US insurance covers illegal activities all the time: drunk driving, running lights, texting & driving, driving without a license, etc. What makes towing so different that you think insurance wouldn’t cover it? In fact, how often does accident happen without any illegal maneuver?
Every state is different. In California DUIs or illegally towing etc can be denied because it's considered willful neglect or intentional misuse. That is not always covered. Insurance varies by State, not US wide. That's aside from any civil or criminal penalties. Additionally, hooking up a trailer to a vehicle, prohibited from towing, is against California law. A vehicles towing capacity is registered and verified federally. This car has no federal DOT approval to tow. At very least, I'm sure you're voiding the warranty with Ford.
I'm interested to know which hitch you used. Do you have any pictures of your hookup?(Names and other details have been redacted to keep my warranty intact.)
In addition to our Mach-E, we currently own an Itasca Navion class C motor home. We’ve enjoyed using the RV, however the price of diesel has basically doubled in the last 6 months, so we were tossing around the idea of trading down for a small travel trailer that would be towable with the Mach-e. Yes, I’m aware the vehicle is not “rated” in the US, so before purchasing a trailer we wanted to do a “test run” to check the effect that towing has on range and also to see if a trailer could be safely towed. I grew up on a farm towing horse trailers and boats with a variety of vehicles, tow rated and otherwise, so I’ve got a good feel for what a safe and unsafe towing setup looks and feels like.
For this experiment, I rented an 8x12 u-haul trailer and loaded it up to 2,500 lbs, which is the dry weight of the trailer we are looking at getting (r-pod 171). We live in the Seattle area and do a lot of camping on the east side of the state. I wanted to see if the Mach would make it over Stevens Pass and then on to Leavenworth, the closest EA charging station on that side of the pass. This would
be a distance of 113 miles with an elevation gain of approximately 4,000 feet. Since the travel trailer would be taller than the u-haul, and slightly heavier when loaded, about 3,000 lbs, in my mind a successful test would end with at least a 25% charge remaining as a cushion.
For those of you that care, the outside temperature at start location was 88 degrees, outside temp at destination was 95 degrees. I was running the A/C entire time. My vehicle is a Premuim 4x. Vehicle was in “whisper mode” to minimize strain on the drivetrain. SOC at departure was 98%. I’m running the Draw-Tite 76460 class 3 hitch with a plug and play 4 pin wiring kit from trailerjacks.com. I plan on upgrading to a 7 pin connector with brake controller.
Observations: You definitely notice the trailer is there, due to the fact that the Mach-e is so quiet every noise the trailer makes is noticeable. The Mach has much less “bounce” and sway than other vehicles I’ve towed with, probably due to the weight and low center of gravity of the batteries. There was no noticeable sway, and the trailer tracked well, even without a distribution hitch. Ending SOC was 30%, more than what I was expecting. We averaged 1.9 mi/kWh (the 3.0 shown in the photo isn’t right). We charged at the EA station in Leavenworth for about 30 minutes to a SOC of 81% and made it back home no problem. We did have to take up three parking spaces on the back side of the charging station, so charging with a trailer will require some advance planning or removing the trailer if the charging station is in a tighter spot or busy lot. If you’re going to a campground with a 50 amp hookup then this won’t be an issue.
Conclusion: After making this trip, I’m confident that the Mach-e would make an excellent tow vehicle for a small (under 3k lbs) travel trailer for distances of 120-150 miles between charges. We plan to move forward with the purchase of the R-pod and will update you all with a “part two” as we proceed!
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I totally agree that should you, say, run into someone in a crosswalk because you were unable to stop in time on those skinny tires, an American lawyer would have a field day.
I doubt it because the UK version is tow rated. It's just a legal liability. Ford just didn't get it approved for towing in the USA. I think it's perfectly capable of it, just illegal.
That's not how it works (thanks to the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act). The existence of a trailer hitch doesn't prove that the car has ever towed anything. A lot of people use them for bike racks.
Thanks so much for this! I am currently considering hitches for a similar sized setup and was wondering the related battery usage. I have a RWD-X so I may get a little better mileage, but this is invaluable!(Names and other details have been redacted to keep my warranty intact
In addition to our Mach-E, we currently.....
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I’ve got several years as a dealer in LA and I guarantee it’s how it works. I’ve seen many denials based on aftermarket modifications made to in-warranty vehicles.
