EV & Tesla Towing in Plainfield, IL
BJ Towing tows electric vehicles, including Teslas and electric pickups, on flatbeds only in Plainfield, Illinois and the southwest suburbs. Call (708) 400-3917, say the car is electric, and the dispatcher sends a flatbed with one flat price agreed before it rolls.
Why an EV never rides on a hook
In an electric car the driven wheels are geared straight to the motor; there’s no true neutral. Let those wheels roll on the pavement and the motor spins too, and a spinning motor generates current. With the car shut down that current has nowhere safe to go, so the motor and its electronics can overheat or take a hit. Many EVs have a motor at each axle, so lifting one end still leaves one spinning. And the battery pack spans nearly the whole floor, which leaves almost nowhere safe to put a hook.
A flatbed solves all of that at once. The car is winched up a shallow ramp, strapped at the tires and carried like freight. Nothing turns, nothing drags and nothing touches the pack. Your owner’s manual says the same in its towing chapter, along with the approved tow points and the steps for tow mode. A photo of those pages on your phone is worth having before you need it.
When an EV needs the truck
- Range at zero or close to it, with no charger in reach
- A reduced-power warning, a drive-system fault or an on-screen instruction to stop safely
- It boots up but stays in park, or goes into drive and doesn’t move
- The underside took a hit from a curb, road debris or a pothole, and now you hear scraping or the screen lights up with warnings
- Any collision that touched the front end, the floor or a wheel, even a light one
- Tire, wheel or suspension damage that keeps it from tracking straight
Electric pickups, Cybertruck included, go on the deck the same way. Underbody hits matter more on an EV because the battery is the floor: if something feels wrong after a strike, let us carry it in rather than driving it home.
If you smell burning or hear hissing
Here the tow waits. Get everyone out, put real distance between you and the car, and call 911. A damaged pack belongs to the fire department first; once they give the all-clear, we handle the tow.
When roadside help is enough
- Completely dark and unresponsive: every EV also has a small 12-volt battery for the locks, screen and boot-up. When it dies the car plays dead even with a full main pack, and boosting that little battery usually brings it back
- Flat tire with a spare or sealant kit: we swap or patch it where you are
- Phone key or key card not responding, or keys locked inside: our lockout service gets you in
- Undamaged but stuck in snow, mud or a ditch: a winch-out puts it back on firm ground
If the car still won’t go after one of those, it needs the truck. Tell us what you’ve tried and what the screen says so the driver arrives ready.
How an EV tow works
- Call, then stay safe. Give us the road you’re on, which way you were heading and the closest exit or cross street; the make, model and year, stated as electric; what the car is doing (does the screen light, will it shift, which warnings); any crash or underbody hit; and the destination, whether that’s a shop, the dealer, a charger or home. Hazards on if the car has power. Near fast traffic, stand behind the guardrail; otherwise stay belted in.
- Switch on tow mode. Almost every EV has a tow or transport mode that frees the parking brake so the car can roll up the ramp. It lives on the center screen; on a Tesla, open Controls > Service > Towing. If you can’t find it, the driver will talk you through it. It needs 12-volt power, so a dead 12-volt may call for a quick jump first. If nothing will wake the car, tell the driver before loading, because dragging locked wheels up a ramp does damage.
- Loading and strapping. The bed drops to the ground and the winch draws the car up straight and slow, attached only at the tow eye or another point the automaker approves. Wheel straps go over each tire. Nothing, not a strap, chain or hook, goes near the pack. Ask us to show you; we’re glad to.
- Unloading. At a charger we set it down within reach of the cable. At a shop, pass along the warnings and what happened before the breakdown. Keep the key in mind: a phone key only works near the car, so hand the driver the card or fob, or meet the car at the destination.
After a crash, keep watching
If the car hit something hard or was in a collision, keep an eye on it for a while after it comes off the truck. Battery trouble can show up hours later. Smoke, hissing or a burning smell means 911.
Questions worth asking any tow company
- Will you send a flatbed? You want a clear yes, not “we’ve got it covered.” We only run flatbeds
- Have you handled my model? A Rivian pickup, a dual-motor SUV and a Model 3 don’t load exactly alike
- How will it be tied down? Wheel straps over the tires, winch on the approved tow point
- What’s the price, all in? Ours is one flat number before dispatch, with no hookup or mileage charge
Check your coverage first: auto policies, new-car warranties and the automaker’s roadside plan often include towing, sometimes with mileage caps. Ask us for an itemized receipt with the pickup, the destination and what you paid; it makes a claim easy.
EV towing across the southwest suburbs
We tow Teslas and other EVs throughout Plainfield, Naperville, Joliet, Romeoville, Bolingbrook, Shorewood, Lockport, Crest Hill, Oswego, Aurora, Montgomery, Woodridge, Lemont, Darien, New Lenox, Lisle, to home chargers, Supercharger sites, dealers and independent shops, and across the wider Chicago area by arrangement.
Need ev & tesla towing now? Call (708) 400-3917; a dispatcher answers 24/7.
Need help now?
- Live dispatch, 24/7/365
- Flatbed trucks only
- Upfront pricing
- Licensed & insured in Illinois
Related services
EV & Tesla Towing FAQs
Is my EV more likely to strand me in winter?
Somewhat. Cold cuts the pack's usable capacity and the cabin heater draws more, so real range trails the estimate on the dash. In the coldest months keep a bigger buffer before you set out, and call us if you come up short.
Can you take my Tesla to the service center?
Yes, or to any destination you name. Put the car in Transport Mode if it has power, give the driver the key card, and tell us which service center so the whole trip is quoted up front.
Do you charge extra to tow an electric car?
No. Flatbed is our standard equipment, so an EV isn't an upgrade. You hear one flat price on the call and nothing is added for hookup or miles.