KABE Caravanlife 2 2023 1
Owning an electric car and a KABE works excellent
ly TESLA MODEL Y WITH A KABE ON THE HOOK Electric cars are becoming ever more popular, yet can they really be used as towing vehicles? The Nordin family in Örnsköldsvik confirm that they certainly can. They pull their KABE caravan with a Tesla Model Y. Fredrik and Lina Nordin, with 11-year-old twins Sigge and Noah, are an active family with a wide range of leisure time interests. The children drive go-carts and play football and ice hockey. There are many trips to matches, training sessions and competitions. “Our KABE Ametist provides perfect accommodation when we go away for weekends or holidays. On the caravan, we have two sturdy racks for electric bicycles, one at the front and one at the back. This allows us to take either two go-carts or four bicycles,” discloses Fredrik. Ametist 560 The family bought the caravan around the same time that they changed their car almost two years ago. Since then, the Tesla has towed for very many kilometres. Last summer, they drove northwards and crossed the Arctic Circle at Vuollerim on their way to Jokkmokk. This summer, they went southwards in Sweden. The highest permitted towing weight for the Nordins’ Tesla Model Y Dual Motor is 1,600 kilos, which is also the total weight of their KABE Ametist 560. “The Tesla’s torque means that you don’t even feel there is a caravan on the hook. The car weighs 2,000 kilos. I feel that the weight also contributes to road-holding being extra stable.” Rapid charging Fredrik and Lina have installed solar cells on the roof of their home and always ensure that the car’s battery is fully charged before setting off. Without a caravan, the range in real conditions is around 460 kilometres. With a caravan and a speed of 80 kph, this reduces to about half (i.e. around 230 kilometres). “On caravan trips, our consumption is usually 3.2 kWh per 10 kilometres. As a rule, we try to charge once an hour, after around 100 kilometres. A short charge is then enough and is about right for us to stretch our legs or go to the bathroom or, perhaps, buy an ice cream,” says Fredrik. He relates that Tesla Model Y is currently the market’s fastest charging car. The commonest charge (20 to 80 per cent) takes around half an hour. A charge from 10 to 90 per cent needs between 40 minutes and one hour effective charging time. Relaxing Many of Tesla’s charging stations are the smooth drive-through type where there is room for both car and caravan. However, caravans must sometimes be unhitched when charging a car. Overall, travel times are slightly longer with electric cars than they are with diesel or petrol vehicles. This does not bother Fredrik and his family. “We don’t want any stress when we’re out travelling. Quite the opposite! For us, charging breaks are nice, relaxing additions to the trip. It all works excellently and we’re delighted with Tesla as a car to tow our KABE.” 20 KABE 2 2023