Tesla, Rivian, Lightning, Ioniq, Bolt: every electric vehicle we move rides on a flatbed with all four wheels off the pavement, because that is what the manufacturers require. Dead 12V, out of charge, collision, software lockout, we handle it around the clock.
Call (740) 812-9489Most people learn this on the shoulder of I-270: an electric car has no real neutral. The motors sit right on the driven axles, so if a wheel turns, the motor turns with it and starts acting like a generator, pushing current back into a drive system that is not awake to handle it. Tesla's owner's manual puts it bluntly: never tow the car with the tires contacting the ground, even for short distances. Ford says the same about the F-150 Lightning, Rivian says flatbed only, and GM says a Bolt towed on its wheels can damage the drivetrain and void the warranty.
That is why we do not send a wheel-lift to an EV call. We send a flatbed carrier with a hydraulic tilt bed, a winch, and soft wheel-net straps that hold the car by the tires instead of the frame. If your car will not roll, we bring skates and dollies so it can be pulled onto the bed without a driven wheel ever spinning under load. We strap through the wheels, never around suspension arms or the battery tray, and we keep the car level on the deck the whole ride.
Most of our EV calls in Columbus are not crashes. They are a dead 12V battery that has locked the doors, a car that ran out of charge two miles short of the Polaris Supercharger, or a software glitch that will not let the car shift. We carry jump packs to wake the low-voltage system so the car can be put in transport mode and winched properly, and we know the trick for opening a Tesla frunk with no power. Then we take it where you want: Tesla's service center at Easton, a partner shop, your home charger, or the nearest charging station.
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Yes. Model 3, Model Y, Model S, Model X and Cybertruck all go on a flatbed with all four wheels off the ground, which is exactly what Tesla's owner's manual calls for. If the car has power, you or the driver puts it in transport mode from Controls, then Service, then Towing on the screen. If it has no power, we jump the low-voltage battery first. We tow to the Tesla Service Center at 4099 Easton Loop West, Tesla Collision in Dublin, or wherever you prefer.
It can if it is done wrong. EVs do not have a transmission that disconnects the motor from the wheels, so towing with any driven wheel on the ground spins the motor and generates current the system is not ready for. Tesla's manual warns this can cause significant damage and overheating that the warranty does not cover, and Ford, Rivian and GM say the same about the Lightning, R1T/R1S and Bolt. Done on a flatbed with wheel straps, towing is no harder on an EV than on any other car.
This is our most common Tesla call. Tesla's manual describes a small cover over the tow eye in the front bumper; behind it are two leads. Putting a 12V jump pack on those leads pops the frunk. From there the low-voltage battery, either a lead-acid 12V or the newer lithium-ion pack, can be jumped at the posts under the hood. Tesla's manual says to keep the power supply connected only briefly on the lithium-ion type, and never use the Tesla itself to jump another car. Once the screen wakes up, the car can be put in transport mode and loaded.
Yes. Depending on where you are, the closest options are usually the Polaris Supercharger at Polaris Towne Center on Polaris Parkway, the Dublin Supercharger at the Meijer on Sawmill Road, the one at the Greater Columbus Convention Center downtown, or the Meijer on Hilliard Rome Road. If home is closer and you have a wall charger, we can just drop the car in your driveway. A car at zero percent can still enter transport mode as long as the 12V system is alive, and we jump it if it is not.
Yes. Rivian's tow operator guide says R1T and R1S go on a flatbed only, never behind another vehicle or with two wheels down, and get pulled onto the bed at 5 mph or less. Ford says the Lightning is four-wheel drive and needs every wheel off the ground or it may generate electricity and damage itself. GM says a Bolt towed on its wheels risks drivetrain damage not covered by warranty. Hyundai allows a dolly setup on the Ioniq 5, but we put it on the flatbed anyway; it is simpler and safer. Note that a Rivian or Lightning is a heavy vehicle and the large-vehicle rate applies.
The same published rate card as any other tow: an en-route fee, a hook-up fee and a per-loaded-mile rate, with surcharges only when they apply (highway pickup, after-hours, weekends, large vehicles such as a Lightning or an R1T). A 12V jump on its own is a flat roadside rate plus the en-route fee. The current numbers are in the Pricing block on this page, and the quote builder at /quote gives you an exact total before you book. There is no EV upcharge, because the flatbed is the truck we send anyway.
Wherever you say. The common destinations are the Tesla Service Center at 4099 Easton Loop West in Columbus, Tesla Collision Center on Britton Parkway in Dublin, a franchise dealer for Ford, Hyundai, Chevy or Rivian, one of our independent partner shops, or your own garage so you can charge at home. Tell dispatch the address when you call and we will confirm the mileage before we roll.
EV and Tesla towing in Columbus, Ohio means one thing: a flatbed with all four wheels off the ground. Whether the car died in a Short North street spot, on the I-270 outerbelt near Dublin, in an OSU campus garage or at Easton Town Center, we load it the way Tesla, Rivian, Ford and GM say to load it. We bring a jump pack for a dead 12V battery, skates for a car that will not roll, and we tow to the Tesla Service Center at Easton or anywhere else in Franklin County.
Ran out of charge near Polaris or Westerville? We carry the car to the nearest Supercharger, your driveway, or a partner repair shop. Tesla's owner's manual says transport mode needs a working 12V system and is only for winching the car onto a flatbed at very low speed, so we wake the low-voltage battery first, then winch. No dragging, no wheel-lift, no driven wheel turning under load. That is the whole point of paying for a flatbed.
Our 24/7 dispatch covers Columbus, Dublin, Westerville, Worthington, Hilliard, Gahanna, Grove City, Reynoldsburg and the rest of Franklin County, plus the Delaware County side of Polaris. Pricing is published: en-route fee, hook-up fee and a per-mile rate, with an exact quote at /quote before the truck leaves. Call (740) 812-9489 and tell us the make, the model and what happened. Most Columbus-metro calls are reached in 20 to 40 minutes.
$2.50/mi en-route + $150 hook-up + $7.50 per mile
EV and Tesla flatbed towing is billed on its own rate card: $2.50 per en-route mile (yard to pickup) + $150 flatbed hook-up + $7.50 per loaded mile. Highway calls +$100; after-hours (10PM–6AM) +$150; weekend +$50; large vehicle +$100. Ohio sales tax applies.
Winch-out / off-road recovery: $150 per hour. Storage: $75 per day. A 12V jump on its own is $75 plus en-route.
Pay by cash, debit or credit card, or online by card through Stripe (3% card fee). Booking by phone adds a $35 scheduling fee that the online quote builder waives.
Build an exact quote online — it uses this same published rate card.
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Columbus Roadside Towing, a DBA of Roadside Towing and Recovery Inc.
Main office: 1620 Harrisburg Pike, Columbus, OH 43223 · (740) 812-9489 · dispatch@columbusroadsidetowing.com