Just for fun - RV's in 30 years...

[Mickeyfan0805]

So, DW and I are about 25-30 years from buying our 'retirement rig.' Last night, that got me thinking.

When I think of what our TT has that was not part of trailers 30 years ago (multiple televisions, outside kitchen, power jacks, power awnings, microwaves, multiples slides, etc...) it made me wonder...What will become a regular part of RV's 25-30 years from now that we don't have today?

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I am not suggesting the near future (OP topic) will have a pure electric HD truck or motorhome. However an electric assist motor would allow a smaller more efficient internal combustion engine accelerate and climb hills same as todays large engines. Also the electric would recapture a whole lot of the energy coming back down the hill. This recapture instead of burning up brakes or wasted through the exhaust brake. If done right it would also be possible to forgo a multispeed transmission. Anyone like to pass on the next transmission rebuild?

[free_radical]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

smkettner wrote:
If you need more let me know.

Guess it depends on who you believe.

Must be a conspiracy because even Green Car say's the figures are optimistic at best!

Funny; Edmonds say's the same thing.

Seems a lot of reviewers that drive a Tesla problems with range.

Top-gear 1........Tesla 0


Believe what you want but a lot of reviews had problems with range when testing the Tesla. Not only that but your $120,000.00 car can turn into a $40,000.00 brick!


We are talking about tow vehicles here; not some aluminum clad little car. It takes a lot of energy to pull a hill at 55 mph while towing a trailer. Even that little car was reported, when you floor it, you lose 1 mile/ second! :E

I have to disagree. IMO a 250hp diesel + 200hp electric should easily be more fuel efficient than a 500hp diesel. And try to imagine pulling in or out of a campground on silent electric instead of hearing all the complaints of idling diesels and the fumes.

Well ya!!! But who on earth needs 500 HP to tow a trailer? There is a lot of big rigs that have less than that and they tow 80K all over the country with no problems. The new diesels are just as quite as a gas engine and there is no fumes with a DEF and SCR.

My 200HP diesel only gets 12 MPG average towing my 26 foot TT. And that is with no fuel burning DPF. A battery pack for a Tesla is 40 grand and that is for a tiny car. Double that for a big truck. :E Even if it gets 1 to 2 miles/ gallon better how long do you think it will take to pay off a $140,000.00 pickup in fuel savings?

Bottom line is, electric vehicles are great for in town driving where you have to drive 30 or 40 miles to work each day. They work great! Out on the road they flat suck. Even then, without subsidies hardly any would be sold because they are so expensive and heavy.

pure electric trucks arent very practical yet,
unless they build those fast chargers in every truck stop

hybrid trucks are about 80,000$,still not cheap,but they do get 100mpg or 40 miles on straight electric which is quite impressive,and it will run cleaner then any diesel,
except maybe some powered by natural gas or vegie fuel.

http://youtu.be/jYG5Z6ypp8Q

Im totaly puzled why the Big semi tractors dont already use this technology as the electric motors have way more torque right from the get go,so it wont even need a transmissions,,

http://youtu.be/WQkwWxykQ6g


http://youtu.be/eDHJCM-P9k0

[free_radical]

smkettner wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

And BTW Broder is an idiot. He NEVER fully charged the Tesla. He was even charging when the car said he could NOT make the distance. What does Broder do? He disconnects and drives on. The Tesla goes further than the estimate but still not far enough to avoid the tow. Do you put 10 gallons of fuel in when you know you need 20 gallons? Broder is an idiot. And I don't think Broder ever talks much about the electric vehicle is so low cost to drive Tesla provides FREE long distance fuel with purchase :E Can you imagine any gas burning manufacturer doing that?

:h :h :h

Setting out on a sunny 30-degree day two weeks ago, my trip started well enough. A Tesla agent brought the car to me in suburban Washington with a full charge, and driving at normal highway speeds I reached the Delaware charging dock with the battery still having roughly half its energy remaining. I went off for lunch at the service plaza, checking occasionally on the car’s progress. After 49 minutes, the display read “charge complete,” and the estimated available driving distance was 242 miles.

Fat city; no attendant and no cost.

As I crossed into New Jersey some 15 miles later, I noticed that the estimated range was falling faster than miles were accumulating. At 68 miles since recharging, the range had dropped by 85 miles, and a little mental math told me that reaching Milford would be a stretch.

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/most-peculiar-test-drive

http://www.plugincars.com/response-new-york-times-stalled-ev-highway-126416.html

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/15/autos/tesla-model-s/index.html

If you need more let me know.

there always have to be some Ludites trying to put down anything new! lol

The Top Gear limeys were so patheticaly biased against anything made in US that I completely gave up watching that show,,

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

smkettner wrote:
If you need more let me know.

