Soon-to-be owners of a 17B that will tow it with an Electric Vehicle

[Chotch]

🤔It seems that the charging requirements alone could really tax some camp grounds. If in fact your experiment works out. The same camps may also really challenge your chosen vehicle as to ground clearance and perhaps traction. Does your vehicle come with a spare?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Kuipo

As for charging on a 30amp circuit, it should charge from 0 to 100% in about 16 hours in best case. I assume it will likely be a bit slower.

30 amps at 120 volts is only 3.6 kW. If the 100 kWh battery is fully discharged (which it won't be) and it really has 100 kWh of capacity (which it doesn't), it would take more than 28 hours to fully charge. Were you thinking of 30 amps at 240 volts? Campsite 30 amp service is only 120 volts.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

I’ve seen those 50 amp services run a pair of air conditioners on some big campers pretty steadily in hot weather but cannot say it was a continuous pull.

Just two air conditioners should be no problem, at well under 20 amps @ 120 V each, and 100 amps @ 120 V nominally available.

Setting the charging current limit to well below 50 amps (@ 240 V) would be prudent in a campsite.

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Could the draw on the Tesla battery eliminate the use of AC at your site or the microwave etc.?

The charge rate setting can be changed at any time to allow enough capacity for what you want to run in the trailer. Unfortunately, the Escape will be plugged into just one side of the 240 V service (assuming that you build an adapter to allow both to be plugged in), and the car will likely limit both sides to the same current.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Most have a 30 and a 50 amp receptacle. Using the 50 would be ideal because not only would it charge you faster, you could still use the 30 for the trailer.

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

I was just thinking about that and realized that there are separate breakers and circuits for each receptacle.

Maybe, but maybe not. I've seen sites that have a sliding cover so that only the 50 A or the 30 A receptacle can be accessed, but not both at the same time. The 30 A can be wired to one line of the 50 A supply, and in that case their capacities do not add.

If the 50 amp and 30 amp are not both accessible (or the site has only a 50 amp receptacle), a splitter adapter can be built. 50 A / 240 V to two separate 120 V (30 A or 20 A) "Y" adapters are readily available, but in this case one would want an adapter with both 50A/240V and 30A/120V outlets.

There is often a 15 A or 20 A outlet as well. If only that one is separate from the 50 A service, then the trailer could be run on it (with an adapter) which is enough if not running the air conditioner or more than one large appliance at once.

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

If you were running them both, you’d sure be getting your money’s worth on the electric cost. Probably some mean old Park Ranger would want more money or spend the winter routing signs that said No Tesla Charging. That’s a sad thought but I’ve seen stranger things.

It isn't just Teslas - all production electric cars come with onboard chargers which run from 120 V or 240 V AC power. They also come with sockets to connect to fast high-voltage DC charging sources, but the campsite doesn't have that.

In a campground, EV charging is not expected. System capacity is not designed for it, and site pricing does not account for it. I think that it would be entirely reasonable for campgrounds to ban EV charging as soon as it becomes a problem; they might even provide better-provisioned sites which allow EV charging (perhaps including DC fast charging), hopefully at a premium price to reflect the higher cost (because I don't want to subsidize them).

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Chotch

The same camps may also really challenge your chosen vehicle as to ground clearance and perhaps traction.

While not a truck and not having any off-road pretensions, I don't think the Model X is particularly short on ground clearance or approach/departure angles, particularly compared to something like our travel trailer towing minivan. If this particular Model X has the optional air suspension, the height is adjustable, adding up to two inches to the ground clearance.

Traction shouldn't be an issue - this is an AWD vehicle with the same power available front and rear, and the usual electronic traction control (using individual wheel braking); the AWD system is as capable as a typical AWD SUV. On the other hand, it comes with summer road tires...

Originally Posted by Chotch

Does your vehicle come with a spare?

Spares on vehicles like this (big low-profile tires) are getting rare, and I don't know if any electric vehicle carries a spare (in part due to weight issues). I wouldn't expect a spare in any Tesla, and I can't find a reference to one in the Model X owner's manual.

[Kuipo]

Luckily our dogs are very skinny. ;P

[azjack]

The 17B with permanent bed is much like a 19 but smaller.
Jack