Is it possible for a Tesla Model X Long Range to beat Lucid Air’s estimated EPA range of 517 mi? James Klafehn was not even aware of that range back in October 2019, but he thought he could get very close to that number while towing with his electric SUV. You’ll undoubtedly scratch your head with that: the Model X has already proven it loses range while towing. The secret here is the T-Rex camper Klafehn developed with an 85 kWh battery pack.

In other words, when his Model X was towing, it did not have “only” 100 kWh available: it had 185 kWh. That was what he was willing to test in the video above. Klafehn was also excited to beat the records at TeslaFi.com, a website that records how far people can go with their Teslas. According to his calculations, he thought he could have reached a range of 515 mi at a speed of 60 mph.

The bad news is that the test day was particularly windy, which makes aerodynamic concerns even higher when towing. In the best-case scenario, Klafehn believes he could have also beaten a Lucid Air.

“In ideal conditions, 60ºF to 80ºF, 55 mph to 60 mph, no rain, no snow (obviously), little wind, flat, on the highway, I could have done 500 mi to 550 mi with my 100 kWh Model X Long Range and the 85 kWh T-Rex Camper. I think that is pretty awesome. That is easily enough to get to a campground and charge overnight at an RV site for free. And definitely enough to supercharge and continue on with your trip.”

That said, the results were not as good as Klafehn expected, but enough for him to fare pretty well on TeslaFi.com. When you consider he was towing a 2,260 lb camper (without food and supplies), that is even more impressive.

“Millions of people tow and the range hit is a big issue for them. My trailer would not only mitigate the losses due to towing: it would extend the range.”

Sadly, testing with the T-Rex camper may have to wait a while.

“I won’t be doing any more tests with a Tesla until the Cybertruck comes out. I don’t plan on owning another Tesla until then. And that is only if they improve their quality and customer service. I do plan on trying it on the RAV4 Prime, though. I just need to find a place to tap into HV.”

Perhaps other EV manufacturers will also fit Klafehn’s needs before that. What about Lucid’s SUV?

Source: James Klafehn

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