How to properly tow an electric car

The Auto Club Europa (ACE), the second largest automobile club in Germany, warns that, in the event of a breakdown, electric and hybrid cars should not be towed with a rope or a bar, and that this premise also applies to internal combustion vehicles with automatic transmission.

ACE states that otherwise damage to the high-voltage system or automatic transmission could occur. In addition, it is advisable to always consult the car owner's manual to find out if the vehicle can be towed with homemade means.

Towing cars with a manual transmission is not usually a problem. These are towed in neutral so that the engine and transmission are separated. According to ACE, this is not possible with electric cars and many hybrids.

If you proceed with them in the same way, the engine rotates along with the wheels and generates electricity. On the other hand, if the car is turned off, the electronics or battery could be damaged. Cars with automatic transmission can be damaged if they are driven by the steering wheel instead of the engine.

ACE explains that professional towing services move electric, hybrid and automatic transmission cars with wheels raised, and that they also have the appropriate technical equipment to do so.

However, he adds, electric cars break down less frequently than conventional cars with combustion engines, since vehicles in circulation are still very new and generally have fewer components and, consequently, fewer sources of failure.

dpa