Forum Discussion
rjstractor
Feb 12, 2020Nomad
ShinerBock wrote:
It appears that this will not have its own battery(since they talk about making it lighter) and will rely on power from the tow vehicles in order to operate the electric engines. If this is the case, then it will not extend the range of a BEV since both the trailer and BEV are using the same power source to move the combined weight. It would, however, assist an ICE vehicle since it does not rely on battery power to travel down the the road and can also make enough energy to power these electric engines at the same time.
I was wondering about this as well, since there was no mention of battery capacity. I would think that if the trailer did not have its own battery of at least 50 KwH, it would have the effect of drastically shortening the combo's range. Come to think of it, it would almost have to have its own battery. Suppose the trailer's electric "engine" (lol) was similar to the 80KW motor used in the Nissan Leaf. I would think that would be about the minimum size motor required to propel the weight and aerodynamic drag of the Airstream at speed. You would have to engineer a plug/coupling that could handle 400 volts at around 200 amps. Since physics is what it is, that's a hefty plug. Now I'm wondering how they make a trailer lighter while adding a motor and battery.... :?
About Travel Trailer Group
44,052 PostsLatest Activity: Oct 14, 2025