this post was submitted on 05 May 2026
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not even considering all the techy computery things that can go wrong, the little towing dongle needs its own whole drivetrain, with an engine more powerful than the car, so that it can keep up while hauling a load, better brakes so it can stop quicker than the car while hauling a load, and automated steering system. it's like buying, and paying for gas for, a whole second car that's better than the car you already have, but without seats
I saw this picture many years ago already, so I don't think that's happening anymore...
It seems to me that the use-case for this technique is freight hauling, where a series of trailers follow a single, human-driven truck, thereby skirting the law and reducing payroll. And, once again, the techbros have re-invented trains, but worse.
This is an idea similar to driverless / autonomous vehicles. Great on paper, but nigh impossible in the real world.
Imagine if you will a road train of several dozen trailers and a lead driver: what happens if wildlife jumps in between the lead driver and the rest of the convoy? Or if the lead vehicle has to make an emergency correction? Or if other traffic merges into the convoy? Or one of the trailers crashes?
There are so many ways this can go wrong and only one perfect scenario in which i all "just works".
While that was my first thought, it might actually be useful in the "I rarely tow anything" category.. like a Uhaul rental. So you don't need to actually OWN the towing dongle. Or a car with that much power. You just rent it when you need it.
Which honestly would be nice... we've got too many people who own massive gas guzzlers just for that one or two times a year they need to use it for its intended purpose.
Nah, that's only the justification they use. Actually, they own massive gas guzzlers because it helps with their personal insecurity and makes them feel more manly.
It also needs enough ballast for the whole thing not to become unstable, which also lowers efficiency if it's not itself carrying passengers or cargo.
I imagine people would rent these, not buy them. And it would mean you didn't need a car rated to tow whatever trailer you have.
All for what, less wear on your main vehicle
Absurd