JULY 21, 2022 — A travel trailer that drives itself? Well, not down the highway (wouldn’t that make it a motorhome?), but it will maneuver itself into your campsite, your driveway for storage, or the last few feet of where it can be dropped on the tow vehicle’s hitch. The unique RV was announced today in Syracuse, Indiana, by Travel Lite RV (TLRV).
The self-driving version of the company’s existing Rove Lite, a 14-foot, 1,800-pound towable, is expected to be available for shipment in the first quarter of 2023, according to TLRV CEO Ryan Rebar.
A remote-controlled, proprietary motor on each wheel allows its owner to drive the trailer to a tow vehicle to be hitched, or away from the vehicle to be parked. Once parked, the motors can be locked against the tires, eliminating the need for wheel chocks, Rebar explained.
The system is equipped with a keyed, fail-safe lockout feature that prevents the motors from being activated while the trailer is being towed.
Rebar said the self-driving unit will be one of TLRV’s new products available for viewing at the TLRV campus during the upcoming RV industry open house Sept. 26-29 in Elkhart, Indiana, which is home to about 90 percent of all RVs made in North America. Also on display will be a sub-900-pound truck camper designed for small pickups like the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger.
In the video below, watch a one-minute demonstration of how the trailer moves under its owner’s control.
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Alto Safari trailers out of Quebec Canada have had this feature for a number of years. Maybe it’s a patent difference, but this feature is not a brand new idea.
I’ve seen a video in the past of what Ken wrote. Now if only we could get a system to back travel trailer into our campsite.
Looks ok on pavement, but what about on gravel or grass?
Exactly, how many campgrounds have flat, paved sites? Those small tongue wheels would get stuck on the smallest obstacle destroying the jack. I painted the top of the coupler with a large white dot and use my backup camera to align the ball.
Amen…how many campsites are that smooth and what about a slick surface? This seems to be just a gimmick for those who do not want to expend the effort for the job…wait, lets get a selfie !
Seems to be an expensive solution in search of a problem.
Would be kind of nice for me to park it in the corner of the barn until I wanted to use it next summer.
I saw something similar in South Africa. It controlled a wheel on the hitch, not the others. It worked well for positioning the trailer on the campsite.