When you remove the original engine and fuel tank from a Navara and replace them with an electric motor and battery, does the type approval for towing still apply?
Posts by brian_
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Nissan's reason for this is probably that performance of the electric powertrain under towing loads would not be acceptable, but it might be that there is insufficient rear suspension capacity to handle the hitch load (in addition to the battery pack). I don't think it's accidental that the Leaf body style - despite being a hatchback - minimizes the cargo room available; they don't want you to try to carry very much. That doesn't really matter in a way, because...
This is the practical issue. Even if you were willing to operate with unapproved components, the usual fix of adapting a towbar from a related vehicle presumably won't work, because the Leaf doesn't share body structure with another Nissan model (as far as I know), the way many hybrids and some EVs are based on gas-engined models. For instance, even if an eGolf isn't rated for towing, a regular Golf towbar probably fits.
Whether or not a Navara would really be suitable for towing with a Leaf powertrain, in practical terms it seems likely that no one would bother you about towing with it, and there are certainly towbars available.
The question is really whether the control system can limit power to avoid overheating the motor, controller/inverter, or battery... or whether you are patient and diligent enough to do that yourself. And, of course, there's the question of range with the motor working much harder than it does in a non-towing Leaf.
Do you have a spare Leaf?
A complete Leaf powertrain (motor with inverter and gearbox) in each end of a Navara would be well-suited to the load of the heavier vehicle with cargo, although the chassis wouldn't have much payload if you squeezed in both battery packs.It's true that I should not have said that there is no regulation of towing equipment, as there are regulations calling the use of specific equipment - safety chains and brakes. How that equipment is designed and constructed is a free-for-all. The well-known standards (the old VESC V-5 and current SAE J684) are not regulations.
There are laws about the equipment on the trailer, and the weight of the trailer relative to the tow vehicle; however, they have nothing to do with the rated capacity of the tow vehicle. V-5 and J684 say nothing about the vehicle itself or even how a hitch is attached to the vehicle. If you want to tow a ten-ton trailer with your Geo Metro - using of course a hitch rated for the trailer load but attached with only a few sheet metal screws - you can legally go for it... as long as the tongue weight is kept low so the Metro isn't over GVWR or rear GAWR.
To be fair, some jurisdictions which have requirements that the tow vehicle and trailer rig be able to stop within some (generously long) prescribed distance from some (laughably slow) speed... but trailer brakes alone make that easy to achieve.
In more practical and relevant terms...
A Leaf can probably safely tow a trailer weighing a ton or two, if the trailer is equipped with suitably controlled brakes. As far as I can see, it can legally do that in any state or province, despite the zero towing rating by Nissan. Reliability of the Leaf is another matter, and not the subject of legislation. At the same time, a Smart ForTwo which absolutely cannot handle two tons of trailer (and is also has a zero rating) is equally legal.
If an inadequate rig fails, and causes property damage or injury to a third party, the most likely legal consequence is a civil lawsuit... not a violation of a regulation. Even if all the parts and practices involved as within ratings and meet standards, a civil action can find the operator at fault - there's not much reason here, just legal precedent and public opinion. In any case, if the rig doesn't crash, the towing stupidity is allowed without restriction.
As I understand European regulations, the existence on the road of a trailer attached to a vehicle by a hitch without type approval (specific to the vehicle) is a violation, no matter how appropriate the rig or well-constructed the hitch. I actually don't see a problem with this, as the well-constructed rigs which are prevented from operating by this bureaucracy must be much less common than the unsafe piles of crap allowed by our rules here.
The towing rules here are pretty much like anywhere in North America... but I get the point.
The thing is, no one is trying to be a dick, but doing exactly the same reasonable thing (bolting appropriate hardware onto a Leaf and towing a properly equipped and reasonably sized trailer with it) is legal here and not legal in Europe.
A non-approved hitch receiver isn't illegal here, because there is no approval of hitches. A non-approved towbar is illegal there, because all towbars must be specifically approved and used in an approved combination with the tow vehicle.
Here in Alberta (and probably anywhere in Canada), all trailers must be registered (unlike some states which allow anything to be towed without even a license if it's under a certain weight). There isn't even an inspection here, let alone a test. What would they test, other than the lights and brakes?
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