SeaDawg

This is the one I was talking about. $35 direct wire, $55 lighter plug . Cheaper in black, on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Caframo-Ultimate-2-Speed-Lighter-Plug/dp/B00OM5MILI/ref=sr_1_2?adgrpid=55287297999&gclid=CjwKCAiAlajvBRB_EiwA4vAqiIUxKRK7tbvEhRL0JfUkGLahfrywbm58HmxeN3_3yvENQEVwMYs8_hoCuxkQAvD_BwE&hvadid=274839819549&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9012147&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=12790311878140615116&hvtargid=kwd-294887234866&hydadcr=12189_10197804&keywords=caframo+ultimate&qid=1575679050&sr=8-2

Caframo fans have had consistently goodcreviews for decades. Canadian company. The little Ultimate model can be ordered with a 12v plug. Small, but moves a lot of air. No guard, but the pladtic blades won't hurt you. And, easier to clean without the guard. Used on many cruising sailboats, as they're very efficient. White and black available.

Yes, it will be interesting to see what the actual battery capacity and towing range will be in the Cybertruck. I'm not even going to try to rework his math. (Though even Steve's trailer doesn't weigh half of his example trailer, and mine is less than a third of the example weight. And, I can't honestly remember the last time we gained a net 5000 feet elevation in one hundred miles of driving, at an average of 75 mph , even with the Ram's hemi.) It would be quite nice if Tesla did some real world testing while towing with the Cybertruck, as they have done with the yet to be released Tesla semi, but the necessity isn't the same, when many pickups never or rarely tow a trailer, at all, or, just tow a utility trailer short distances for work. Semi purchasers will insist on meeting full load towing projections. Their livelihoods depend on it. Some recent efficiency changes in Tesla motors have upped the range of the newer s and x by a small per centage, with the same battery . I've heard some battery improvements are upcoming, as well. We'll see what we get in a couple years, when the pickup actually hits the road. Overland, I, too, am hoping for a 300 to 350 mile range, with my little Ollie in tow, though I'm not holding my breath. Even a 300 mile range towing would slow us down, when we're trying to put miles behind us. With the ram's big gas tank, even towing, we can travel at least 300 miles or so, or 4 to 4.5 hours on the interstate. If our coffee intake doesn't make us stop earlier. 😏 As far as towing with a Tesla x, I was reminded of a video I saw of test drives in Australia, from Penrith, (elevation 80 ft or so) outside Sydney, to Bathurst, via the great western highway, and back, via Bell's Line of road. Both beautiful roads, in the Blue Mountains. Nothing approaching mile high, but plenty of mountain driving, with high points of maybe 3000 ft. Or so. More real world. And, a bit over 100 miles. With a roughly 4000 lb trailer behind the Tesla x, it used about twice as much battety power than when driving without the trailer. Same as we've heard from most reports with the x. Probably important to note a couple of other things. The test drivers reported great towing stability, and acceleration with the x. And, Australian speed limits wouldn't allow towing at 75 mph. 😏 The x arrived at bathurst with 12 per cent capacity left. A bit better on the return on the more windy and slower Bell's Line of Road. (Which is a beautiful road, by the way. We drove it in 2015, in a campervan.) Full report https://www.carsguide.com.au/adventure/tesla-model-x-74243 Video

But, we all had to start, somewhere. Back in the day, it was high tech. 3 turtles and all. I remember our first office computer system. It wasn't really fast or great, but it was a step forward from typed carbon leafed invoices and cross posting/ cross filing. Oh, and that first amazing Fujitsu 474 megabyte hardrive. Almost the size of a dishwasher laid sideways, and only cost about 10k. Now, think about the computing power in our phones. It's astounding, isn't it?

