Tesla Model X owner, Nick Deninno, with his family of six, knows that all too well.

As an active New York-based Dad to four young children, the trunk area and folding third-row seats of Nick’s Tesla Model X gets plenty of use. But it has its limitations.

“I found quickly that once you have the 3rd-row seat up, all cargo space is all but lost. For a few years, I left one rear seat down on the third row and filled cargo next to my children that would eventually fall on them,” Nick tells Teslarati.

During the day, this Tesla owner runs a successful engineering and design firm. Putting his expertise in action, Nick devised a way to increase the storage capacity of his Tesla Model X, but without compromising battery range, rear-visibility, or parking in tighter locations, including Supercharging.

He called it X-Rack.

X-Rack Tesla Model X Cargo Carrier

Photo: Teslarati

Made in the USA and specifically for the Tesla Model X, the X-Rack incorporates the unique shape of the vehicle’s trunk deck into the cargo carrier’s overall shape. This design enables the rack to be at-the-ready without interfering with rear space when not in use.

X-Rack is manufactured out of lightweight aluminum as opposed to range-robbing steel and engineered to withstand cargo up to 500 lbs (227 kg).

Give Me Range

Teslarati testing the X-Rack on a Tesla Model X P100D in San Francisco

Weighing only 16.5 lbs for the ultra-light X-Lite Cargo Carrier and 21 lbs for the heavier-duty XHD carrier, both versions are extremely lightweight, corrosion-resistant due to the aluminum construction, and has a powder-coated finish.

The X-Rack was designed with efficiency in mind, both to maximum battery range and for ease of use. Unlike other steel racks on the market that are often bulky and cumbersome to use, Teslarati found the X-Rack to be relatively simple in use and can be installed or detached in roughly 90 seconds. Most of the time is spent loosening the bolt and pin that secures X-Rack to Model X’s receiver.

There’s also a sliding receiver tube that stores flush in the rack and enables Model X to return to its factory look when not in use.

Put it Away

X-Rack lightweight aluminum cargo carrier designed specifically for the Tesla Model X (Photo: Teslarati)

“The problem with hitch cargo carriers is that most are very large, heavy, and poor quality. But also you had to find a place to put it once you made it to your destination, or forced to drive around with it attached to the car for the entire trip.” – Nick, on why he decided to create X-Rack

The X-Lite and XHD Cargo Carrier can act as a replacement for Model X’s carpeted trunk floor cover or stow beneath it on a lower tier. The X-Rack can also tilt up and mimic the exact function as the factory trunk deck.

Photo: Teslarati

The frame of the X-Rack cargo carrier is powder-coated in either black or white, while the deck is offered in black or silver.

Along with color options, the X-Rack frame has a rear receiver port for additional attachments like a fishing rod carrier, a swing-out bike rack, and other lifestyle accessories. There are also mounting points on the frame for the relocation of the license plate bracket. Nick tells us that a snowboard carrier adapter and X-Rack’s snow accessory mounts are on the way, along with a variety of other solutions for nearly any cargo need.

As avid Tesla drivers, we’re all well aware of the perks offered by driving electric, especially when combined with Tesla’s extensive Supercharger network. Now, with the added convenience and flexibility of cargo transportation offered by X-Rack, that experience can be made even better.

Learn more about the X-Rack, including specifications and pricing.

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Bjørn’s Tesla, a dual motor Model X P90D with supercar-destroying acceleration that the YouTuber fondly calls Optimus Prime, was equipped with Nereus NS806 studless tires, allowing the car to grip slippery, icy roads. As noted by the Tesla enthusiast in his latest video, the semi-trailer in the video weighed 95,000 pounds and was placed in Neutral gear at the time he performed the seemingly David and Goliath feat.

As could be seen in Bjørn’s latest upload, his 5,700 lb Model X P90D with Ludicrous mode successfully towed the massive semi-trailer using its unparalleled, all-wheel drive traction control system across the snowy landscape.

While Bjørn’s latest video with his trusty Optimus Prime is incredibly impressive to watch, several factors aided in the Tesla enthusiast’s feat, including physics. The Model X’s all-electric drivetrain produces full torque at 0 RPMs, allowing it to slowly but surely budge the semi truck from a resting position. Combined with tires that are specifically designed to provide traction in snowy conditions, the Model X was able to continue towing the truck once it gained enough rolling momentum.

As noted by the Tesla YouTuber in his video, however, his Model X’s feat is not the first time the electric SUV managed to pull a semi-trailer on a snowy road. Last month, Kyle Conner, a Tesla enthusiast, managed to capture a Model X pulling a semi-trailer up a snowy slope in Raleigh, NC. In that particular feat, the Model X did not appear to be equipped with winter tires, and the truck was moving forward, as note in Bjørn’s video description.

