A Tesla Model Y was spotted towing a full-size tractor-trailer. Why? We don’t know. Is it smart? Probably not. Does it look badass? Absolutely.
Electric vehicles are not known for their incredible towing capabilities when it comes to heavy capacity.
They can pull them, but it affects their range so much that it isn’t popular yet.
This is expected to change with electric pickup trucks when longer ranges coming to market, like the Tesla Cybertruck with range extender and the Chevy Silverado Electric.
In the meantime, consumer electric vehicles pulling big weights are more of a novelty.
That’s why we were particularly surprised to see this Tesla Model Y spotted towing a full-size semi-trailer in Harlingen, Texas (via u/Efrojas16 on Reddit):
Even if empty, a semi-trailer weighs between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds, which is several times the Model Y’s rated 3,500-lbs towing capacity.
Now, that’s not a smart idea.
We don’t have the context of this strange sighting. Hopefully, the Model Y was only pulling the trailer a short distance, but that’s still most likely illegal as I doubt that Model Y is able to control the air brakes on the trailer.
Regardless of the legality and danger risk, it’s also not a good idea because Tesla can void your warranty if something happens and you get caught, like with this video going viral for example.
But despite all those issues, it’s still impressive to see a small electric SUV pull such a large and heavy trailer seemingly effortlessly.