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Tesla Model X Range Impact When Towing

The Model X is a great tow vehicle — quiet, comfortable, and powerful. But its range is severely reduced when towing a heavy load. Actual range may be less than half that available in normal driving.

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Tesla Model X owner Max Kennedy took full advantage of the optional tow package by towing his 4,850 lb. boat and trailer to Tampa Bay, FL on New Year’s Day. He reports his Model X makes an excellent tow vehicle — quiet, comfortable, and powerful as demonstrated in the last segment of the video (6:51 min. marker) where Kennedy effortlessly accelerates from 55 mph to 80 mph within seconds. However, the ability to tow a near 5,000 payload doesn’t come without a cost, and in this case it’s energy consumption.

With a full charge at the beginning of the trip, Kennedy observes the amount of energy consumption by comparing the Tesla’s Instant Range reading with the change in speed and surface street elevation. The Model X  consumed an average of 575 watt-hours per mile while traveling at 55 mph in steady state cruising on level roads. Not surprisingly, the amount of energy used drastically increased when the 5,441 lb. Model X plus the additional 4,850 lb. boat and trailer combination was faced with an incline and a slight increase in speed, to the tune of 800 – 900 Wh/mi.

At that rate of energy consumption, the range impact when towing could be cut by 60% or more.

Model X range impact while towing

Model X consumed 922 Wh/mi at 60mph (5 mi avg) while towing a 4,850 up a slight incline [Source: Max Kennedy via YouTube]

Reaction to the video on Reddit was immediate. TheSpocker posted, “That’s a huge hit on range. Yikes. I mean, we all knew it would be this way. Aerodynamics are a huge part of Tesla design and that boat wasn’t designed with those concerns. It’s just unfortunate that towing hurts range so much. I hope that most owners of the X can still make it between superchargers while towing on their long-haul routes.”

He continued, “I love Tesla’s. I love electric cars. We still need to recognize that the range when towing on an electric is almost laughable. That’s not a big problem for most people who don’t tow, but it has to be overcome for electric vehicles to directly compete with ICE vehicles.”

The question then becomes, Can the Tesla Model X really compete with conventional trucks or SUVs as a tow vehicle? The answer really depends on a number of factors. If there is no charger available where you are going, your destination may need to be within 50 miles of home or a roundtrip of 100 miles from the originating charging facility. “The problem is it’s more or less irrelevant with an ICE. A truck might have half the range, but it takes a whole two minutes to fill up and keep going.”, writes another user.

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In other words, if you are towing a heavy payload up into the mountains or in areas where there’s prolonged inclines (ie. Flagstaff, AZ to Moab, UT), the Model X may not have the range to get you there unless the distance between Supercharger stations are shortened. Some people will have no problem with frequent charging along the way, but for some, towing using an internal combustion engine might still be king.

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Tesla flexes its most impressive and longest Full Self-Driving demo yet

Tesla is flexing a lengthy Full Self-Driving demo from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

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tesla full self-driving demo from san francisco to los angeles
Credit: Tesla

Tesla its most impressive and longest demo of the Full Self-Driving suite, showing a zero-intervention trek from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles. The drive required no interventions from the vehicle operator, the video showed.

It also included a quick Supercharging stop about two-thirds of the way in.

Tesla has been extremely confident in the performance of the FSD suite since releasing it years ago. However, with improvements in data comprehension and storage with its neural nets, as well as a more refined Hardware system, FSD has made significant strides over the last year.

I took a Tesla Model Y weekend-long Demo Drive – Here’s what I learned

Tesla’s prowess with driving tech has established the company as one of the industry leaders.

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In a new video released on Tuesday, Tesla showed a drive of roughly 360 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles, a trek of about six-and-a-half hours, with zero interventions using Full Self-Driving:

Full Self-Driving is not fully autonomous, but it does operate under what Tesla calls “Supervised” conditions. This means that the driver does not have to have their hands on the wheel, nor do they have to control the accelerator or brake.

Instead, Tesla’s internal cabin-facing camera tracks eye movement to ensure the driver is ready to take over at any time and is paying attention.

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The version of FSD used in this example is likely the version that the public has access to; the only differentiating factor would be the Hardware version, as older vehicles do not have HW4.

With Tesla’s Robotaxi suite in Austin operating since late June, the company stated that those vehicles are using a version that is not yet available to the public. It does not require anyone to be in the driver’s seat, which is how the vehicles are able to operate without anyone in the driver’s seat.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s new $29B Tesla stock award gets strange synopsis from governance firm

Did CGI not realize that Tesla Shareholders supported Musk being paid not once, but twice?

