"Where are the Electric RVs?"

[lenny flank]

Thought some folks would find this piece interesting:

https://gearjunkie.com/electric-rv-camper-car-vehicle


> Range, size, cost, and lack of demand are all roadblocks for electric campers and RVs in the United States.

 

[MrNoodly]

RVs are one of the most hidebound, least innovative industries around. Hell, they're still using exterior graphics from the '80s and think slide-outs are the highest possible human achievement. So I don't imagine they'll be pressing their drivetrain suppliers for EV versions. Besides, I imagine the decline of the Baby Boomer retirement boom will hit the business rather hard, leaving them short of R&D money. But I'm a cynic.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

They are already here, maybe not very popular in America, yet,  as the cost of fuel is still cheap

 

[B and C]

I'm old and I know combustion engines. Unless there is some stellar reason to get one (400 miles and a 15 minute "fill up" might do it), I don't ever see me getting one even if they were cheap. My time is short and I don't want to fritter it away waiting somewhere I am just passing through for it to charge so I can be on my way again.

I'll leave it for the young un's.

 

[PathofAsha]

According to Winnebago the demand isn't there. They built something called a Boldt which lets you run your A/C off your batteries for 9 hours though. Mercedes sprinter diesel around $180k. The people want off road ability and endless electricity with their Merc reliability.

 

[RoamerRV428]

I second B and C....leave it to the young'uns. I ain't sitting around at a charge station ever and that is if you can find one

 

[jimindenver]

We are just getting to the point that we can replace the generator for the most part and now you want to replace the V-8 too? danggggggggg

While battery tech is improving with lighter weight Lithium's, solar has not improved more than a few percent in efficiency in the last few years. Mono's claim of "a smaller footprint" didn't ring true because outside of a few brands they use the same frame as their Poly counterparts. The tech might exist but it will cost a arm and a leg just like the electric RV it will go on. Remember that solar as we know it is only affordable now because of mass production and market flooding. Before that solar was limited by our wallets, not by the size of our roofs. In 2012 my first panels retailed for over $700 each.

So that brings us back to where I started. It's hard enough convincing people to spend enough on solar to replace their generator. Getting them to pay for a all electric RV with ultra efficient solar and a lot of lithium batteries is going to be even harder. A hi bred makes more sense but that isn't all electric.

 

[Dingfelder]

According to Winnebago the demand isn't there. They built something called a Boldt which lets you run your A/C off your batteries for 9 hours though. Mercedes sprinter diesel around $180k. The people want off road ability and endless electricity with their Merc reliability.

German diesels are gathering dust even relatiely new and in good condition because of politicking to keep polluting vehicles to a minimum.  There are literally junkyards full of late-model cars and trucks because people cannot afford to pay the fees for diesel-polluters.  They are now being shipped to East Europe to get the out of Germanys hair.  Diesel is on the way out in Europe and it may well transfer over to here.  At least if you believe Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal will gain any traction.  It does seem inevitable, though, regardless of anyone's political beliefs or even environmental ones.  It's the curve of time sloping over us all.  The momentum starting -- and already well-started -- is more than likely to continue.  We rarely go back to higher-pollution alternatives.

 

[frankgibbons]

An RV is often also called a Motor Home, with emphasis on home, right? I wonder what this article would say if it was written about potential homes that do not travel frequently and that usually do not travel long distances. Here is a fully solar-powered electric VW bus.

See here I love it

 

[Oldwolf]

As a current Prius owner, I'm looking forward to the Hybrid Sienna, supposedly being offered in '21 or '22.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[conman]

I'm waiting for the Volkswagen ID Buzz cargo van to come out and convert one to an RV if the price is right.

 

[ckelly78z]

I can't see EV RVs becoming a big draw unless it is to State parks that have built in 50 amp service, and full hookups. Where else would you charge the beast ?

