e-RV February 17, 2023, 02:52:22 pm I recall that the concept of an e-RV has been discussed earlier. But I couldn’t find that thread. Here is a link to RV Magazine’s article on Winnebago’s latest prototype. It seems that Winnebago has made some significant improvements since their first attempt. Specifically, this one seems to have enough onboard solar to recharge its batteries at least enough for limited (~100 mile) driving range. Winnebago Reveals Second-Generation Electric Camper Van Prototype - RV.com
Re: e-RV Reply #1 – February 17, 2023, 04:23:11 pm Quote from: WhiteElk - February 17, 2023, 02:52:22 pmI recall that the concept of an e-RV has been discussed earlier. But I couldn’t find that thread. Here is a link to RV Magazine’s article on Winnebago’s latest prototype. It seems that Winnebago has made some significant improvements since their first attempt. Specifically, this one seems to have enough onboard solar to recharge its batteries at least enough for limited (~100 mile) driving range. Winnebago Reveals Second-Generation Electric Camper Van Prototype - RV.comFrom the link"The system can store more than 15,000 watt-hours of electricity and comes with factory-installed 900-watt solar panels. This gives the vehicle—which supports DC fast-charging—a range of roughly 108 miles on a single charge""It also has a 48-volt air conditioning system that is 30% more efficient than traditional units, saving battery life while camping off grid. The eRV2 is also equipped with an electric induction stove and a compressor-driven refrigerator, both of which draw power from the van’s batteries."It appears you have a choice of going up to 108 miles away from home (before recharging) or powering the refrigerator, induction stove, and A/C. A 108-mile range isn't very useful for most if any of us.900 watts of solar isn't much when recharging a 15,000-watt battery, it will take many days for a complete recharge, even longer if using the electric refrigerator and stove. Forget about using the A/C on solar. I would speculate e-RVing is still a long way off in the future. Larry 5 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #2 – February 17, 2023, 10:48:27 pm No argument from me that eRVs will be a while in coming. I did find a couple of things in the article interesting, however. First, the customer needs study that the company did yielded some interesting, if not surprising results. Second, whether or not an eRV will be available soon, the solar-electric system that big W has developed is remarkable, for the amount of energy that the system can store, the rate of charging, their use of electrical appliances throughout, to name a few.I’m looking at this as a glass half full situation - even if eRVs are a ways off (or don’t ever make it to market in a substantial way), the technology being developed will certainly change RV life.Warren 3 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #3 – February 17, 2023, 11:21:10 pm For some reason I am a fan of E-RVs but not of electric cars. As solar panel and battery technology gets better and system motors more efficient E-RVs will start to take hold if they can expand greatly the range. How many of us drive only so many hours per day as we get older? Let us say 6 hours travel time a day. After 6 hours stop to recharge on a quick charger overnight. Continue on the next day. So might need a range of about 6hrs x 60 miles - 360 mile range. They are at 100 miles now. Seems doable in the near future. Also just think of what could be done with additional space where the gas engine was. Like the Ford Lightning. Get rid of the propane too. Highly insulated RVs with smaller a/c to lower electric use. No more engine or generator oil changes. Filters..forget it!! E-RVs may make things less complicated and complex….and they may not!!Hope I am around to find out!!Ron Sarynski 1 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #4 – February 18, 2023, 09:38:23 am The 108 mile range on 15kWH (7.2 miles/kwh) doesn't sound realistic, when the smaller, lighter Nissan Leaf is rated at 150 miles using a 40kWH (3.75 miles/kwh) battery. 2023 Nissan LEAF Range, Charging & Battery | Nissan USA
Re: e-RV Reply #5 – February 18, 2023, 11:11:31 am As much as I love my Lazy Daze, I would have gone with an eRV if it had a range of 300-400 miles.Doubt there will be such a vehicle in my RVing lifetime, but perhaps by the time my kids retire.. 2 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #6 – February 18, 2023, 01:15:08 pm I'm of the opinion that electric vehicles are best used for things like last mile delivery.Short distances and the vehicle returns to base to recharge at the end of the day.An all electric RV is fantasy.And the prices of lithium batteries isn't getting cheaper like it should have after they have been around this long.If anything, they will get more expensive, much more so.I'm OK with hybrid technology being used, that would be a good place to start and perfect.
