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Here’s the thing about towing with electric vehicles: everyone has an opinion, but most people have never actually hooked up a trailer and driven anywhere beyond the dealer’s parking lot.
The internet is full of range anxiety prophets predicting doom and gloom, while the manufacturers keep promising that their latest electric SUV can tow your house to the moon. The truth, as usual, lives somewhere between the hysteria and the marketing brochures.
And sometimes it takes someone like Pleasant_Tennis_663 to cut through the noise with actual data from actual towing.
This Reddit user just completed what amounts to a real-world stress test of the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 SE’s towing capabilities, and their report reads like a field manual for anyone considering electric boat hauling:
“Figured I’d share my towing experience, as I know many people are looking at the i9 for that feature. We have a 2026 SE, and my high-level summary is this is fantastic. Zero suspension sag when the boat goes on. Pulls like a dream with no lack of power. The OEM hitch and harness are flawless, and Trailer Mode is excellent. I can confirm that when you plug in a trailer, it automatically goes into Trailer Mode, recalculates range, and shuts down the rear parking sensors and cross traffic alerts. You also can’t do iPedal in this mode. No issues whatsoever with the OEM equipment, and the physical install is super slick looking. Also, the OEM harness does come with the trailer brake control harness for under the dash, should you need it (we don’t). We do have a hitch mounted bike rack that I will also be trying out. I have a potential hack to get the car to go into trailer mode so we don’t have a rear sensor issue. Will report back on that at a later point. The boat is a 1990s 17.5ft Bayliner with the 3L Mercruiser. Weighs roughly 2800lbs. Launching and retrieving with this setup were great. Perfect hitch height. The hit to range is very real but not unexpected. Our previous vehicle was an Odyssey minivan with an aftermarket hitch, harness, and cooler, and the range hit is about the same. We’d go from 450mi to 300 on the range estimate, with real-world performance more like 280. In the I9, I went from 350 estimated range to 180 with the boat on. But that fluctuated as we started driving and the car figured out the real impact. Real numbers said my usual was 3-3.5 mi/KW, and with the boat is 1.8-2. My next challenge will be our summer trip, where I’m going to have to handle the boat once. If anyone in MN is aware of a pull-through DCFC location in the Brainerd area, I’d love to hear about it…”
What strikes me about this report is the complete absence of drama. No breathless excitement about revolutionary technology, no complaints about range anxiety ruining the weekend. Just straightforward documentation of what worked, what didn’t, and what the numbers actually look like when you’re pulling 2,800 pounds of 1990s Bayliner through the real world. That’s the kind of practical perspective that cuts through all the electric vehicle mythology and gets to what actually matters: can this thing do the job or not?
The answer, apparently, is yes. But let’s dig into why that matters. Pleasant_Tennis_663 replaced a Honda Odyssey minivan with this Ioniq 9, which tells you everything about their priorities. They needed something that could haul the family and pull the boat, and they were willing to trade the convenience of gas stations for the complexity of charging infrastructure. That’s not a decision you make lightly, especially when your weekend recreation depends on your vehicle’s ability to get the boat to the water and back home again.
How Instant Torque Saves The Day
- Instant maximum torque makes boat ramp operations easier than gas vehicles, with no clutch slipping or engine hunting for power.
- Modern EVs automatically adjust settings for towing, eliminating guesswork and reducing the chance of operator error.
- 45% efficiency reduction sound, it’s scary, but it matches gas vehicle towing penalties; the difference is infrastructure planning requirements.
- Factory towing packages provide proper engineering, installation, and warranty coverage that aftermarket solutions often can’t match.
The automatic Trailer Mode engagement is the kind of feature that separates modern electric vehicles from the early experiments that required PhD-level planning for every trip. Plug in the trailer, and the Ioniq 9 automatically recalculates range, shuts down the rear sensors that would go crazy with a boat hanging off the back, and disables the one-pedal driving that could be dangerous when towing. It’s the automotive equivalent of having a smart copilot who knows what you’re trying to do and adjusts accordingly. No menus to navigate, no settings to remember. Just plug and tow.
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The efficiency numbers tell the real story here. Pleasant_Tennis_663’s normal driving efficiency of 3-3.5 miles per kWh dropped to 1.8-2 miles per kWh with the boat attached. That’s roughly a 45% hit, which sounds terrible until you realize their old Odyssey took a similar percentage hit when towing. The difference is that gas stations are everywhere, while DC fast chargers that can accommodate a boat trailer are about as common as honest politicians. That’s why Pleasant_Tennis_663 is already planning for their summer trip and hunting for pull-through charging locations in the Brainerd area. It’s not that the Ioniq 9 can’t do the job; it’s that the infrastructure requires more planning than most people are used to.
