Winnebago’s title is synonymous with vanlife, making its new all-electric eRV2 a standout for an trade constructed round diesel engines. It is solely a prototype, however this one is absolutely operational and truly on the street with a fleet of shoppers for six months of discipline testing. The enter from these early experiences will in the end inform the ultimate design of the eRV and assist usher in an period of #eVanlife within the course of.
eRV2 is a continuation of the eRV idea introduced final 12 months. It is constructed across the Ford E-Transit chassis, with a spread of 108 miles (174 km) from its 68 kWh battery. Sure, that is gross for a car that will likely be utilized by journey seekers away from EV charging grids, however high quality for discipline testing a prototype, I assume. Winnebago says it’s “actively pursuing lineup growth alternatives” for the manufacturing mannequin.
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The electrical van can produce as much as 900W of photo voltaic power from the panels put in on the roof to maintain the additional massive 48V/15kWh house battery charged. The battery is put in flat underneath the ground to avoid wasting dwelling area. Even assuming these panels truly produce 900W underneath preferrred circumstances (which is nowhere close to potential within the RV world), it will take about 17 hours to cost the home battery from zero to full, and one other 76 hours to cost the primary battery. . It is a disgrace the eRV2 is not a plug-in hybrid electrical car, which might supply way more flexibility, however let’s examine what Winnebago truly delivers sooner or later.
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A brand new model of Winnebago Join offers real-time management and monitoring of the gas system from each a devoted touchscreen console and an app. It turns the eRV2 into a wise house on wheels, giving house owners granular management over lights, temperature, and different AC or DC powered units like pumps and exhaust followers.
“Our main objective in constructing the eRV2 was to assist folks comfortably discover the world round them with much less affect on the setting,” mentioned Winnebago model president Huw Bower. “Person expertise was on the coronary heart of the event of this prototype, within the early days of market analysis and even now because it goes by means of discipline testing.”
You’ll be able to take the eRV2 for a 15-minute take a look at drive when you attend the Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa by means of Sunday.