An EV that won't move gets loaded onto a flatbed, never towed with its wheels rolling — spinning an electric motor as a generator during a tow can fry the drive unit. Detroit Towing treats a dead or damaged EV as a flatbed-only call, whether the cause is a drained battery, a crash, or a fault that's shut the car down.
The reason is inside the drivetrain, not the tires. An electric motor left spinning while the car is towed acts like a generator — the same principle that recovers energy under braking — and on some EVs that generates more current than the system is built to dump with the car powered down. A short tow at low speed might do nothing; a longer one, or a fault that's already tripped the high-voltage system, can total the drive unit. Flatbed towing sidesteps the question entirely by keeping every wheel off the ground, so nobody has to guess which EVs tolerate a short roll and which don't.
Detroit Towing dispatches flatbeds for EV calls across the same 20-community coverage area it uses for any all-wheel-drive vehicle, with one added step: if the car was in a crash and the battery pack itself looks damaged — cracked housing, visible fluid, any smell of something burning — that gets flagged to dispatch before the truck rolls, because a compromised pack changes how the vehicle gets loaded and where it can sit afterward.
What if the car just ran out of charge?
There's no roadside equivalent of a gas can for an EV. Detroit Towing doesn't carry a portable charger that adds meaningful range in a parking lot the way a few gallons of gas gets a combustion engine to the next station — the flatbed goes straight to a charging station or wherever the owner wants the car dropped. Worth knowing before the call: figure out the nearest charger you trust, because that decision is the driver's, not something the truck can shortcut.
How does a damaged battery pack change the tow?
A pack that's cracked, swelling, or leaking after a collision doesn't get treated like ordinary crash damage. The truck still loads it on a flatbed, but the driver keeps the vehicle isolated from other cars back at the Woodbine Street yard rather than parking it in with everything else, and won't leave it enclosed if there's any sign of heat. None of that slows down the pickup — it changes what happens once the car is off the road, not how fast the truck gets there.
Does towing on a flatbed affect an EV's warranty?
Flatbed towing is the method most EV manufacturers specify in the owner's manual, so using one doesn't create a warranty problem — dragging the car on its wheels is the scenario that risks voiding coverage or damaging the drivetrain. Detroit Towing loads every EV this way as the default, not a special request.
Can you charge my EV instead of towing it?
No — Detroit Towing doesn't stock portable EV chargers, so a dead battery still means a flatbed to the nearest charging station rather than a roadside top-up. Bring a charging app or know your preferred station before you call; the driver can go wherever you point.
Will towing damage my EV?
Not on a flatbed — every wheel comes off the ground, so the motor never spins the way it does behind a hook. That's the reason Detroit Towing treats EVs as flatbed-only calls rather than judging it case by case.
What should I do if my EV's battery was damaged in an accident?
Tell the dispatcher what you're seeing — cracked housing, a burning smell, visible fluid — before the truck arrives, since that changes how the car gets loaded and stored. Don't sit in the car waiting if you notice heat or smoke; get clear of it and call from a distance.
Does Detroit Towing have good reviews?
Detroit Towing carries a 5.0 rating across 15 Google reviews. The EV protocol isn't a premium option — it's the same flatbed-only approach used for every dead or damaged EV that gets picked up.