Driving an EV pickup

[InterMechanico]

I used the SWTCH charger at my friend's townhouse complex in Whistler last week. Worked fine but took all night. 6.6 kW AC setup with two plugs. If a second vehicle plugs in, you're both sharing that 30 amp circuit. He tells me this was all the complex could spare from its common areas service. About 12-15 EV condo owners have EVs, and this setup appears to be adequate for their needs at this time. Most owners are recreational rather than residential users.

The strata provided the entire on site installation, including the two EVSE units specified by SWTCH. The network simply provides the connection and payment service, for a 10% commission and the $17/month fee. The strata council makes a surplus of almost 10 cents per kWh, which is steadily paying off the installation costs. Because they own all equipment, the strata has the option of switching to a different network if they so choose.

Nice summary! So much more concise!! Our building is like this, lower commission.

 

[kaelc]

Cybertruck hitch sheer test. Failed at 10,040 lbs.

I'm not sure if 10000 lbs of force wouldn't flip any vehicle, if a trailer bump caused that type of force?

 

[Max123]

Not a cyber truck fan at all, but not sure if this tells us much. I can't see any scenario where force is applied to a hitch in this manner when you are towing.

Think about how a trailer is framed. Typically x2 side rails coming together in a Y at the tongue. If you are going to apply a 10,000 lbs tongue weight to a hitch it has to come from somewhere, meaning that you would have to come up with a scenario (say heavy braking) where a load shifts and transfers through the tongue beam and applies a 10,000lbs load downward on to the hitch. That's just not how towing forces are applied - the trailer tongue beam would bend into a noodle. Force is transferred straight through the trailer frame and applied to the hitch in a forward direction. The rear might squat a bit under braking, but its the forward force that the truck needs to manage.

Compare it to something reasonable like an F150: Max towing capacity starts at around 7500lbs, with nothing fancy - once you start going through the engine/tow packages you can option it up to 14,000lbs. That's about the max a 2" receiver can take in any configuration. In that setup, max tongue weight according to Ford is 10% / 1400lbs - that is absolute limit, typical recommended tongue weights are in the 500-800lbs range. In no scenario are you getting 10,000lbs of tongue weight applied directly to the hitch in the manner shown in the clip.

If you were seeing a 1000lbs static tongue weight turn into a 10,000lbs tongue weight under heavy braking you would be popping tires, bending trailer frame, cracking springs.

If you want to beat on a cyber truck with an excavator - just do it for fun / monetize the clickbait - don't cosplay scientist.

 

[sly_karma]

OK this is why I keep a detailed log of driving and costs: end of the quarter = payday.

You'll see the total business use for 2025 Q1 is 5405 km. CRA gave me a raise this year, the new rates are used below. My corp will pay me the vehicle allowance amount in lieu of salary this period. Tracking for a $14-15K reduction in taxable personal income over the year.

5000 km @ $0.72/ km = $3600.00
405 km @ $0.66/km = $267.30
vehicle use amount Q1: $3867.30

Now add the total charging costs for those three months: $97 + $199 + $139. That $3867 payment only cost me $435 in running costs. And a client reimbursed my company $550 for a return trip to Vancouver during Q1, covering that outlay for the quarter.

I do, of course, have to pay for the financing and insurance costs out these funds.
Ford Canada payments: $476 x 26 = $12,376
Insurance/registration $2654
Maintenance (2 cabin air filters): $50
Energy costs (projected): $1400
Total cost of ownership: $16,480
km reimbursement from clients (est.) -$1600
Net cost of ownership: $14,880

So it seems reasonable to claim that my cost of ownership in 2025 will be paid for with tax-free dollars.

 

[Alex_c]

Not a cyber truck fan at all, but not sure if this tells us much. I can't see any scenario where force is applied to a hitch in this manner when you are towing.

Think about how a trailer is framed. Typically x2 side rails coming together in a Y at the tongue. If you are going to apply a 10,000 lbs tongue weight to a hitch it has to come from somewhere, meaning that you would have to come up with a scenario (say heavy braking) where a load shifts and transfers through the tongue beam and applies a 10,000lbs load downward on to the hitch. That's just not how towing forces are applied - the trailer tongue beam would bend into a noodle. Force is transferred straight through the trailer frame and applied to the hitch in a forward direction. The rear might squat a bit under braking, but its the forward force that the truck needs to manage.

Compare it to something reasonable like an F150: Max towing capacity starts at around 7500lbs, with nothing fancy - once you start going through the engine/tow packages you can option it up to 14,000lbs. That's about the max a 2" receiver can take in any configuration. In that setup, max tongue weight according to Ford is 10% / 1400lbs - that is absolute limit, typical recommended tongue weights are in the 500-800lbs range. In no scenario are you getting 10,000lbs of tongue weight applied directly to the hitch in the manner shown in the clip.

If you were seeing a 1000lbs static tongue weight turn into a 10,000lbs tongue weight under heavy braking you would be popping tires, bending trailer frame, cracking springs.

If you want to beat on a cyber truck with an excavator - just do it for fun / monetize the clickbait - don't cosplay scientist.

They did a similar test with a Dodge in that video and it handled it ok. So the experiment is still sort of relevant