Towing isn’t so much about how much power you have. It’s about braking ability, suspension capability, center of gravity, weight, etc.

 

Thank you for that, it seems all those items are the same on the non hybrid as well. Do you have any specific insights that relate to the hybrid in these areas?

 

Weight and center of gravity are different on the hybrid than the gas. Another concern too is longevity and durability. The engineers may not feel that the hybrid components can handle towing more and would have to pay out more warranty claims.

 

The hybrid weighs around 300 lbs more than the gas version. Most of the additional weight is the batteries, which are located in the cargo area.

 

Help me out here please!

I've never understood why someone would purchase any vehicle in a hybrid format, especially if they have towing in mind. I always thought that you purchased a hybrid powertrain in order to maximize fuel efficiency, and thought it common knowledge that hybrids in general lose out a great deal when towing, have loaded roof racks etc.

What am I missing here?

 

Here ya go Max... I purchased the CRV Hybrid to replace a Civic because I wanted more interior space and comparable gas mileage. What I got was a vehicle, for it's size, gets much better mileage around town than my Civic did. I was a bit naive to think I would be able to tow a 1+ ton trailer but the towing part was an after thought. I'm just putting it out to this forum to see what others think about towing with a hybrid.

I hope I have filled in the missing information and perhaps you can contribute to my dilemma. Did this help you out?

Thanks

 

• The new side-by-side arrangement also enables the use of an additional direct-drive gearset with a new low-speed lockup clutch (deployed in CR-V only) allowing engine drive at urban speeds and supporting the ability for CR-V to tow up to 1,000 pounds, a first for the two-motor hybrid system.

Honda Two-Motor Hybrid-Electric System

A key step in Honda’s electrification strategy, the new fourth-generation of the Honda two-motor hybrid system maximizes efficiency without compromising a vehicle’s dynamic performance or packaging.

hondanews.com

I recommend checking out this video (has been posted before) if you want to see how the system works, not that I understand it all but it is interesting. The video is for last gen hybrid though, but it shows the high speed lockup clutch so you can get the idea.

 

These links were great I learned a lot and it's clear that the dual motor system is probably the 1000 pound limiter.

Thanks a bunch

 

Welcome to the CRVOC forum. Many fine folks here from around the globe.

Click on your avatar in the upper right hand corner, —> Account Settings, —> Vehicle Details. Complete for your vehicle, then hit Save. In this manner, that vital piece of information automatically appears whenever you post.

With 6 generations of the V on the road today, knowing the year & trim level of the vehicle in question helps those asking & those willing to respond.

The Weber University site is a great resource. I highly recommend it while doing any research into vehicle problems.

With regards owning a hybrid & towing a trailer, consumers of these vehicles are on a learning curve in that one of the trade-offs for better mileage may be functionality loss. As you have indicated, towing was not a factor in your original determination to purchase a hybrid. You purchased your vehicle for the 95-98% of the time you'll be using it, as almost all people do. For those special needs situations, renting an appropriate vehicle is always an option.

Keep on enjoying your new vehicle.

 

Done!

 

I tow a snowmobile and trailer that is very close to the weight limit. It has done so very easily, hardly knew I was towing anything and the fuel economy penalty was minimal. It would kick into EV mode on flat roads the same as if it wasn't towing at all. I must say I was pleasantly surprised.

 

How many miles have you put on the hybrid while towing and have you had any mechanical issues in the time you have owned your CRV?

 

I've had the CRV less than a year and not many miles towing yet, but no issues so far. I believe manufacturers give tow ratings lower than the vehicles true capability to make sure there aren't any issues. If you are going to be towing well above the CRV's rated capacity frequently then a different vehicle should be considered.

 

Actually you are supposed to tow at 80% or less of the maximum capacity. Doesn't matter what the vehicle is

 

Because the Hybrid battery will overhead if you tow too much.

 

Zoom Sun, It really does not matter how Honda determined the towing limit. You cannot change it and are stuck with your limit. If you plan to keep the CR-V a long time it is best to observe the limit.

 

Why would you buy a hybrid vehicle if you know you are going to be towing? It seems counterintuitive.

