Fitting two eMTBs inside a Tesla Model 3

[Plummet]

What the OP does demonstrate is how limited a lot of saloon cars are. OK for bombing up and down a motorway with a couple of passengers but if you enjoy sports like mtb or windsurfing or kayaking etc they are at best a pain, at worst completely useless. I have a BMW 5 series saloon and a VW T5. If we are going camping, kayaking, windsurfing, mtb, the van is the obvious choice...........yet it serves just as well as most cars for journeys with no load, and most modern vans are just as good to drive as a car. It is permanently loaded with stove/water and coffee makings, bike spares etc, takes 3 bikes easilly and still has seats for 4 passengers and 2 dogs. My van is also used for dumping rubbish, picking up timber/DIY for the house or stables. I can get one bike in the BMW if needed....rear seats folded down, front wheel off and pedal guards fitted but it is a faff!! I also have a removeable tow bar on the BMW and a Thule 2 bike rack..................for emergency situations...e.g. the van is off the road for whatever reason ( except that has never happened yet!)
If I had to reduce to one vehicle, no question it would be the van.............loads more bang for the bucks/Euros/££

Yeah, i came to the conclusion is that saloon cars many years ago are for people with pass times that don't require equipment.

 

[TimC7]

most modern vans are just as good to drive as a car

Apart from being slow, noisy, uneconomical, unwieldy and a pain to park, yes just the same . .

 

[Mikerb]

Apart from being slow, noisy, uneconomical, unwieldy and a pain to park, yes just the same . .

You obviously have not driven a T5!! Mine is a LWB Shuttle ( the type most used as taxis), fully insulated and panelled. 130 BHP 5 cyclinder 2.5 litre turbo diesel, comfy seats with arm rests ( and swivel passenger seat). Seats for 7 plus the driver but I use mine with the 3rd row seat removed. I bought it new and it is now 19 years old and as reliable as ever. These vans are designed to carry multiple passengers plus luggage or over a ton of load, so just loaded with 50kg of bikes it is anything but slow!! There is a reason why white van man always overtakes takes you on the open road

 

[Zayd Proctor]

and most modern vans are just as good to drive as a car

I don't know about that. My Model 3 has 400 hp and the acceleration never gets old! I get excited every weekend to take it for a spin. I doubt I'd feel the same way if I had a van. But you're right - vans are the best for practicality, better than suvs, crossovers, pickups in my opinion.

Maybe this could be an interesting compromise:

Here's my world. 9 bike load up on to two utes in 45 seconds.....

You're playing a different game, mate!

 

[Plummet]

You're playing a different game, mate!

I know.... Though I'd love a fast car, i've got way to many toys to haul to have a little car...... So big arse ute it is for me.

 

[nabrU]

Back to the topic

Having Tesla Model 3 too and no tow bar (you cannot officially retrofit them if you have TM3 older than 2024) I ended up in the same dilemma. Found that YT video couple years ago of Italian chap doing something similar like you @Zayd Proctor

 

[Zayd Proctor]

Found that YT video couple years ago of Italian chap doing something similar like you

Yep, I got the idea from him

 

[steve_sordy]

What the OP does demonstrate is how limited a lot of saloon cars are. OK for bombing up and down a motorway with a couple of passengers but if you enjoy sports like mtb or windsurfing or kayaking etc they are at best a pain, at worst completely useless. I have a BMW 5 series saloon and a VW T5. If we are going camping, kayaking, windsurfing, mtb, the van is the obvious choice...........yet it serves just as well as most cars for journeys with no load, and most modern vans are just as good to drive as a car. It is permanently loaded with stove/water and coffee makings, bike spares etc, takes 3 bikes easilly and still has seats for 4 passengers and 2 dogs. My van is also used for dumping rubbish, picking up timber/DIY for the house or stables. I can get one bike in the BMW if needed....rear seats folded down, front wheel off and pedal guards fitted but it is a faff!! I also have a removeable tow bar on the BMW and a Thule 2 bike rack..................for emergency situations...e.g. the van is off the road for whatever reason ( except that has never happened yet!)
If I had to reduce to one vehicle, no question it would be the van.............loads more bang for the bucks/Euros/££

Brilliant! How did you persuade your wife to have a van as "her" car?

