Electric vehicles ride the same deck. They do not weigh the same.
The Southeast is now EV manufacturing country — BMW in Greer, Volvo at Ridgeville, Hyundai at Ellabell — and the units coming off those lines are heavier than the vehicles a car hauler was designed around. That changes how a load is built, and it is the part most carriers have not adjusted for.
Illustrative photography — not Prime Trans equipment.Is transporting an electric vehicle different from a gas car?
Mostly no, but three things change. An EV is typically five hundred to a thousand pounds heavier, which limits how many fit on a trailer within legal weight. It should be delivered with a partial charge, not empty. And a vehicle with a damaged battery is treated as hazardous and needs specialist handling.
Weight, charge and damaged batteries.
- WeightA battery-electric SUV can run five hundred to a thousand pounds heavier than the combustion version of the same vehicle. Nine of them will put a stinger over its axle limits where nine sedans would not, so an all-EV load is often an eight-car load.
- State of chargeDeliver with enough charge to drive off the trailer and reach a charger — twenty to fifty percent is the sensible window. A vehicle that arrives at zero has to be trickle-charged or towed off, which is an expensive way to save nothing.
- Damaged batteriesA vehicle with a damaged or thermally compromised high-voltage battery is treated as a hazardous material and needs a carrier equipped and permitted for it. That is not us, and we will tell you so immediately rather than take the load.
- Tie-down pointsSeveral EV platforms have different approved tie-down locations than their combustion siblings, because the battery pack is structural. Our drivers use the manufacturer's points, not the closest convenient hole.
New, wholesale and fleet.
- Franchise dealers taking EV allocation and moving it between stores in the group.
- Auction and wholesale buyers — used EV volume through the Southeast blocks has grown fast.
- Rental and corporate fleets cycling electric units in and out.
- Individuals relocating on one of our scheduled lanes.
- Plant and supplier logistics around Greer, Ridgeville and the Georgia coast.
- Charging and infrastructure contractors whose equipment moves on the flatbed instead.
What we ask before the truck is built.
| Booking information | Year, make, model and battery configuration, because the curb weight follows from it |
|---|---|
| State of charge | Requested at pickup: enough to drive off and reach a charger. We photograph the dash reading at both ends on the eBOL |
| Load building | EV weight is figured into the load plan before dispatch, not discovered at a scale |
| Damaged or recalled batteries | Declined. These need a hazmat-equipped carrier and we do not hold that capability |
| Insurance | Auto liability $1,000,000 · Cargo $1,000,000 · check the per-vehicle sub-limit, which matters more on an EV than on a used sedan |
Honest scope: we will not take a vehicle with a known damaged, swollen, recalled or thermally compromised high-voltage battery. That is a hazardous-materials move requiring equipment and permits we do not have, and a carrier who takes it anyway is a carrier who has not read the rules.
Straight answers
Should an EV be charged before shipping?
Partly. Aim for twenty to fifty percent state of charge. That is enough to drive on and off the trailer and reach a charger at the other end, without leaving the battery at a high state of charge for days.
Can you ship an electric vehicle that will not start?
If it rolls, steers and brakes, yes, on the winch, the same as any non-runner. If the reason it will not start is battery damage, no — that becomes a hazardous-materials move.
Do EVs cost more to transport?
Sometimes, and the reason is weight rather than difficulty. If the extra weight means eight vehicles on the deck instead of nine, the per-vehicle cost rises because the truck's cost is spread over fewer units.
Do you move EVs from the BMW, Volvo or Hyundai plants?
We run vehicle capacity throughout that corridor. Plant volume is awarded as a lane with a schedule and a rate rather than bought as spot loads, so start with the volume and the frequency and we will quote it.
Where to go next
Auto transport
Open car hauling across the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee with photo-documented eBOLs, winch capability and same-day dispatch.
Read onDealer groups
A standing dealer-vendor agreement, one call for trades, auction-to-frontline and customer deliveries, and photos at both ends.
Read onManufacturers
Dedicated van and step-deck shuttles for the BMW supplier park, Tier-1 plants, tire and DC lanes, and Inland Port Greer.
Read onAuctions & fleet
Manheim, Copart, IAA, ADESA and CarMax runs; rental de-fleet and in-fleet moves; remarketing subcontract capacity.
Read onA unit on the lot costs you every day it sits there.
Tell us the origin, destination, units per week and first pickup date. A written quote comes back the same business day.