 

Why is it counterintuitive? The vehicle is rated to tow. I will only tow 4-5 times a year, it's a waste to buy a more inefficient vehicle if a hybrid will do the job.
That's why I traded my Ridgeline in on the CRV Hybrid, its capabilities were under utilized. I'd say most truck drivers could do without a truck. However, if you are going to be
towing frequently with heavier weights then getting something with a higher towing capacity makes sense.

 

Okay, I think that I addressed your thoughts on my previous post. I'll express it differently, on my commute to and from work I average around 5.1 l/100km most of the year. My total since owning the vehicle is around 6.4 l/100km even with towing and cold weather driving using winter tires. So I'm still bettering a non hybrid fuel consumption. Also, in my experience the hybrid can tow with ease, it does not struggle. It will still go into EV mode in right conditions, same as when not towing.

As for this, "It is a well known fact that hybrid/electric vehicles lose both fuel economy as well as range when towing."
That cannot be used as an argument against owning a hybrid as every vehicle no matter how it is powered will experience a reduction in economy / efficiency and range.

 

Thanks for replying, and explaining your logic. Makes economic sense. Wish here in Canada we could get 5.1 as an average. With the weather variations in Saskatchewan, I am happy to see 5.8 - 6.2 as an average.

 

Newf, I towed a small, well loaded, U-Haul box trailer from CT to OH with a Grand Caravan AWD and saw a 15% to 20% drop in gas mileage and a drop in performance. I would expect similar reductions towing with a hybrid. Weight makes a difference.

 

FireEngineMike, yes weight does make a difference as does the aero dynamics of the trailer. Towing a big box behind anything is going hurt fuel economy. I tow a 12 foot trailer that has a salt shield with a snowmobile, so it doesn't create as much drag as big box.
My point was, depending on your needs, the CRV hybrid doesn't have to be ruled out as an occasional tow vehicle.

 

I see also that the OP had asked in another thread about a 1,000 lb dry weight camper. Understand that "dry weight" can be quite a bit less than the actual unloaded weight. It may have gotten better recently, but in the past camper manufacturers used to list as "dry weight" a camper stripped of empty propane tanks, awnings, batteries, A/C, etc. For example, the published dry weight of my 2000 Coleman camper is 995 lbs. The actual weight is more like 1,300, without any of my gear and no liquids, battery, propane, etc.

 

While that may be true for your specific camper it is up to the manufacture to set that standard. For example, My Forest River camper included a full propane load and two deep cycle batteries in the weight in the yellow sticker. Bottom line is that the only way to know is to configure the unit for an outing and drag it across a CAT scale. If you are not running ST tires you need the scale number for proper inflation anyway.

Related to the topic, some interesting theories for sure however consider that the hybrid has an eCVT unlike the gasser models.

 

Basic rule of thumb on transmission long-term surviving towing with compact SUVs:
If you have any vehicle with a CVT like Honda CRV & thinking about towing or hauling, just give yourself some breathing room from an instant-destroyed transmission, trade it in for another compact SUV with a clutch-plate automatic. CVT towing CAN be done, but the same way that you could travel 5 miles across a 1 foot wide ledge on a cliff.

(#1 would be manual transmissions if someone still made compact SUVs with them)
( I would put "mild hybrid" as #2 but they only exist on pickup trucks & large SUVs like Chevy Tahoe, Ford F-150 & RAM 1500 hybrid, which is electric-assisted clutch-plate transmissions)

1) clutch-plate automatic (Toyota, Ford, GM, FCA, etc ) - toughest towing in stock factory form
2) hybrid-electric - can be upgraded to tow heavier loads over short distances or slower speeds than clutch-plate.
3) CVT automatic (Honda CRV, Nissan, Subaru SUVs) - make 1 mistake, your tranny is unrepairable

Yeah this is gonna upset some people but it is what it is.

The CVT automatic is lighter than the other 2, cheaper to make, & is capable of infinite gear-ratios to theoretically set a perfect fuel efficiency ratio for engine rpm - unlike clutch-plate automatics which can only pick from 3-5 gear-ratios max.

