On the pull - Advice required for towing an electric car.

[Fentoni]

Hello Guys,
I'm looking to tow a small electric car behind my van on an A-Frame style hitch however I've had problems finding the right car.
I can tow a G Wiz but only at speeds not exceeding 20mph so this isn't an option.
Any ideas or suggestions are very welcome.
Cheers

[ChrisB]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

As for Towing a lecy vehicle it does really depend on the the type. I'm surprised that you can only tow a G-wiz at 20mpg ?? what reasoning is there behind this ?

My Berlingo is suppose to only be towed at 30mph but I know that people have towed them at speeds well above that in fact around 50mph with no problems, well none that seem to have shown up so far ??

One thing to remember when your towing on a A-Frame is weight anything above I think 500kg will require brakes on it I think.

Another option would be use a Spec Frame or dolly where you lift two of the wheels up off the ground and these are generally braked.

Down side is they arent as easy to store as they are a lot bigger.

Hope the above sort of helps ??

ChrisB

[Fentoni]

Hello Chris,
Thanks for getting back. I believe you can tow upto 750kg on an A-Frame without linking it to a braking system so a G-Wiz fits this.
The sales guy at GoinGreen gave me the info on the max 20mph towing limit, it's something to do with the fact that the drive system can't be disengaged from the rear wheels.
Aledgedly you can only use a dolly type tow if you're recovering a vehicle. We're going to drive our vans to a customer to rent and use the electric car to drive back to base.
Cheers, Fentoni

[ChrisB]

Ah didnt know the dolly option could only be used for recovery ?? I've hired/borrowed one many times

The Berlingo's drive cannot be disconnected yet it dosnt seem to bother it, I cant see the problem as long as you dont over speed the motor and drive faster than the motor would normally rotate ??
Also dont have the main contactor in or any of the electric drive turned on, otherwise I "would" think it would be ok to tow it at the maxium speed the vehicle could normally get to , unless someone knows different ??

Of course the above might be rubbish and towing above 20mph would blow up the controller ?? but I'm not sure how that would happen if it was all turned off , apart from it possible back feeding , of course if you disconnected the motor conections from the controller then that would cure that issue .

My main concern would be not to overspeed the motor.

ChrisB

[Fentoni]

I will get a bit more clarification from the guys at GoinGreen on the reasons behind their 20mph towing advice. I will post their reply.
Cheers,

[electric cat]

You should be able to go above 30, but make sure the battery isn't fully charged as the reva roughly dumps 30amps back into the battery at 30mph with no feet on any pedals, so if it is fully charged or anywhere near it it will cook the batteries if taken on a long tow.

the A frame can only be used with the steering unlocked so the controller would have to be on. the only way round it might be to fit a separate isolating switch on the battery pack for towing. you would loose any radio code etc.

why not use an electric scooter or folding bike to deliver your vans?

[aminorjourney]

Electric Cat, I think I may have to disagree with you there, since I assume that with the car switched off the regeneration circuits won't be active!

Nikki.

[ChrisB]

Ah yes but as EC says the vehicle ignition has to be on or possibley on to allow the steering lock to be off so hence the regen !!

Of course the Blingo can be turned on to position 1 which is steering unlocked but main contactor not on

ChrisB

[aminorjourney]

In which case can't you two it in neutral? I can't remember if the wiz has a neutral, but I'd assume it does. I know my El does

Nikki.

[mickv]

There is a potential masivve market here.I am one of the motorhome owners who often travel to southern spain for the winter. Most tow small cars e.g. smart or fiat cinquento. If an electric car could be towed it would be ideal. Presumabley it would be lighter and all campsites have electricty points. if a suitable electric car was available I might even consider it mysel

mickv

potential electric car owner