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Can You Charge A Tesla Model X & Electric Smart Car While Camping?

As promised, here's what happens when you try to charge these EVs with a generator in the woods.

tesla model x and smart car ev camping

Steven Loveday Steven Loveday

By: Steven Loveday

Jun 4, 2020 at 10:40am ET

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Editor's Update: And, the results are in. The guys camped overnight and performed their promised experiment. We've included the new video above. If you're going to try this and are hoping for decent results, you're going to want to invest in a powerful generator, which is certainly going to be large, heavy, and expensive. You may also want to get yourself a nice set of ear protectors. Hopefully, no one else is camping nearby.

The guys over at The Fast Lane Car have been all about EV testing for some time now. This recent video is a unique camping trip that's a followup to the story about the $7,000 used smart ForTwo ED, and how it compares to the ~$90,000 Tesla Model X. However, it's on the publication's TFLnow channel this time.

We appreciate TFL's unique coverage. Who covers an electric smart car and a Tesla at the same time? Not to mention taking these polar opposites on a camping trip. In addition, they're clearly gas car fans and have been for years, but it's becoming more obvious that their appreciation of electric vehicles is growing. As the summer season is right around the corner, and restrictions due to COVID-19 are being lifted, it's high time to do a little camping.

Check Out These Related Articles:

First Camping Trip With The Tesla Model X Towing A Camper

Camping In The Tesla Model Y On The Track: Camp Mode, Energy Use

Tesla Model X With Camper: Family's First Official Towing Test

Used Electric Smart Car Is $80K Less Than Tesla Model X: Is It Worth It?

The video is very brief, and it's not really about the camping trip itself. The guys have a powerful Honda generator that they plan to use to charge both cars. The question is, can it charge both? Will it deliver enough power? What you'll learn, however, is that regardless of if it will work, the generator is so big and heavy they have to transport it to the camping site with a gas truck.

They're going to spend a few days camping and collecting footage, as well as running their experiment. Then, they'll report back with a video showing the results (which we'll share on InsideEVs). In the meantime, we thought it would be fun to ask our audience to speculate on the results. What do you think?

We've embedded the original behind-the-scenes video below this following video description.

Video Description via The Fast Lane Car on YouTube:

Can You Charge A Tesla Or Any Other EV While Camping? Let’s Find Out!

( https://www.TFLcar.com ) After a long night of camping, can you actually charge up your electric car to get back home? In this video, we're going to find out using our Tesla Model X and Smart ForTwo Electric drive for a little experiment. Electric cars offer great promise for zero-emissions driving and a platform for the technology of the future, but if you're out in the wilderness, you still need to get electricity from somewhere. Is this Honda generator the answer, or will this EV charging experiment fall flat on its face? There's only one way to find out!

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Video Description via TFLnow on YouTube:

Behind The Scenes: We Go ELECTRIC Car Camping With The Tesla Model X And Smart ForTwo!

Can you charge an electric car in the sticks using nothing but a generator? We find out by going camping with the Tesla Model X and Smart ForTwo Electric Drive deep in the woods!

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