Can someone with a few years of experience with EVs interject some real-life experience? We own a 2012 Volt (now our local driver), 2018 Tesla Model 3 (does most of the driving) and a 2018 Toyota Highlander Ltd (mostly sits). We pretty much only use the Highlander to tow our 2014 Escape 21 because the EVs are so superior in every way. Prior to the Highlander, our tow vehicle was a 2012 VW Touareg TDI (diesel). We'll replace the Highlander with an EV tow vehicle as soon as a viable/affordable one comes along. I do have a deposit on the long range Cybertruck, although it's a bit bigger than I'd like. It's the same length as a F150 CrewCab with a 5' bed, even though it has as large a cab (probably much more spacious, based on my Model 3 experience) and a 6.5' bed.
CHARGING/RANGE
One can charge anywhere there is electricity. If the grid goes down, fuel pumps don't work either. I frequently drive to our family cabin in Northern Alberta where there's no EV charging infrastructure along the way. I pace myself so I arrive there with about 5% charge left - the car has great tools for monitoring energy usage en route. Consumption drops drastically if one slows down.
120V charging is called Level 1 charging and is the slowest, but is a viable option if you have the time. Plugging into 120V/15A (standard home outlet) gets the Model 3 a full charge in about 48 hours (from 5% left). That's with the Long Range (~75 kWh) battery. If using a 120V/30A (TT-30: typical 30 amp outlet in RV campground that you plug your Escape into), charging time is half that. A 12 hour charge at 120V/15A restores about 110 km of range on my Model 3. That covers most days where one is running around doing local activities/errands and sight-seeing, but not sufficient to replenish the drain of a long day travelling.
Level 2 charging is with 240V. My home wall charger is 60A which would add 95% charge in 6 hours, so I've always got a full battery by morning. The Tesla mobile charger maxes at 32A so on a 14-50 outlet (240V/50A - the standard 50A outlet in campgrounds) charging the battery from 5% to full takes just over 9 hours. Level 2 charging is a great overnight solution. Most EVs can be programmed when to start charging so they can be set to charge at night when rates are lowest, in the middle of the night (or free as in Texas). This actually a big help for the electrical grid as they're built to handle the peak power required in the afternoon/early evening but aren't easily powered down for night-time.
There are a lot of public EV chargers that are Level 2 ranging from 16A to 80A. They usually have the J-1772 connectore which is compatible with most EVs such as my Volt, and Tesla includes an adapter with their cars. They are also common at hotels that have chargers. When possible I only stay at hotels with chargers - it's great to wake up to a full battery every day, just like at home.
Level 3 charging is CHAdeMO, CCS and Telsa Superchargers. Most non-Tesla stations have both CHAdeMO and CCS for compatability with non-Tesla EVs capable of fast charging (most newer long-range EVs). Tesla of course uses their Superchargers, but one can get an adapter for CHAdeMO for their Tesla if needed. British Columbia north of Hwy 1 is a good example of an area serviced by CHAdeMO/CCS but not Superchargers. Tesla's Superchargers are very well maintained - it's rare that one is ever not operating but it can happen. Locations have at least 4 chargers, often many more. Other networks are often less reliable and may only have one charger available, first come, first served.
The best source for finding places to charge is
PlugShare. The most current database of Tesla Superchargers is
Supercharge.info. It's crowdshared data shows active stations, those confirmed to be under construction and those where building permits exist.
Most CHAdeMO/CCS charging stations are 50kW. Existing Tesla Superchargers (v2) were 120kW, most have been upgraded to 150kW. Now they're installing (e.g. the Trans Canada from Calgary to Sudbury) v3 Superchargers capable of charging at up to 250kW. At a v2 Supercharger my Model 3 can get 80% charge in less than 20 minutes. The final 20% takes nearly an hour so usually we grab a quick bite and bathroom break and hit the road after 15-30 minutes charging. No point in waiting for that last 10-20% charge - it's too slow. With 80% charge I can drive nearly 400 km at highway speeds anyway. CHAdeMO/CCS will be slower, v3 Superchargers faster based on their rated kW capabilities.
No specs have been released on the Cybertruck batteries, but using what we know, the pack sizes are estimated to be 75kWh for the RWD (same as my Model 3), 100-120kWh for the Dual Motor AWD and 150-200kWh for the Tri Motor AWD. Estimate 2-3x the charging times given above for the Tri-Motor version (best for towing because longest range) for Level 1 and 2 charging. However for Supercharging, it won't be that much slower as it will charge at full charge rate for a much longer time before the charge begins its taper. I'd estimate 30-40 minutes to get 80% charge.
Tesla has been very accurate with their ranges (unlike some other EV makers...). At 110km/h (70mph) with no air conditioning/heating it's fairly easy to achieve their ranges on the highway on a calm day. Based on people's experience with towing Airstreams with the Model X, one can plan on range being roughly half the rated range while towing. Speed is the real killer so the slower one drives, the greater the range.
I've made this sound somewhat complicated, but if you can charge at home, every morning you wake up with a full battery - 500 km of range for the day. If I drive less, I never have to think about charging. It's only when I drive more than 500 km in a day that I need to worry about charging en route and that is easy and convenient if I'm on a route served by the Supercharger network. Range anxiety only really exists amongst people who don't own a long-range EV.
SERVICE
There is no scheduled service on Teslas anymore. Change the wiper blades, top up the washer fluid and rotate the tires as necessary as on any other vehicle. They used to recommend replacing the brake fluid every 2 years and the battery coolant every 4 years. My plan is to do both at 4 years on my car, but with a Cybertruck doing a lot of towing, I'd be inclined to have the brake fluid checked every couple years. There are some horror stories about service. They are mostly regarding waiting for body parts to repair damage from collisions. It will take a pretty hard collision to damage the Cybertruck!
