[shotel]

This question has to do with a tow truck taking away an illegally parked Bolt, or any BEV.

Tow companies do a brisk business in many Metro areas by towing away vehicles that are illegally parked on private property with "No Parking - Tow Away" signs clearly posted. Usually, the tow will use an hydraulic wheel lift method, where an arm/boom will clamp under a set of wheels, and raise the vehicle allowing for the other set of wheels to roll freely with the tow.

I've been watching (way too much) a particular YouTube channel that shows many, many hundreds of cars being towed off one single property in Dallas. What struck me was a tow technique that is not uncommon;
Looks like a wheel lift tow must pick up the car from the drive wheels. So a front wheel drive car needs to be towed from the front, and a rear wheel drive car towed from rear. But if the tow can't get to the proper set of wheels because of the way the car is parked, they will slide their boom under the center of the vehicle and lift the entire car, and drag it to an area where they have more freedom to tow properly.

Will this technique damage a Bolt, Tesla, or any BEV with a floor based battery? take a look:

Skip to the 3:05 mark for the first tow, and then the 4:20 mark.

 

[esa92101]

The tow truck driver is an animal. That's just so wrong... BEV or ICE, no tow truck driver should treat any vehicle like that. Hope I never ever get towed.

 

[Raymondjram]

Most FWD vehicles have a parking pawl that grips teeth on one gear inside the transaxle, so they cannot be towed on its front wheels. If you are illegally parked nose first, the vehicle may suffer damages if the truck has to pull the vehicle out before lifting the front wheels.

So park legally or tail first to prevent damages. I park mine tail first to move out quickly because backing out into traffic is one of the most common causes of collision events, even if you have cameras and warning systems. The other vehicle may not see you in time!

 

[Raymondjram]

Most FWD vehicles have a parking pawl that grips teeth on one gear inside the transaxle, so they cannot be towed on its front wheels. If you are illegally parked nose first, the vehicle may suffer damages if the truck has to pull the vehicle out before lifting the front wheels.

So park legally or tail first to prevent damages. I park mine tail first to move out quickly because backing out into traffic is one of the most common causes of collision events, even if you have cameras and warning systems. The other vehicle may not see you in time!

 

[Enzeder]

Yeah, I've seen that channel and those tows seemed average (for the channel). The drivers side wheel of the first tow was interesting.

Texas must have different liability laws, because that channel has a LOT of similar videos. Presumably the person parked illegally assumes the risk.

The only failed tow I saw was what looked like a huge F350.

Now, this is my kinda tow truck:

 

[shotel]

The only failed tow I saw was what looked like a huge F350.

Actually, they did tow the 7,000 pound F350 Dually.>>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPLaGb2wucw<<

But for the purposes of this video, if a tow lifts a Bolt or other BEV from the bottom as shown at the 4:20 mark (where the battery pack is), could that put undo stress on the pack? If the pack is warped by this towing maneuver, could this be very dangerous as well? Or is the underside of the battery pack reinforced somehow to allow for this?

 

[NY-Rob]

If the battery pack is the lowest object under the Bolt and they use a forklift type device to move the Bolt then you are supporting the rest of the car by the battery pack which is the reverse of the load bearing support design. The battery pack shielding is pretty stout, but lifting the car by the battery pack could be damaging to it or it's mounting system.

 

[Sean Nelson]

If the battery pack is the lowest object under the Bolt and they use a forklift type device to move the Bolt then you are supporting the rest of the car by the battery pack which is the reverse of the load bearing support design. The battery pack shielding is pretty stout, but lifting the car by the battery pack could be damaging to it or it's mounting system.

The pack and it's mount are designed to withstand some pretty severe G-forces that might be sustained on rough roads or sudden grade changes. I'd be very surprised if lifting it forklift-style would cause any serious damage. I'd be more worried about scraping off some of the corrosion-resistant coatings that would lead to problems down the road.