]

That's what I was referring to. The highway autopilot I'm hoping will do at the very least single lane tracking and adaptive cruise control. I don't expect when trailering that the CT will be able to handle lane changes, merges, etc. I just want to get in the center lane and set the speed and it will go. What would be even better would be if on curvy two lane highways it could do all that and adjust speed to compensate for curves that need the truck to slow down. If the CT could do that, talk about worth every penny for any trip more than 50 miles.

It will be worth every penny. And..... I also believe will slow on approach to curves and accelerate out back to set speed.