Is Range Anxiety Still Needed?
But here’s what the range anxiety crowd misses: Pleasant_Tennis_663 isn’t panicking about the efficiency drop. They’re planning around it. That’s the difference between people who actually use their vehicles for real work and people who just worry about theoretical problems on internet forums. Real towers adapt. They figure out where the charging stations are, they plan their routes accordingly, and they get on with their lives. The experience mirrors what other EV towers have learned, though not always as successfully. One Ioniq 5 owner discovered that towing a camper provided a brutal reality check when highway range dropped to just 100 miles, showing that not all electric vehicles handle towing equally well.
The boat launching and retrieval operations that Pleasant_Tennis_663 describes highlight one of electric vehicle towing’s hidden advantages. Electric motors deliver maximum torque from zero RPM, which means no clutch slipping, no torque converter hunting, and no dramatic engine revving to get the boat up the ramp. Just smooth, linear power delivery that makes backing down slippery boat ramps feel like a normal parking maneuver. The “perfect hitch height” they mention isn’t an accident; Hyundai clearly spent time engineering the Ioniq 9’s towing geometry for real-world trailer applications.
The $1,400 dealer installation cost for the OEM hitch package sparked some community discussion, but Pleasant_Tennis_663’s reasoning makes sense. They wanted the peace of mind that comes with factory installation, proper torque specifications, and warranty coverage. When you’re trusting a hitch to keep your boat attached to your family hauler, saving a few hundred dollars on aftermarket installation isn’t worth the risk. Plus, the OEM package includes the trailer brake controller wiring, which shows Hyundai is thinking about serious towing applications, not just bike racks and utility trailers.
Pleasant_Tennis_663’s mention of a “potential hack to get the car to go in to trailer mode” for their bike rack reveals the kind of creative thinking that real-world users develop. They understand that Trailer Mode’s sensor adjustments could benefit other scenarios beyond traditional towing, and they’re willing to experiment to optimize their vehicle’s capabilities. This is how automotive innovation actually happens: not in corporate boardrooms, but in driveways where people figure out better ways to use the tools they’ve been given.
The comparison with their previous Odyssey provides crucial context that most electric vehicle discussions lack. The range hit from towing isn’t unique to electric vehicles; it’s physics. The difference is that gas vehicles can refuel anywhere in five minutes, while electric vehicles require planning and patience. But Pleasant_Tennis_663’s successful transition from gas to electric for family boat hauling proves that the infrastructure challenges aren’t insurmountable. They’re just different. And for families willing to adapt their routines, the benefits of electric towing, including lower operating costs and superior low-speed control, can outweigh the planning requirements.
The real test will come during Pleasant_Tennis_663’s summer trip, when they’ll need to charge with the boat attached. That’s when the rubber meets the road for electric vehicle towing: finding charging infrastructure that can accommodate trailers. It’s a challenge that other EV towers have faced with varying degrees of success, but it’s also an opportunity for charging networks to better serve the growing population of electric vehicle towers.
How To Plan A Roadtrip In An Electric Vehicle
- Successful electric vehicle towing requires route planning and charging strategy, not range anxiety and worst-case scenario thinking.
- Pull-through charging locations are rare but not impossible to find; the network is adapting to towing needs slowly but steadily.
- Electric vehicles often handle towing duties better than their gas predecessors, particularly for low-speed precision work.
- Families willing to adjust their routines find that electric vehicle towing advantages often outweigh the infrastructure challenges.
Pleasant_Tennis_663’s boat hauling experiment proves that electric vehicle towing has moved beyond the theoretical stage into practical reality. Their Ioniq 9 handled 2,800 pounds of boat without drama, delivered the power and control needed for boat ramp operations, and provided the family space they needed for weekend recreation. The range impact is real but manageable with proper planning. The infrastructure challenges exist but aren’t insurmountable. And the overall experience was positive enough that they’re planning more towing adventures, not shopping for a gas vehicle replacement. That’s the kind of real-world validation that matters more than any manufacturer’s marketing claims or internet forum speculation. The electric towing revolution isn’t coming; it’s already here, one successful boat launch at a time. Other manufacturers are taking note, with some discovering that electric vehicles can outperform gas and diesel alternatives in certain towing scenarios, particularly for torque delivery and precision control.
Have you tried towing with an electric vehicle, and how did the experience compare to your gas vehicle expectations? What charging infrastructure improvements would make electric towing more practical for your needs?
Let us know in the comment section below.
Image Sources: Hyundai Media Center
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.
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Source: torquenews.com