“In that other video, it was done with the help of the semi, and the Model X had poor all-season tires not fit for snow and ice. I wanted to see if it was possible to pull a semi-trailer despite having slippery surface like ice and snow,” the Tesla YouTuber wrote. 

Bjørn Nyland’s unique demonstrations of Tesla’s all-electric prowess has made him particularly popular and respected in the online community. As we covered in a previous report, the Norway-based YouTuber has taken his electric SUV on a winter off-roading adventure and even engaged in a classic tug-of-war battle with a Hummer H2. 

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On the surface level, specifications for the technology-laden Tesla stacks up relatively well against the more than decade-old Hummer. Both vehicles have all-wheel drive and equipped with studded winter tires, and both weigh over two tons, although the Hummer at 7,050 lbs (3,200 kg) is 23% heavier than Model X’s 5,730 lbs (2,600 kg) weight.

Nyland conducts a series of tug of war tests on wet tarmac and wet steel. Despite the Model X having nearly twice as much horsepower than the Hummer, and arguably a more sophisticated traction control system that regulates power to a pair of independently operated electric motors, the Tesla is no match for the GM-built American classic.

However, a test of this nature has more to do with traction than just the sheer power of the vehicle. The heavier Hummer appears to have a solid grip on the slick testing ground, thus seen dragging the Model X across the surface in most of the tests. But one can see the tide turn when the Hummer with larger and knobbier tires loses its grip on the wet steel surface.

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The accessory hitch was previously recommended on the Model X configurator as an option for carrying lighter weight items such as bikes and sporting equipment. A snapshot of the design configurator from earlier in the year shows the 1.25″ hitch accessory described as a means to carry “bikes, skis, snowboards, and more”.

Though the use of a 1.25″ accessory hitch can be used for carrying smaller items, our previous review of a swing-out bike rack installed onto a Model X with the optional tow package had us doubting the usefulness of a smaller hitch accessory. The sheer weight of a bike rack made from sturdy steel construction combined with the weight of up to four bikes would seem better fit for 2″ hitch receivers. From a practicality standpoint, we’re not surprised Tesla decided to remove the 1.25″ hitch accessory.

Review of Yakima’s FullSwing bike rack

The latest round of removals from Tesla’s online Design Studio is a signal that the company looks to streamline production of vehicles at its Fremont, California factory. By minimizing the number of options available for a vehicle, the company has fewer external vendors to source products from and thus reduce its risk of having production bottlenecks. The factory will also be able to maintain a more efficient production line if Model S, Model X and future vehicles are able to share components across fleets. Case in point is the latest Model S which is outfitted with a center console and newer generation seats carried over from the Model X.

Hat tip to Teslarati reader Ari Jay Comet

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Our search revealed that Tesla’s Model X Hitch Rack was in fact just a Yakima FullTilt Bike Rack except with a $130 mark up due to the Tesla logo. We love Tesla but not enough to justify paying 33% more to have their branding. But one thing we did decide on is to stick with the same manufacturer and select Yakima over Thule. Okay, cool. Let’s get the bike rack. But wait a minute. How does one actually Supercharge with bikes in tow especially if the stall requires one to reverse into?

Flashbacks of the infamous red Model X taking up three Supercharger stalls immediately ran through our minds. Don’t be that guy. Also, with cooler, camping gear and equipment packed into the trunk, and bikes mounted, how does one actually open the rear hatch without having to off load all of the bikes? In short, you can’t. Unless the Model X bike rack was a swing away type.

Tesla Model X Supercharging at trailer-friendly Mammoth Lakes, CA

Tesla Model X Yakima FullSwing Bike Rack

Figuring out that we needed a bike rack that would allow us to easily Supercharge but also open the rear hatch, we decided on getting the Yakima FullSwing Bike Hitch Rack which was not only cheaper by nearly $100 under Tesla’s branded Yakima Model X bike rack, had all of the same features – scuff free zip straps, anti-sway cradle, and their SpeedKnob, which we’ll describe later –  but also had the added convenience of being a swing away type rack.

Installation

Installing the bike rack was no more difficult than installing anything into a hitch receiver. If your Model X has the tow package and you haven’t installed the hitch receiver yet, you may want to follow our guide on how to install the Tesla Model X hitch receiver first to understand how the assembly works.

Tesla Model X bike rack using Yakima’s FullSwing assembly.

The FullSwing bike rack slides right into Tesla’s 2″ hitch receiver and then clicks into place. Once in place, use what Yakima refers to as their Tool-Free SpeedKnob to fully secure the rack to the receiver by turning the big red knob clockwise until it’s fairly tight. What this feature does is eliminates any jiggle between the bike rack assembly and the receiver. In essence, it’s a feature that will allow you to enjoy the silence of your Tesla and spare you from losing your mind if you were to hear a persistent rattle, clank and squeak over hundreds, if not thousands, of miles while traveling with bike in tow.

