I’ve done some research and found that quite a few people, especially in Europe, are towing caravans with their EV6. While I’m not towing a caravan, I did get a trailer recently. I looked into trailers and the towing limits of my EV6, which has a capacity of 2,300 lbs. I ended up going with the Aluma 638BT, which weighs just 400 lbs when empty. It’s all aluminum, so no rust or rot, which maximizes the carrying capacity. It wasn’t cheap, but what is these days?
I picked it up yesterday and tested my range. On the way to Olympia, I was getting 4.2 miles per kWh, but on the way back with the empty trailer, it dropped to 2.7 miles per kWh. I didn’t change any settings, and I was on mostly flat roads. Is this normal for towing? What’s your experience with range loss when pulling a trailer? I’m especially curious about the impact of elevation and speeds.
I don’t tow anything myself, but wind resistance makes a huge difference to your efficiency. Were you driving at highway speeds? That could explain most of the loss you’re seeing.
Blane said:
I don’t tow anything myself, but wind resistance makes a huge difference to your efficiency. Were you driving at highway speeds? That could explain most of the loss you’re seeing.
Yeah, I was averaging about 65 mph both ways. I got a bifold rear ramp on the trailer to try and cut down on drag.
@Oak
You might want to test at different speeds to figure out how much of the loss is due to drag vs the weight of the trailer. Try driving around 40 mph with and without the trailer on a calm day. At lower speeds, you’ll have way fewer aerodynamic losses, so any difference in efficiency will be more about the weight.
Just to give you an idea, I was low on energy once and dropped from 65 mph to 57 mph, then drafted behind a semi for about 10 miles. My energy usage was almost cut in half, which shows how much drag matters at higher speeds. It’s less about weight and more about aerodynamics at that point.
@Oak
The power needed to overcome aerodynamic drag grows with the cube of your speed. So if you double your speed, you’re using about 8 times as much power to fight that drag. That’s why going faster kills your range, especially when towing. I keep it around 60 mph when I tow to save energy.
I just got a utility trailer and took it on a 650 km trip back home. The range took a bit of a hit, dropping from around 350 km to 220 km with the empty trailer. I have the OEM trailer harness, and it adjusts the range based on the trailer’s weight (you can set it to heavy, medium, light, or auto). It did a pretty good job of estimating the range—pretty accurate overall.
@Teagan
You’re right, it doesn’t actually detect the trailer’s weight. But when you plug in the trailer, it switches to ‘trailer mode,’ and you can choose from four weight options. Auto mode adjusts the range based on real-world performance, while the others reduce the range based on what you select. It’s more about estimating the impact based on efficiency than detecting the weight itself. This is with the Kia ‘active’ harness, not just the basic one.
The biggest factor here isn’t weight—it’s aerodynamics. Even a small change can cause a big hit to your efficiency.
Try this: drive with your windows down at highway speeds for 20 minutes, and you’ll see how much your range drops. EVs are super aerodynamic, but trailers make that much harder to maintain.
@River
Interestingly, I’ve noticed better efficiency with the windows down compared to using the AC, but maybe I need to test it more carefully over the same route and speed.
Jordan said: @River
Interestingly, I’ve noticed better efficiency with the windows down compared to using the AC, but maybe I need to test it more carefully over the same route and speed.
