Electric car pulling a caravan

I do not think What Car are nay sayers

I didn’t say they were, JV. Re-read my post and you’ll find I said "…nay sayers who have not tried it". 

Thanks  as I have posted we ALL misread posts

The thing is affordability is also a matter or perspective. As is the term “high end”. For example, some folks are lucky enough to be able to select an EV as a company car. If they are looking to use their company EV as a 10% tow car and 90% business machine, knowing it can to tow within limits might give the option to pick an EV over an oil burner. 

The question then is not “are EVs affordable? “ or “are EVs equivalent to ICE?”, but “how good is an EV at towing and what are the limits? “. 

It’s a different perspective that needs an empirical, not a comparative answer.

I hope that Chocolate Trees begins to realise that lived experience does not trump whataboutism.  

From my personal perspective we have an EV which we do not tow with.   But I did 400miles over 2 days earlier in the week this includes 2x 180mile journeys.   I charged up twice once on the way down after 3 hours and I needed a break and once on the way back.  It took me 2 attempts to charge on the way home because I couldn’t get the chargers at Oxford services to work.  So ended up in Warwick, this was a mild inconvenience.   The charging on the outward leg probably added 10minutes to my journey and on the way home 30 minutes.   I could have got to my destination so only needed to charge once but charging twice made more sense for my bladder.    

My personal opinion is that there isn’t yet quite the range to make towing with an EV close enough in terms of convenience as with an ice car.   But I hope that

a)  I am  wrong

b) things continue to improve.  

A final thought, I first went caravanning with my Parents in the early-mid 70’s.  I wonder what the effective range was then?  I bet it wasn’t that much different to the EV ranges quoted today, especially if you were towing with something like a series Landrover.  

That is why you make sense & empiricism carrys weight👍🏻

Thanks Boff. Talking about range my Mum was an intrepid driver with my Dad as mechanic, in the 50s we had a holiday in Alnmouth, Northumberland. It took two days of travel with an overnight stop in York from the Midlands. It also involved road side wheel changes and topping up the radiator and a crank to get the whole thing going!

Driving an EV at present has that certain element of challenge but it's no worse than previous efforts to get out and about. The Quicksilver Mail passing near us must have been epic! 

Boff, sometimes I do wonder if Whataboutery is the new  truth…

I do recognise that I am very fortunate to be able to drive an EV as a company car. It’s a very cheap way to own one. I also recognise that for many, a brand new towing capable EV is not affordable. And for others, they may want to tow 300 miles no stop and 600 on one day. For those folks, maybe an EV is not right. 

But I am sure there are many folks who tow caravans, go have the opportunity to take a company car, and are considering the option of an EV. Knowing what can be done is far more useful than understanding what might not be done.

We have also just sold out V60 PHEV and are awaiting a Fiat 500C EV. Personally owned and financed. 

I did two decent solo journeys in the last week too. South Northamptonshire to Goodwood FOS (250 miles return) and up to Manchester (280 miles return). 
For Goodwood, I needed a charge on the way home. The first charger pair I went to in Chichester, both were available, but the one so plugged into was on a go slow (25kW instead of 50), and it’s sister became occupied before I could move onto it. So I went on to Havant, and plugged in there. The charger would not recognise my RFID card, but I started it from the app, and got 50kw right off the bat.

For Manchester, the business park I went to had a pair of 22kW AC chargers. I plugged in there at 26% and was at 87% five hours later when I left. Zero waiting. 

For your Oxford issue, next time you pass Banbury, stop there. There are 16 Instavolt ultra rapids near the M40 junction, and 6 Osprey and 12 open Tesla Superchargers 2 mins drive further on. Fantastic facilities.

@Chocolate trees.    One of the aspects of EV ownership ok (leasership)  that has surprised me  is in 20K miles my Wife and I both agree that we have spent less refuelling than we would have with an ICE car.   

I did charge up at Banbury on the way down, 57p/kWh a bit pricey but easy to use.

Friends of ours within the last 3-4 weeks got a Fiat 500 EV from stock.   Not sure that’s a tow car 😀.  

Please keep posting it is an interesting perspective.

@Brue my abiding memory of holidays is radiator hoses leaking.   Apart from once in about 1967 borrowing his father’s Renault R7? (It was rear engined)) because his car was so unreliable and a spring breaking.  What ever else modern cars are so much more reliable. 

Yep, we have undoubtedly spent less on fuel in the 15k miles in the last year than we would have done on diesel. Not just a bit less, but a lot less. My guess is of the 15k miles, perhaps 3000 tops have been on public charging. The rest on home charging. The cost of 12k miles charged from home? About £360. My guess (and I would have ti work it out) is that we have also spent less time waiting to charge during those 15k miles than we would have done fuelling the car with diesel too.