Towing the "i"

[JoeS]

Although I'm not into RVing, the iMiEV seems like a great companion for the Recreational Vehicle crowd. RV campgrounds have plenty of 240v outlets, the local distances driven are usually minimal, and the iMiEV's weight is manageable.

When I contacted my Mitsubishi salesperson about towing the iMiEV, the answer was an emphatic "NO", saying that all four wheels should be off the ground which means a full trailer or flatbed truck.

It's my understanding that the iMiEV "transmission" is indeed a transaxle, and that putting the iMiEV into reverse actually physically engages a reverse gear instead of electrically driving the motor backwards. Since there is no clutch, that tells me there is no "Neutral" gear position, and that shifting into Neutral merely turns off the electric drive to/from the motor.

Thus, it makes sense not to tow the iMiEV, as one wouldn't want the electric motor spinning while towing.

As an aside, in the literature I couldn't find any information to determine if there's a different gear ratio for reverse - I would think this could be a great opportunity for a low gear to enable crawling up very steep hills.

 

[jray3]

Agreed- the i would make a great RV dinghy, and accessories like the JDM inverter that turns the car into a 16 kwh power station could greatly reduce the use of those annoying gensets. I'd bet that the reverse is a strictly electrical affair, just reversing the motor without any gearchange, but from the feel of driving, it's definitely governed to with a slower rampup and lower top speed. I don't see any mechanical reason that the i couldn't be towed backwards with the rear wheels on a dolly and the steering locked (other than long-term wear and greater potential for damage), but dollies are a sorry compromise compared to a properly sized lighweight car trailer. The iDinghy would warrant a custom trailer that drops the car's wheels down around axle height and has a tongue box containing EVSE and an inverter that takes 330 VDC input and outputs 120 VAC.

 

[marta]

from what I understand my limited knowledge, towing the Mitsubishi i-Miev shouldn't be an issue.

The rear wheels are the drive wheels, you should be able to tow the Mitsubishi i-Miev with the rear wheels off the ground. The only question is whether the vehicle was still follow the RV nicely if you towed it backwards!

 

[archie_b]

The Mitsubishi Technical Information web site had specific information on towing the i. They recommend a flat bed for towing.

If you must use a tow dolly the car should be towed rear wheels down. Towing it rear wheels up (towing backwards) was listed as unsafe. The same applies to commercial tow trucks. Do not use a sling to pick up the front end as it can damage the car. The front wheels should be picked up in a cradle.

They also showed towing the car forward with the rear wheels in a dolly so the rear wheels are not in contact with the ground. Most commercial tow trucks have these available. For short distance towing I plan on using a tow dolly, rear wheels down.

 

[Quixotix]

The owners manual has a warning that says:

"Never tow the vehicle with rear wheels (drive wheels) on the ground. This may cause damage to the electric motors. Also this may cause a fire, if wiring in the electric motor unit room becomes damaged."

Further, there are sketches showing that it is not OK to flat tow it or to tow it with the front wheels up and the rear wheels on the ground. One of the sketches does show that it is OK to tow it with the rear wheels up and the front wheels on the ground. The owners manual further says that if you are towing it with the front wheels on the ground, you should place the shifter in neutral and the key in the ACC position. Why you shouldn't leave it in park if the rear wheels are off the ground doesn't make sense to me.

But ...

I can't think of any technical reason that you couldn't tow the car with the rear wheels on the ground. Obviously you can't leave it in park if you are towing it with the rear wheels down. Putting the shifter in neutral seems to be the obvious answer. Now, a normal automatic transmission can suffer from a lack of lubrication if the vehicle is towed a long distance in neutral. This is because the fluid pump in the transmission only turns when the input shaft is turning. Without the engine running, the transmission doesn't get proper lubrication. Since the full drive train (including the motor) of the MiEV turns when the rear wheels turn, the lubrication will almost certainly be the same as when it is driven (unless there is an electrically powered lubrication pump or something like that, which I highly doubt). I suspect that the prohibition on towing with the rear wheels down is either a leftover from ICE cars (I saw a few other examples of this in the manual) or just a cover-your-butt statement on Mitsubishi's part.

