[GJETSON]

With all the flat angles that thing looks like it's designed for cheap manufacture - but I suspect that hurts the aerodynamics of it.

You'd think so, but you would be wrong. Read the part down the page about the aerodynamics.

We have carefully designed and adjusted the P17A1 to optimize airflow and reduce air resistance, resulting in a 70% air resistance reduction compared to the traditional teardrop trailers. Inspired by F1 vehicles, P17A has a full flat Aero underbody with vertical fins that helps to reduce air drag. Vortex generator on top of the P17A helps reduce drag by directing the air completely behind the trailer.

 

[Jerry Duke]

If pulle

You'd think so, but you would be wrong. Read the part down the page about the aerodynamics.

We have carefully designed and adjusted the P17A1 to optimize airflow and reduce air resistance, resulting in a 70% air resistance reduction compared to the traditional teardrop trailers. Inspired by F1 vehicles, P17A has a full flat Aero underbody with vertical fins that helps to reduce air drag. Vortex generator on top of the P17A helps reduce drag by directing the air completely behind the trailer.

A scientific explanation in the age of science denial.

 

[Sean Nelson]

You'd think so, but you would be wrong. Read the part down the page about the aerodynamics.

The reads like marketspeak to me, probably designed to assuage the very people who are skeptical about all those flat panels. It might be true, but I'd need something more than a paragraph on a web site to convince me.

 

[michel.bouchard347]

With all the flat angles that thing looks like it's designed for cheap manufacture - but I suspect that hurts the aerodynamics of it. I wonder how something like a Boler trailer would compare in terms of efficiency.

Perhaps EV adoption will motivate some manufacturers to design for efficiency and then start comparing their trailers vs the competition in terms of range...
View attachment 41959

Almost like my Boler, but by experience I wouldn't pull with a Bolt.

http://imgur.com/bTN5GRI

 

[GJETSON]

The reads like marketspeak to me, probably designed to assuage the very people who are skeptical about all those flat panels. It might be true, but I'd need something more than a paragraph on a web site to convince me.

"As you can see in the video below, the test consisted of a 55-mile (89 km) roundtrip from Glendale to Santa Clarita, California. During the test, the Model 3/P17A1 combo traveled around 90% of the highway, while the remaining 10% was mostly city driving. The average speed throughout the test was a sound 55 mph (89 kph).

Testa Model 3 averaged 255 Wh/mile or 3.9 miles/kWh while towing the trailer, which is a remarkable result. To put this into perspective, this is even better than a Tesla Model 3 with an LFP battery tested in the cold (3.30 miles/kWh). This shows just how efficient the Polydrops P17A1 is, causing minimal drag thanks to a repositioned air conditioner cowl that is now flush with the main body, and a revised frontal area.

Polydrops further tests the P17A1 against one of the most aerodynamic teardrop trailers on the market. The result was rather disappointing in this case, at 265 Wh/mile or 2.7 miles/kWh. So it sometimes helps to have a strange shape, especially when the designers know what they're doing."

 

[GJETSON]

"Testa Model 3 averaged 255 Wh/mile or 3.9 miles/kWh while towing the trailer........against one of the most aerodynamic teardrop trailers on the market. The result was rather disappointing in this case, at 265 Wh/mile or 2.7 miles/kWh.

Well, I see a problem right here. 265 Wh/mi is 3.77 mi/kWh, not 2.7. That is a 3.77% improvement over the aero teardrop trailer.

 

[Solman636]

Has anyone removed the front seat? I took my front seat out of my Prius years ago and one of the back seat backs and built a platform that created a very comfortable sleeping platform for camping and also I haul large loads of lumber etc that way. Wondering if I can do same with my new Bolt?

 

[VVVADER]

Has anyone removed the front seat? I took my front seat out of my Prius years ago and one of the back seat backs and built a platform that created a very comfortable sleeping platform for camping and also I haul large loads of lumber etc that way. Wondering if I can do same with my new Bolt?