 

[Zayd Proctor]

Brilliant! How did you persuade your wife to have a van as "her" car?

You would have to get one that's big and expensive. That's how women prefer most things.

 

[Mikerb]

Brilliant! How did you persuade your wife to have a van as "her" car?

she has her own car.............also a diesel...........also old enough to not have all the emissions crap later versions have that effectively ruin the engines. As someone who has build and raced cars, my transport choice is about engineering integrity, reliability, value for money and long trouble free lifespans...........same criterea as for my choice of bikes.

 

[RJUK]

The point about battery disposal also applies to eMTBs. What happens to all the nasty chemicals and metals in batteries when they come to the end of their service lives? Not nice.

What you said about EVs is false. I'm afraid you've been misled by the fossil fuel industry propaganda.of the last 50 years.

EV batteries can be reused for home energy storage at the end of their life in a car, then recycled to be reused in new batteries, unlike fossil fuels which immediately get turned into planet heating toxic gases that can never be reused.

 

[twistgripper]

What the OP does demonstrate is how limited a lot of saloon cars are. OK for bombing up and down a motorway with a couple of passengers but if you enjoy sports like mtb or windsurfing or kayaking etc they are at best a pain, at worst completely useless. I have a BMW 5 series saloon and a VW T5. If we are going camping, kayaking, windsurfing, mtb, the van is the obvious choice...........yet it serves just as well as most cars for journeys with no load, and most modern vans are just as good to drive as a car. It is permanently loaded with stove/water and coffee makings, bike spares etc, takes 3 bikes easilly and still has seats for 4 passengers and 2 dogs. My van is also used for dumping rubbish, picking up timber/DIY for the house or stables. I can get one bike in the BMW if needed....rear seats folded down, front wheel off and pedal guards fitted but it is a faff!! I also have a removeable tow bar on the BMW and a Thule 2 bike rack..................for emergency situations...e.g. the van is off the road for whatever reason ( except that has never happened yet!)
If I had to reduce to one vehicle, no question it would be the van.............loads more bang for the bucks/Euros/££

absolutely, my Toyota Sienna was so good for this. driving a Ford Explorer now and its way harder to fit the bike inside vs the minivan. Sadly I needed the extra towing capacity of the SUV

 

[Mikerb]

absolutely, my Toyota Sienna was so good for this. driving a Ford Explorer now and its way harder to fit the bike inside vs the minivan. Sadly I needed the extra towing capacity of the SUV

Sad to say most SUVs are misnamed! A "Sports Utility Vehicle" should at least have a decent carrying capacity!! So now you need an enclosed bike trailer?

 

[irie]

I would rather spend 3 hours loading my bike inside my Model 3 than having to drive a dumb Kuga!

Good for you.

 

[irie]

EV batteries can be reused for home energy storage at the end of their life in a car, then recycled to be reused in new batteries,

What percentage of EV batteries are currently being recycled and by who?

 

[Yoak]

I’ve done this many times with my model 3. I don’t bother to take the pedals off (and they can cause a bit of pain I admit). I just put a blanket on top of the bottom bike. Front wheels off. No «rack»

 

[RustyIron]

Brilliant! How did you persuade your wife

get one that's big and expensive.

A big and expensive wife sounds like trouble.

 

[edruid]

As first workd problems go, it turns out yours was very stimulating to the community great thread, had eveything

 

[Steve Gibson]

I'm glad you did this! I've been thinking about a similar system but just for one bike, but didn't know where to start. I take it there are small rollers on the front edge of the board the bikes lie on that allow you to push it into the car? I'm inspired now to get on and give it a try. Thank you

 

[Mrs Doolittle]

Ooh that has given me food for though. Like a well organised bike bag for two bikes.
Very good. I see that is good for your back and will have minimal swearing involved. Nice. I just have to go through the hassle of constructing a board with the supports fixed in EXACTLY the right position. . That's the bit I will struggle with.

 

[Old Codger]

Top marks for sorting your problem out but a couple of things would prevent me from doing it that way.
Firstly just returning to the car in the pouring rain, which happens quite frequently in the U.K. and having to spend five minutes or more doing the loading. Secondly, the chip boards would get wet and expand and you didn’t show where the trestle went.
At my age I would have difficulty lifting the bikes like that but a few years ago I did a similar thing by sliding the back wheel along a piece of plastic facia board that was laying in the boot.

