I just wanted to float an idea that I had for the Model X. It seems likely that Tesla will officially support towing with the Model X, but not with the Model S. Given that, what do you think about a "trailer mode" to be used when pulling a trailer?
I started thinking about this when I learned about the "Tow/Haul Mode" in my dad's Suburban. It essentially delays upshifts during acceleration and keeps the transmission out of overdrive until you reach 64 MPH. Granted, this is not an issue for a car with a single-speed transmission, so here's what I thought it might do:
It could be activated manually on the touchscreen. There could be ways of the Model X detecting the presence of a trailer, such as a switch inside the receiver that gets flipped when there is a trailer ball installed. The car might also be able to sense that the air suspension is working harder than usual to keep the rear end of the car level because of the weight of the trailer. Either way, there would be an indicator light on the dashboard to show that you are in this mode.
I started thinking about this when I learned about the "Tow/Haul Mode" in my dad's Suburban. It essentially delays upshifts during acceleration and keeps the transmission out of overdrive until you reach 64 MPH. Granted, this is not an issue for a car with a single-speed transmission, so here's what I thought it might do:
- Disable rear-facing Autopilot sensors so the car doesn't think you're about to get rear-ended all the time.
- Tweak the torque distribution so that it favors the rear wheels a little more, since they will have more weight over them than usual.
- Nerf acceleration a bit to avoid damaging the gearbox(es) and trailer hitch during hard acceleration.
It could be activated manually on the touchscreen. There could be ways of the Model X detecting the presence of a trailer, such as a switch inside the receiver that gets flipped when there is a trailer ball installed. The car might also be able to sense that the air suspension is working harder than usual to keep the rear end of the car level because of the weight of the trailer. Either way, there would be an indicator light on the dashboard to show that you are in this mode.