Watch a Tesla Model X pull a 95,000-lb semi truck in the snow

Even with a mere 5,000-lb rated capacity, the Tesla Model X is already the passenger electric vehicle with the highest towing capacity currently available on the market.

But some owners have been testing it with much bigger loads and we now might have a new record, a 95,000-lb semi truck.

Last month, a truck was stuck on a snowy road in Raleigh, North Carolina.

A Model X driver showed up and helped the truck by pulling it up the road. It was captured in an impressive video. But the Model X wasn’t entirely pulling the truck on its own and it led Norwegian Model X owner Bjorn Nyland to try a more precise test.

He wrote:

“I know that this is not the first time a Model X pulls a semi. But in that other video, it was done with the help of the semi as well. 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.”

Apparently, it is possible – though it is not recommended to pull more than the rated capacity.

But Bjorn already performed several other Model X towing stunts so what’s one more?

He brought his 2,600 kg (5,700 lbs) Model X on Nereus NS806 studless tires to NAF’s testing grounds in Valerbanen, Norway to pull a 43,000 kg (95,000 lbs) semi truck, which is used for testing, in neutral gear.

Here’s the result:

Electrek’s Take

It’s all about traction and torque. Good winter tires go a long way and the Model X’s 9,500 Nm of wheel torque doesn’t hurt either.

Tesla’s dual motor all-wheel-drive system also enables optimal traction by applying torque to the front and rear wheels independently.

It’s something much easier to do with an all-electric powertrain, which is another reason why electric propulsion is rapidly spreading into performance vehicle segments.