Rivian look like a truck, and apparently actually runs like a truck. A real prototype has been on tour, and is or was in South America doing offroad and bad road testing. Video of the engineer test driving in South America was really fun to watch. I was grinning along with her. https://stories.rivian.com/postcard-from-south-america Rivian also recently secured additional funding from Cox automotive. Amazon, Ford, and Cox probably can't all be wrong... https://ride.tech/electric-and-hybrid/electric-truck-maker-rivian-gets-350m-investment-from-cox/?gclid=CjwKCAiArJjvBRACEiwA-Wiqq3fPhuXBIm9jA0lpbZSb4XeY7LWfO2hZkRA6Lfpi9t7EXHrWd62ckhoCUHwQAvD_BwE Atlis has a sizeable staff, a beautiful website, and still no prototype yet. They did test a small battery of their own design development, 3kwh, and proudly announced it was fully charged in 13 minutes, besting their 15 minute goal, which they think/ hope is scaleable. https://insideevs.com/news/340388/atlis-pickup-truck-battery-charges-in-under-13-minutes/ 3 kwh would power a Tesla x for about 8 to 12 miles, i think, dependent on speed, based on battery size vs published and real world range for the x. While Atlis is still looking for backing for development and yet another network of superchargers, Space X will be launching its 19th delivery to the space station tomorrow, and Tesla's network of superchargers is in place and growing. I wish them well. But, a lot is still in just planning and digital mode for now. It takes a lot of money to launch a new vehicle. Still, the more new ideas, the better. Thanks for bringing the Atlis to the discussion.

That's true, Mike. I was recently looking back at old Texas Tesla owners' posts from five years ago. Texas was then described as "an island." In those days, you could drive in, and to and from, the population centers of Texas, but states east and west were bereft of chargers. You couldn't get from Houston to Panama City, without issues. Times have changed. Now, Texas is a leader in renewable power, even with the major oil and gas companies headquartered there. Texas has an independent grid that should be a source of pride to all of you. And the Tesla supercharger grid can get you easily to Florida, or anywhere else east or west. on the interstate. Honestly, I don't think any of us want a lot of charging stations, disguised as cactus or trees, like some cell towers, in the middle of nowhere. Til battery capacity/ increased motor efficiency/ range allow us to go rogue, there will still be a need for ICE vehicles and jerry cans, for many people. In the meantime, I'll leave room for you guys at the gas pump, with my daily driver/ interstate/ some intersecting byways Tesla truck. and you guys can leave space for me at the superchargers. Fair? Sherry

You never know abour February weather in Hohenwald. We picked ours up , about the same date, great weather. Though chilly, jacket or sweater weather . Definitely, keep an eye on weather.com. it can also be really crappy, same week. We wish you many miles of smiles, and fair weather for pickup. Love our little 2008 legacy I Sherry

Thanks for that, Overland. I am sure the Cybertruck can work for me. Not necessarily for everyone, but for me: I can power it for free, or very little, on my home solar, for daily driving. Big bonus, there. I'd rather charge my truck, than give my excess power back to Duke Powe for cents on the dollar. I can supercharge at many places, along my accustomed routes, for a reasonable price. Far less than gas, even at today's low prices. Per mile. Even towing, figuring the dismal x results of 50 to 60 per cent of range. I'm sure, with the capacity of the truck, the range will be better, towing, than the model x , where even my little 2008 elite I behind an x approaches max. Elon Musk thought his design would be polarizing. I didn't think it would polarize our little tight knit group. Sorry for that, but I'm a renewable energy enthusiast, and an ev enthusiast. Sidebar: my great grandfather in southern Minnesota was a trailblazer, probably one of those guys others called crazy. He adored my tiny little Czech great grandmother, Fanny. Back in the day, there were no plans to electrify the farming township, so he built his own generator and battery house system, and he had the first electric house in the entire farming township, for Gg Fanny. (According to my dad.) Even after the REC brought electricity to the rural area, Great Grampa kept their lights on with his separate system, for another several years. Dad said it was because the house was wired for DC. I don't know for sure, as I never remember meeting them., even though they lived good long lives. Great grampa died when I was 3 , Fanny a few years later. Probably true. Great grampa also invented a chain drive gutter cleaning system for the dairy barns. Awesome for my dad. Mucking stalls was never a favorite job of his. Great grampa's partial fail? First guy in the community with an automobile to go to town, mostly to church. In the spring rains, the road out was a muddy mess, so gg Robert had to harness the horses to the Ford, and they dragged the car out. Small price to pay, dad said, for the great difference in other seasons. We all have differences, and different tolerances. I totally get that. I like to think that I'm channeling maybe a little bit of great grampa Robert. And, my dad, who drew outlines of regenerative braking, when I was young. Before dad's death, we had so many interesting conversations on evs. I wish he could see today's vehicles. He'd love the advances. Sherry Ps, yesterday my dad's birthday. This is all very meaningful to me.

