Electric vehicles are changing the automotive industry – and the towing industry. Tow operators are now facing challenges like heavier vehicle weights, sensitive drivetrains, locked wheels, and high-voltage systems. In our experience, tackling these EV towing challenges is easier and safer when operators are prepared with the right training, information, and equipment.
What Are the Biggest EV Towing Challenges?
The biggest EV towing challenges include increased vehicle weight, wheel movement restrictions, sensitive drivetrains, high-voltage components, low ground clearance, and limited recovery points. To address these challenges, towing companies should train operators to identify EV-specific requirements, consult manufacturer instructions, confirm equipment capacities, and use appropriate equipment that prevents vehicle damage.
Does EV Weight Pose a Challenge for Towing Companies?
One of the biggest towing challenges operators currently face is vehicle weight. EV battery packs add considerable weight to the vehicle, making capacity an essential factor in every recovery decision.
Operators should never assume that equipment that can easily handle one passenger vehicle can handle another just because they’re similar in size. This issue is growing increasingly important as EVs expand beyond compact cars and sedans. Electric SUVs, pickups, and luxury vehicles all place significantly different demands on towing equipment.
Before starting the recovery, verify the vehicle weight and the rated capacity of the wheel lift, dolly, carrier, straps, and any other equipment in the towing configuration.
Can EV Wheel Movement Create a Towing Risk?
Yes. Operators may be used to towing a conventional vehicle placed in neutral, but EVs operate differently. Allowing the wrong wheels to rotate can damage the drivetrain components.
For example, Tesla recommends a flatbed for transporting a Model 3. If a flatbed is unavailable, the manufacturer’s instructions specify using wheel lifts and dollies to keep all four wheels off the ground during transport.
Each manufacturer has their own set of towing requirements that vary by make and model. That’s why we recommend making drivetrain identification and manufacturer-instruction verification part of your operation’s standard EV recovery process. Don’t rely on assumptions based on the EV you towed last week. Check the requirements for the vehicle that’s currently in front of you.
How Do Locked Wheels Complicate Electric Vehicle Recovery?
Another challenge of towing an EV is that it may not be ready to roll when you arrive on the scene. A depleted battery, collision damage, inaccessible controls, or other issues can complicate towing the vehicle. That creates a practical problem: How do you move a vehicle that can’t roll without dragging it or damaging expensive components?
This is where preparation matters. Operators who arrive with the right equipment, like Collins Carrier dollies, can control how the vehicle moves instead of forcing locked wheels across pavement or a carrier bed.
How Does Low Ground Clearance Affect EV Towing?
In addition to considerable weight, many modern EVs have low body panels, aerodynamic designs, and limited ground clearance. These features complicate loading and increase the risk of scraping bumpers, battery areas, rocker panels, and other components.
Traditional hooks, chains, and cables also create towing challenges when an EV has limited or unfamiliar attachment points. The Collins Carrier Dolly addresses this issue by allowing the vehicle to ride on the dolly, with the towing force applied to the dolly rather than the vehicle.
We specifically designed the Carrier Dolly system for electric, hybrid, high-end, low-clearance, and no-hook-point vehicles. It gives operators a solution for vehicles that can’t easily roll onto a flatbed or for situations where traditional loading methods cause unnecessary vehicle contact.
What High-Voltage EV Towing Hazards Should Operators Recognize?
EV towing challenges aren’t limited to loading and drivetrain protection. These vehicles are equipped with high-voltage components, and collision damage can create invisible hazards. Tesla, for example, instructs tow operators to assume high-voltage components are still energized after a collision until emergency responders evaluate and confirm the system’s actual condition.
We recommend that towing companies incorporate EV awareness into their standard operator training. Operators need to know when to stop, consult manufacturer information, use PPE, and coordinate with emergency responders for their own safety.
How Can Towing Companies Prepare Operators for EV Recoveries?
A standardized process leaves less room for guesswork when an operator is called to an unfamiliar EV. At Collins, we stress clear, repeatable procedures because consistent training helps operators handle EV towing challenges safely and efficiently.
- Identify the vehicle. Confirm the make, model, drivetrain, and approximate weight.
- Review the manufacturer’s towing instructions. Check approved transport methods, towing modes, wheel-movement restrictions, and recovery points.
- Inspect the vehicle. Look for collision damage, locked wheels, suspension damage, low clearance, fluid leaks, and potential high-voltage concerns.
- Confirm equipment capacity. Make sure every component in the towing setup can handle the vehicle and configuration.
- Control wheel movement. When wheels shouldn’t rotate, use the appropriate dolly, carrier, wheel lift, or other approved equipment.
- Secure the vehicle correctly. Follow equipment and vehicle manufacturer procedures rather than improvising.
- Perform a final check. Verify clearances, securement, equipment position, and stability before transport.
Why Should Towing Companies Upgrade Equipment for Electric Vehicles?
Upgrading your fleet’s towing equipment means you can meet EV and other modern vehicle towing challenges head-on. With Collins dollies behind your operation, you can provide customers with damage-free towing for their electric, AWD, luxury, low-clearance, and specialty vehicles.
Better capability also means not having to turn down calls because your equipment can’t safely accommodate the vehicle. As EV adoption adds more vehicle configurations to the road, equipment flexibility gives towing companies a practical way to prepare.
Prepare Your Operation for EV Towing with Collins Dollies
At Collins, we’ve spent over 50 years engineering towing equipment to meet the challenges operators encounter in the field. Today, that means helping towing professionals handle heavier vehicles, sensitive drivetrains, low-clearance designs, locked wheels, and other complications that come with modern vehicles.
EVs will continue to change the types of recoveries your operation faces. Contact your authorized Collins dealer to find the right towing equipment to keep pace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are electric vehicles more difficult to tow?
Electric vehicles present additional towing challenges because battery packs add weight, some drivetrains restrict wheel movement, and many models have low ground clearance or limited tow points. Collision damage can also introduce high-voltage safety concerns that require additional precautions.
What equipment should towing companies use for EV towing?
The right equipment depends on the EV and the recovery situation. Towing companies may need a carrier, wheel lift, towing dollies, tire skates, or other equipment that keeps restricted wheels from rotating and protects low-clearance components. Operators should also confirm that every piece of equipment meets the vehicle's weight requirements.
How should towing companies prepare operators for EV recoveries?
Towing companies should train operators to identify the vehicle, review the manufacturer's instructions, confirm vehicle weight, inspect for damage, recognize high-voltage hazards, select the correct towing equipment, and verify securement before transport. Consistent procedures can reduce errors and help operators handle unfamiliar EVs more confidently.