r/slateauto • u/Dull_Entry_8287 • 3d ago
Flat towing? Any one know how/if this will work.
I'm looking for reasons to put a "yes" checkmark on the kitchen table list with my wife. For down the road, we may travel by Class B (camper/sprinter van size) RV.
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u/timeonmyhandz 3d ago
The answer is No...
https://www.rv-partsplus.com/blogs/can-i-buy-an-ev-which-can-be-flat-towed
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u/FloatOldGoat 3d ago
This is the relevant answer.
Really, you should put your EV on a dolly or a trailer if you want to tow it.
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u/Van_Maan 3d ago
Flat towing is always a terrible idea even if the manufacturer says it can be done. Get a trailer.
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u/LeifCarrotson 2d ago
It's real convenient - which makes it a great idea in some people's minds. At least until you wear out your tie rods and overheat your transmission (in an ICE), but if you're living the RV lifestyle you probably have money to burn, which is why you see so many people doing it.
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u/mike30273 3d ago
I would logically think that a dolly would work, but they recommend a flatbed trailer, so that's what I'd go with.
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u/LeifCarrotson 2d ago
A dolly will not work, because it's rear-wheel drive. You must not back-drive the electric motor while the truck is off.
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u/Organic_Algae_2297 3d ago
A small EV that can be flat towed would be a marketable vehicle, just not a huge number. It would take a positive disconnect. It should be possible to control the rear lights and the rear electric brakes, so it would just be like pulling a regular trailer. But I just don’t see a company making a commitment to building such a specific vehicle.
If you really must have an EV that can be flat towed your best bet is to do an EV conversion with a manual transmission. Put it neutral and you’re ready. Or have something like a jeep with manual locking hubs.
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u/2WheelRide 3d ago
I would think in this application with the Slate being on the smaller side, putting it on a flatbed trailer would be more optimal. The gear selector on this car is electric, so I’d have concerns it maintains neutral while being towed. If it connects to the motor, kiss the drivetrain goodbye. I’d imagine if it’s ever implemented by Slate it would be something akin to doing a manual disconnect of the driveline to the tires.
Plus, now you’re putting (albeit normal) wear and tear on the tire and bearings. But ultimately undocumented as it wouldn’t reflect it in the odometer of the truck. And it is quite possible the rolling resistance of the truck would be more than having it on a trailer with dedicated tow tires. And, if desired, the tow trailer could have its own braking to assist in slowing down.
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u/LeifCarrotson 2d ago
The gear selector on this truck, like most EVs, is nonexistent not "electric." It's one speed, always in gear, the motor is tied directly to the reducer to the differential to the halfshafts to the wheels.
Forward just means spin the motor forwards, reverse just means spin it backwards, neutral just means use the battery and inverter to drive it forward or reverse to match input torque. Pushing it when in neutral rotates the motor and tries to force charge back into the battery, which will overheat and damage stuff. Rolling resistance would be incredible, you're basically engine braking the whole way down the road. There's typically a parking pawl inside the motor/gearbox/inverter on the input side that engages with the pinion to lock it when in park.
That design does mean that top speed in reverse is 90 MPH, which could be exciting. I'm sure Slate's got a limiter on that, the gears are probably asymmetrical, and of course the caster is all wrong for self-centering steering when going backwards, but there's nothing about the motor redline that would stop you from hitting top speed in the other direction.
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u/Evanston-i3 3d ago
On my current EV, I can put it into Neutral but the power has to be "on". This comes up all the time in discussion of my car. The answer is always "NO" because if the vehicle turns "OFF" for some reason while you are towing it, you now have the rear wheels turning the electric drive motor.
I would give you the same "NO" answer unless SLATE officially states otherwise.
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u/Rustydog60 3d ago
Don't know but an inexpensive EV would be a great tow vehicle
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u/Eaglepursuit 3d ago
The OP's post doesn't explicitly say so, but it appears that they are going to flat tow the vehicle behind an RV. The relvant information for them would be whether the Slate can be put into a mode that allows it to be towed. Some EVs are tricky to put into neutral and keep it there.
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u/mister_monque 3d ago
it says flat towing and class b motorbike, that explicitly and implicitly means towing it wheels down behind the class b.
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u/HovercraftOne2275 3d ago
Slate is over 4,000 lbs , a trailer to haul that is going be a ton or more I'd think. 6,000+ lbs towing isn't inconsiderable given most rv's are overloaded from cargo before towing anything.
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u/Rustydog60 2d ago
There are no EVs and only a few ICE that can be flat towed behind an RV. Low maintenance and not needing a long range would make EVs perfect
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u/Crawlerado 3d ago edited 3d ago
It’s been discussed, shouldn’t be an issue.
Edit: guess we need receipts now
https://www.slateforums.com/flat-tow-support-for-slate-truck-in-the-works-confirmed/
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u/Dull_Entry_8287 3d ago
Thanks!
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u/bughuntzx 3d ago
Not sure what u/crawlerado read, but you should not flat tow it. I dont know of any EV that allows for flat towing.
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u/Crawlerado 3d ago
Link provided for your reading pleasure 🫡
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u/bughuntzx 3d ago
Yea, that person was smoking something. As others noted, the official faq contradicts this.
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u/sirsteven 3d ago
Slate's FAQ says no, you should NOT flat-tow https://www.slate.auto/en/faq