Guess it depends on who you believe.

Must be a conspiracy because even Green Car say's the figures are optimistic at best!

Funny; Edmonds say's the same thing.

Seems a lot of reviewers that drive a Tesla problems with range.

Top-gear 1........Tesla 0


Believe what you want but a lot of reviews had problems with range when testing the Tesla. Not only that but your $120,000.00 car can turn into a $40,000.00 brick!


We are talking about tow vehicles here; not some aluminum clad little car. It takes a lot of energy to pull a hill at 55 mph while towing a trailer. Even that little car was reported, when you floor it, you lose 1 mile/ second! :E

I have to disagree. IMO a 250hp diesel + 200hp electric should easily be more fuel efficient than a 500hp diesel. And try to imagine pulling in or out of a campground on silent electric instead of hearing all the complaints of idling diesels and the fumes.

Well ya!!! But who on earth needs 500 HP to tow a trailer? There is a lot of big rigs that have less than that and they tow 80K all over the country with no problems. The new diesels are just as quite as a gas engine and there is no fumes with a DEF and SCR.

My 200HP diesel only gets 12 MPG average towing my 26 foot TT. And that is with no fuel burning DPF. A battery pack for a Tesla is 40 grand and that is for a tiny car. Double that for a big truck. :E Even if it gets 1 to 2 miles/ gallon better how long do you think it will take to pay off a $140,000.00 pickup in fuel savings?

Bottom line is, electric vehicles are great for in town driving where you have to drive 30 or 40 miles to work each day. They work great! Out on the road they flat suck. Even then, without subsidies hardly any would be sold because they are so expensive and heavy.

[time2roll]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

And BTW Broder is an idiot. He NEVER fully charged the Tesla. He was even charging when the car said he could NOT make the distance. What does Broder do? He disconnects and drives on. The Tesla goes further than the estimate but still not far enough to avoid the tow. Do you put 10 gallons of fuel in when you know you need 20 gallons? Broder is an idiot. And I don't think Broder ever talks much about the electric vehicle is so low cost to drive Tesla provides FREE long distance fuel with purchase :E Can you imagine any gas burning manufacturer doing that?

:h :h :h

Setting out on a sunny 30-degree day two weeks ago, my trip started well enough. A Tesla agent brought the car to me in suburban Washington with a full charge, and driving at normal highway speeds I reached the Delaware charging dock with the battery still having roughly half its energy remaining. I went off for lunch at the service plaza, checking occasionally on the car’s progress. After 49 minutes, the display read “charge complete,” and the estimated available driving distance was 242 miles.

Fat city; no attendant and no cost.

As I crossed into New Jersey some 15 miles later, I noticed that the estimated range was falling faster than miles were accumulating. At 68 miles since recharging, the range had dropped by 85 miles, and a little mental math told me that reaching Milford would be a stretch.

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/most-peculiar-test-drive

http://www.plugincars.com/response-new-york-times-stalled-ev-highway-126416.html

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/15/autos/tesla-model-s/index.html

If you need more let me know.

[mlts22]

I wonder about more exotic slide-outs. Since vehicles are getting smaller, I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing telescoping slides, more rear slides so a 20-24' motorhome can function as a 26-28', etc.

If someone can invent a tent material that works as an insulation (perhaps something with multiple layers sandwiching an aerogel layer), then we might see hybrid models available that are just as quiet as solid wall rigs.

[spoon059]

Lighter and stronger composite materials with better insulation value. Imagine a solid foam style wall that insulates, is water proof, rigid enough not to require wall studs and hand interior fixtures upon. This removes wood studs which can rot or allow heat/cold in AND prevents roof leaks from causing interior damage. The material fuses to itself, like a PVC glue connection. For repairs you can cut out the damaged area and fuse in a new section.

Better roofing material. Perhaps that magic composite that makes the walls can also be formulated to provide the neccessary strength for the roof while maintaining some degree of flex.

Inexpensive and high performing solar panels on the roof.

Better battery technology. I saw that some poeple think that current battery technology is at its peak... maybe its time to research new technology.

Air conditioner and refrigeration units that run on battery power.

Generators that are substantially more quiet.

More aerodynamic RV's that help acquire better gas mileage.

More fuel efficient tow vehicles that have sufficient power (remember lighter weights and more aerodynamic RV's).

Thats all I can think of for right now. This is an interesting thread, thanks OP!!!

