World’s first fully electric RV will debut in 2019

The first completely electric motorhome is ready for consumers and is set to debut at a German trade show in January 2019. Called the Iridium EV, the camper is available for sale immediately and shows the RV industry’s continued interest in more eco-friendly designs. Love campers and trailers? Come join our community group.

The Iridium EV is the brainchild of two German companies, ElektroFahrzeuge Stuttgart (called EFA-S, an electric vehicle retrofitter) and WOF, a camper van manufacturer. WOF contributed their commercial vehicle chassis while EFA-S provided the drivetrain and battery technology. The E-camper’s bodywork comes from the Swiss camper van manufacturer Maurer Fahrzeugbau.

Currently, the Iridium EV camper has a range of 124 miles. That’s a real limitation, but the camper does come with an integrated charger that lets you charge it anywhere—think conventional sockets, wall boxes, or fast-charging stations.

EFA-S knows, however, that the range might pose a problem for people. They’ve promised, “Iridium customers can benefit from the fact that battery capacity is rapidly increasing,” says EFA-S Managing Director Bastian Beutel. “The same vehicle can, therefore, more than double its range in the near future with the same battery weight by replacing the battery.” There’s no word on how much the Iridium EV will cost.

Despite the limited range, the future of electric motorhomes is promising. We’ve seen concept RVs covered in solar panels and Winnebago Industries recently announced the launch of an all-electric, zero-emission chassis for commercial use, but its range is limited to 85-125 miles per charge.

The camper most similar to the Iridium EV is probably the Nissan e-NV200, a zero-emission, factory-built camper that’s completely electric. But this pop-up camper isn’t a full-size motorhome, and it also comes with a 124-mile range before it needs to charge.

Still, there’s no doubt that the industry as a whole is heading to electrification, a good thing as the world lessens its dependence on cars and looks to combat climate change.

Via: Electrive.com