To get the shifter out of park, you need to put the key in the "ignition" switch and turn it out of the lock position. The owners manual has a good point that you should NOT tow with the key ON position as the stability control system could activate and that wouldn't be good. So I would follow the owners manual here and put the key in the ACC position.

The only other thing I can think of (and it doesn't seem likely to be a problem) is I would be careful not to tow the car over 80 mph. I'm sure there is a safety factor, but at some speed over the car's stated 80 mph top speed the electric motor could throw it's windings.

 

[jray3]

Check out the technical thread: Transmission, 7", 42 lbs, Gear Ratio=7.065
Fiddler John agrees that flat towing in Neutral with the keyswitch at ACC should work.......

 

[JoeS]

Agree with the assessments, but haven't looked under there to see if a tow bar is doable.

(snip) I suspect that the prohibition on towing with the rear wheels down is either a leftover from ICE cars (I saw a few other examples of this in the manual) or just a cover-your-butt statement on Mitsubishi's part.(snip)

Afraid you're right, but it's a pity as the iMiEV would be a natural for the RV crowd. Mitsubishi: are you listening?

 

[leec]

The FAQ says quite clearly and with good reason: "The Mitsubishi i must be towed by a flatbed towing truck."

Given that a DC motor turns into a generator when you reverse the direction of torque, I'd be very careful about going against the directions of the manufacturer on this one. Electrical fires near lithium batteries are no fun.

 

[harry]

I have read on another site that when the car is at rest/unpowered the brake is locked on and this is the reason it cannot be towed.

It further stated that the brakes can be unlocked manually. Some device needing a spanner located inside towards the rear.

I mean how could it be got onto a trailer if the wheels won't turn?
Dunno if this is correct. May be urban myth.

 

[harry]

Also found this. Can't fault the idea.
http://jalopnik.com/5805407/crazy-geniuses-charge-electric-car-by-towing-with-pickup-truck

 

[MLucas]

Not sure what the big deal is, just get a small car trailer like this: http://smarttrailerusa.com/ This one is meant for the smart car, but it looks like it has plenty of room for the i MiEV. My dealer 'flatbeded' my car to a location near my house just using a common double axle trailer attached to a pickup truck. I thought they were going to use one of those tow truck type of flatbeds, nope - it looked like something they would haul around a lawn tractor or bobcat with.

 

[mckemie]

My first imiev, purchase near the end of 2014, had to towed to get it home. I did several towing sessions of about 30 miles; each regened enough to drive about 50 miles. On that trip, I towed with a nylon rope. I'm about to buy my second imiev and would like to find a tow bar for it. I would still have a "driver" in the imiev to monitor regen but it would be far less stressful to pull it with a tow bar. Does anyone have suggestions for a tow bar source?

 

[JoeS]

My first imiev, purchase near the end of 2014, had to towed to get it home.

Interesting - how far did it get towed, were all the wheels on the ground, and I presume power was off?

Does anyone have suggestions for a tow bar source?

Haven't heard of any for the i-MiEV and I don't know if there's enough clearance to get something under the front bumper cover. If you unbolt the front bumper cover, there's a nice crosspiece (the real 'bumper') that could possibly be attached to. For an external tow bar you'd have to have some ugly attachment points poke out through that front bumper cover, if it could be done at all. I always thought the i-MiEV would make an ideal RV 'dinghy'. FWIW, the Mitsu manual warns against towing the i-MiEV. AFAIK, the issue of whether power OFF towing is detrimental hasn't been settled, whereas short-distance towing with power ON (as you've demonstrated and jray3 had done with his pusher trailer) certainly works well.

 

[PV1]

It sounds like he used the "Universal Charging Cable" :lol: (A tow cable, but I can't find the original post). You know, drive the i-MiEV until the charge is almost gone, then let another vehicle pull the i-MiEV while regenning (driver in each vehicle), then continue driving the i-MiEV with the fresh charge.

