Guys tried to see if they could charge a Tesla by towing it with a Ford F-150 Raptor and there was a surprising result

In a bid to see just how efficient the regenerative charging works in a Tesla Model 3, this YouTube creator group strapped it to a Ford F-150 Raptor and towed it around a track until they got some surprising results.

EVs use regenerative braking and acceleration to charge the battery.

But what happens if you can get the car rolling without any effort and see if it can charge itself up?

Well, YouTube pair Engineering Explained and TheStraightPipes have combined to see if it really would charge a Tesla, and whether they’ve cracked the way to get free mileage on your electric car.

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Tesla cars really can charge when getting towed by a Ford F-150 Raptor

Just like when gas cars break down a few minutes away from the nearest gas pump, sometimes it’s possible for EVs to drop a dead battery at the most inconvenient times.

But where gas cars need gas, there are a few neat tricks that can charge cars like a Tesla Model 3 without having access to a port.

In this instance, the YouTube creators pulled in the king of towing, a Ford F-150 Raptor, to see if it could give the Tesla a quick boost and allow it to drive off without using a charger despite the dead battery.

With the combustion truck leading the charge around a circuit, the EV was attached by a rope and began to follow in its slipstream.

In an early test, the group found that the Tesla Model 3 instantly began charging when being towed. The motors moving send power to the main unit, and after a lap or two, the battery had increased by two percent.

That added juice was enough for it to complete its own circuit before dying again.

“We’re gonna save the world. You’re welcome! We are saving the environment here,” joked the YouTubers.

They even found that the Tesla would get further than the distance covered by the Raptor in its charging circuit.

“It’s more efficient to tow the Ford F-150 Raptor with the Tesla Model 3 than it is to drive the Raptor by itself,” they added.

Other people have found other ways of charging dead Tesla Model 3 batteries without a port, but unless you have direct sunlight and access to a bunch of solar panels, this might be your best bet.

But is it worth the effort?

The simple answer is no.

While it did turn out to be amazingly efficient, this doesn’t mimic real-life road situations, and the comforts of the track make it an easier result to achieve.

Also, the poor Raptor would be run into the ground if this were your home charging technique.

As one YouTube comment eloquently put it:

“What you’ve done is build a hybrid car.”

Tesla also notes that its cars should not be flat-towed with all four wheels on the ground because the electric motors can be damaged when not actively turned on.

Still, it’s quite a neat bit of EV physics, and it could just save your bacon if you really needed an extra two percent battery and all you had was a tow-rope – although at that point, you’d probably just get towed to a charger…

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