You know that thing about ants carrying many multiples of their own body weight, well a Tesla Model X towing a massive plane is kind of like that. Recently at a Melbourne airport, Tesla’s Model X SUV was connected to one of Qantas’ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Its certainly the best looking taxi service ever, but its quite stunning to watch the video from Qantas (below) as the job typically reserved for specialised, diesel-powered vehicles, was done by a production car.
In what’s believed to be a world first, the passenger airliner was hitched to the electric vehicle for towing. While we often think about the incredible torque available from EVs as the enabler of that massive acceleration off the line, its actually perfect for towing and taken to the extreme, the car can even pull a plane. The Tesla Model X P100D features the greatest pulling power of any electric passenger, so was an excellent fit for the job.
In terms of weight, the Model X P100D tips the scales at 2,509kg, while the plane is a hefty 200-250,000 kg.