 

[iwatson]

I have towed one or the other of our i-miev's lots of times on a tow dolly behind the motorhome. Turn it around backwards and put the rear (drive) wheels on the dolly, then lock the front wheels straight with two ratcheting straps hooked onto the steering wheel and the front seatbelt anchors. Leave the transmission in neutral so it can withstand the up and down flexing of the rig as you travel in and over driveway entrances and such. Most recently towed my "Rasberry" one to Disney World and Clearwater , Fla and back, about 1800 miles roundtrip. Had a blast with it running around Clearwater. Was there in January but temps were in the upper 60's, just perfect for maximum range. Got a special adapter from the EVSE upgrade folks so we can charge it on 240 volts using the campground's 50 amp circuit. (Our motorhome uses the 30 amp circuit). The i-miev is fabulous for this duty. Just love it!

 

[JoeS]

I have towed one or the other of our i-miev's lots of times on a tow dolly behind the motorhome. Turn it around backwards and put the rear (drive) wheels on the dolly, then lock the front wheels straight with two ratcheting straps hooked onto the steering wheel and the front seatbelt anchors. Leave the transmission in neutral so it can withstand the up and down flexing of the rig as you travel in and over driveway entrances and such....

iwatson, thank you for this update. Delighted to hear it's been done successfully, despite U-Haul's refusal to rent me a dolly. Significant that you keep it in neutral, as that avoids wear-and-tear or stress on the sprag. Interesting how you strap the steering wheel - I had been wondering about that - any photos?

 

[iwatson]

iwatson, thank you for this update. Delighted to hear it's been done successfully, despite U-Haul's refusal to rent me a dolly. Significant that you keep it in neutral, as that avoids wear-and-tear or stress on the sprag. Interesting how you strap the steering wheel - I had been wondering about that - any photos?

Thanks Joe, No I don't have any pictures but I can shoot some and post them, but unfortunately my rig is in the shop right now getting a spring spruce-up and the the straps are there! So it may be a week or so before I can get back to you. I may even get really cranked up and shoot a You-tube video.

I did a lot research on this before I started. I googled "towing an i-miev behind a motorhome" and found a guy that already had experience at it. It was his suggestion to leave the car in nuetral, which I didn't understand at first, but after much pondering, I arrived at the conclusion that he was right and just for the reason you stated. As you travel in and out of dips and driveways the geometries of the dolly and car vary a lot. This allow the axle of the i-miev to act as a hinge. To leave the car in nuetral the keys must be left in the switch, and it must be left the accessory position which supplies power to the radio. Then I just manually turn off the radio in the ES or with the SE I turn it off then I go into settings and turn the screen off.

U-haul is following the tow dolly manufacturers warning to "not" tow a car backwards. My tow dolly manufacturer even went as far to tell me that if I did it, I would be pulled over by the police as it's "against the law". For any other car this would be true, (except I doubt if it's against the law) but since the i-miev is so different, unusual and rare there's just no knowledge base regarding this car. A normal rear wheel drive car would have the engine up front, which if towed backwards that weight of the engine would be at the tail end of the rig hanging behind the last axle and low to the ground. This weight would cause the rig to start swaying side to side, which is very dangerous. The i-miev doesn't have an engine, and all of it's weight is on the rear axle. So towed backwards it's weight distribution is setup just like a front-wheel drive car, towed forward.

Originally I intended to tow my Volt. But the Volt is very low to the ground up-front and also has that low hanging air dam. To get it on the dolly, I'll have to play around with some wood blocks to raise it's front-end height while on the dolly. So I've been using the i-miev instead and am very happy with the result. While vacationing the i-miev has plenty of range for day sight-seeing or errand duty.

 

[pbui19]

iwatson - up to what speed did you feel safe towing ? can you maintain highway speed ? though your motorhome is significantly heavier and also casting a decent aero shadow.

Thanks

 

[iwatson]

I generally maintain a speed of 60 mph. I have been up to 65 for a few stretches and even as high as 70. I have a 31' Class C motorhome and conventional wisdom says it gets better MPG at slower speeds, even so at 60 mph, with tow dolly and i-miev I get 6.8 to 7 MPG. About feeling comfortable towing the car, everything feels quite stable even up to 70, and my dolly has brakes but in a panic stop, my freight train would take a while to stop, so the slower speed is just a more cautious approach. I worried a lot about the small front i-miev tires rolling along backwards at high speed, but every time I stop to check them they feel normal (not hot).

 

[PV1]

The i-MiEV should have zero toe on the tires, so it should pull relatively easy with minimal tire wear.