[Veebyes]

30 years ago the average car on US roads was far larger & heavier than the average car was anywhere else in the world. Detroit wondered why the rest of the world was not interested in their cars?

To a lesser degree, with cars & RVS, that still holds true today. Fuel is still cheap in the US. What is considered mid sized in the US is large elsewhere. Same with RVs. You won't see the monster class As or big 5ers anywhere else.

Smaller RVs are getting more popular. Look how many Sprinter vans with diesels are appearing in CGs. I think that the future will bring even more smaller RVs. Vehicles will get smarter too. The day of not having to steer while going down a highway are not too far off. You will be able to sit in the drivers seat & text & surf to your hearts content & other drivers will not be cursing you because the computer doing the driving is safer than you.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

And BTW Broder is an idiot. He NEVER fully charged the Tesla. He was even charging when the car said he could NOT make the distance. What does Broder do? He disconnects and drives on. The Tesla goes further than the estimate but still not far enough to avoid the tow. Do you put 10 gallons of fuel in when you know you need 20 gallons? Broder is an idiot. And I don't think Broder ever talks much about the electric vehicle is so low cost to drive Tesla provides FREE long distance fuel with purchase :E Can you imagine any gas burning manufacturer doing that?

:h :h :h

Setting out on a sunny 30-degree day two weeks ago, my trip started well enough. A Tesla agent brought the car to me in suburban Washington with a full charge, and driving at normal highway speeds I reached the Delaware charging dock with the battery still having roughly half its energy remaining. I went off for lunch at the service plaza, checking occasionally on the car’s progress. After 49 minutes, the display read “charge complete,” and the estimated available driving distance was 242 miles.

Fat city; no attendant and no cost.

As I crossed into New Jersey some 15 miles later, I noticed that the estimated range was falling faster than miles were accumulating. At 68 miles since recharging, the range had dropped by 85 miles, and a little mental math told me that reaching Milford would be a stretch.

[time2roll]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
Sorry but hybrids will do next to nothing for RV's. For short trips like busses and garbage trucks they will work great. Rv's just won't cut it. There is a reason a Prius gets good mileage in start and stop traffic but on the open road not so good.

LI batteries have reached their limit. This means they can't get anymore power out of them or they can't hold anymore power size for size because of physics. Batteries are at their limit. This article takes about how batteries are at their limit and their is no getting better.

Much the same way with ICE's. All the big gains are gone. We went from carbs to TB to bank to bank injection to sequential injection to DI. There is nothing beyond DI and we are now burning 99.?%+ of the fuel that goes into a cylinder. I smogged my Beamer the other day and it has 0 emissions coming out pipe at idle. 0! :E We have used all the energy that is in a gallon of gas. There is no more.


This link will show you how companies like Tesla; aaaaaaaaaa, how do I put this; fudge the truth about electric vehicles.

The bottom line is, it takes a LOT of energy to move a big box down the road. Whether that energy is in batteries or gasoline or diesel or propane or whatever fuel you choose; you will need lots of it. Most of it does not have to do much with weight. Most of the poor mileage Rv's see is because of aerodynamics, so maybe what is old will become new again? Maybe the Hi-Lo will make a big comeback?

I have to disagree. IMO a 250hp diesel + 200hp electric should easily be more fuel efficient than a 500hp diesel. And try to imagine pulling in or out of a campground on silent electric instead of hearing all the complaints of idling diesels and the fumes.

Energy density of batteries might be at the limit but cost of production still has room to decrease to allow better cost effective storage.

And BTW Broder is an idiot. He NEVER fully charged the Tesla. He was even charging when the car said he could NOT make the distance. What does Broder do? He disconnects and drives on. The Tesla goes further than the estimate but still not far enough to avoid the tow. Do you put 10 gallons of fuel in when you know you need 20 gallons? Broder is an idiot. And I don't think Broder ever talks much about the electric vehicle is so low cost to drive Tesla provides FREE long distance fuel with purchase :E Can you imagine any gas burning manufacturer doing that?

[free_radical]

camperkilgore wrote:
Ok, Let me try this again......
Maybe in the future there will be no RVs because we'll all get around in tubes......
tube travel

or maglev trains

http://youtu.be/k_eT4zq8eO0

[camperkilgore]

Ok, Let me try this again......
Maybe in the future there will be no RVs because we'll all get around in tubes......
tube travel

[Vulcaneer]

Jarlaxle wrote:
In thirty years...well, I'll be dead.

I am going to say a little prayer for you right now. And I wish you well. Looking forward to your future posts. But when you're dead, we'll remember you fondly.