How does it work?

Swinging the bike away from the vehicle can be achieved without using any tools whatsoever and can be done in approximately 30 seconds. The first step is to loosen a large lever behind the main assembly that secures the swing out arm to the rack itself. Loosen it counter clockwise until it is no longer threaded into the assembly. There’s no concern of over-loosening as the lever will dangle without falling off of the assembly.

Once the lever is unsecured, pull the red pin on top to dislodge the swing out arm from the main assembly. At this point, the entire bike rack will swing away from the vehicle. It’s worth noting that there’s two hinges and a red pin that’s used to secure the second outward hinge so that the bikes are perpendicular to the swing out arm. This pin ensures that the rack with bikes will not over-swing and slam into the side of the vehicle. This is especially useful when parking against a slope and the bikes have a natural tendency due to gravity to swing open.

Parking against a slope with the Yakima FullSwing rack.

Here are a few additional photos we captured showing the convenience of having a swing away type bike rack: one while on our camping excursion, and the other captured while installing the rear camera from our Model X BlackVue dash cam set.

Supercharging

Ironically, we purchased the bike rack not only for the added convenience of being able to open the rear hatch with bikes in tow, but because of concern over Supercharging. Rather, not being able to back into a Supercharger without coming into contact with the chargers themselves.

It turns out that Supercharger cables are just long enough to allow one to plug-in with bikes in tow and charge without putting too much tension on the cord itself. Though the extended bike rack protrudes from the vehicle, there’s still enough room between the end of the bike rack and the Supercharger to allow for backing in.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a bike rack for the Tesla Model X or Model S and want the added convenience of being able to retrieve items from the trunk with bikes mounted, then we’d recommend using any swing away type bike rack. We happened to pick the Yakima FullSwing 4 bike carrier simply because Tesla decided to use Yakima for their own branded rack, and we’re glad we did.

The FullSwing rack is not only $100 cheaper than Tesla’s rack but provides more usability. That’s a win-win if you ask us.

(Model S owners that might be interested in installing this same rack, be sure to check out our review of the Model S hitch rack assembly first)

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A plastic cover plate beneath the Model X rear diffuser prevents dirt and debris from entering the receptacle for the detachable hitch receiver.

Tesla also includes a bag of accessories that comes as part of the tow package including the detachable 2″ hitch receiver itself and a wiring harness for trailers equipped with its own electronic brakes.

Unless you’ve worked with a hitch adapter or hitch with ball mount before, installing Tesla’s lockable hitch could come off a bit daunting of a task. This is largely due to the spring loaded lock-dial found on the detachable hitch that allows owners to secure the hitch to the vehicle using a key.

Installing the hitch receiver requires that you first unlock the locking assembly using the provided key. Lift the white flap, insert the red key and turn it counter-clockwise. The next step requires that you pull the round spring loaded lock-dial outward before rotating it clockwise until the assembly locks into place. At that point the hitch receiver is ready to be installed.

Remove the plastic cover beneath the rear diffuser and insert the unlocked hitch receiver directly into the hitch receptacle. Firmly push upwards until the round lock-dial with key rotates counter clockwise and snaps itself back into place. The hitch receiver is secured to the vehicle at this point and ready to be used with any rack or trailer that’s compatible with a 2″ hitch.

Here’s an example of Yakima’s FullSwing premium bike rack installed onto our Model X. It’s worth noting that we looked at several bike racks that would allow us to easily open the rear hatch without having to remove the bike, but also allow us to Supercharge (don’t be this guy) and found this one to do the job quite well. It’s certainly not the cheapest but that’s also reflected in the build quality and the unique swing-out design. Read our in-depth review of Yakima’s FullSwing bike rack for the Tesla Model X and see why we decided to choose a swing away type rack over Tesla’s own hitch rack.

Tesla Model X with Yakima FullSwing bike rack attached to factory 2″ hitch receiver

Video on how to install the Tesla Model X 2″ hitch receiver

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With a full charge at the beginning of the trip, Kennedy observes the amount of energy consumption by comparing the Tesla’s Instant Range reading with the change in speed and surface street elevation. The Model X  consumed an average of 575 watt-hours per mile while traveling at 55 mph in steady state cruising on level roads. Not surprisingly, the amount of energy used drastically increased when the 5,441 lb. Model X plus the additional 4,850 lb. boat and trailer combination was faced with an incline and a slight increase in speed, to the tune of 800 – 900 Wh/mi.

At that rate of energy consumption, the range impact when towing could be cut by 60% or more.

