Anybody tried Emergency Flat-tow w Regen to charge when stuck in the boonies?

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dtbaker61

dtbaker61

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I.m sorry you have such a distrustful negative opinion of good Ole boys that drive trucks, and seem to have passed judgment on their opinion of Bev as a general class of person.

That being said, I really don't care whether you think my plan is good or not. I'm only interested if you can think of some technical reason it won't work or have a better solution or have actually tried it and have some comment on whether it did or did not work
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AKgrampy

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I know this is going to sound really stupid but if it appears you may not make it do not wait until you are out of juice. Just do an emergency tow per the manual then start back up and head on your way. The good side of me hopes all goes well and you have no issues - the evil side hopes you have to try it out but then it all works out in the end. Looking forward to the after trip report!
 

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Safer to buy an ev extension cable and granny charge it at any available plug.
 

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Not sure wether the area had RV campgrounds or not, but many remote destinations do. Bring your mobile charger and most RV campgrounds have a 240V outlet for shore power. You can typically pay for a site for the night and get charged up in 6-8hrs in case of emergency.
Some have 50 amp RV services that work for EV's. They have some pretty good extension cords for RV's also. Run it from an electric stove outlet out the window, drier adapter? I would make sure those were exhausted.
 

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I.m sorry you have such a distrustful negative opinion of good Ole boys that drive trucks, and seem to have passed judgment on their opinion of Bev as a general class of person.

That being said, I really don't care whether you think my plan is good or not. I'm only interested if you can think of some technical reason it won't work or have a better solution or have actually tried it and have some comment on whether it did or did not work
Personally I cannot think of any reason why your idea would not work, considering the limitations you have already discussed. I agree with you that feathering the go-pedal to reduce drag on the tow vehicle makes sense, but it may be hard to regulate it properly. I would start with the car in neutral and then once moving, flip it into Drive.
 


DYohn

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Also, FYI, I believe Rivian is the only EV to specifically state that a tow-charge is allowed.
 

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I just want to know when the trip is so I can check back in and see how it goes. OP please update regardless of whether it goes well or not. Best of luck.
 

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I will just add a couple pieces of advice. If you want this method as a backup, I would have a drop hitch along as well to help prevent the tow straps from cracking your front bumper.

Also - your best bet is just to drive slower than you usually do, especially if a large portion of the drive is on the highway. You will be amazed how much less energy it takes to drive at 55 vs 75.
 

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I still kind of like the Honda generator and 5 gallon gas can solution. Of course, I would conduct a test at home to ensure that the Ford Mobile Charger will indeed accept power from the generator before setting off on your adventure.
 

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agreed.... flat-towing is never 'safe'. But might be better than stuck on rural road 50 miles from the nearest anything.



I'm not too interested in what the manual recommends. I want to be 'as safe as possible, but get the job done'. For example, I had NO hesitation installing a rear tow hitch; to use for my bike rack, and provide emergency tow loops in case I bury my nose in a snowbank.
What hitch did you buy?
 
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dtbaker61

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Yeah, I have a tow rig. I would never hook up someone I don’t know with an EV to flat tow them to get them power. All it takes is that person hitting the brakes because they’re scared of being 1ft from the back of another vehicle and bye bye tow rig. I’d point to the closest campground or power source and say good luck… maybe bring a portable generator down if I was feeling like I had plenty of time to kill.
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