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?

[mlts22]

relaxin wrote:


fuel cells

This. Why can't we get these (and other cool things from Truma such as their water heater which automatically drains itself if it gets too cold) in the US?

[solismaris]

No more generators. Our off-grid 120-volt power needs will be supplied from silent fuel cells powered by gasoline or propane.

[Jarlaxle]

In thirty years...well, I'll be dead.

[relaxin]

europe

fuel cells

[Vulcaneer]

Here's the biggest change that I see for 30 years from now. The RV'ers that read this thread will be 30 years older. They'll be clogging up all the intersections. Running red lights. Driving down the road at 20 MPH. Clogging up the line to the registration desks at Campgrounds. They'll be asking for repeats (Hey! Wadja Say???) at Bingo night. Or..."there aint no I 31") They'll be betching about kids, dogs, cigarette butts, and the neighbors crossing thru their sites. (Oh Wait...That happens now) And those kids too "Hey Kid...get off the lawn. Yeah I gotta gun....Just don't remember where I put it. Over weight?...I been towing RV's for 70 years...Don't tell me I don't know what I'm doin." "You want how much rent for a site? I'm on a fixed income you know. I want a discount." "If my wife was alive she'd really give you the business." "That Grand Canyon ain't nuthin but a big ditch."

And don't even get me started about what happens when parking at Wal-Mart. Or in the store, either. And you won't find a single sugar, equal, ketchup outside the counter at Mickey D's.

[eabc5454]

Modular design made to order units.

You need an office? Order the office pod. Dog kennel? Bird cage? Wine cooler? Kegerator? Order the proper module. Configure the layout using your computer, and you can walk through your layout in virtual or holographic mode. When finished, pay for it through PayPal and they will deliver it to your door in 48 hours.

[phenrichs]

I would bet that battery and solar (or some alternative power source) will be the biggest advances that we will see. The other items inside that consume the power will be more efficient so the whole package should be better by then. The lightweight thing is all the craze now so I would hope to see that continue but with sturdier construction as materials are developed. This is all at the cost of "option packages" I am sure.

[hyattjlbb]

Gauges that are able to tell you the ACTUAL levels of your black and grey tanks, no more guessing!

[mlts22]

I have to brush away my cynicism for a bit here:

1: If we can get batteries within an order of magnitude of gasoline, or we get a decent hydrogen use/generation/storage process working, this will fundamentally change things. Gasoline engines are even at best nowhere near as efficient as electric motors, so it might balance out. Done right, one could just charge their RV on solar panels, and not worry about what fuel is needed for what.

2: Aerogel insulation gets cheaper and more common. This would allow for very high R-values in small spaces, as well as insulating metal to metal joints between welds.

3: Solar cells get built in intelligent chargers, so something covering one cell in a panel won't cut the whole panel's yield by half.

4: Auto-driving cars will reduce the amount of wrecks on the roads, and allow things like when out at a movie, having the RV drive itself to a propane shop to get refilled.

5: The absorption fridge goes the way of the dodo, replaced by a propane fuel cell, a battery, and a compressor fridge.

6: We will see a move from gasoline to diesel because with fuel getting more expensive, it means that the added expense for a diesel might be more than compensated for the longer fuel life and economy.

7: We will see slide-outs not just for rooms, but for layers of solar panels.

[FlatBroke]

Green Peace takes over. Cant do nutt'n.

[KFS]

I would agree that office space will evebtually be more common than an oven (that many use for storage 🙂

My DH predicts that someone will be brave enough to move the bulk of the kitchen completely outside leaving only a small snack prep area inside with the main fridge. Speaking of which a true sized refrigerator accessible from inside and outside would be a selling point. In our neck of the woods all across the CG you see people cooking outside.

I think awnings will eventually be incorporated with fold down screen rooms. Also, someone will invent a deck that slides out from under the camper.

Otherwise Lite will be the name of the game. Fuel economy matters. On the other hand today's consumer has reviews and first hand experience at his/her fingertips - so quality builds will be necessary or pricing will have to reach "throwaway" status. I do think people will no longer expect an RV to last decades (sadly).

How about something that drives like a true A, but the front pulls off for stand alone driving - think the best features of a truck camper in a huge A?

I see more "all purpose space" as seen in toy haulers. Kennels and comfort for pets will be designed in.

[relaxin]

TXcampingfamily wrote:

rondeb wrote:
The other issue is keeping the tanks and water lines from freezing. I believe they will figure that one out eventually.

We won't have to worry about freezing water lines and tanks in the future. With global warming nothing will be freezing 30 years from now! :W

I always said global warming had a positive side to it.


as for the electric car mileage issues, hybrids will be what survives this change, either a set of batteries and a fuel cell or small engine to charge them and provide boost when needed, in combination with solar panels integrated into vehicle and rv roofs to assist.

the big monster RV's will go the way of the dodo, and small will come back into style, small but expandable, possibly hybrids with an aluminum, carbon fiber and injected foam body for strength and light weight with an insulative canvas on 4 or 5 pop outs, something that can be towed with a small v6 or equivalent. the question will be asked be each of themselves, "do I really need to go this big?"

[TXcampingfamily]

rondeb wrote:
The other issue is keeping the tanks and water lines from freezing. I believe they will figure that one out eventually.

We won't have to worry about freezing water lines and tanks in the future. With global warming nothing will be freezing 30 years from now! :W

[rondeb]

The biggest issue I see with the current RV's is the lack of insulation and the lack of reflective power by the roof to keep the heat out. They keep adding AC units when with a little bit of innovation the heat could be reflected away. A slightly heavier and thicker insulation would make a huge difference.

The other issue is keeping the tanks and water lines from freezing. I believe they will figure that one out eventually.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

free radical wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
Fuel at $10+ / gallon.

I personally don't see much RVing going on. If there is, it will be vastly different than what we have now or just a few elite doing it.

And before anybody jumps on the "trucks will get better mileage" yada, yada, yada bandwagon, I will say this:

1969 brand new Chevy truck and TT for our family. 350/400/373 12 bolt, life was good. Mileage? 10 MPG over thousands of miles over many years of vacations towing our TT.

Fast forward to 2013. What do the new gasoline trucks get towing? 8 to 10 MPG towing about the same size trailer. :E That is the same or worse we got 40 years ago!

Over 40 years and 0 gain in towing fuel economy does not bode well for RVing when the next fuel price jump comes.

JMHO

these hybrid electric trucks are just what we need,hopefuly the price will drop soon

www.viamotors.com

http://youtu.be/qJJA648cwD8

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?