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I’m pretty pro-EV but i’m having a tough time figuring out why we need an EV RV other than for marketing reasons? Is the pitch going to be to provide the missi

I’m pretty pro-EV but i’m having a tough time figuring out why we need an EV RV other than for marketing reasons? Is the pitch going to be to provide the missing “grid battery” for our energy strategy, you have a battery that only leaves home 10-12 times a year on average so use a bunch of these spread out across the nation to provide short term energy stores? The normal EV benefits - moving tailpipe emissions out of population centres, reducing maintenance costs, extending vehicle service life, etc etc - these don’t jump out as problems for diesel RVs today.

stonogo 4y ago
Around a million people in the US live in RVs full time. Almost all of them have generators for the times they lack shore power.
- CraigJPerry 4y ago
  Is that the market this is targeted at? My understanding is that market would be unlikely to afford this product?
  - slondr 4y ago
    Plenty of very rich people in that group. I personally know of at least one couple whose net worth is in the hundreds of millions who live in an RV. Lots of that group are retirees who want to travel full-time, but opted for land transport instead of a yacht. Keep in mind that right now, with gas or diesel motors, there’s winnebagos which almost reach half a million dollars new.
    - unforeseen9991 4y ago
      I'm in that group, and could afford (and am interested) in owning one of these. Many offset the downsides of the generator with solar, which is increasingly viable, but having it all in a EV especially considering fuel prices is a dream. Even then, using the generator only applies with boondocking. When i'm working full time on a project on the road, I just go to a campground or RV park with full hookups.
prawn 4y ago
Travel is increasingly expensive. Eating out, RV parks, campgrounds, etc - it's all more expensive than even just a few years ago. Boondocking and cooking in your vehicle can be very cheap, leaving fuel as a considerable cost if you are regularly moving any sort of distance. Recently, we took a 2-3 month trip in our 25' vehicle and at some points we were averaging $100-150/day on fuel (10 mpg, $6/gallon). I'd love to see the price of electric van/bus chassis come down. For more and more people, this is their way of life rather than just a little annual trip. Not everyone is going to buy a new RV, but a reasonable number are looking at financing a van for conversion rather than slave over a DIY project with limited skills.
dredmorbius 4y ago
It's an interesting design challenge. Can you make an all-electric RV, what do you have to sacrifice in doing so, what new technologies can be trialed / exploited in the design, etc. And as you note, marketing. We're discussing it here, after all.
jtr1 4y ago
I have great memories of traveling around the US in an RV as a kid. We never owned one. There are RV rental companies with huge fleets servicing these kind of cross country vacations. It’s something I’d love to do with my own family when we’re ready for it and I’d love to make the trip in some sort of EV
jillesvangurp 4y ago
Several good reasons: - Fuel cost when traveling is significant. And the whole point of owning such a thing is covering some distance. So, it's nice if you can travel long distances without having to worry about that - Evs are pretty comfortable to drive, have lots of torque, and are easy to operate. All great stuff for e.g. elderly/retired drivers. - Having a huge battery is nice when you are not driving. Basically you can cook, have all sorts of appliances, have hot water, etc. and use that for days before you need to charge the battery. So, you can go off grid with this thing and live in relative comfort. It's also a reason that the new F150 is extremely popular. - Maintenance is a big deal with RVs. Plenty of people drive really old and crappy ones and they can break down at inconvenient times (i.e, while traveling). And when that happens it's a lot of hassle and also costly. And even when that doesn't happen, you still need to deal with costly inspections, repairs, etc. EVs have a lot less of those issues. More reliable, less moving parts that can break, etc. Nice to not have to worry about that as much when you are traveling. - For the same reason, the second hand value of electric vehicles is pretty good; they don't depreciate as much. And if the battery isn't used that much, the vehicle can last quite long. So you buy one, use if for some years and then you sell it on and get a good portion of your money back all while having enjoyed the benefits of all of the above. Doesn't sound like a bad deal.
- dotancohen 4y ago
  Don't forget storage space. I don't know about the E-Transit in the fine article, but typically EVs are better at providing truck capacity at the ends of the vehicle because there are no ICE or fuel tank there. That sounds great for an RV.

stonogo 4y ago

Around a million people in the US live in RVs full time. Almost all of them have generators for the times they lack shore power.

CraigJPerry 4y ago
Is that the market this is targeted at? My understanding is that market would be unlikely to afford this product?
- slondr 4y ago
  Plenty of very rich people in that group. I personally know of at least one couple whose net worth is in the hundreds of millions who live in an RV. Lots of that group are retirees who want to travel full-time, but opted for land transport instead of a yacht. Keep in mind that right now, with gas or diesel motors, there’s winnebagos which almost reach half a million dollars new.
  - unforeseen9991 4y ago
    I'm in that group, and could afford (and am interested) in owning one of these. Many offset the downsides of the generator with solar, which is increasingly viable, but having it all in a EV especially considering fuel prices is a dream. Even then, using the generator only applies with boondocking. When i'm working full time on a project on the road, I just go to a campground or RV park with full hookups.

prawn 4y ago

Travel is increasingly expensive. Eating out, RV parks, campgrounds, etc - it's all more expensive than even just a few years ago. Boondocking and cooking in your vehicle can be very cheap, leaving fuel as a considerable cost if you are regularly moving any sort of distance. Recently, we took a 2-3 month trip in our 25' vehicle and at some points we were averaging $100-150/day on fuel (10 mpg, $6/gallon). I'd love to see the price of electric van/bus chassis come down. For more and more people, this is their way of life rather than just a little annual trip. Not everyone is going to buy a new RV, but a reasonable number are looking at financing a van for conversion rather than slave over a DIY project with limited skills.

dredmorbius 4y ago

It's an interesting design challenge. Can you make an all-electric RV, what do you have to sacrifice in doing so, what new technologies can be trialed / exploited in the design, etc. And as you note, marketing. We're discussing it here, after all.

jtr1 4y ago

I have great memories of traveling around the US in an RV as a kid. We never owned one. There are RV rental companies with huge fleets servicing these kind of cross country vacations. It’s something I’d love to do with my own family when we’re ready for it and I’d love to make the trip in some sort of EV

jillesvangurp 4y ago

Several good reasons: - Fuel cost when traveling is significant. And the whole point of owning such a thing is covering some distance. So, it's nice if you can travel long distances without having to worry about that - Evs are pretty comfortable to drive, have lots of torque, and are easy to operate. All great stuff for e.g. elderly/retired drivers. - Having a huge battery is nice when you are not driving. Basically you can cook, have all sorts of appliances, have hot water, etc. and use that for days before you need to charge the battery. So, you can go off grid with this thing and live in relative comfort. It's also a reason that the new F150 is extremely popular. - Maintenance is a big deal with RVs. Plenty of people drive really old and crappy ones and they can break down at inconvenient times (i.e, while traveling). And when that happens it's a lot of hassle and also costly. And even when that doesn't happen, you still need to deal with costly inspections, repairs, etc. EVs have a lot less of those issues. More reliable, less moving parts that can break, etc. Nice to not have to worry about that as much when you are traveling. - For the same reason, the second hand value of electric vehicles is pretty good; they don't depreciate as much. And if the battery isn't used that much, the vehicle can last quite long. So you buy one, use if for some years and then you sell it on and get a good portion of your money back all while having enjoyed the benefits of all of the above. Doesn't sound like a bad deal.

dotancohen 4y ago
Don't forget storage space. I don't know about the E-Transit in the fine article, but typically EVs are better at providing truck capacity at the ends of the vehicle because there are no ICE or fuel tank there. That sounds great for an RV.