You will never see this in Norway

Benny Christensen is Broome’s car expert. IN “Ask Benny” section at broom.no He answers everything related to cars.

Here is one of the questions from a past webinar:

Hi Penny! I wonder why the Tesla Model S can’t tow a trailer? This is even if you have a trailer hitch.

The vehicle license states that the trailer weight is 0 kg. Is this because the attachment isn’t good enough to pull the trailer – or is there something else?

Benny replies:

Exactly why, and what the official reason is, I’m not sure. But there are various factors that can underlie this.

This trailer thing is primarily something we Norwegians, Danes and Swedes do. Sometimes you can find one.

You know, Tesla was an American. Even there, they need to pick up a new grill, buy a new washing machine and get rid of various junks to be fast. The big difference is that Americans also prefer to use a trailer for this well-developed pickup and other casual and space-consuming transportation tasks.

The Model S is a car developed during the “infancy” of the electric car. It’s been almost ten years since the model made its debut. Little did the engineers in California know that a car would take off completely in a small space below the North Pole. Atbat is one of the most suitable places in the world for electric cars. and how many of the residents use trailers.

Maybe they’re unsure about the technology – whether the engines can withstand both running hot and things like that. In addition, they had a border to protect. A heavier trailer draws more electricity.

A few attempts have been made

The Tesla Model X, which is actually based on the same platform as the S, can tow a trailer weighing 2,250 kilograms.

Again: cultural differences. A caravan in Norway doesn’t have to be bigger than an egg carton. There are mobile homes in America, a house bank is the size of a house and you need at least a seven ton truck to move the stuff. Anyway, Tesla didn’t show up for the job.

This can certainly be justified purely technically. In relation to construction, not least the space under the car (where the battery lives) and the weight and total weight. In terms of performance and size, at least on paper, it looks like a good tow truck.

Building a traction barrier, type-approving it through all possible load tests and required is no small amount of work in terms of time or money. Had they been able to do so, they probably wouldn’t have prioritized it anyway.

I know there have been various attempts to do this with a towbar on the Model S, but as far as I know it’s privately owned and Tesla hasn’t backed down.

Those were exciting and uncertain times for Tesla. The company was threatened with bankruptcy more than once. They went up and down in the stock market. Also, they were working on both the Model X and Model 3 at the time. My personal theory is that this is probably not a priority.

Some Tesla Model 3s, but not all, can tow a 1,000 kg trailer.

Do not tow a trailer

You might wonder if a normal 750kg “garden trailer” could be attached here too. But it is not so, and perhaps it will be.

So it’s not a towbar like the one you have on your Model S – but just a ball to mount on, for example, a bicycle rack. I know some of these were sold for a limited time.

You must not tow this trailer. It could be a lot worse – and with your insurance.

If you want a Tesla and the ability to tow a trailer at the same time, the slightly newer Model 3, Y and X fit the bill.