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elon musk speaking
Credit: TED

Elon Musk was recently awarded around $29 billion in Tesla stock as the company’s Board of Directors is attempting to get its CEO paid after his original pay package was denied twice by the Delaware Chancery Court.

But a new and strange synopsis from the Corporate Governance Institute (CGI) says the award is potentially a strength move to “endorse the will of a powerful CEO.” The problem is, in the same sentence, the firm said the new award brings up a “question of whether the board exists to steward a company in the interests of all stakeholders.”

The problem with their new analysis of Musk’s pay package is that shareholders voted twice on Musk’s original pay package of $56 billion. They voted to give Musk that sum on two separate occasions.

Musk’s original $56 billion pay package was approved by shareholders twice; once in 2018 and once again last year. Last year’s vote was in response to Delaware Chancery Court Kathaleen McCormick’s decision to revoke the “unfathomable sum” from Musk.

Shareholders still showed support for Musk getting paid. Tesla said in its new award to the CEO that this is a way to give him compensation for the first time in seven years.

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CGI said in its note (via TipRanks):

“When a board builds its strategy around a single individual, it creates a concentration risk, not just operationally, but culturally and ethically. If that individual becomes a source of volatility, the company becomes fragile by design.”

What’s strange with this type of narrative is the fact that Tesla’s valuation has skyrocketed with Musk at the helm. Go back to 2020, and the stock is up over 200 percent. Since Musk’s $56 billion pay package was introduced in 2018, shares are up well over 1,000 percent.

Tesla engineer explains why Elon Musk deserves new pay package

Musk’s 2018 pay package was also not awarded to him without performance-based incentives. He was required to reach certain growth goals, all of which were accomplished through the launch of new vehicles and the advancements of its driver-assistance suites, like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.

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It is tough to agree with CGI’s perception of Musk’s new pay plan, especially as it is much less than what shareholders voted on twice. Musk deserves to be paid for his contributions to Tesla.

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Tesla Robotaxi is headed to New York City, but one thing is in its way

Tesla is working to hire Vehicle Operators in New York City, but the company still needs some regulatory hurdles to go through.

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tesla store in New York City
Credit: Tesla

Tesla Robotaxi will be headed to New York City, but there is one huge thing that stands in its way: approval to test autonomous vehicles.

Tesla is expanding its Robotaxi platform across the United States as it currently operates in Austin, Texas, and the Bay Area of California.

The company has also been seeking approvals in several other states, including Nevada, Arizona, and Florida.

However, the company is also working to expand to major metropolitan areas across the U.S. that it has not explicitly mentioned, as it attempts to reach CEO Elon Musk’s goal of giving half of the country’s population access to the platform by the end of the year:

It appears New York City is next on the list, according to a job posting on Tesla’s Careers website.

The company says it is hiring a Vehicle Operator for Autopilot in Flushing, New York, a section of the borough of Queens. Queens is connected to Brooklyn and Long Island, so it seems more ideal than launching in Manhattan or the Bronx, where traffic is heavy and charging is not as readily available.

Tesla’s job posting states:

“We are looking for a highly motivated self-starter to join our vehicle data collection team. As a Prototype Vehicle Operator, you will be responsible for driving an engineering vehicle for extended periods, conducting dynamic audio and camera data collection for testing and training purposes. Access to the data collected is limited to the applicable development team. This role requires a high level of flexibility, strong attention to detail, excellent driving skills, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.”

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It also lists the hours of operation as Tuesday through Saturday or Sunday through Thursday, with its three shifts listed as:

  • Day Shift: 6:00 AM – 2:30 PM or 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
  • Afternoon Shift: 2:00 PM – 10:30 PM or 4:00 PM – 12:30 AM
  • Night Shift: 10:00 PM-6:30 AM or 12:00 AM-8:30 AM

We wouldn’t count on New York City being the next place Tesla launches Robotaxi. According to a report from CNBC, a spokesperson for the NYC Department of Transportation confirmed Tesla has not yet applied for permits that are needed to operate its ride-hailing service.

For what it’s worth, it could just be the first step in Tesla’s plans. It also has Vehicle Operator job postings in other regions. Houston, Texas, as well as Tampa, Miami, and Clermont, Florida, are all listed on Tesla’s Career postings.

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