Roadside Assistance?
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I have used them twice. Three hours for a tow the first time. Four hours the second time.
The problem if a flat bed tow is required for a car that may not go into tow mode. Skids are needed for the rear wheel and not every tow operator has a flat bed and skids for a "stuck" electric car.
I suspect it is dependent on the location.
But, each time, no cost to me. And they towed it to the Volvo Dealer.
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Took about 40 minutes for a tow truck to come. They just call a tow company for you, nothing volvo specific.
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2,194 Posts
Does tow mode just mean the can roll it on to the flat bed or does it mean it can actually be towed.
My last car was Volvo's first gen awd and that could not be towed. Had to be flat bed or those wheels things under the rear. Was always paranoid someone would tow it wrong and destroy it.
My last car was Volvo's first gen awd and that could not be towed. Had to be flat bed or those wheels things under the rear. Was always paranoid someone would tow it wrong and destroy it.
Tow mode is just to get it on the flatbed truck. You cannot flat-tow the car on the ground as far as I know. Pretty much the same as all modern cars unless you get a manual transmission.
There is a Tesla video on YouTube of a Tesla being towed 4 wheels down at about 30mph for some 20 or so miles. It actually was charging the car while being towed.Tow mode is just to get it on the flatbed truck. You cannot flat-tow the car on the ground as far as I know. Pretty much the same as all modern cars unless you get a manual transmission.
The car would not go into tow mode. The 12 volt battery was good and the display worked, but the tow mode option was grayed out.
The rear wheels are locked if you can't get into tow mode. The front wheels will turn. So skids are only needed for the rear.
Regarding how to tow an electric vehicle, there are multiple articles on this topic. The only recommended method is to flat bed tow the vehicle. Electric cars do not have a transmission where the wheels disconnect from the motors. Pulling the car with the wheels turning causes the motors to continuously spin.
The tow mode merely releases the parking brake. It does not disconnect the motors from the wheels.
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After I read your post I went into the manual to make sure I knew how to activate tow mode. Incredibly frustrating if doesn’t work when you need it.
Are you sure about that? It seems like it conflicts with the towing warning statement:
Important
Towing should only take place when Tow mode is activated. If Tow mode is not activated, the vehicle may start charging and there is considerable risk that the vehicle's systems could be damaged.
Yes, dolly should certainly work.
That is a great question. I am no expert, but I do not believe the electric motors are disengaged from the wheels even in tow mode. I was under the impression that tow mode released the parking brake and may have some effect on electronics that prevent regenerative charging. But, I may be wrong.
Volvo does note, "Towing the car is not permitted as this will damage the electric motor. Instead, the car must be transported raised with all the wheels on a recovery vehicle's platform, neither of the wheel pairs may have road contact."
If anyone know exactly what tow mode does, please post.
I notice that the motors are Permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM).
It is my understanding that some power needs to be applied to the motor in order for it to allow the wheels to rotate freely.
It is my understanding that some power needs to be applied to the motor in order for it to allow the wheels to rotate freely.
I was wondering about this when using OPD ... at an intersection with the car stopped and no pedals applied, what keeps the car from rolling? I thought maybe the parking brake was auto-applied then removed when accelerator was pressed (our VC90 T8 has such an optional mode when you prefer not to be bothered to hold the brake pedal at stops). But if PMSM motors work as JR Rock describes, perhaps that is the answer. And if that is the case, then it starts to make you think that applying the parking brake all the time when parked in a flat garage may not be necessary ... i.e. a reason why we could have a way to tell the car to remove the parking brake (a button like moving wipers to service position) when we think the brakes are too wet as to not lead to the brake sticking problems a few others have had here.
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On a flat surface it feels like the motors only. On a slope it is motors and after a short while the parking break clamps down.
In earlier version of the software the parking break clamp down was more noticeable.
The above is based on observation (auditory) since May.
In earlier version of the software the parking break clamp down was more noticeable.
The above is based on observation (auditory) since May.
I think I read somewhere that the parking brake (which as we know is a motorised mechanical application of the rear disk brake calipers) occurs after the car has been sitting stationary in a queue/traffic for 10 or 20 minutes - something like that. During short stops, I don’t think the motor torque alone with no power applied would be enough to stop the car rolling on an incline, so I’m wondering if the 4 brakes are applied hydraulically. The car has blended brakes and automatic emergency braking systems so we know the hydraulic brakes can be applied at any time by the car. This would make more sense than applying the mechanical rear caliper park brake mechanism every time the car comes to a stop.
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