EV Ramblings - Chevrolet Bolt Towing Efficiency Test with SylvanSport Go Camping Trailer! 

18.9 kWh/17.2 kWh = 1.0988 That means you used 10% more energy not 5%. The confirmation is when you multiply 17.2 x 1.10 and get 18.9. But it's a major success to only lose 10% towing and your video is a great testimonial for the designers of that trailer and it shows you chose a great pairing for an EV. Thank you for doing this test and sharing your results.

Exactly what I was interested in and planning to do. Thanks Dustin.

I am considering pulling a small bike trailer with my KTM on it. This video gives me the confidence to go ahead and put a hitch on my 2022 Bolt EUV.

Thanks for your video. I don't plan to do any kind of towing when I get my 2023 Bolt EV LT2 model this spring 2023, but watched the video and it is great information you provided. I have test driven one at the dealership and really like how the vehicle performs. take care.

Keep up the vids 👍

Looks like energy recovery helped a lot, thanks bro.

Great video. You get better efficiency towing that trailer than I get with just my summer tires!

Gosh that was interesting and insightful. I wondered about tying a trailer in and EV. Now I know the effects of towing another energy efficient trailer. Thanks for making the video. It was very helpful!

Best video I've ever seen on this.

Great video!

for a small car doing tow job, EV cars with heavier weights relatively (to similar sized cars due to battery weight) actually help with towing (at some level). A similar sized car towing will probably have the MPG fold in half (50%!) to be honest

I can't over how quiet electric cars are... So cool. I wanted to get a Chevy Bolt but the towing factor played a role for me not to get it. The Volvo XC60 pure electric does have a towing capacity I believe at 3,300 pound's.

Excellent...answered My questions...I WILL be purchasing a 2017 Bolt to tow My 12K WhisperWatt Generator!

Very insightful video, thanks as I was looking into the Sylvan Go (both light and aerodynamic) and was wondering how it would affect a Model 3 which in the EU has the Tesla tow hitch option.

Regen probably plays a huge roll in the efficiency here. More mass to expend electrons on also means more mass to recoup those electrons. You will of course always consume more overall power when towing, but that 5% margin would likely be higher without regen.

Great job! I don’t have a Bolt, but it’s nice to know that the trailer won’t (hopefully ) be gas guzzler. I’m going fron Texas to North Carolina to pick up mine GO so I’ll try to record gas usage just for the fun of it. Thanks for doing the interesting stuff. 😊

I towed about a living room and two bedrooms of things with my 2013 Volt from east Tennessee to Western Oregon. The car handled it fine but at like 8 mpg. Ruined my lifetime mpg which sits at 50.3...

Great vid we have a 2017 bolt also, we tow a MYPOD, there's a loss of about 40 miles range. But it's an awsone camper.

Great video Dustin. Kinda surprising too. We have a model Y tesla on order and we will be towing a T@B 400 tear drop trailer (also on order). I don’t expect your results as it is three times as heavy as well as being 7.5 feet wide and 8 feet tall. But I’m sure we’ll figure it out. Kudos for slowing down when towing. The physics changes drastically when towing. I wish more people realized that. Find a slow RVer or truck and get in behind them. Relax and arrive alive. Subscribed. Take care.

Great video, Dustin. We get our hitch next week. We're hoping to tow something a tiny bit larger. We're focused on the Aliner Scout Lite, which has a dry weight of about 1200 pounds. Fingers crossed.

What harness did you use for the trailer brake lights? Was it hard to install? I tried to hire a few people to install the harness but no one could. Any help I really appreciate

Great video, thank you for all your efforts. I just bought the Bolt EUV, and wasn't sure about adding a tow hitch, thanks to you, I'm adding one. Did you install your hitch? What wiring harness did you use? Did you do your test with one pedal driving on while towing?

Dustin. Did you buy your bolt new in 2017? How has it been over the years? Or, Do you have a video on that topic already?

I have a 2023 Bolt EV and a Sylvan Go. I am putting on a 2" EcoHitch ECOX7359 . But I need a riser to bring it up to 17" high as required by Sylvansport. What size riser will I need to buy? Thanks Michael

Amazing how little extra power it took to tow that trailer! Good to see a new vid from you. Be safe with your Bolt. They’ve been a “hot” topic as of late…

Did you have to change the rear shocks?

Do you have an elevation profile for your trip? I would guess the uphill portion of your trip would be more negatively affected by the weight than the flat section of your trip. Someone's trip up into the Sierra Nevadas (California resident here!) could take a much larger hit than 5%, since you are basically driving uphill almost the whole way.

That difference between with and without the trailer (5%) is about the same as I get running AC (7%). Wild... Thanks for doing the real-world experiment.

Great video Dustin!

What towing hitch are you using?

Fantastic review, thank you very much. It fits very nicely into the towing reviews of Rivian and F150 Lightning with the huge trailer. They had +50% efficiency penalty. Now, one little thing: 17.2 and 18.9 is 10% increase, right?

I have a 2021 Bolt and would like to purchase a Go. The GM dealer won't do my hitch. Where did you get yours done and what type of hitch is it? Thanks

I’m wanting to do this with mine and tow a small zero turn mower.

Did you install the hitch yourself? What about the wiring.

Less than a quarter dollar for 160 km. Not worth talking about for that price. Thanks, I sent the video to my daughter in Duncan. they are interested in the trailer.

How much does the trailer weigh? Did you add a transmission oil cooler? I would say 1000 pounds max. The car is not set up for towing with unibody frame, weak mount points thickness of steal etc. Can the shocks handle the loads the balance of the car in very important. Sure you can tow a boat with a lawn mower and any car. I bought a LR4 for towing my boat and and another car for economy. Doing both if only once in a while is ok I would not recommend with a Bolt though. Just asking for trouble. Rent a truck if its just once in a while. I tow a boat but use a 4x4 with real steal frame and drive like I have nothing behind it don't even feel it 70mph no issue. Why risk life over a tiny trailer.

What are your thoughts on towing a ~1500 pound Scamp with the Bolt?

I think you could have skipped all the on screen calculations and just had the wrap up at the end. It would also have been safer to use the recorded video as your reference instead of writing and calculating while driving. Otherwise, I liked your video.

trip with trailer is showing 0.132 kw/h more vs w/o trailer. no bad at all.

More time when pulling is normal for gas cars too.

I disagree with your conclusion. Your change in speed had a huge impact. 15 minutes in 2 hours is about 10%, which has a 21% impact on aerodynamic drag. To really measure efficiency you absolutely must keep the speed, and wind, the same. So, the real effect is closer to 25%.

I woudn't be taxing those batterys until gm gets around to fixing them in the next 5-6 years.