So CVTs win the #1 clutch-plate tranny on cost, weight, fuel-efficiency -- but they are a comparative HORRIBLE design for towing or hauling anything heavy.
While clutch-plates rely on a hydraulically clamped clutch-plates & disks that are either clamped or unclamped not slipping, CVTs get all their torque from just the grip of a belt in-between 2 metal cones & the cones move in & out, in is squeezing the belt to the cones outside for a larger "gear" ratio, out is letting the belt drop to closer to the center of the cone for a smaller "gear" ratio.
So the belt is by design, slipping on the cones during "gear-changes" which is continuously as in "Continuously Variable Transmission" but only just enough to not be spinning on the same part of the cone.

CVTs can about last forever with proper fluid changes & keeping the loads & throttle use within design limits, however if you stress a CVT too much to wear the squeeze of the pulleys isn't enough to grip the belt & the belt slips & spins under load, it basically cuts grooves in the pulleys & at that point the CVT cost more in parts & labor than a new one & is scrap.
Clutch-plate automatics can typcially tow above their ratings without wearing out the clutch-plates, at slow speeds, and if you do overload a clutch-plate automatic towing to heavy a load so the clutch-plates slip, it simply reduces transmissions remaining life before a rebuild, & clutch-plates are cheap its economical to replace worn clutch-plates in a transmission rebuild .

If you overload a CVT & the belt slips & spins just once, you have wrecked your transmission, not worn out for a rebuild, wrecked. CVT's have a protection torque-sensor that hydraulically cuts power to the CVT to protect it, this may or may not work as expected so don't count on it, you can get away with a lot more overloading a clutch-plate than a CVT.

Then there's hybrid-electric, which is similar in operation to CVT trannys for infinite gear-combinations for fuel efficiency, but unlike CVTs they "couple" or connect the drive wheels to motor through non-contact electric fields instead of mechanical pulleys & belts so no pulleys to "wear out" from slipping.

Electric drives provide massive instant torque they should be amazing for towing then, the problem is that electric drive systems are much more sensitive to high heat than other systems, & while occasional quick high torque electric loads dont generate much heat, over time the heat-load increases exponentially as heat causes more resistance to pulling the current so voltage drops causing higher current draw which generates more heat exponentially which will destroy motor windings & inverter components in very short order. Any type of high torque load for more than short durations requires a massively oversized cooling system.

Side note this is why the "mild hybrid" or hybrid-assist of using an electric generator-motor to assist a clutch-plate transmission is currently the most common hybrid-electric towing system

 

This one has me a bit stuck. Wife and I want to replace our current Rav4 (2012) and think we want to go Hybrid for the fuel savings. Options we are down to are the Rav4 and the CRV hybrid on both is primary. Wife likes the CRV better for driving and comfort, she is primary driver of this vehicle. The hang up is that the CRV hybrid towing capacity is only 1000lbs vs the Rav4 is 1750. My towing needs are few and far between but need the ability. Tow a simple 4ft x 8ft trailer, runs to the hardware store for lumber and once in great while get a load of landscape supplies, soil or mulch. Do you think exceeding 1000lbs for a 20 minute drive 1-2 times per year is going to greatly negatively impact the life of the CRV Hybrid? Would the CRV non-hybrid be better with it's 1500lb towing?

Thanks

 

This one has me a bit stuck. Wife and I want to replace our current Rav4 (2012) and think we want to go Hybrid for the fuel savings. Options we are down to are the Rav4 and the CRV hybrid on both is primary. Wife likes the CRV better for driving and comfort, she is primary driver of this vehicle. The hang up is that the CRV hybrid towing capacity is only 1000lbs vs the Rav4 is 1750. My towing needs are few and far between but need the ability. Tow a simple 4ft x 8ft trailer, runs to the hardware store for lumber and once in great while get a load of landscape supplies, soil or mulch. Do you think exceeding 1000lbs for a 20 minute drive 1-2 times per year is going to greatly negatively impact the life of the CRV Hybrid? Would the CRV non-hybrid be better with it's 1500lb towing?

Thanks

The hybrid weighs about 350 lbs more than the conventional; there's the likely reason for the reduced tow capacity.