What I Learned Towing 4,000 Miles With A Bolt EUV

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Just a few years in the past, I bought uninterested in how costly journey could possibly be. Even with an environment friendly automobile, you’re nonetheless needing to pay some huge cash for inns and for meals. Journey with household, and each of these issues get much more costly. What I in the end need is to drag a journey trailer with an EV, however that’s nonetheless out of attain, and possibly will likely be for one more couple of years. However, the urge to journey waits for no person. As John Muir mentioned in a letter to his sister, “The mountains are calling, and I must go.”

However, to do this underneath electrical energy, have room for 4-5 individuals, and preserve everybody pleased, I couldn’t simply pitch a tent and haul some sleeping luggage. If I wish to spend any severe period of time within the outside and touring, I additionally want a cushty place to work and sleep. So, my setup wanted to be slightly extra elaborate.

Slowly, I gathered up the wanted provides. A few of it, I purchased with my very own cash and with tax return cash. Different assist got here from household. Readers donated to some fundraisers I ran. Some corporations despatched outside gadgets to assessment. After gathering up all the gear, I wanted to construct a trailer to hold all of it with my Bolt, as there’s simply not that a lot cargo room. The tip consequence (thus far) is that this:

You possibly can learn a lot more about the trailer setup in this articlehowever in brief, it’s a Harbor Freight trailer with a wood field constructed on prime. Inside, there’s a slide-out kitchen, a field for my Jackery 3000 Professional, a shelf for 1200 watts of photo voltaic panels, and loads of room for Shiftpod shelters, bedding, air mattresses, and even a few e-bikes for harsher off-road adventuring!

I took this rig out on a 4,000 mile journey throughout a lot of the United States, which was in all probability silly in hindsight.

On this article, I wish to give a closing abstract of the journey and share what I discovered doing all this towing. For the primary leg of the journey, the trailer weighed about 1100 kilos, however on the best way again, it weighed in at 1700 kilos. That’s tiny by trailer requirements, however for a Bolt, it’s laborious work. So, a lot of what I discovered applies to simply about any EV one chooses to tow with.

Positive, one thing like an F-150 Lightning, Cybertruck, or Silverado EV would possibly take a a lot greater load to make its vary suck, however in the long run you’re nonetheless coping with trailering, diminished vary, and utilizing the automobile for energy. So, even in case you aren’t loopy and wish to tow with a Bolt EUV, I hope to nonetheless be useful sharing my findings!

Plan Brief Days

Crucial factor I discovered is that you simply’re caught with quick days in case you’re towing something over lengthy distances with most EVs. On some days, I needed to plan to solely drive from about 10 AM to 4 PM, and regardless of that I nonetheless confirmed up at locations round 8 PM. Between household needing to cease, charging taking a couple of minutes longer than deliberate, stops at points of interest lasting longer than I wished, and different unplanned issues, hours can be added to every day. Given {that a} Bolt towing spends plenty of time charging (as much as half the time if charging stops aren’t spaced properly), meaning not protecting plenty of distance.

I might drive longer days if I deliberate on stopping at a motel, as they don’t thoughts in case you present up late the best way a campsite does. So, on days I might drive for 12 hours, I used to be capable of cowl perhaps 400-450 miles. My longest day was nearly 500 miles, however I confirmed up at that resort far later than I’d have preferred and didn’t get as a lot sleep as I wanted. So, I ended up needing to re-plan the remainder of the journey for shorter days to permit for all the delays that add up.

This may be higher in a automobile designed for towing, however the identical thought applies throughout the board. Take no matter time journey planning software program offers and assume you’re going to spend an additional 3-4 hours for security.

Don’t Assume Something About Effectivity Till You’ve Pushed A number of Hundred Miles

I am going into this in much more depth in this articlehowever I believed based mostly on 40 miles of testing that I’d get round 2.5 miles/kWh towing the trailer. In actuality, I ended up getting nearer to 1.95 miles/kWh. Contemplating that many electrical pickups get that type of mileage empty, I’m nonetheless doing good, but it surely meant that my authentic journey plans went out the window, which sucked.

So, take any new RV or towing setup out on some shorter shakedown cruises earlier than you’re taking an extended journey. Determine what your common effectivity is over tons of of miles. You’ll have rather more life like expectations with extra real-world knowledge. Additionally, you’ll discover out a lot nearer to residence if there are issues (I skilled lots of them and needed to roll with the punches).

Don’t Cease For Solely One Night time If You Have To Set Up Camp

I’m nonetheless ultimately going to get a journey trailer that I sleep within sooner or later, as a result of having the ability to go in and get some sleep can be tremendous good. For now, although, I’m caught with unpacking tents, setting them up, after which serving to everybody arrange the insides of the tents (air mattress, bedding, private gadgets, lighting, and perhaps a heater or small AC). Sure, it’s glamping and never conventional tenting.

On this journey, I made a number of stops the place I unpacked the entire campsite within the night after which packed all of it up the following day to go away. This was a dumb alternative, as the perfect components of the journey ended up feeling rushed and I began every single day worn out and sweaty from packing up camp.

So, sooner or later, I’m not going to unpack camp except we’re going to remain for 3-4 days. I’m additionally going to attempt to use public lands and dispersed tenting extra in order that I don’t must make a checkout time at a longtime campground.

Have A Backup Plan and Further Stuff/Elements

Lastly, I’d suggest all the time having a backup plan. This appears apparent, however many individuals assume that every thing will work fantastic when it sometimes doesn’t. Tires will put on unexpectedly and/or go flat, so that you’d higher have a spare or two. Elements would possibly break, so you must be mentally and financially ready to get somebody to assist repair your trailer. Being bodily prepared for as many issues as doable and financially prepared for the remainder is essential.

I’m very glad that I had spare tires, had a ground jack and cross bar, and knew that I wanted to get ahold of a welding store when stuff began breaking. I’m glad I had a multi-tool to disconnect the battery and reset the Bolt’s pc in a pinch. I’m much more glad that I had entry to cash for an additional evening of motel, paying the welder, and shopping for tires, plus an additional evening when a forest hearth destroyed the street I used to be going to take residence and took a charger I used to be going to make use of offline.

By no means Give Up, By no means Give up!

One factor I’m glad I didn’t do was quit when the going bought powerful just a few occasions. Why? As a result of I now have a significantly better trailer that’s prepared for extra journeys and I’m rather a lot higher at this! This 4,000 mile journey revealed all kinds of weaknesses and deficiencies in my gear and my planning that I needed to improvise, adapt to, and overcome.

The journey isn’t over but, as I nonetheless must make some upgrades, however I’m assured now that I might do the journey once more in just a few months.

All photos by Jennifer Sensiba.