The future of RVs

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
The EV owners are missing one big point. Some of us Eskimos don't need or want a refrigerator.
 
Don, owning so many vehicles, how do you keep up with routine maintenance on all of them? I know with owning 4 vehicles in a family of 2, along with 3 trailers, 2 boats, and about a dozen pieces of engine driven equipment ranging from chainsaws to a diesel powered air compressor, at any one time it seems something is always over due for something or has a dead battery, or just plain broken.
 
Isaac-1 said:
Don, owning so many vehicles, how do you keep up with routine maintenance on all of them? I know with owning 4 vehicles in a family of 2, along with 3 trailers, 2 boats, and about a dozen pieces of engine driven equipment ranging from chainsaws to a diesel powered air compressor, at any one time it seems something is always over due for something or has a dead battery, or just plain broken.
Click to expand...
Easy. I am retired and like to stay busy. And no family or pets to bug me.
And I need little sleep. Perhaps five to six hours, most of the time. I even work on stuff when it is dark, as I just was with my RV refrigerator with a flashlight (success!!!).

And I still have many hobbies on top of it.

-Don- Auburn, CA
 
Ex-Calif said:
I have no problem paying for the EV infrastructure.

But @scottydl - I will take exception that the "gas stations" pay revenue to the government. They don't. We do. The tax is on you and me, not the gas station.
Click to expand...
Very true, gas taxes are passed through to us buyers. Maybe those are the same funds being used to pay for EV chargers. 🤔
 
A parallel exits over in Europe. Gas prices are very high. So, many over there have two vehicles (who can afford it) ... one little high gas efficiency (usually crappy) car to buzz around town. When it’s time for a road trip, they roll out the larger, more comfortable, less gas efficient (faster too) Mercedes. You can have a similar trade off between internal combustion and electric. I could see a motor home (gas/dp) towing an EV. Hey, it could happen! ;)
 
In the future, perhaps there can be an RV inspired by Tesla Motors technology with the electric power and battery capacities of at least 2 model S's, and can be recharged at a Tesla style superstation for free.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think one exists currently.
 
The gov-ment will have to create a large tax on 'lectric cars to replace the road maintenance currently being paid by gas tax. (Anytime you deal with big brother remember to bring your own Vaseline)

OOPS...Here comes Nurse Ratchet with my meds!
 
Lynx0849 said:
2 notes
1) I have never lived anywhere with different electric rates at different times of day.
2) Actual GPS would not work in my garage (if I had a garage). My Garmin doesn’t work in my living room. I suspect the Tesla uses cell service location services?
Click to expand...
It does. Tesla uses, cell, GPS and WIFI if at home. Thats why downloads are preference selected...eg at home. The cell connection is free unless you want fancier looking maps etc. Then its 10 bucks a month. It works fine without but the fancy 3D maps and a bunch of other goodies like Don mentioned will cost you 10 bucks a month. Wife likes it. We pay it.
 
whiteva said:
The gov-ment will have to create a large tax on 'lectric cars to replace the road maintenance currently being paid by gas tax. (Anytime you deal with big brother remember to bring your own Vaseline)

OOPS...Here comes Nurse Ratchet with my meds!
Click to expand...

Kind of. Many states, provinces, regions etc depending on where you are in the world charge an annual fee payable at registration time. I have heard of fees as low as 120 bucks per year up to 200 euros.

Still free where we are as they are incentivizing purchase through little programs like that. I'm sure it will come soon enough though. I am in favour of it. Most EVers I know are in favour of it.
 
So GM just announced a joint venture with a battery start up company to find a lighter more efficient battery. Sooner or later those improvements will take place. If any of you have ever visited the Car Museum in Pinellas Park, FL you would have seen the French built steam powered vehicle, built in the late 1800s, not much in common with todays vehicles, but a start nonetheless. Well EVs are just in their infancy so keep watching, ingenuity will fill the need.

Ed
 
Hfx_Cdn said:
So GM just announced a joint venture with a battery start up company to find a lighter more efficient battery. Sooner or later those improvements will take place. If any of you have ever visited the Car Museum in Pinellas Park, FL you would have seen the French built steam powered vehicle, built in the late 1800s, not much in common with todays vehicles, but a start nonetheless. Well EVs are just in their infancy so keep watching, ingenuity will fill the need.