My own experience with service was the best service I've ever had in 40 years of car ownership. One taillight was filled with condensation. The Tesla Ranger came to my office. I left my keycard at the front desk for him so he got that and proceeded to fix my vehicle in the parking lot. He asked to see me when done to see if I needed anything else. He then returned my keycard and was off to the next repair. Most Tesla problems can be fixed over the air with a software fix. Most of the rest are fixed by a Mobile Ranger. Only if the car needs to go on a lift does it need to go to a service centre. If you're near a service centre they'll ask you to come in, but I'm over 2 hours away and they sent the Mobile Ranger. Fantastic service. Compared to the $1,000+ a year I spent just on scheduled service for my VW Touareg TDI, this is amazing.
The Model 3 drivetrain is rated for 1,000,000 miles, the battery they expect will be good for 300,000 to 500,000 miles. They're working on the 1,000,000 mile battery, I hope that's what the Cybertruck gets. Some early Model S & X vehicles are over 300,000 miles and doing very well. There were some early battery warranty issues, but those seem to have been addressed. The Model 3's are doing very well, but as they're much newer, we're only just starting to see some exceed 100,000 miles.
AUTOPILOT
Of my 35,000 km driven on the Model 3, I'd estimate 25,000 have been driven on Autopilot (AP). It's the world's greatest driver assistance package. I arrive at my destination so much more energized after a long drive. Of course I still need to pay attention to what it's doing. Yes, once in awhile I take over to navigate through a tricky situation. Nevertheless I dread doing long trips without it anymore. Yes, it makes me a far safer driver - I remain more alert, less fatigued and am able to pay more attention on what's happening around me rather than on the tasks of maintaining my speed and lane. Teslas on AP register one accident every 4.34 million miles driven. Comparitively, NHTSA's data shows an automobile crash for every 498,000 every miles driven. Not quite apples to apples comparison because AP is limited where in it works, but it also it reports EVERY accident whereas NHTSA only records reported accidents. The other great thing is AP keeps getting better. Every 4 weeks or so a new software update for the car is rolled out. Most of these updates include incremental improvements to AP; it works far better now than it did 16 months ago.
THOUGHTS ON TOWING AN ESCAPE RV
Based on others experiences towing similar trailers (e.g. Airstreams) with Tesla Model X, I estimate that the Cybertruck should be able to average 400 Wh/km (650 Wh/mi) towing an Escape 21, better with the smaller RVs. That would yield 375km range if the Tri Motor has a 150 kWh battery and 500 km range if it's 200 kWh. My wish is for 400 km range, so this should work. There will be times I'll pay extra to camp in a site with 50A service to charge the tow vehicle - I can live without the trailer plugged in just fine for days. I'd plan my long days driving so that I stop for a long lunch break at a Supercharger and leave with a nearly full battery. Maybe 350 km before lunch and another 350 km after. Best would be to top up the battery at the closest Supercharger to my intended campsite while on the way there.
Yes, Supercharging with a trailer attached can be inconvenient. Worst case one has to disconnect, charge, then reconnect the trailer, but this isn't necessary all of the time. Sometimes there are pull-in chargers, sometimes you can park across a few sites at one end and charge. I would also plan on leaving the trailer in a campground and grabbing a charge while driving the tow vehicle around for the day if there's on in the area.
The box sides are an integral part of the strength of the vehicle and will interfere with 5th wheel hitches so no 5.0 TA unfortunately.
COST OF FUEL
Model 3 (my average): 160 Wh/km x $0.125/kWh = $0.02/km
Cybertruck (est. not towing): 250 Wh/km x $0.125/kWh = $0.03/km
Cybertruck (est. towing): 400 Wh/km x $0.125/kWh = $0.05/km
VW Touareg TDI (ave, not towing): 10L/100km x $1.20/L = $0.12/km
VW Touareg TDI (towing): 16L/100km x $1.20/L = $0.19/km
Assumptions: My electricity at home is ~$0.065/kWh for electricity and $0.06/kWh for transmission and delivery. I actually generate 70% of my power by our solar system, but let's ignore that for now. I assumed 200kWh pack for the Cybertruck, that yields 250 Wh/km; estimating 400 Wh/km for towing as above. Using fuel consumption from our Touareg as it had a great system for tracking fuel efficiency. The Highlander, not so much. Gas/diesel prices are variable so I picked $1.20/L just because.
Above costs are for charging at home. On the road charging is variable. Most Level 2 chargers I've used are free, some charge. Those that charge are often 2-3x what it costs to charge at home. Charging in a campground is included with the price of the 30A/50A campsite. Supercharging is free with many, but not all Model S & X vehicles, not with the Model 3. Supercharger credits are often given out as incentives for referrals or for purchasing at the end of a fiscal quarter. Since the Cybertruck is so inexpensive I bet Supercharging will not be free with it either. Many places Tesla is not permitted to charge for electricity so they charge for time spent at the Supercharger. A typical 20 minute charge to get up to 80% (400 km) on my Model 3 will be about $8.00.
I've gone on far too long, yet there's so much more about EV ownership I could say. The Volt was my favourite car I'd ever had, as long as it was still operating as an EV, not as great when the battery ran low and the generator kicked in. The Tesla is at least 10x better than the Volt. I look forward to an EV tow vehicle and to be done with internal combustion engines for good. I'm happy to answer questions about EVs or speculate on the Cybertruck if anyone has read this far and is still interested.