Tesla Model X Breaks Electric Tow Record After Pulling Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Publicity stunts can make or break a company’s reputation, especially if they are done on a whim and with no plan whatsoever. But when Elon Musk wanted to make a public statement, he asked an airline to borrow one of their airplanes. And that was one publicity stunt.Show more

The Tesla Model X is already rated as the passenger electric vehicle with the highest towing capacity currently available on the market, with a mere 5000-pounds capacity. Just a few short months ago one Tesla Model X driver showed up at just the right time to help a truck driver stuck in snow and towed him out.

Now, the Model X P100D can be seen towing a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner at Melbourne Airport in Australia across a remote taxiway for a total of two minutes. The electric SUV drags the 287,000 lb aircraft about 1,000 feet down the taxiway, which was enough for a new Guinness World Record for heaviest tow by electric production passenger vehicle. With its tanks full, the Dreamliner can weight up to 560,000 lbs with fuel, is more than triple the Model X's recommended tow limit of about 5,500 lbs.

The Dreamliner was supplied by Qantas, an Australian airline company. According to their spokesperson, this latest stunt was part of a motion to “highlight its sustainability efforts, adding that it uses electric aircraft tugs at airports in Sydney and Canberra to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Credit to 'Qantas'.