An electric car should never be towed with a tire rolling on pavement. The motor is geared straight to the axle, so a spinning wheel spins the motor and turns it into a generator whether the car is awake or not. That is why every EV we move in Columbus rides on a flatbed, or, when a flatbed cannot reach it, on a wheel-lift with dollies so all four tires are up.
Why wheels on the ground is the problem
A gas car has a transmission with a true neutral. An EV does not. The motor is bolted to a single reduction gear that is always meshed with the wheels, and the "N" on the screen only tells the inverter to stop commanding torque. When a tire rolls, the rotor rolls with it, and a spinning motor makes current. While driving, that is regenerative braking and the inverter manages it. Dragged down I-270 with the car asleep or the 12V dead, nothing manages it, and the drive unit and electronics take the heat.
Tesla's Model 3 owner's manual says "The rear motor in Model 3 generates power when the wheels spin" and warns, in capitals, "NEVER TRANSPORT YOUR VEHICLE WITH THE TIRES IN A POSITION WHERE THEY CAN SPIN." Rivian's tow operator guide calls it a fire hazard and says the damage is not covered under warranty. Which axle has the motor does not matter: all four wheels up.
Flatbed: how the load actually happens
The bed tilts and slides back until it forms a ramp. The driver threads the car's tow eye into the bumper socket; Rivian uses a nylon bridle through the lower control arms instead.
With Transport Mode on so the parking brake stays released, the winch walks it up the ramp. Slow on purpose: Tesla allows the tires to turn "under 3 mph or 5 km/h" for "less than 30 feet or 10 meters"; Rivian says "Pull at 5 mph (8 km/h) or less."
On the deck, the car is strapped through the tires with an eight-point tie-down, never over body panels. Nothing goes under the battery. Tesla's jacking section says "DO NOT position the lift arm pads under the Battery or side rails," and Rivian's guide says the same about its underbody panels and battery.
Wheel-lift and dollies: the approved backup and its limits
A wheel-lift truck slides a boom under one axle, closes its cradle arms around the front tires and lifts that end. The driver then adds a dolly set: two small two-wheeled carriages that go under the rear tires and ratchet tight. The rear tires ride on the dollies, and no tire on the car touches pavement.
Tesla allows this with a limit: "wheel lifts and dollies must be used to ensure that all four wheels are off of the ground. This method may only be used for a maximum of 35 miles (55 km), and must not exceed the manufacturer speed rating of the dollies." Tesla recommends the car face forward, fronts lifted, rears on dollies. Ford's 2023 Lightning and Mach-E manuals agree: lift from the front, rear wheels on a tow dolly.
When does dispatch pick it? Clearance and room. A flatbed is taller and longer than a wrecker and needs a straight run to lay its ramp. A Model Y in a Short North alley or a Rivian in an OSU campus garage: the wheel-lift gets in, brings the car to the street, and often the flatbed is waiting at the curb. For a Rivian, the dollies are a loading tool only.
Both trucks use the same published rate card; check a price at columbusroadsidetowing.com/quote.
What the manuals say, brand by brand
- Tesla Model 3, Y, S, X, Cybertruck. Flatbed is "the recommended method"; wheel lifts and dollies are allowed with the 35 mile cap above. Transport Mode is under Controls > Service > Towing and needs 12V power and a detected key; if the car "loses 12V power after Transport Mode is enabled, Transport Mode will cancel and the parking brake will be reapplied." Numbers vary by model year, so read yours.
- Rivian R1T and R1S. The June 2024 Tow Operator Guide: flatbed only, never with two wheels down. Park brake release is under Settings > Vehicle > Service. If the pack is dead, the driver lifts the rear wheels "using skates, a dolly, or a tow truck wheel lift" just to load.
- Ford F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E. The 2023 manuals: "We recommend the use of a wheel lift and dollies or flatbed equipment," and AWD versions "require that all wheels be off the ground." Ford's Emergency Tow setting permits flat-towing only when no dollies or trailer exist (35 mph, 50 miles); our trucks carry dollies, so we do not use it.
- Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV. The 2017 manual: "Use only a flatbed tow truck for towing a disabled vehicle." Later GM guidance adds that "A wheel lift truck, along with properly rated tow dollies, can be used if a flatbed carrier is not available" because drive wheels on the ground "will generate unwanted energy." Equinox EV owners should check their own manual.
- Hyundai Ioniq 5 and 6, Kia EV6. Hyundai's 2026 Ioniq 5 manual: "AWD vehicles must be towed with a wheel lift and dollies or flatbed with all the wheels off the ground." We treat the Ioniq 6, the EV6 and two-wheel-drive versions the same way.
What to do while you wait
Get safe first. On the I-270 or I-71 shoulder that means behind the barrier. Most Columbus-metro calls are reached in 20 to 40 minutes.
If the screen turns on, leave the car in Park and keep your phone key or card with it. Do not enable Transport Mode until the driver is hooked up; the car is free-rolling once the button turns blue. If the screen is dark, the 12V is probably flat: no Transport Mode, and the parking brake stays on. Tell the dispatcher. The driver can wake it with a 12V jump pack, or load it with tire skates or self-loading dollies, as Tesla's manual directs.
Know your destination. For Teslas that is usually the Service Center at 4099 Easton Loop West; for a dead pack, the Polaris or Sawmill Road Superchargers may be closer.
- Tell the dispatcher: make, model, year.
- Drive type: rear-drive, front-drive, or dual motor / AWD.
- Screen status: does it wake, or is the 12V dead?
- Where it sits: street, driveway or garage, and which way it faces.
- Garage clearance: door height, ramps, tight turns.
- Destination: service center, charger or home.
- Collision? Say so; Tesla's manual says to assume high-voltage parts are energized.
Quick answers
Can a Tesla be towed with a wheel lift?
Yes, if the other axle is on dollies so all four wheels are off the ground. Tesla caps that method at 35 miles and the dolly maker's speed rating. A flatbed is still the first choice.
Does towing hurt an EV battery?
A proper tow does not. The risk is wheels spinning the motor with nothing managing the current. Tires up, pack fine.
Can you push an EV?
A few feet, slowly, to reposition it. Tesla's Transport Mode allows walking speed for under 30 feet; Hyundai says 33 feet at 3 mph or less. Not down the block.
What if the 12V is dead?
The screen will not wake, Transport Mode is unavailable, and the parking brake stays applied. The driver jumps the 12V or loads with tire skates or self-loading dollies. It takes a few more minutes.
From the shoulder, call (740) 812-9489 or tap SOS and we will send the right truck. More on EV and Tesla towing and flatbed towing; if it is only a dead 12V, a jump start may be all you need. Prices are at /quote.