RV Electrified By Tesla - Is It Possible ?

[Tesman]

Everyone, RV owners and non-owners, do you think there is a need 4 electric RVs?

What improvements in RV lifestyle experience could electric RVs make? For just one example, improvements to the RV house battery for dry camping and Boondocking ? Others ? Particularly want to hear from RV owners the RV challenges they face and how electric RVs could solve the problem. Explain to non RV owners.

Do you think Electric RVs could be a major worldwide revenue source for Tesla ?

What changes in society do you imagine electric RVs could make ?

 

[Evoforce]

Tesla semi towing travel trailer!

 

[Tesman]

Tesla semi towing travel trailer!

Someone may make such a trailer, if only as a novelty. The Tesla Semi already has airbrake hose connections and electrical line cord for plugins. Some RV trailers already over 100k, some over a million, so a $180k Tesla Semi would be a manageable cost.

 

[ewoodrick]

Well, there are a lot of very different RVs.

Motorhomes are great opportunities. Like the semi, they can take advantage of the power of electric when driving. They also tend to have a lot of space for batteries. When dry camping, an EV battery goes a long way at keeping the lights on. (A 40 kWh battery can keep the camper lights on for essentially forever.) When in a powered campground, the NEMA 14-50, aside from running the AC, can charge you back up.

Trailers have been demonstrated with motorized wheels the allow the trailer to be moved into the space. No vehicle required. And then same things as the motorhome.

When camping, you are often enjoying the sounds of nature. The diesel pusher or F-650 that pulls in really interrupts the experience.

 

[Evoforce]

Only problem with Tesla semi is cabin seating for more than 1. Unless they are also making a 2 seater or more version.

 

[Tesman]

 

[Tesman]

These RV’s, like the one above get really lousy gas Milage straight out of the 1950’s. Take the Class C above, it probably gets 7-8 miles per gallon. And if you want air conditioning in the back house section, that a/c runs off a separate generator pulling fuel from your gas tank giving you even less than 7-8/mpg. A Tesla RV could get multiples of that.

Say the fully loaded RV vehicle is 5,000 lbs and it tows 5,000 lbs. What kind of Milage do you think a Tesla RV could achieve ?

 

[FreqFlyer]

Tesla Semi electric motorhome concept: a zero-emission and self-driving home - Electrek

 

[malcolm]

Okay, so not exactly a mobile home...

Tesla Semi electric truck to be turned into mobile music studio by Deadmau5 - Electrek

 

[dillon]

So all those supercharging stations are really just future trailer parks?

I think a Tesla RV would be amazing and have hoped for one ever since autopilot was released. This could effectively end location-based housing costs. You could fall asleep in Denver and wake up for work in the parking lot of your office in Dallas. Would Hyperloop even be necessary if your autonomous mobile home just made your commute no longer than your walk from the parking lot?

 

[dabbler]

Here is the latest search for EV Motorhomes.

Fully electric motorhome offers nearly 190 miles of emissions-free touring

I have always wanted to convert my Vixen 21TD (1986) motor home to all electric drive train.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Only problem with Tesla semi is cabin seating for more than 1. Unless they are also making a 2 seater or more version.

Driver licensing could also be a barrier to adoption.

 

[SSedan]

Comparing the $180k buying on a Tesla semi to a motorhome is silly as aside from the seating, it lacks the "home" portion which is where a significant amount of the cost comes from.

This is so far down the road unless they are going to look to make them super high margin like using the semi chassis and outfitting it like a $20k trailer and selling for half a million dollars.

Charging on campground 14-50 sounds like a good idea but I suspect that will cause massive issues, those facility are not really meant to support a bunch of the outlets running at 80% capacity for a day or more at a time.

 

[dabbler]

I was just at a camp ground last month. The place was full of motor homes, 5th wheel trailers and smaller, all plugged
into available power either 15-35 or 50 amp services. This public camp ground has 300 sites. Tell me there is no market for an electric RV!

 

[David99]

Maybe the Rivian/Amazon delivery trucks will be a good base for an RV.

 

[SSedan]

I was just at a camp ground last month. The place was full of motor homes, 5th wheel trailers and smaller, all plugged
into available power either 15-35 or 50 amp services. This public camp ground has 300 sites. Tell me there is no market for an electric RV!

But can the facilities actually support a bunch of those vehicles charging batteries in addition to normal load?

There can be a market for anything but is the market sufficient to cover the start-up costs and still turn a profit?

 

[djplong]

Those facilities can handle all those RVs drawing current to power rather inefficient roof air conditioners. (I had an RV for many years)

 

[SSedan]

And the EV campers won't run AC right?

 

[jdsundevils]

There are companies currently retro-fitting ICE cars like the Escalade to EV. I’d be curious if it’s been done to an RV. I’m sure the range is lousy though and range is definitely something you would want in an RV. When I retire I’m about 20yrs I’d like to travel the America’s in an RV.

 

[Watts_Up]

There are companies currently retro-fitting ICE cars like the Escalade to EV. I’d be curious if it’s been done to an RV. I’m sure the range is lousy though and range is definitely something you would want in an RV. When I retire I’m about 20yrs I’d like to travel the America’s in an RV.

Beside having RVs using EV Propusion, there are a lot of DIY solutions for making RVs sustainables when parked,

using Ion batteries and Solar panels.

For example, the YouTube channel DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is quite informative.

(See also Mobile Solar Power: Made Easy! DIY Off-grid Solar Power! and DIY Solar Power Forum)