An electric car that breaks down after its factory warranty has run out leaves its owner with an awkward question: who is going to fix it, and how does it get there? For Columbus drivers we have a straight answer. We are the exclusive Columbus-market towing provider for Great Lakes EV, an independent repair shop in Dayton that works only on electric vehicles, and our EV and Tesla towing crew will carry your car there with all four wheels off the ground.
Here is who the shop is, what they work on, how the trip from Columbus works, and how to see the price of the tow before you book it.
Who Great Lakes EV is
Great Lakes EV sits at 828 Hall Avenue in Dayton and serves EV owners across the Midwest. Electric cars are the whole business there, not a sideline. Its founders bring years of Tesla sales, delivery and service experience on one side and a long career in control systems and electronics on the other, and the team includes a technician who once worked as a Tesla mobile technician in Ohio. The background is laid out on our Great Lakes EV partner page.
What they repair
The shop concentrates on the parts of an EV that are hardest to get fixed once the warranty is gone: the drive units and the high-voltage battery. Its strongest experience is with the Tesla Model S and Model X, and it takes on other electric makes too. The work listed on its site includes:
- Tesla drive units: rebuilds and replacements, plus coolant retrofits for the Large Drive Unit.
- Model S and Model X batteries: maintenance and repair, including BMB failures on 2012–2015 Model S cars and Open VSH errors on 2019–2020 Long Range and Performance trims.
- Diagnostics and general EV repair for cars that are simply not behaving.
If you drive something other than a Tesla, contact Great Lakes EV with the make, model and symptoms before booking the tow, so you know they can take it on.
How the tow from Columbus works
- Start with either company. Request service from Great Lakes EV, or call our dispatch first. Whichever call you make first, the car ends up in the same place.
- We pick it up anywhere in the metro. Your driveway in Westerville, a parking lot in Hilliard, a garage downtown or the shoulder of I-270.
- It rides to Dayton on a flatbed. Every EV we move travels with all four wheels off the ground, on a flatbed or a wheel-lift with dollies. Tesla limits dolly towing to 35 miles, so a run to Dayton goes on a flatbed. Our long-distance towing page covers trips like this one.
- The shop diagnoses and quotes the repair with you. Great Lakes EV is a separate company; it performs, quotes and warrants its own work.
- We bring it home. When the shop says the car is ready, call dispatch to schedule the return trip, made the same four-wheels-up way.
A car that will not power up at all is still movable. Without power the parking lock stays engaged, so the driver loads it on dollies or skates and nothing drags. Our article on why electric cars ride on a flatbed or a wheel-lift and dollies explains the manufacturer rules behind all of this.
Do not let a failed drive unit sit
Great Lakes EV advises getting a failed Tesla drive unit to them quickly, within about a week of the failure, for the best chance of a rebuild. If your car stopped with a drive-unit fault, call as soon as you can rather than leaving it parked while you decide. If it quit somewhere awkward, such as a mall garage or a charger, our guide to an EV or Tesla that won't move at Easton covers the first steps.
See the tow price before you book
There is no special coupon here, just our published EV rate card. EV and Tesla tows are a $150 hook-up plus $7.50 per loaded mile, with en-route at $2.50 per mile from our yard and a $100 surcharge only for a highway pickup. After-hours, weekend and large-vehicle surcharges apply only when they fit the call. Put your pickup and drop-off into the EV quote builder and it shows the exact total before you book, or dispatch will quote it on the phone before the truck rolls.
Veterans get 10% off retail rates with a military or veterans ID. Dispatch or the driver applies it, so mention it on the call; the online quote does not include it. Great Lakes EV's own repair prices and turnaround times are on its services page, and they are between you and the shop.
What to have ready
- Year, make, model and trim, and any warning message the screen showed.
- Whether the screen lights up and whether the wheels roll.
- Your key card, fob or phone key, and the charging cable unplugged.
- The pickup address, plus the garage level if the car is indoors.
Response times are estimates: most metro calls are reached in 20–40 minutes. If the car stopped in a live lane, or you see smoke or hear popping or hissing from the battery, call 911 first. For everything else about how we handle electric cars, see our EV and Tesla towing service.
Frequently asked questions
Can you tow my out-of-warranty Tesla from Columbus to Great Lakes EV in Dayton?
Yes. We are the exclusive Columbus-market towing provider for Great Lakes EV. We pick the car up anywhere in the metro and carry it to their shop at 828 Hall Avenue in Dayton on a flatbed with all four wheels off the ground, because Tesla limits dolly towing to 35 miles.
What does Great Lakes EV repair?
Electric vehicles that are past the manufacturer's warranty, with the most experience on the Tesla Model S and Model X. Their site lists drive unit rebuilds and replacements, Large Drive Unit coolant retrofits, Model S and Model X battery repairs, diagnostics and general EV repair, and work on other EV makes.
How much does the tow to Dayton cost?
It is billed from our published EV rate card: a hook-up fee, a per-loaded-mile rate and en-route mileage from our yard, with surcharges only when they apply. Enter your pickup and drop-off in the EV quote builder for an exact total, or dispatch quotes it before the truck rolls.
Is Great Lakes EV part of Roadside Towing?
No. Great Lakes EV is an independent company that diagnoses, quotes and warrants its own repairs. We provide the towing to and from the shop.
Can you bring my EV home after the repair?
Yes. When Great Lakes EV says the car is ready, call our dispatch to schedule the return trip. It comes home the same way it left, with all four wheels off the ground.
Great Lakes EV and Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc are independent companies. Details about Great Lakes EV come from its own website.
Out-of-warranty EV that needs to get to Dayton? Call (740) 812-9489 any hour, or price the trip in the EV quote builder.