Slate truck/SUV flat tow confirmed by Slate

[vmikee]

It sure would be nice if Scout would confirm that flat towing will be available. I put in my $50 to get on the Slate waiting list since they have confirmed flat towing. That’s a deal breaker for me and many others…

Flat Tow support for Slate truck in the works [confirmed]

I asked about flat towing support for the Slate truck and here was their confirmation: Hi Joe, Great question! Towing a Slate behind a motorhome is exactly the kind of adventurous, off-grid thinking we're excited to see from future drivers. We're happy to share that flat towing is actively...

www.slateforums.com

 

[J Alynn]

It sure would be nice if Scout would confirm that flat towing will be available. I put in my $50 to get on the Slate waiting list since they have confirmed flat towing. That’s a deal breaker for me and many others…

Flat Tow support for Slate truck in the works [confirmed]

I asked about flat towing support for the Slate truck and here was their confirmation: Hi Joe, Great question! Towing a Slate behind a motorhome is exactly the kind of adventurous, off-grid thinking we're excited to see from future drivers. We're happy to share that flat towing is actively...

www.slateforums.com

Technically they didn’t confirm it. They are intending but as I recall-other EV manufacturers intended it initially then pulled back and said they couldn’t offer. But hey-hope it works out for you. I’d feel better seeing people flat tow a small Slate than the larger Scouts anyway. Win-win all around!

 

[Time2Roll]

Rivian said about the same and retracted before launch.

 

[Chavannigans]

I am curious what issues Rivian ran into with it.

Like if they cant figure out how to tie it into a brake controller, or if it causes gearboxes to burn up. etc

 

[dreamweaver]

I am curious what issues Rivian ran into with it.

Like if they cant figure out how to tie it into a brake controller, or if it causes gearboxes to burn up. etc

Electric vehicles (EVs) generally cannot be flat towed—meaning towed with all four wheels on the ground—due to their unique design and how their electric drivetrain operates. Here’s why:

Many EVs are equipped with regenerative braking, a system where the electric motor acts as a generator to convert kinetic energy into electrical energy, recharging the battery when the vehicle slows down. When an EV is flat towed, the turning wheels can drive the motor, causing it to generate electricity. If the battery is already fully charged, this could lead to overcharging, which might damage the battery or other components. Additionally, the motor may not be built to operate continuously in this way, potentially leading to premature wear or failure.

Unlike vehicles with internal combustion engines, which often have a neutral gear to disconnect the engine from the wheels, many EVs have a direct connection between the electric motor and the wheels without a traditional transmission. This means there’s typically no way to disengage the motor from the wheels, making flat towing risky for the drivetrain.

 

[Chavannigans]

Electric vehicles (EVs) generally cannot be flat towed—meaning towed with all four wheels on the ground—due to their unique design and how their electric drivetrain operates. Here’s why:

Many EVs are equipped with regenerative braking, a system where the electric motor acts as a generator to convert kinetic energy into electrical energy, recharging the battery when the vehicle slows down. When an EV is flat towed, the turning wheels can drive the motor, causing it to generate electricity. If the battery is already fully charged, this could lead to overcharging, which might damage the battery or other components. Additionally, the motor may not be built to operate continuously in this way, potentially leading to premature wear or failure.

Unlike vehicles with internal combustion engines, which often have a neutral gear to disconnect the engine from the wheels, many EVs have a direct connection between the electric motor and the wheels without a traditional transmission. This means there’s typically no way to disengage the motor from the wheels, making flat towing risky for the drivetrain.

So it sounds like you would need to either discharge the battery by running the motors and helping "push" the tow vehicle, or blasting the AC and Venga Boys as it goes down the road.

 

[dreamweaver]

So it sounds like you would need to either discharge the battery by running the motors and helping "push" the tow vehicle, or blasting the AC and Venga Boys as it goes down the road.

, ahh, No

 

[strider]

In the old days of AC Asynch motors (what Tesla started with), it was not a problem. Those motors were pure electromagnets so if the car was not "On," no magnetic field was generated and the motor would simply freewheel. However, most have moved to permanent magnet motors. These motors are more efficient (and generally smaller in size). But in that case, even if the car is powered off, if the wheels are turned then a magnetic field is generated which creates electricity and can fry electronics. Plus the motors tend to be actively cooled so if the vehicle is off it won't be circulating coolant, etc.

Now, some manufacturers have worked on this, not for flat towing reasons but for efficiency ones. You often don't need both motors when tooling around so they will idle one of them. Tesla has tended to keep one AC Asynch motor which as stated above, can be simply powered down when not needed and it will freewheel. Others (I know the Koreans do this, Idk about others) added a clutch to mechanically separate one of the motors from the wheels. There are trade-offs to both, less efficient motor in Tesla's case, more weight and complexity in the clutch case.

Engineering is all about trade-offs. Let's see what Scout comes up with. Maybe there's a way to fully disconnect at the differential level - like the opposite of a locking diff, an UNlocking diff.....

 

[dreamweaver]

In the old days of AC Asynch motors (what Tesla started with), it was not a problem. Those motors were pure electromagnets so if the car was not "On," no magnetic field was generated and the motor would simply freewheel. However, most have moved to permanent magnet motors. These motors are more efficient (and generally smaller in size). But in that case, even if the car is powered off, if the wheels are turned then a magnetic field is generated which creates electricity and can fry electronics. Plus the motors tend to be actively cooled so if the vehicle is off it won't be circulating coolant, etc.

Now, some manufacturers have worked on this, not for flat towing reasons but for efficiency ones. You often don't need both motors when tooling around so they will idle one of them. Tesla has tended to keep one AC Asynch motor which as stated above, can be simply powered down when not needed and it will freewheel. Others (I know the Koreans do this, Idk about others) added a clutch to mechanically separate one of the motors from the wheels. There are trade-offs to both, less efficient motor in Tesla's case, more weight and complexity in the clutch case.

Engineering is all about trade-offs. Let's see what Scout comes up with. Maybe there's a way to fully disconnect at the differential level - like the opposite of a locking diff, an UNlocking diff.....

Maybe the new AAM inverters can handle this problem? Can't say I know much about AAM.

 

[TreeKiller]

In the old days of AC Asynch motors (what Tesla started with), it was not a problem. Those motors were pure electromagnets so if the car was not "On," no magnetic field was generated and the motor would simply freewheel. However, most have moved to permanent magnet motors. These motors are more efficient (and generally smaller in size). But in that case, even if the car is powered off, if the wheels are turned then a magnetic field is generated which creates electricity and can fry electronics. Plus the motors tend to be actively cooled so if the vehicle is off it won't be circulating coolant, etc.

Now, some manufacturers have worked on this, not for flat towing reasons but for efficiency ones. You often don't need both motors when tooling around so they will idle one of them. Tesla has tended to keep one AC Asynch motor which as stated above, can be simply powered down when not needed and it will freewheel. Others (I know the Koreans do this, Idk about others) added a clutch to mechanically separate one of the motors from the wheels. There are trade-offs to both, less efficient motor in Tesla's case, more weight and complexity in the clutch case.

Engineering is all about trade-offs. Let's see what Scout comes up with. Maybe there's a way to fully disconnect at the differential level - like the opposite of a locking diff, an UNlocking diff.....

Lockout hubs at all four corners.

mic drop.....

 

[Time2Roll]

Lockout hubs at all four corners.

mic drop.....

Definitely worth the cost of the option. And forget the automatic shift-on-the-fly hubs.