 

[sethimus]

The point about battery disposal also applies to eMTBs. What happens to all the nasty chemicals and metals in batteries when they come to the end of their service lives? Not nice.

then they go to recycling. what about your dino juice? making it hot for everyone else. not nice.

 

[irie]

then they go to recycling. what about your dino juice? making it hot for everyone else. not nice.

I let this issue go, but since you have resurrected it:

Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling

It is crucial that battery lifecycles are managed sustainably in order to meet the growing demand for electronics and EVs without depleting finite resources of raw materials, and to minimise the environmental damage associated with mining.

www.futuretracker.com

There are a very limited number of EV battery recycling facilities worldwide, with only two existing in Europe. The process is energy intensive, the burning of the battery emits greenhouse gases, and a lot of non-recyclable waste is created throughout the process. Furthermore, outside the EU, health and safety; environment; and working conditions in these facilities are not carefully controlled, so the impacts may be even more damaging.

Because of the complexity of the recycling process, and the associated expenses; currently, just 5% of lithium-ion batteries are recycled.

I'm sure I will be corrected if I have misunderstood/mispresented the above link.

 

[sethimus]

I let this issue go, but since you have resurrected it:

Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling

It is crucial that battery lifecycles are managed sustainably in order to meet the growing demand for electronics and EVs without depleting finite resources of raw materials, and to minimise the environmental damage associated with mining.

www.futuretracker.com

Redwood Materials | Critical Materials & Energy Storage

Redwood Materials is building the U.S. stockpile of critical materials and deploying large-scale energy storage systems that power data centers and the nation’s grid.

www.redwoodmaterials.com

no burning, 95% recycling rate, now shshh

 

[irie]

Redwood Materials | Critical Materials & Energy Storage

Redwood Materials is building the U.S. stockpile of critical materials and deploying large-scale energy storage systems that power data centers and the nation’s grid.

www.redwoodmaterials.com

no burning, 95% recycling rate, now shshh

In the future, and can see no mention of EV batteries, but my bad perhaps.

Edit: perhaps we can let this issue go?

 

[sethimus]

In the future, and can see no mention of EV batteries, but my bad perhaps.

just be silent now and research before you make a fool of yourself again, thx

 

[sethimus]

one last post for you sorry loser:

https://x.com/RedwoodMat/status/1914712816914780337

 

[sethimus]

Redwood Materials is giving old EV batteries a second life as microgrids

Microgrids powered by used EV batteries

www.theverge.com

 

[Zayd Proctor]

I don’t bother to take the pedals off

I tried getting them in without removing the pedals but failed.

I take it there are small rollers on the front edge of the board the bikes lie on that allow you to push it into the car?

No. There's another board inside, and the board with the bikes on it slides on top of that one.

I'm inspired now to get on and give it a try. Thank you

I'm glad at least one positive thing has come out of this thread. Until now, people have used it to show off how much stuff they can fit into their big vehicles, which is cool but kinda the opposite of the topic.

Ooh that has given me food for though. Like a well organised bike bag for two bikes.

another one, nice!

I just have to go through the hassle of constructing a board with the supports fixed in EXACTLY the right position. . That's the bit I will struggle with.

That took a lot of trial and error and a full day of work.

Firstly just returning to the car in the pouring rain, which happens quite frequently in the U.K.

Yeah, this doesn't sound fun.

you didn’t show where the trestle went.

On top of the bikes. There's plenty of room. I attach it to one of the bikes using a hook-and-loop fastener.

I let this issue go, but since you have resurrected it:

Well, this settles it. We should all use ice engines instead.

Let's completely ignore the life cycle assestments that consider everything from cradle to grave and show that BEVs have significantly lower emissions. Instead, let's focus on the battery recycling process only. Let's ignore the fact that this process is not very developed simply because ev's are a new thing and there aren't many batteries to recycle. And let's also pretend that this won't change in the future. After doing all that, we can all arrive to at the following conclusion:

Not in the long term environmentally friendly, quite the opposite.