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Now that Tesla will be offering battery banks, I'm wondering which coach work company will be the first to market with "Tesla inside". I don't expect the aerodynamics to work for an electrical powered motorhome (larger than a VW bus) but it could make a lot of sense to get rid of the lead acid Marine batteries and the propane tanks. Silent campgrounds without generators running would be a huge blessing.

Perhaps adjustable heavy regen braking could be developed as well? Make it safer to drive a big bus down steep grades AND recharge your battery without burning up brakes. Win-win.
 
I would think that Plugin-hybrid tech would make a lot of sense for a motorhome. Should improve efficiency, plus the ability to charge up while at the campground, or conversely to run the motorhome when not plugged in. Could be a bummer to have a motorhome blocking 4 or 5 charging stations while they top up, though. :)
 
Having rented an RV three times, I too was curious, so did the math.

1. RV uses 4x more gas than a standard sedan to drive the same distance.
The 36 foot "A" class I rented got 6 mpg on a good steady drive, and 5 mpg in the mountains.
If 85kWh battery gets you 240 miles in a Model S, the same storage gets you 60 miles in an RV.

2. Tesla Powerpack 100kWh system is priced at $250/kWh according to Elon:
Elon Musk on Twitter:

3. Let's say you need a comfortable 200 mile range between recharges.
You'd need to have the room for three fridge sized 100kWh battery systems and $75000 lying around to fund it.

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I would think that Plugin-hybrid tech would make a lot of sense for a motorhome. Should improve efficiency, plus the ability to charge up while at the campground, or conversely to run the motorhome when not plugged in.

The hybrid idea is cute, and you don't need much battery to do that, but it doesn't help much on the open road where the majority of RV driving is done.

For sure improved battery systems compared to the standard lead acid used in RV's to run the fridge and lighting when on the road would make sense though.
 
Yes, pretty sure.

The same sized V10 engine in a car similar to a Tesla would get 20+mpg on the highway.
In an RV, due to weight and air resistance, the same V10 gets 5mpg.

That is a 4x difference on the same powertrain.

The 4x is due to weight and aerodynamics, both of which are notoriously bad in an RV. ;-)
 
You sure about your math, SmartElectric? If the Model S gets 89 mpge, wouldn't 240 miles in a Model S equate to roughly 20 miles in a 6mpg motor home?


But EV motorhome would be way more than 6MPGe. Using his 1/4 rule, the eMotorhome could be 22MPGe. Regen and overall efficiency should be much better than an ICE.
 
Are the two modules in the 10 kWh Powerwall the same as the 16 in the 85 kWh car pack? I could see an unintended, but interesting market for the Powerwall being electric conversions. I will go out on a limb and say that if the modules are in fact the same, the coolant system could be modified to run through a radiator. I know that this isn't explicitly what this thread is about.
 
Are the two modules in the 10 kWh Powerwall the same as the 16 in the 85 kWh car pack? I could see an unintended, but interesting market for the Powerwall being electric conversions. I will go out on a limb and say that if the modules are in fact the same, the coolant system could be modified to run through a radiator. I know that this isn't explicitly what this thread is about.

I don't think anyone but Tesla knows at this point, but because Tesla has said that the Model S battery pack can be used in stationary applications after it's EOL as an automotive battery, I'd assume that the Powerwall was designed with this in mind.
 
The hybrid idea is cute, and you don't need much battery to do that, but it doesn't help much on the open road where the majority of RV driving is done.

How much does it have to help to be a good idea? The motorhomes you're talking about appear to be the ones using large pickup truck engines - in their 2 mode hybrid program GM demonstrated that even with a little battery and 300+ horsepower engine, minor aero tweaks, Atkinson cycle, and hybridization were enough to gain 20% better economy on the open road (and much more in the city.)

With a larger battery and an engine downsized to meet the actual demand, more improvements are likely possible. A quick analysis suggests that even at 6 mpg, the motorhome is still only averaging about 90 kW to the road at 65 mph.

I'm still trying to pull the pieces together to make a realistic comparison, but I think a clean sheet approach based on a couple of EV drive axles and one built from an existing PHEV architecture plus a 30-40 kWh battery pack could give much better economy for minimal weight gain - and mean it was completely silent in camp on the typical night, while not needing to be plugged in at any point if it isn't feasible.

In the worst case, it could run the PHEV's ICE to generate electricity and still be much more efficient and much quieter than a conventional generator (and it would presumably cycle the engine - run for fifteen minutes, then off for a couple hours.)
Walter
 
Why not just base the bottom end of the RV on a VIA drivetrain system? They already have power export capability that could be used for the appliances inside. Wrightspeed also has a medium duty and heavy duty drivetrains that could power something as big as a diesel pusher RV. Full electric RV is not practical. PHEV makes the most sense.
 
I thought about getting an RV about year ago but using that much fuel, plus paying for it, doesn't sit well with me. Even with gas prices where they are now I feel it's just too wasteful. It wasn't until we got the MS and did some traveling this summer that I realized how convenient RV Park charging could be. Now topping off a battery for PHEV RV seems like a natural progression of the technology. The Wrightspeed and VIA technology is certainly the way to go but it seems they are still at a proof-of-concept stage. Tesla based tech would be my preference, especially the battery packs.