Re: e-RV Reply #7 – February 18, 2023, 02:27:24 pm "The 108 mile range on 15kWH (7.2 miles/kwh) doesn't sound realistic, when the smaller, lighter Nissan Leaf is rated at 150 miles using a 40kWH (3.75 miles/kwh) battery."Good point. The Winnebago probably weighs at last twice what the Leaf does, if not more... yet it has little more than half the battery capacity. Airstream's numbers just don't make sense.
Re: e-RV Reply #8 – February 18, 2023, 03:22:40 pm Missed this the first time.The battery bank is called IonBlade, which Winnebago developed in conjunction with Lithionics Battery…. Those same power cells feature a thin and flat design that allows them to store neatly under the floor of the van without impacting interior space.Perhaps in the next version the thin and flat design will be layered to dramatically increase capacity? Now they are creating marketing buzz about the product holding the technical capacity items for later so as to not tip the competitors. They surely do not think someone would buy a 108 mile range RV.Ron Sarzynski
Re: e-RV Reply #9 – February 18, 2023, 03:33:24 pm While the Winnebago eRV looks interesting, I like where Rivian is going Rivian Electric Amazon Delivery VanAmazon ordered 100,000 of these, by the time they are done, Rivian should be well positioned to create an eRV around this. Or some van conversion company will. 2 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #10 – February 19, 2023, 10:01:32 am Here is my opinion:Currently, I don't believe the United States (or any country) can handle charging a high volume of electric vehicles (EVs). In other words, the power grid is not going to be able to support charging high volumes of EVs.Over the past few years, many parts of the country have been told to conserve electricity at certain times of the year. How would the situation change if EVs and e-RVs were included in the equation? 2 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #11 – February 19, 2023, 10:30:39 am You are correct, if the generation of electricity isn’t increased to meet demand, there will be issues, but historically this hasn’t been an issue. Power companies aren’t in the business of generating too much power, because it’s wasted (costly) if not used. It’s always been a delicate balancing game.Think about the dawn of gasoline vehicles. If all horses were suddenly replaced with vehicles, yes there would have been a problem too. But as adoption of gasoline vehicles increased, so did the infrastructure to fuel them. Cannot see why this won’t be repeated. I can power my house and vehicles with decent solar setup, I don’t see refining my own gasoline at home anytime soon. 2 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #12 – February 19, 2023, 11:01:03 am "...if the generation of electricity isn’t increased to meet demand, there will be issues..."There are already "issues"! I have a Mobility Scooter that is powered by a battery (two in fact). The specifications on this scooter say that it has a range of seventeen (17) miles. So, doing the math, an out and back trip shouldn't be much more than eight miles. There is a park that I favor at a distance of six road miles from my house. Of course I cannot take the scooter on the road but have to go crosslots. There are ZERO electrical outlets on the route I would need to take! And so it is that I cannot get to where I'd like to go because of charge/distance limitations. Should the battery become depleted I'd be in a world of hurt because I cannot walk! 2 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #13 – February 19, 2023, 11:53:54 am Electricity is the future. Well it was the past but that a story for a different time. Our parents and we lived thru the upgrade to gasoline. We and our children will live thru the change over to electric. Electric is better for rural folks the gas. Most all rural areas have electric plugs in their home. Few have filling stations in their yards. We humans have more control generally of electric generation then oil companies. glen 1 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #14 – February 19, 2023, 01:59:31 pm Quote from: colddog - February 19, 2023, 11:53:54 am We humans have more control generally of electric generation then oil companies. glenwhich may explain some of the apparent 'resistance' to electric-centric solutions....
