Driving to Florida from upstate ny - with trailer?

[lex-man]

I need to move a bunch of stuff down south and I am wondering if renting a u-haul trailer is going to be a nightmare- trying find pull through chargers or worse having to un-hook to charge. I’ve done this trip once and didn’t see many pull through options - a lot of Tesla short cords at Cracker Barrel and Buccee and Wa was. Anyone have better experience or tried to do something similar?

My other option would be a small pod or other moving option.
Thanks for any advice or
Tips!

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[B177y]

Really depends on your attitude and tolerance level. Are you a "GO-GO-GO! Time is money!" type or are you more like the "The Dude" from the Big Lebowski (paging @El Duderino ).

You should spend a little time with ABRP and Plugshare. Use the filters to prioritize charging with trailer access. Make sure you use a charging profile in ABRP for your Lightning to account for the impact of towing on range. Maybe even see what the Ford Navigation recommends in the truck for towing. Then you have to decide if it's going to be a fun trip despite the hassle or if you want to spend the money for a pod.

 

[RickLightning]

Pull in, charge, back up.

 

[Firn]

Really depends on your attitude and tolerance level. Are you a "GO-GO-GO! Time is money!" type or are you more like the "The Dude" from the Big Lebowski (paging @El Duderino ).

You should spend a little time with ABRP and Plugshare. Use the filters to prioritize charging with trailer access. Make sure you use a charging profile in ABRP for your Lightning to account for the impact of towing on range. Maybe even see what the Ford Navigation recommends in the truck for towing. Then you have to decide if it's going to be a fun trip despite the hassle or if you want to spend the money for a pod.

This here. Set your 65mph speed in abrp to something around 1.4-1.6 and plan the route. From thwre take a peak at the charging stops and see if they will be trailer friendly or not.

 

[Pioneer74]

Can you use an open trailer? You might be able to do it without any serious issues.

Enclosed trailer? More drag, more charging, more hassle. I'd do the pod.

 

[USA EV]

I figure if I'm only doing this kind of thing once every few years I can suffer through, even if I had to drop the trailer a few times (chances are you won't). Do note, however, that some (all?) U-Haul trailers are not very disconnect-friendly once loaded due to lack of a tongue jack.

 

[K6CCC]

Spend a fair amount of time doing research. Use PlugShare.com to find POTENTIAL charge stops. Look at photos that people have posted. You can also check out Google Earth and Street View - to see what the physical arrangement is (if the pictures are new enough). Also suggest checking the charging app for whatever network you are looking at to get an idea how busy it really is. For example you may find a large Tesla station that does not have pull through, but if it is a 80 stall station that at the time of day you would get there, there are normally only 6 stalls in use, you should be able to parallel park taking something like 8 stalls without really bothering anyone.

 

[DoyouLightning]

Hi Lex-Man ,

I'm not sure exactly where in Florida your final destination is but... There is an auto train that goes from somewhere outside of DC all the way down to Sanford FL. Obviously you will have to pay extra for truck and trailer (not sure about trailer size limitations) but might be a decent way to get some reprieve half waf thru your trek and not worry about charging thru the South East.

On the bright side with the uhaul I assume you will drop if off empty in FL so no need to trailer it back to NY while empty.

 

[jpatt2020]

I need to move a bunch of stuff down south and I am wondering if renting a u-haul trailer is going to be a nightmare- trying find pull through chargers or worse having to un-hook to charge. I’ve done this trip once and didn’t see many pull through options - a lot of Tesla short cords at Cracker Barrel and Buccee and Wa was. Anyone have better experience or tried to do something similar?

My other option would be a small pod or other moving option.
Thanks for any advice or
Tips!

GM Energy stations usually have pull throughs for trailers. I tow my 32ft travel trailer regularly with my lightning. Most of the time, close enough to home where I don't have to charge. The few times I've charged, I just drop the trailer. It's so easy it takes only a few minutes.

 

[rickbjeepb]

Just took my boat (~20' trailer) from NJ to VA. The ONE pull-through that Plugshare showed was available on the route (bp pulse I think) ended up not working when I got there. There are more farther south on I95, but unfortunately you will need to use a few stations not designed for trailers.

Some stations there will be an end charger that works ok for a trailer. Check Plugshare reviews and use Google sat view to see how accessible the station is. Sometimes you just have to pull in and block normal traffic. It's only 20 minutes or so. Take wheel chocks, a cone, maybe some kind of trailer lock in case you do have to detach.

 

[Sam_oceans]

I can usually find a station with end-chargers and when not I often ride the curb from behind the charger. See photos.

 

[Farafield]

You need to spend some time doing your homework. Finding potential chargers, making sure they work, using satellite to see the layout of the charging lot. Try to have a plan B in case one place doesn't work out. You may need to drop your trailer from time to time. With your range cut in half, you will be making some stops. The other thing is that some parkways esp. around NYC do not allow trailers. It can be a fun adventure or a real hassle. Just depends on how you see it and what you prefer.

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