 

[highdesertranger]

yep more infrastructure in the parks. nothing like preserving the wilderness. highdesertranger

 

[bullfrog]

EV's that depend on grid power are not the answer. A better source of power is the problem and the cost of changing the direction we have gone. Hydrogen fuel cells using hydrogen produced by solar looks very promising plus using them produces water, until then nuclear power if we can figure out how to use it safely and get rid of or use the small amount of waste it produces is most practical.

 

[mpruet]

I’ve driven a Prius for over 15 years now.  I just bought a 2020 and am getting about 62 MPG.  I justify driving my van to my ‘Green Friends’ by saying that “my other car gets 62 MPG”...  ;-)

My son has a Tesla that he throughly enjoys, but he still has to stop every 500 miles or so to get a recharge and that takes time - much longer than my fillups.  ;-)

I don’t expect to see any fully electric RVs simply because we tend to spend a lot of time in remote locations.  I suppose that some kind of hybrid RV might work, but even then I doubt that we’d see much better than 30 MPG.  

The design of hybrids and all electric autos is key to the MPG that they get.  They are very aerodynamic and lie close to the ground.  RVs tend to be boxy and as long as we are trying to contain living quarters, I don’t see that changing any time soon.  Also one of the key concerns of any RV owner is ground clearance. Both of these factors are in opposition for any highly fuel efficient vehicle.

So - no, I just don’t see this happening any time soon.

 

[wayne49]

If EV RVs become a thing, then RV EV roadside assistance will carry generators capable of charging EVs. A tow may not be necessary.

If an aero EV gets 4-500 miles, how far would a large clunky box pulling a trailer get?

An EV RV would need separate battery banks or an auto cutoff of the house below a certain level. Which may not get you to a charging system. Reserve battery pack(s) to extend range?

Mu Tioga's generator won't get any fuel when the fuel gauge is just below a quarter tank. I never camp with less than a half tank. I don't run the generator for long, either. But if I need the generator I want it to start up.

 

[grummy]

>> If an aero EV gets 4-500 miles, how far would a large clunky box pulling a trailer get?



Very educational. Good Luck trying to travel the world on those vehicles with just built in solar panels. It takes SERIOUS amounts of energy to move some actual Weight, the increased dimensions and obvious lack of Aerodynamics... what looks attractive on the surface rather ridiculous at this time... a game for the very rich.

Maybe another ten years might provide new technologies. Though by then, i'd fully expect the next wave of planet saving activists to be demanding that electricity be "banned" completely in order to save the human race. Don't laugh.

If they are currently not in love with Coal or Nuclear, and scream at drilling where we do obtain large volumes of NAT GAS, where exactly are we going to get the MASSIVE amounts of electrical energy required to recharge the constant need for replenishing batteries ? It's a pipe dream to think we can go all electric... EVER.

Put me down for using advanced techniques with good old fashioned burnable fuels. None of them actually pollute if you fully burn them, and we can not "run out" of something being made and replenished by the core of our earth. Plain and simple, "dinosaurs" and rotting leaves didn't make the oils we pump from 40,000 plus feet. People have been lied to. Too bad they do not wake up and smell the facts.

 

[ckelly78z]

I'm just not sure how efficient a large bank of batteries, along with a heavy RV layout would get a good traveling distance, and be able to reach that next charging station. Charging time would be another consideration for me....not looking to spend half the day waiting to recharge.

 

[bullfrog]

Nothing is really free. Even Tesla limits the quick charge function in some cases of second owners. Granted electrical drive trains are simpler and therefore can be built more durable than gasoline driven vehicles the batteries and charge times limit them. Hydrogen fuel cells solve that problem if people will just look to the future and develop the infrastructure required.

 

[sushidog]

We already know how to get rid of the nuclear waste that traditional plutonium fission reactors produce. We have known how to do it for years. We can burn 90% of it, extracting more power out of it and getting rid of it at the same time in Thorium reactors.

https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_s..._power_is_hurting_the_environment?language=en

https://www.ted.com/talks/kirk_sorensen_thorium_an_alternative_nuclear_fuel?language=en

Chip