Frankly, backofbeyond, I think your existing rig is perfect for your camping style. And, as I said before, I completely understand your opinion. The Tesla may be just as perfect for others, especially those who use the truck as a daily driver vehicle, and work truck, (like me) and want a capable tv for certain places and distances. We've all got a long wait to see how the Cybertruck towing range works out. I'm certainly hoping it's better than the model x, and it should be. I'm also thinking especially of a young couple I know, who wanted to buy an ev as their second car. They bought a half ton pickup, instead, to be able to tow their camper 50 to 150 miles, as often as possible, on weekend trips to state parks, to introduce their young kids to camping. They're working, so most camping trips are close to home, and limited to time off. Still, it's great that the little kids get to experience camping, and go on hikes, enjoy the great outdoors, and help mom and dad get a camping Thanksgiving dinner ready, without video games and xboxes. Proposed specs of even the middle Tesla truck would suit them fine, probably. We'll see. I'm personally truly amazed at the advances in charging capabilities, vehicle range, and electric motor efficiencies in the last decade. Extended range and higher motor efficiencies will be the key to many needs, perhaps even yours, someday. And, I do think ( and hope) "someday" will be in our lifetimes, if the technology continues to advance as rapidly as it has. Not "poo pooing" here, though I could be pipe dreaming. When I first test drove an ev that was actually available in Florida, it was a first gen Nissan Leaf. I couldn't wrap my head around a car that I couldn't drive to the airport and back without range anxiety, and, as much as I wanted an ev, I decided to wait. I still wouldn't want a leaf, even though the range is over 3 times the original 70 some miles, for other reasons. Mainly because I really like driving trucks and suvs. I like sitting up high, I like the power, I like to be able to tow something, even if it's just a boat to the ramp, or a small camper to North Carolina. Everyone has different ideas, opinions, needs and plans. It would be a really boring world if we all thought the same, wouldn't it? I finally finished the Christmas tree, so I am late in responding. Peace on earth. Sherry

Thank you.

2019

This was 2014

Backof beyond, I can certainly understand that opinion. The plains and lightly populated areas of the west, especially, are currently bereft of charging capability. Where I live, and places we often travel to, are really not that much of a challenge. Since we will likely remain a two tow vehicle family, we have the option of the dino fuel. Also, for what it's worth, heres a 2014 map of Tesla superchargers. Followed by a 2019. Red is active, grey is in development. Five years ago, I might also have thought it would be impossible to drive across the country in an electric car, much less camp with an electric pickup. Now, I know it will be possible, in many instances, before either of us are dust. Elon put his money where his mouth is. To benefit many.

To anser John's question about pull throughs, I've only seen one that might work, in the Victor NY mall. A lane by the last stall could possibly allow you to charge, without taking up other spaces. Or machinations of dropping the trailer. Or doing a right angle to charge the truck, end spot, trailer attached, blocking no one, at one if the newer stations with power posts out front. Then again, I've only seen 20 charger stations, or so. The newer stations I've seen at Wawa gas stations all have an end charger, with the power post out in front, instead of the usual backin, where you could likely charge without dropping the trailer. Might be an awkward position, but it could work. I think. Some of the older stations near us would be awkward. Particularly, Savannah airport. But with good range, maybe I could skip it, or charge in jax, from Ocala, going on to Kingsland, Ga . Not familiar with Jacksonville, haven't personally seen it. But probably will by the time my truck is ready. As far as security, most of the Superchargers are at well lit malls, hotel lots, and in my area, popping up at 24 hr wawa gas stations. The Kingsland station is at the welcome center, and shares the lot with the police station. I certainly feel secure, there. The downside to traveling at night, as we often do, is no services at malls. The upside is, there's usually a whole row of empty chargers. Sarasota supercharger has over twenty stations. At a mall. Not much open after 9, but there is a gas station in walking distance. It's a learning curve. For sure. And whatda, i totally agree on fuel cost savings.

Like Dethleffs e.Home Coco concept trailer, shown last year in Dusseldorf. Just a concept for now, I think. But a slick idea. https://gearjunkie.com/dethleffs-e-home-coco-rv-trailer-electric-motor