Re: e-RV Reply #15 – February 20, 2023, 07:58:25 am The elephant in the room of electric vehicles is that the battery technology is not there (yet) to supply the moving energy that can match what hydrocarbon fuels now do. The damage to the environment from mining and battery disposal is great now and will increase significantly in the future. I had a plug-in hybrid Ford Fusion several years ago. New, we could go about 20 miles on electric only before the engine cut in. After about three years that electric only range had dwindled to about 13 miles. The batteries were already deteriorating in capacity. Back then it would have cost about $8000. to replace the battery pack. I'm sure that amount is much more now with inflation. Also, the infrastructure for recharging across the country is not there. Recharging times is very limiting for cross country travel is a big drawback until that technology improves.The real alternative to replacing gasoline & diesel fuels is liquid hydrogen which is slowly coming to the market. There are advancements in more economically separating hydrogen from water and this will improve in time. When it burns water is the byproduct, not Co2. Yes, it will take years for the fueling stations, electrolysis plants, and distribution infrastructure to come online, but hydrogen is the best way to go. There are YouTube videos by people that have found ways to do onboard electrolysis creating Brown's gas (hydrogen & oxygen separated by electrologysis) that they used to fuel a regular automotive engine. The solution is out there, it just needs to be developed. 3 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #16 – February 20, 2023, 10:27:52 am Quote from: Mike Coachman - February 20, 2023, 07:58:25 amthe infrastructure for recharging across the country is not there. Recharging times is very limiting for cross country travel is a big drawback until that technology improves.Borrowed my brother’s Tesla Model S for a 700 mile road trip in Texas back in 2016, had zero problems finding charging stations, both destination chargers and superchargers on the way. Longest stop was 20 minutes. Such a trip would be even easier today.Ability to charge an EV on a roadtrip is not an issue.Also in 2016, test drove a Toyota Mirai, they were offering five years free hydrogen, and a couple weeks free car rentals, the latter because there was literally no way to fuel it outside the limited stations in California. Even with those incentives, only about 25,000 Mirai have been sold in 7 years (they are still offering 5 years of hydrogen).In the same timeframe, Tesla has sold almost 2 million EVs, in large part because they built out a free recharging network. 1 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #17 – February 24, 2023, 01:44:49 pm Here's another, speculative article on the potential of eRVs. This one is based on a Tesla Semi-Truck. It may be "Hand Waving", on the part of the author. But, who would have thought that EV cars would be where they are today looking back ten years ago....Computer-Generated Images Imagine Tesla Semi as an RV - RV.com
Re: e-RV Reply #18 – February 26, 2023, 05:42:59 pm One advantage of an eRV is you wouldn’t have to worry about the catalytic converter being stolen. Fwiw, I recently ordered a Tesla model Y Long Range with funds from selling my MB last Spring. I miss the MB dearly but look forward to road trips in the Tesla. As mentioned, they have a great charging infrastructure and I don’t foresee having any range anxiety. 2 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #19 – February 26, 2023, 08:51:10 pm I've read that Tesla is opening it charging stations to other EV's.It's no longer free to charge and the prices are going up.
Re: e-RV Reply #20 – February 26, 2023, 09:35:18 pm Quote from: Jota - February 26, 2023, 08:51:10 pmI've read that Tesla is opening it charging stations to other EV's.It's no longer free to charge and the prices are going up.They were only “free” for the early adopters who bought the Model S & X, at a premium price.The Models 3 & Y were always pay to charge, was always expected the charging would be raised to market rates. 1 Likes
Re: e-RV Reply #21 – February 27, 2023, 03:53:13 pm Quote from: Jota - February 26, 2023, 08:51:10 pmI've read that Tesla is opening it charging stations to other EV's.It's no longer free to charge and the prices are going up.Yes, but for now, only about 20% of the superchargers will be opened to other EVs.
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