I understand that people travel differently but the folks I've spoken with do east coast traveling between Florida and and the Northeast/Canada. They usually travel 250 to 300 highway miles a day and stop at an RV park overnight, maybe staying 1-3 nights. A PHEV would be perfect for this, of course, using the largest Tesla battery pack available. I do like the roll-up solar panel idea in addition to roof-top.
 
I'm in a rented RV at the end of a two week road trip and thinking how better batteries could make the RV experience so much better.

Generator replacement plan - add two PowerWalls to the RV as a battery system upgrade. This will let you run the AC after quiet hours begin at a campground. (I spent a couple nights in Moab,AZ when it was 85-90 degrees at night)

PHEV plan - install electric motors to drive the rear wheels and size the battery just large enough to supply the motors with the energy they need. Then install the most efficient diesel engine you can find. Think Chevy Volt but RV scale.

Full EV plan - this is not yet practice. Batteries add to vehicle weight and weight reduces efficiency. I work with 70 passenger EV school buses that do a great job running morning and afternoon routes every weekday. The trick is they charge after every run. (104 kWh battery = 71 mile. 45 miles in the am...charge 45 in the pm is 90 miles a day) RV can't operate like school buses. They need to go 300 in one run.

I like the PHEV plan but what company will build it? I expect some company will in the next 5-10 year...then many companies will. I can't wait. ;)
 
Yes, pretty sure.

The same sized V10 engine in a car similar to a Tesla would get 20+mpg on the highway.
In an RV, due to weight and air resistance, the same V10 gets 5mpg.

That is a 4x difference on the same powertrain.

The 4x is due to weight and aerodynamics, both of which are notoriously bad in an RV. ;-)

SmartElectric , the mileage on the V10 is not that great in the Ford pick up trucks. As I recall mileage was 10 To 12 unloaded. With a lighter weight auto my guess would be maybe 14 to 18 mpg.

I have been thinking of ways to get more range out of a hybrid or Electric Motohome. I have been thinking of useing Afew small wind turbines that could be placed under a hood scooop and other scoops placed on the sides and roof. I am not an engineer. But I do think that wind generated at driving 60 mph would be sufficient to generate enough electricity to keep batteries charged for longer distances.
Tesla also announced that they now have roofing shingles that are solar panels. Larger sheets of this material could be produced and used on the top of motor homes to also charge the Batteries in Motor home.

As I said I am not an engineer. I have no idea if you could make this cost effective or if you could generate enough energy to exstend the range to make to make this a worthwhile project.
 
SmartElectric , the mileage on the V10 is not that great in the Ford pick up trucks. As I recall mileage was 10 To 12 unloaded. With a lighter weight auto my guess would be maybe 14 to 18 mpg.

I have been thinking of ways to get more range out of a hybrid or Electric Motohome. I have been thinking of useing Afew small wind turbines that could be placed under a hood scooop and other scoops placed on the sides and roof. I am not an engineer. But I do think that wind generated at driving 60 mph would be sufficient to generate enough electricity to keep batteries charged for longer distances.
Tesla also announced that they now have roofing shingles that are solar panels. Larger sheets of this material could be produced and used on the top of motor homes to also charge the Batteries in Motor home.

As I said I am not an engineer. I have no idea if you could make this cost effective or if you could generate enough energy to exstend the range to make to make this a worthwhile project.
I'm too tired right now to do a search, but this has been debunked here before. It's the "free energy" fallacy.
 
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Yes, exactly. Go electric on everything except the motor.. Maybe someone can design a roll up solar canopy you can employ when camping to charge up the powerwall with the added benefit of providing shade....

It's a lost cause... People won't listen to the intent behind your question. I've asked this question before multiple times. I totally agree with you though, and would be first in line if they offered it. I have a large 5th wheeler myself and I don't like running the generator in a campsite.

It's similar to: "I want to be able to draw 240v 40A from my Model S during the ONE day a year I have a power outage". "No! If you do that often it's bad for the battery!". What, 10 times in the life of the car?

Sigh.

There are a lot of these things that if Tesla just go 1% extra it enables twice as many use cases. Or if they just were more open with their tech so that other people can step up to the plate. But Tesla is even less open than Apple. I wish they had more of a Microsoft-like partner ecosystem model... but then again they probably wouldn't be as successful if they did. Double edged sword.
 
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SmartElectric , the mileage on the V10 is not that great in the Ford pick up trucks. As I recall mileage was 10 To 12 unloaded. With a lighter weight auto my guess would be maybe 14 to 18 mpg.

I have been thinking of ways to get more range out of a hybrid or Electric Motohome. I have been thinking of useing Afew small wind turbines that could be placed under a hood scooop and other scoops placed on the sides and roof. I am not an engineer. But I do think that wind generated at driving 60 mph would be sufficient to generate enough electricity to keep batteries charged for longer distances.
Tesla also announced that they now have roofing shingles that are solar panels. Larger sheets of this material could be produced and used on the top of motor homes to also charge the Batteries in Motor home.

As I said I am not an engineer. I have no idea if you could make this cost effective or if you could generate enough energy to exstend the range to make to make this a worthwhile project.

The problem is that the energy you're pulling out of the wind slows the RV, which then requires more energy to push it down the road - and since no system is 100% efficient, it takes more energy overall to move the RV after subtracting the energy gained from the turbines than it takes to just move the RV without the turbines. Anything else is perpetual motion...

The solar panels are a good idea, but there isn't enough surface area to drive the RV at freeway speeds from it. It'll be useful, especially for camping away from utilities, and it can give some electric range, just not enough to drive a lot.