Community Forums

AJMike · 07-22-2021, 08:07 AM

Most of the posts I have seen on this forum have to do with electric cars, RVs and trucks and whether or not we will see a practical electric RV anytime soon. But I am more curious as to what effect electric cars will have on the TT industry. I did not see this topic when I did a search, so I thought I would post this.

As far as I can see online the Tesla is the only EV that is rated to tow a trailer, but doing so seems to have a very adverse affect on the range of the combination with the article I saw saying that the Tesla range dropped from 250 miles to 135 miles when towing a very light trailer. Since no one waits until they are out of fuel, electric or otherwise, before refueling that probably means more like 60-80 miles before recharging. But again, this post is not intended to either boost or denigrate electric vehicles. I am wondering what effect the conversion to EVs will have on the trailer industry itself.

As the automotive industry converts to electric vehicles will we see the trailer industry slowly die as EVs seem unlikely to make good tow vehicles? I would think that heavy trailers and pretty much all 5th wheels will disappear as the vehicles that can tow them any distance each day will disappear. Or do you think that EVs will get enough better and stronger that they will continue to be able to tow trailers and that the industry will survive?

Currently only California and Washington states seem to be driving this conversion through regulation and perhaps when 2035 arrives they will have decided that it was not a good idea, but perhaps other states will join them. Personally I suspect that the travel trailer industry will slowly start to wither away, but my investment predictions have never been very good. What is your opinion?

move on · 07-22-2021, 10:14 AM

Travel trailers are here to stay. You are not going to see more than a handful of electric vehicles being built that can tow them. The batteries are too expensive, too large, too heavy and too environmentally unfriendly to be putting them into tow vehicles. If gas vehicles are killed off, it will simply force people into buying diesel trucks to pull their trailers.

RandDescape · 07-22-2021, 12:21 PM

Another alternative that isn’t hard to imagine is the trailer industry coming up with some standards to store/produce energy for an EV.

When the trailer brakes are applied today they just produce heat. Making the trailer brakes regenerative would produce power instead. However, the EV probably can’t absorb 100% of the combined power generated from the tow vehicle and trailer all at the time of generation.

If you added a small battery to the trailer you could store that generated power in the battery to then feed back to the EV or find a way to assist the EV on acceleration or hill climbing.

These things are all possible today. Cost, standards and market changes will all be needed before we would them on the streets.

This won’t start with teardrop or pop up trailers. But the extra cost could be absorbed first on a higher end mid sized TT (think Airstream).

I’m not saying I know any of this will happen.

But the trailer industry grew so large because they found a way to literally hitch themselves to the capabilities of our vehicles, I will not bet against them finding a way to keep selling products if our vehicles change.

- Richard

move on · 07-22-2021, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandDescape

Another alternative that isn’t hard to imagine is the trailer industry coming up with some standards to store/produce energy for an EV.

When the trailer brakes are applied today they just produce heat. Making the trailer brakes regenerative would produce power instead. However, the EV probably can’t absorb 100% of the combined power generated from the tow vehicle and trailer all at the time of generation.

If you added a small battery to the trailer you could store that generated power in the battery to then feed back to the EV or find a way to assist the EV on acceleration or hill climbing.

These things are all possible today. Cost, standards and market changes will all be needed before we would them on the streets.

This won’t start with teardrop or pop up trailers. But the extra cost could be absorbed first on a higher end mid sized TT (think Airstream).

I’m not saying I know any of this will happen.

But the trailer industry grew so large because they found a way to literally hitch themselves to the capabilities of our vehicles, I will not bet against them finding a way to keep selling products if our vehicles change.

- Richard

There is already something like this available for semi tractors. Hyliion’s 6x4HE electric drive axle. The concept could be adapted to trailer axles as you suggest. The question will become, how much fuel could it save, and is it cost effective? A side benefit could also be that you now have a nice battery on board for extensive boondocking.

FlyingV · 07-31-2021, 01:29 PM

The 2021 Ford F-150 Powerboost is a nice transitional step toward all electric trailer camping. Sure, you are still using a gas powered engine to charge the Lithium battery, but not nearly as much noise or gas as using a gas generator and the ease and reliability of always having 30amp power to your trailer no matter where you are, is miles ahead of most trailer power today.

move on · 07-31-2021, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyingV

The 2021 Ford F-150 Powerboost is a nice transitional step toward all electric trailer camping. Sure, you are still using a gas powered engine to charge the Lithium battery, but not nearly as much noise or gas as using a gas generator and the ease and reliability of always having 30amp power to your trailer no matter where you are, is miles ahead of most trailer power today.

Agree. And it is not range challenged or overpriced like an electric tow vehicle, so I think this type of hybrid technology will become the norm for the next 50 years.

propchef · 08-05-2021, 05:32 PM

I saw a Model X towing a Lance 1585 a few days ago. Around here (NORCAL) charging stations are everywhere, so much that one can easily drive from San Francisco to Eureka in an EV.

Toys.R.Us · 08-05-2021, 11:25 PM

Tesla has semi trucks in the works with 300 and 500 mile loaded range for about 180k, Other companies are working on other versions of diff sizes.
The technology will filter down to the RV industry and we will see similar results , and hope they make charging stations for us as those lil ones at the malls are going to test everyone's driving skills to get charged.