Ed
Click to expand...

Just my personal opinion but I think the beginning of EV RVing in North America will begin with the 1/2 ton EV’s that are expected to hit the market over the next year. Rivian will be first probably followed by Tesla Cybertruck, Lordstown and then probably the legacy builders like Ford and GM. In Europe probably some class B vans etc.

I’m sure some integrator will buy a Tesla Semi in the next couple years and do some kind of super C proof of concept Motorhome.

Should be fun to watch. We see more EV SUV’s pulling little tear drop type trailers here and the season is still young. Mostly Tesla model X and model Y’s.
 
Viajeros said:
Hmmm. Read it twice. Trying to make the liase between a refrigerator and an EV. I give up. :).
Click to expand...
I guess you've never heard it but there is an old saying about a high pressure salesman being so persuasive he could sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo. Who obviously do not need or want one. People here are trying very hard to sell an EV to everyone even though it would be impractical for them. But who knows, maybe climate change will make the north pole so warm Eskimos will need a refrigerator. And I might move to a big city where there is a charging station on every corner. Not.
 
I have really enjoyed reading the variety of perspectives on this topic, it’s truly great!

I think EV-RV’s would be nice. The torque of a diesel with good efficiency. Less noise. The ability to charge from onboard solar array or additional solar if you want. Fewer mechanical components to replace. Maintenance reduced. I’m sure you can think of others.

One of many challenges that many of you identified is security of energy when you need it, no matter the outside conditions; the other is recharge rate. But for us RV’ers, who’s in such a big hurry they can’t wait an hour or two to fill up. Every day is Saturday, right?
 
whiteva said:
The gov-ment will have to create a large tax on 'lectric cars to replace the road maintenance currently being paid by gas tax. (Anytime you deal with big brother remember to bring your own Vaseline)

OOPS...Here comes Nurse Ratchet with my meds!
Click to expand...
Gas taxes only pay a small amount of road maintenance in the US.

taxfoundation.org

How Are Your State’s Roads Funded?

State and local infrastructure spending covered by gas taxes, tolls, user fees, and user taxes varies widely by state. See how your state compares nationally.
taxfoundation.org taxfoundation.org
TheBar said:
People here are trying very hard to sell an EV to everyone even though it would be impractical for them.
Click to expand...
I just reread the entire thread and not one person is trying to sell EVs to anyone. The pro EV crowd is too busy attempting to show that the haters are full of misinformation. The haters insist on telling us that the infrastructure can't handle more charging stations and everyone will be running out of electricity miles from home. Of course the haters don't actually own an EV so they are getting all their misinformation from other haters.
 
I just reread the entire thread and not one person is trying to sell EVs to anyone. The pro EV crowd is too busy attempting to show that the haters are full of misinformation. The haters insist on telling us that the infrastructure can't handle more charging stations and everyone will be running out of electricity miles from home. Of course the haters don't actually own an EV so they are getting all their misinformation from other haters.
Click to expand...
Baloney , Originally in the beginning when the board was being flooded with the EV Koolaide, a group of members were rationally pointing out that across a wider range of the North American land there are limited services to fuel the EVs. This still remains true. Worse yet even Calif officials are instructing EV owners not to charge their vehicles because of the shortages of electricity on a normal summer day and evening.


Of course all we continue to hear is "in their surrounding area" such as California and BC there are plenty of charging stations that you can get a charge while shopping or eating out in corner eateries.

Well life is not that simple and people want to move freely across the fruited plains without spending their time on the road seeking out limited place to plug their overpriced sedans in. And no those EV trucks will not be pulling the average domestic rvs either, unless its a hardsided tent style camper. Even reports from Calif. in particular states that EV owners are moving back to gas from their earlier Utopian lifestyle vehicles.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,274 (members: 32, guests: 1,242)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,930
Posts
1,387,708
Members
137,680
Latest member
Pearl Constance de_la She
Back
Top Bottom