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CIRCE report: Benefits of towbar mounted luggage carriers
- 04 Mar, 2025
- Home
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), the number of electric, battery-powered vehicles driving on European roads is expected to approach 30% by 2025, with this number set to more than double and exceed the 70% quota by 2030.
Spanish manufacturer Enganches Aragón (Towbox) commissioned a study by the Research Centre for Energy Resources and Consumption (CIRCE) to analyse the impact on the consumption of combustion and electric, battery-powered vehicles when driving with a roof box and a rear, luggage box mounted on a towbar. The results of the analysis are quite astonishing.
For SUVs with a roof box, the analyzed data shows an increase in aerodynamic drag of 31.83%, while for the same vehicles with a Towbox rear luggage box, this value is 8.11%.
These differences in measured values are even more pronounced in Sedan vehicles, where driving with a roof box increases aerodynamic drag by 35% compared to a negligible 3% when driving with the box mounted at the rear, on the vehicle's towbar.
The study unequivocally points to the advantages of rear luggage boxes over classic roof "chests", both in aerodynamics and increased noise as a secondary effect.
These values are expanded to the electricity consumption of EVs with a rear luggage box installed, where the increase in electricity consumption is measured at 2.43% (SUV) and a very negligible 0.91% for Sedan vehicles. In comparison, these electricity consumption values for EVs with a roof box are around 10%.
