Losing another toad option

[Spdracr39]

I just read an article that says the new 2021 models of the Equinox will only be available with the 9 speed transmission which currently is not towable 4 down. I hope they figure out a way. I guess soon we will all be either towing antiques or Jeeps.

[Unplanned Tourist]

Give me an antique any time!

Happy Glamping.

[oldecmech]

Chevrolet now has approved the FWD 9 speed Equinox for flat towing. Set-up procedure is in the owners manual. Very easy. Put it in neutral, ignition in accessory mode, turn off lights, radio and hvac and you are ready to go. Requires a charge line from the motorhome to keep the toad battery up. We are towing our 2019 2.0T, 9 speed Equinox with no problems. It tows great.

[Spdracr39]

Originally Posted by oldecmech

Chevrolet now has approved the FWD 9 speed Equinox for flat towing. Set-up procedure is in the owners manual. Very easy. Put it in neutral, ignition in accessory mode, turn off lights, radio and hvac and you are ready to go. Requires a charge line from the motorhome to keep the toad battery up. We are towing our 2019 2.0T, 9 speed Equinox with no problems. It tows great.

Thats great news thank you !

[aether_one]

So we have not lost a toad option and in fact have gained toad options?

[Spdracr39]

Originally Posted by tfryman

So we have not lost a toad option and in fact have gained toad options?

Correct sort of. Certain models of the 2018-2020 Equinox ( anything with the 9 speed auto) had not been approved for towing and in 2021 they were going to sell those models exclusively as they are dropping the 6 speed auto. Now they are certified for flat towing so really it is just a wash.

[sinterior]

Generally speaking, we are a vast minority when it comes to auto manufacturers caring if their vehicles are towable 4 down or not.

They are trying to make cars/trucks more economical and less polluting, hence cvt or 8-9-10 speed transmissions, less weight etc etc.

Personally I don't think EV's will make a big impact in my lifetime.

I also believe a greatly increased amp and volt capacity is needed if many people switch to EV's. Tesla for example need a 240V 60 or 90 amp circuit to take full advantage of charging capability. And that cost? $1000 give or take.
I hope the link works.

https://teslatap.com/articles/home-c...-wiring-guide/

[NXR]

I also believe a greatly increased amp and volt capacity is needed if many people switch to EV's. Tesla for example need a 240V 60 or 90 amp circuit to take full advantage of charging capability. And that cost? $1000 give or take.

If you have an older home the cost may be substantially higher. We have a home built in 1973 with 100-amp service. That is more than adequate for all appliances (dryer, range, A/C) and other loads.

We upgraded it to 200-amp service a few years ago for a hot tub that needed a 60-amp circuit. New underground wiring was needed from the new breaker box to the transformer in the corner of the backyard, maybe 100' of trenching, if that. The cost was $5,600 including required inspections. In our service area we have to pay for it all. In some places the electric utility will pay for the upgrade from the transformer to the pole if the wiring is overhead.

We do have a shed next to the transformer so we also had electric run to it because the wiring could lay in the same trench but the incremental cost increase had to be minor.

I guess you're supposed to replace breakers and boxes roughly every forty years so that was another good reason, modern wiring and protection systems. But yeah, if done for a full electric car we could have bought a couple thousand gallons of gasoline instead.

And frickin' Ohio just imposed a $200/year surcharge on license plates for plug-in cars and $100/year on hybrids.

But pay $5,000+ just to charge a Tesla? Well, if I could afford a Tesla I suppose I might.

Ray

[Dennis4809]

Our 2019 Blazer AWD has the 9 speed and tows just fine.

[radar]

Originally Posted by sinterior

Generally speaking, we are a vast minority when it comes to auto manufacturers caring if their vehicles are towable 4 down or not.

They are trying to make cars/trucks more economical and less polluting, hence cvt or 8-9-10 speed transmissions, less weight etc etc.

Personally I don't think EV's will make a big impact in my lifetime.

I also believe a greatly increased amp and volt capacity is needed if many people switch to EV's. Tesla for example need a 240V 60 or 90 amp circuit to take full advantage of charging capability. And that cost? $1000 give or take.
I hope the link works.

https://teslatap.com/articles/home-c...-wiring-guide/

Nope. They don’t. The EVSE that comes with the car draws maximum 32 amps. It requires a 40 amp circuit. One can buy a hardwired 48 amp unit that needs a 60 amp circuit. However that is only useable with long range models. Tesla hasn’t built a dual charger P100 for years and even then only a few were built. The vast majority of Tesla owners use the EVSE that comes with the car. It is also useable and configurable with 24 amps and 16 amps. And of course it can also use a standard 120 volt 15 amp connection.

Getting a 14-50 receptacle installed in many cases is less than 500 dollars. About 300 ish for our townhouse with 100 amp service.

Most Other EV’s can charge to a maximum of either 27 amps or 32 amps. We charge our EV using a 12 amp 240 volt connection. It charges between 1 o’clock and 4 o’clock in the morning. In that time it gets around 8.5 kw of power which is more than most people need to complete their commute. Roughly 6.5 km per kilowatt.

As for affording a Tesla. The most commonly purchased Tesla is 40,000 dollars. Affordable for many.

Note, we chose to buy secondary EVSE’s for the townhouse so we could leave the EVSE’s that came with our cars in the cars....just in case. This added an extra 800 bucks to iour total bill. A nice to have, not a need to have. Every EV comes with an EVSE. No separate purchase necessary. Its just not that expensive to set up charging at home. For many people it is zero dollars.