Do Tow Vehicles Charge RV Lithium Batteries Completely?

It's everyone’s worst nightmare, getting stuck on the side of the road and having to call a tow truck. There are so many questions involved with the situation, you don’t know how much it will cost, how long it will take, or how far the charge from the tow truck will take you. The issue we are going to focus on in this article: do they charge an RV lithium battery fully? This is a big question and concern for many people because the charge on your RV is important for everything.

There are many components to the answer to this question. This article will go through some of the reasons why you will rarely receive a full charge from a tow truck when you call one.

Size Matters

As funny as that headline is, size truly is a component that matters when factoring in how much of a charge your RV will get from a tow truck. The larger your vehicle is the harder it is going to be on the tow truck to charge the vehicle. So yes, theoretically there is the ability within tow vehicles to fully charge an RV but the size of one of them is a hindering feature that can impact that ability. 

A great remedy to look into is keeping a battery charger in your vehicle. While they are expensive, they can help take the load off of the tow vehicle giving you a better chance to have a fuller battery.

Time Required

Another hindering factor is the length of time required to fully charge an RV lithium battery. This is an extremely lengthy process and can take a minimum of 10 hours to reach a full charge. That length of time also increases with how big and power-demanding the vehicle is. Unlike a car, often you have a lot more resources that demand power from the RV battery which causes strain and the battery to charge slower.

Since the time required is so high many tow companies are not willing to wait the whole time and it will cost more. The longer the time required the more money you are looking into spending on this tow truck.

Costs

Everything in our world costs money, there is no denying that. Tow trucks are one expensive rescue option on the road. This cost increases the longer you need the tow truck to stay. So, if you are looking at this tow truck staying for 10 hours to fully charge the battery, the bill will likely be larger to foot than you can afford. The cost of a tow truck is something that factors into the lack of times lithium RV batteries get fully charged. The cost is one key reason why you should not rely on a tow truck to charge your battery, but they can come in handy in a pinch.

Capacity and Ability of a Tow Truck

Alright now I’m sure everyone’s thinking it, you don’t want two dead vehicles. If you try to overpower the tow truck and charge it beyond its capacity, you could end up with a boatload of problems. You could end up with a partially charged RV and a dead tow truck, two dead vehicles, or even worse you could fry one of the batteries or both. These issues could cause more expenses like replacing a battery or paying a bigger tow truck fee. 

Although everyone wants to get their vehicle fully charged even if the other issues were passed by the consideration must be made that the tow truck might not be fully able to charge your vehicle without dying. 

Well, What Can I Do?

There are a couple of different things you can do to keep yourself from having to worry about having to consider all these issues and different towing companies.

The first and best thing to do would be to make sure your vehicle is fully charged before heading out on your trip. Making sure your vehicle is fully charged before going out will save you from any issues on the road and gives you the chance to check the battery and make sure nothing will go wrong on your trip. 

Another thing you can do is look into getting roadside assistance insurance for your vehicle. While sometimes these can feel pointless to buy and subscribe to they are often worth it. When you have this, you can often pay lower fees on towing facilities and receive help 24/7. These insurance groups also have many other perks you can use when you are in a pinch on the side of the road. The main decision you need to make is which one is best for you and your vehicle. 

Conclusions

Towing is a complex thing. As much as the movies and shows make it look like an easy and simple thing there are so many factors involved with the whole event. What is key is understanding that you might not always get a full charge when you call a tow truck so make sure you have a backup plan. Some good examples are making sure your battery is fully charged, having a battery charger, and or having emergency roadside assistance. All of these can save you an expensive tow truck call and a half-charged battery on the road. 

Overall, there is nothing to fear in calling a tow truck but make sure that you are prepared to have to stop shortly after and possibly make alternate arrangements than you had planned. But realistically you can still make sure you are having a great time so safe travels!