Solman636. I just removed my front passenger seat to get ready for 3 day camping trip in Joshua Tree this weekend. I have Napier Sportz Cove 61000 tent that I've used last year for car camping that worked nicely, but I wanted more room for a new cooler I just purchased: RTIC 52 QT hard cooler. I'll be using 5"x24"x72" foam mattress as before, which will now fit completely inside (it stuck out few inches when I didn't remove the front seat). RTIC cooler sits at the perfect height relative to the folded rear seats. I can't wait to sleep inside my Bolt this weekend 😀

Few things to consider when removing the seat:
1) T45 Torx bit to remove the 4 bolts - straight forward
2) Zip tie holding the harness to the floor needs to be cut or popped - I thought it would pull off intact, but the tie broke when I pulled up. Not a big deal.
3) Large DELPHI harness - tricky to remove, small red locking tab (not pictured below) needs to slide away from the locking latch. Red tab will slide off when the latch opens, be on the lookout for this small piece and keep it in a safe spot. I taped it to the connector on the car side (see 2 photos below, female connector on the seat side)
.

Trickiest part is figuring out which way the grey latch rotates to disengage the male (car side) and female (seat side) connectors. I work in connector industry, and I've fiddled with many latching connectors over the years, so I was able to remove it after about a minute of playing with the latch. It's a 23 position rectangular connector, so there's enough contact engaging/disengaging force to manage - thus the latching mechanism design.

Since the seat removal, I've only driven it from my driveway to my garage. DIC shows "airbag fault" which was expected as the harness is "open". I'll see if there are other warning lights as I test drive the car later this week. I'll also post more photos if you're interested.

 

[VVVADER]

Here are more photos, starting with how it looks with the front seat removed.

3rd photo shows RTIC cooler where the front seat should be. Photos 4 through 6 shows the setup with my 5" foam mattress on top of the cooler. I'm still bringing my Napier tent, but I'll sleep with the rear hatch closed - overnight temps will be in low 50s at Joshua Tree this weekend.

 

[VVVADER]

Update. Came back from a 3 day camping trip in Joshua Tree. Reinstalled the front passenger seat, which probably took 5 ~ 10 minutes. Seat harness connectors snapped together easily, including the red locking tab. Previous warning light for "Safety Restraint System" no longer lit, so no conecrns about going back to the dealer to "turn off/reset SRS warning light".

 

[Poettess]

My wife and I went camping with the Bolt after I tested it out in the driveway to make sure it fit with the Napier SUV Tent 84000. I hate sleeping on the ground so the plan was to sleep in the car and we'd put the dogs and luggage in the tent. Then, depending on the weather, we'd have heat/air conditioning and power to plug things in. I found some random things around the house that fit in the foot well and were tall enough to line up with the seats. So with the seats down, there was plenty of room to lay flat - especially with the hatch open. This is what I ended up using: 1) a clothes hamper and 2) two of these 33 quart dog food containers Other than that, the Napier 84000 tent fit perfectly with no issues. It's meant for SUVs but it fits. The windshield was covered by a Heatshield and the side windows were covered with blankets. The only issue I had was that I didn't know which fuse to pull for the hatch light and the manual wasn't particularly helpful (anyone know?). So I just ended up pulling the bulb... Next time, I'll try it with my cargo box now that people have found some cheap cross bars. Plus I ended up with 50 miles leftover after driving 160 round trip and running the car and A/C for about 3-4 hours over the weekend. Enjoy car glamping!

On my Volt I would manually flip the hatch lock and it would think it was shut. You just have to remember to unlock it before you close the hatch

 

[phuber]

I installed a switch just below the light by removing the light, cutting one of the wires to the light (it does not matter which one) wiring a small switch between the cut wires and drilling a 3/4" hole to mount the switch. Hope this helps.

 

[Sean Nelson]

I installed a switch just below the light by removing the light, cutting one of the wires to the light (it does not matter which one) wiring a small switch between the cut wires and drilling a 3/4" hole to mount the switch. Hope this helps.

You just need to remember that this will turn the light off if it's on, but it won't turn the light on if it's off.

 

[phuber]

I agree. It would be ideal to install an on-off-on switch in order to be able to have it both ways. I may redo my modification to do that. Thanks.