Towing capacity

[antoniomr]

Hello.
I am very interested in buying a new e-Soul. This will be my first ev; I already did a test drive and I was indeed very impressed.

There is one small issue that troubles me: the e-Soul "officially" has no towing capacity. I find this odd since in my country the e-niro does have a towing capacity, albeit just 100kg. It is also confusing that in some sites the e-niro towing capacity is given as 2800 lbs (around 1270 kg). Hence, it's relatively clear this is a legal, rather than a technical issue.

There is the fact that an EV is heavier than a diesel (the batteries...), which could limit the total towing capacity, since this is related to the total weight (vehicle plus trailer).

Also, instant torque, when total weight is high could in theory damage something. But this again would only justify a decrease in maximum towing capacity. And also, speaking of instant torque and power, the Tesla 3 has a towing capacity of 910 kg.

There is, at least in my country (Portugal), the possibility to ask for a test to add a tow hitch to a car's specification.

Does anyone know of anyone who was able to overcome this issue?

Thanks in advance.
António

 

[MassDeduction]

Hello.
I am very interested in buying a new e-Soul. This will be my first ev; I already did a test drive and I was indeed very impressed.

There is one small issue that troubles me: the e-Soul "officially" has no towing capacity. I find this odd since in my country the e-niro does have a towing capacity, albeit just 100kg. It is also confusing that in some sites the e-niro towing capacity is given as 2800 lbs (around 1270 kg). Hence, it's relatively clear this is a legal, rather than a technical issue.

There is the fact that an EV is heavier than a diesel (the batteries...), which could limit the total towing capacity, since this is related to the total weight (vehicle plus trailer).

Also, instant torque, when total weight is high could in theory damage something. But this again would only justify a decrease in maximum towing capacity. And also, speaking of instant torque and power, the Tesla 3 has a towing capacity of 910 kg.

There is, at least in my country (Portugal), the possibility to ask for a test to add a tow hitch to a car's specification.

Does anyone know of anyone who was able to overcome this issue?

Thanks in advance.
António

I don't know how relevant this is, but I had no trouble getting my local Kia dealership to add a hitch receiver to either a 2016 or a 2021 Soul EV. In both cases the dealership was informed that it was for putting a bicycle car rack on the car, not for towing, but I know of at least one person who successfully towed with a 2016 Soul EV. I probably wouldn't do it until it was out of warranty, though.

 

[jray3]

Being front-wheel-drive and traction-limited to begin with, I have no worries about overstressing the drivetrain by towing. Since weight shifts from front to rear axle during acceleration, esp. when towing, we’ll spin the front tires more than shock-loading the gearbox. Regeneration and steering could be at risk during braking as trailer weight shifts to the tongue, which can negate the vehicle’s forward weight shift during braking. EVs tend to have better towing dynamics than gassers, whether FWD or RWD, but the impacts to range are outsized. Wintertime towing of EVen moderate loads can cut range by 60%, according to a snowmobiling friend with a Tesla Model X.