This option includes the required electrical connections and they have taken the trouble to submit their product to compliance testing and may appear more expensive than others.
To address the issue, some European companies have created and tested a towing option which they claim has been tested to EC Council Directive 94/20 / EC, the required legislation, and offer an individual certificate from TÜV Süd as part of the purchase. We do not support illegal use of Teslas and owners should satisfy themselves on the local requirements. Some regions take a more liberal view and people tow with their model S, and some owners ignore the legalities and take the risk. Towing with a tow hook/tow hitchĪs towing was not type approved by Tesla for the Model S, in general towing is not regarded as an option.
Some of the cheaper options do not offer electrics and any driver using them needs to satisfy themselves of the requirements regarding the rear lighting. This is obviously important as any bike rack and bikes can obscure the cars lighting which would be dangerous if not illegal. One important consideration with respect to the tow hook is the need for an electrical connector which enables external lighting to be controlled like the rear lights of the car. There are numerous manufacturers that offer these solutions including Rameder in Europe and Torklift Central in the US. Carrying a bike rack using a tow hook is an increasingly common activity and the tow hook is no more than a suitable mounting point for the rack in much the same way as roof boxes can be fitted to cars for extra storage.