Model X consumed 922 Wh/mi at 60mph (5 mi avg) while towing a 4,850 up a slight incline [Source: Max Kennedy via YouTube]

Reaction to the video on Reddit was immediate. TheSpocker posted, “That’s a huge hit on range. Yikes. I mean, we all knew it would be this way. Aerodynamics are a huge part of Tesla design and that boat wasn’t designed with those concerns. It’s just unfortunate that towing hurts range so much. I hope that most owners of the X can still make it between superchargers while towing on their long-haul routes.”

He continued, “I love Tesla’s. I love electric cars. We still need to recognize that the range when towing on an electric is almost laughable. That’s not a big problem for most people who don’t tow, but it has to be overcome for electric vehicles to directly compete with ICE vehicles.”

The question then becomes, Can the Tesla Model X really compete with conventional trucks or SUVs as a tow vehicle? The answer really depends on a number of factors. If there is no charger available where you are going, your destination may need to be within 50 miles of home or a roundtrip of 100 miles from the originating charging facility. “The problem is it’s more or less irrelevant with an ICE. A truck might have half the range, but it takes a whole two minutes to fill up and keep going.”, writes another user.

In other words, if you are towing a heavy payload up into the mountains or in areas where there’s prolonged inclines (ie. Flagstaff, AZ to Moab, UT), the Model X may not have the range to get you there unless the distance between Supercharger stations are shortened. Some people will have no problem with frequent charging along the way, but for some, towing using an internal combustion engine might still be king.

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Autoblog has posted a short video of a Tesla Model X seen towing an enclosed trailer at the Fremont factory test track.

The Model X is rated at 5,000 lbs of towing capacity when paired with a Class III trailer hitch and the optional $750 tow package. There is one caveat, however. The rated towing capacity drops to 3,500 pounds if the owner specifies the optional 22″ wheels. That information came to light only after a customer configured his Model X with the optional wheels and received this notification from the company:

[Source: Tesla Motors Model X Design Studio]

With so few cars actually delivered to date, there are no reports from owners about what towing a trailer with the Model X is really like. We have seen a video of a Model X towing a trailer similar to the one seen here, uphill away from a traffic light with apparent ease. The available torque from its electric motors should make it ideal for light to medium duty towing. However, no real world braking information while towing a fully loaded trailer is available.

The Model X 90D is rated at 257 miles while the 70D is listed within the Model X configurator as having 220 miles of range. But no one knows at the moment what impact towing will have on available range.

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DON’T MISS: Live coverage of #ModelX launch event in Fremont, CA

Earlier this year we were first to report that the Model X was caught towing a cargo trailer on a California freeway, demonstrating to many that Tesla’s upcoming SUV could be a serious competitor to its gasoline-powered counterparts. Now two months later, the Model X has been spied towing out in public once again, but this time it’s caught on video, and we’re given a glimpse of just how powerful a battery electric SUV can be with cargo in tow.

The video is remarkable in the sense that it’s the first sighting of the Model X towing a tandem axle trailer while accelerating from a complete standstill. The battery electric SUV appears to be towing a 7×12′ cargo trailer – typically weighing in at 2,000 pounds – seemingly effortlessly while traveling uphill.

As impressive as this is, the major unknown is what type of impact towing will have on the EPA rated range of 257 miles.

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The Tesla Model X can now be ordered with an optional accessory hitch. The 1.25″ receiver accepts any of the popular accessory racks on the market for carrying skis, snowboards, and bicycles. When not in use, a “streamlined diffuser plate” seamlessly integrates into the rear bumper. The 2″ tow package rated at 5,000 lbs is still available.

At issue are the “falcon wing” rear doors that are unique to the Model X. While they are designed to make access to the second and third row seats easily accessible, they also make it impossible to mount a traditional roof rack to the car. The trailer hitch solution may be fine for skis, snowboards and bikes, but it offers no solace for those who want to bring kayaks or a paddle board along on vacation.

Only once the Model X gets delivered to actual customers will we know how much of a blessing or how much of a curse those falcon wing doors might be. For now, they are the one feature of the car that has generated the most buzz and made it the most enthusiastically awaited SUVs to hit market.

Since the Model X and the Model S are built on the same chassis, one wonders whether the 1.25″ receiver couldn’t be offered on the Model S as well, for those who don’t want to carry their skis, boards or bikes inside the car?

In other Model X news, the official Design Studio page now lists the range for the P90D as 250 miles. Previously, that number was listed as 240 miles. The company made the change without any official announcement and has offered no explanation for the amendment. Once again, only real world experience will answer some of the questions many still have about how the Model X will perform in the hands of real drivers on real roads. The first cars will be delivered on September 29.

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