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Model S - Hitch discussion

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jkirkebo

Model S P85+ VIN 14420 EU
Jun 13, 2010
961
13
Fredrikstad, Norway
I've spoken with my contact in Tesla UK which also seems to be the Model S European expert and he says there will be NO hitch on the sedan based Model S. After what he said that's one of the few things they have been willing to be very clear on, no hitch.
I personally thing that is a really really stupid idea for the European market, but I've seen evidence and it appears Tesla US doesn't understand that the European market is very different than the US market. A lot more different than the differences in the US market. It seems you will have to wait for the SUV bodyshell wich surely will have AWD and a hitch.

Well that is surely dissappointing. Every other luxury car maker in that class offers hitches with excellent tow ratings, usually over 4000 lbs. No Model S for me if this turns out to be true, we are a one car family and I absolutely need a hitch.

A SUV is out of the question, I have no need for such a tall vehicle with high air resistance and bad handling. I also don't need AWD, FWD will do just fine. RWD is out of the question though.

Weel, maybe my next car will be a Leaf 2.0 then, if they offer a large enough battery. Or maybe Lexus will put something nice out with the technology Toyota gets from Tesla.
 
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Comparing US and Norwegian BMW 5 series a few things are obvious. In the US there are no station wagons offered for the 5-series and a hitch is not an option on the US BMW 5 series but it is a $2000 option for the Norwegian 5-series. As to why you need it... mostly to tow stuff I suppose. Usually we are not talking boats or mobile homes either. Just a big purchase from IKEA, helping someone move, transporting bikes etc. The big family car is usually what you use when you have special transportation needs, hence being able to extend that with a hitch is very usefull. Maybe Jkirkebo can explain it better?

Cobos
 
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I have had two cars with hitches that were made as aftermarket products.

On these pages there is picture of a roadster with a hitch. I find that incredulous as there is nothing under there to attach anything too!

If you want a hitch, someone will fill the need.
 
For those with the resources, I think multiple vehicles might be more common here in the USA.
For instance, I would bet there are plenty of BMW sedan driver in my area that also have a big SUV with a hitch for the weekend getaway towing a boat, camping trailer, horse trailer, race car, etc.

USA style:
35278d1248610969-towing-my-x5-5x-tow-race-car.jpg

arriving31067378161.jpg


I just don't see people using sedans to tow large items around here.
When my image search turned up these, I just knew they had to be from some other part of the world:
Picture336.jpg

fridolin.jpg


I think there is some sense here that towing is only supposed to be done by large vehicles.
 
Being an American and not familiar with the European car market, why are hitches so important for you guys?

-Shark2k

Because we do not keep a separate car for each purpose. I know americans often have 3 or 4 cars wich often includes a pick up, SUV or something similar. European families typically have one or two cars wich is either one familiy car or one family car and one small car.

Norwegians at least is very ingrained with the "do-it-yourself" attitude, many prefer to do all the work on for example their house by themselves. So we need to transport materials home and the old stuff away. Many people own a trailer, those who don't know somebody who does and can borrow. I have one of these, which I tow behind my VW Touran 2.0TDI DSG:

http://www.tysse.no/index.php?product=1&kategori=Varehenger&showproduct=16

Also there is the need to transport large things like furniture (yes, often from Ikea :), put the boat in the water in spring and retrieve it in autumn (we keep our boats in marinas, not in the yard) or go on vacation with one of these:

http://www.campingdanmark.dk/pages/showAnyPic.asp?picture=http://www.fotoagent.dk/single_picture/206/25/large/bjerge(1).jpg&pictureText=Selve+h%C3%A5rn%C3%A5lesvinget+er+et+godt+sted+at+m%C3%B8de+modk%C3%B8rende%2C+fordi+der+ofte+er+mere+fladt+og+bredt+end+p%C3%A5+de+lige+stykker+mellem+dem%2E

None of this is possible without a hitch and family cars without hitches suffer in resale value since retrofitting can be quite expensive on newer cars because you need stuff like CAN-bus interface etc.
 
I think that is wrong TEG, you can easily tow with a small vehicle as well and in many ways it makes more sense since your cargo space is smaller.
buddy_med_henger.png

The picture clearly shows it's not the size of the towing car but the weight allowance. (That's the tiny Norwegian Buddy NEV+ with a small trailer)

Take my dad, he has a house with a yard, so he produces a bit of organic waste from the yard. He also has a small 500lbs trailer that is roofed. He slowly fills that trailer with waste and when it's full he tows it to the recycling plant and dumps the waste. In many ways the same way an american would have used the bed of a pickup. The fact though is noone except genuine farmers use pickups here. A very few construction workers as well though they usually use panel vans instead.

Shark: The fact is there is no European car market, at least not as this monoblock of how they want their cars. Fuel is rather expensive in some European countries though not so much in England, so that affects engine size and fuel consumption. And the regulations are usually the same all over Europe. Though the kind of car that sells in Norway is a lot different than France f.inst. In Norway premium brands like BMW and Mercedes are relatively cheap, while big engines are very expensive. Hence we get a special made BMW - 316 here, while all our family cars are smaller minivans or station wagons.

Cobos
 
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This Top Ten (US) Towing Vehicles article primarily lists large trucks.

---

I don't see too many of those "baby trailers" around here. Maybe to pull a jet-ski, or a lawn mower for gardeners.
For places like Ikea around here it is rather common for people to arrange with them to deliver the larger items to your house.
When I shop there I see people loading bigger items into the beds of their pickup trucks or on the roof racks of their SUVs. Not too many trailers.
 
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No pickups here, and most of our SUVs are smaller ones like the RAV4, so the roof rack has it's limits.
At the IKEA's here in Norway we can borrow a huge trailer for free with a purchase, 3h limit though, while delivery costs between $80 and $200. Also most bigger gas stations has 2-5 trailers that they rent out. So getting a trailer is pretty easy and the prefered way to transport large or awkward items.

Cobos
 
I agree with the need for a receiver type hitch. Here in Canada you often see people with bike racks and small trailers. I personally regularly tow a trailer with my Passat and would prefer the Model S come with a hitch. Since its going to be a fairly large car, it shouldn't be a problem.
 
As long as the hitch is an option, and owners of non-hitch vehicles don't have to look at (or crack our shins :frown:) on any sort of extruding housing for the hitch, it seems to be a logical request.

Newer cars almost exclusively (well, over here at least) come with removable hitches. So you can't tell the difference from the outside between a car with and without the hitch option.
 
I have never had a car with a hitch, but have had a few SUV's and mini vans with hitches...although the ball assemblys are removable, the housing for the ball assembly easily protrudes enough to create quite a painful encounter (even when the ball is removed).
 
A hitch is needed if you ever do a "range extender generator trailer" too...

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/el...av-launches-with-ev-range-extender-2010-11-01

Absolutely, I'd much rather rent one of those than a zip-car for the family vacation. I'd rather take my car running on electric + genset than somebody else's dustbin.

So, perhaps a standard tow hitch on all EVs, including the Roadster makes some sense; the roadside assistance guys could rent them out when the electric car gets pushed down to the next market segment; the one that just drives a car and finds themselves at the side of the road after forgeting to charge up.