The numbers aren’t misleading, but towing a car around isn’t always practical.
This video is a mix of science and math. But Engineering Explained has made it a standard YouTube video. This test shows that a first-gen Ford F-150 Raptor can tow a Tesla Model 3 more efficiently than driving alone.
A claim like this cannot be made without explanation. Here’s a brief summary. Regenerative braking is used to recharge electric cars such as the Tesla Model 3. The throttle can be lifted to produce electricity and the car will slow down. The Tesla is always fast when hooked up to a truck, in this case, a V8-powered F-150 Raptor.
The slow-speed lap was 1.4 kilometers (0.9 miles) long and was tethered at the end. Ford The Model 3 was charged at 2 percent, but it used no energy. The Model 3 was able to drive slightly with this charge. Continue reading It is more than one lap at high speed. It would be an apples-to–apples comparison for Tesla to do a low speed lap. We’ll be discussing this in a moment.
With that information, we conducted a few more laps to establish the baseline efficiency of each vehicle over an identical distance at equal speeds. The Tesla’s electric range was converted into an equivalent mpg reading of 108. This is almost 10 times more than the Raptor’s 10.7 MPG. The Raptor returned only 3.4 mpg while towing the Tesla.
This is where the math gets complicated. We’ll keep it simple. Add those mpg numbers to the Model 3’s charge while being towed and mix them together in a blender. You get an efficiency rating 18.1 mpg. That’s an combined rating when the Raptor tows the Tesla. The Tesla is gaining electricity while the truck burns fuel. Yes, it’s better than the Raptor all by itself. Does that make sense?
This alternative explanation may help you if your brain is still jumbled (we were having trouble with this). Despite the Raptor’s lower fuel economy due to towing the Tesla, it is possible to drive further overall if you drove your Raptor alone, and then towed the Tesla. The numbers actually suggest that you could go much farther.
We also mentioned the hot lap where the Model 3 used its stored electric charge in less than a lap. If the Tesla had been able to go at a slower pace than it was during towing, it could have done five laps with the same charge. Isn’t that amazing?
Although it is not practical or safe to tow a Tesla around, it gives you a different perspective about electric power and internal-combustion engines. This gives us some amazing trivia to entertain our friends in cars at the pub.