Once again it’s time to look back on a year’s worth of RVs and gadget reviews from 2023 and pick out some of the highlights. And horrors. In fact, one of the most encouraging things I’ve seen is that RV companies are back to doing some innovative things. I’m even seeing brand-new floor plans and other signs that the RV industry isn’t resting on its laurels.
This is going to be a two-parter, with the first part being my wish list for what I’d like to see the RV industry do moving forward. We all have desires for better build quality and such— that’s a given. But there are some concrete things I’d like to see that, I believe, would truly make a difference and not be that difficult for them to implement without increasing production costs.
While I also wish for stuff like world peace and good health for everybody and this planet we call home, nobody comes here to read that. So let’s get to my RV wish list instead.
My wish list—first pie in the sky
There are more and more screens and monitors and techie whatchamadoodles in RVs and more are coming. The inside of my truck already looks like mission command for some journey to a faraway planet with all the screens I have to monitor all the gadgets I have.
What I’d like to see is a common system connection where I could get my tire pressure monitor, the side- and rearview cameras, and the maps from my phone to all show up on the screen I already have on the instrument panel in my truck.
I can already monitor the propane systems, the temp in the fridge, my tire pressure and even open slide rooms and turn on lights with my phone. I’d love to see some universal interface planned for vehicles such that you can add functionality to those screens they all have today. You know. Kind of like my phone is able to do. Then I wouldn’t have to keep figuring out how to place yet one more screen on the instrument panel of my truck.
But the phone doesn’t have the ability to monitor things like side- and rearview cameras or dash cameras. Not yet. Plus, proprietary things like tire pressure monitoring systems and such also don’t have a home on the phone.
This would require some open standard for accessing the screen that is in our tow vehicles, and I can imagine some worriers might be afraid of people hacking into their vehicles. If you don’t know, the “radio” is the gateway to a lot of the functionality in your vehicle nowadays.
But, wouldn’t it be great to only have one screen on the instrument panel of your vehicle with the trailer tire pressure, map, podcast, backup camera, observation camera and more rather than the multiples we have now?
Some vehicles are closer to this reality, with GM’s full-sized trucks offering some of this functionality. But, until we include side- and rearview cameras, we still have a ways to go.
Electric stuff
News and attention seem to be going to the theoretical electrification of our transportation system so, with that in mind, the RV industry is also looking at this. Last year we looked at a couple of legacy companies that were playing with the whole electrification situation.
To refresh, two towable concepts were shown off—the Airstream eStream and the Lippert Edison. Both of these had similar ideas—use a large on-board battery and electric drive motor to mitigate the effects of towing something the size of a barn. This would mean no theoretical loss of fuel economy if you’re towing with an internal combustion engine or would mean the range of an EV towing wouldn’t be compromised by the trailer.
Thor also showed off their Thor Vision Vehicle Concept EV, and Winnebago also had an all-electric Class B van.
There were even a few all-electric motorized rigs tossed about, including the Grounded G2 RV. And, some time back, the folks at SylvanSport gave a sneak peek at their collaborative project with EV truck maker Zeus.
Since then, we’ve seen two companies actually promise to deliver something like those trailers that were just visions last year. Both of these seem to come at the RV industry by way of Silicon Valley as opposed to being people from the industry.
If you want to know more, Russ and Tiña De Maris wrote a piece about the Lightship L1 self-powered trailer and Cheri Sicard took you on a tour of the new Pebble Flow. Both of these share the same idea that a very large battery and electric drive motors overcome the inherent losses in towing.
But I think the story is bigger than that…
Both of these models purport to be built differently. And better than what we’ve come to expect from the folks in Indiana. Things like climate control and food prep are reimagined. No more air conditioners plopped onto the roof like was done since the 1970s.
The windows in the Pebble Flow don’t have curtains. Instead, you get windows that utilize a technology that allows them to be darkened electronically.
I don’t know if people will step up to buy these in sufficient quantities to keep the companies alive, although I thought the same thing about Tesla and it’s now worth more than GM. And there’s the opportunity.
The existing RV industry reminds me of the auto industry of the late 1970s, with lackadaisical quality and little meaningful innovation. But then, many RV industry decision-makers never regularly go RVing.
I firmly believe that the RV industry is ripe for an outsider to come in and just have a field day with innovation, quality and usability. Could it be one of these two? Perhaps.
These newer trailer brands promise some real useful functionality including the ability to remotely move them and a much easier hitching process. If nothing else, perhaps these will light a fire under the seat cushion of the people in the Hoosier state to actually make this whole towing process easier. And get out of the 1970s in terms of design and manufacturing processes with some real change.
One more thing about EVs
Speaking of EVs, the latest results show that EV sales are slowing a bit. I don’t think they’re quite ready for prime time in the RV space. Yet. But something I saw from Stellantis (you know, Chrysler, Ram, Dodge, Mopar, Fiat) is the promised forthcoming Ramcharger pickup truck. If the promise is anything close to reality, I am going to get one of these things. Why?
It offers an all-electric driveline with the torque and power of an EV. But it also has a proven gasoline V6 as a “generator.” So you get an EV around town where most of us spend a lot of time. But then, on those long road trips, you have a traditional gasoline-powered vehicle.
The company has promised a pulling capacity of 14,000 pounds and a cargo-carrying capacity of 2,600 pounds. These numbers put this squarely in the space of 3/4-ton trucks, even though it’s advertised as a half-ton vehicle.
Further, it can recharge the batteries on a trailer. So I would imagine you could get away with smaller (cheaper) batteries on the trailer. I could see a couple of 100 amp-hour lithium batteries being sufficient for most boondocking. This flies right in the face of those EV trailers we just looked at, as you wouldn’t need that kind of expensive battery reserves to still go RVing. And you wouldn’t have to care about accommodating charging stations.
Unlike the Ford competitor, this one uses the electric motors only for traction power, much like a railway locomotive. The gasser is only there to recharge the battery and provide additional resources as needed. Ford’s solution is nifty and all that, but it also incorporates a very complicated transmission that makes me a little concerned about long-term reliability.
What Ram has basically done is given us a gas-powered railroad locomotive. And I love trains.
Can’t wait to see how close the promise is to the delivery. Who knows, you might just find one of these in my own driveway.
Conclusions tomorrow
These are the techie things that I’ve seen that intrigue me from the past year and before. In the RV Daily Tips newsletter tomorrow, it’s all about the best gadgets that I’ve seen going into new RVs. And some flops, too. Hope to see you here then. (Not signed up to receive the RV Daily Tips newsletter? You’re missing out! Sign up here. Easy unsubscribe if you don’t like it.)
More about these RV reviews
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.
Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a life long RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. He also works closely with a number of RV manufacturers to get an inside look at how things are done and is a brand ambassador for Rockwood Mini Lite with his wife, Peggy.
You can also check out his RV podcast with his wife, Peggy.
Got an RV we need to look at? Contact us today and let us know in the form below. Thank you!
-form broken-
##RVT1137
You’re very optimistic Tony, I read your column everyday, but I still say until the infrastructure is in place this is all a pipe dream. All the manufacturers are putting the EV technology on hold, until the electrical providers start laying out the billions of $$ to upgrade the infrastructure none of this will happen. As for the Ram electric pickup, that is a pipe dream also, two complete systems minus the transmission to maintain is going to be very expensive. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the system that powers a locomotive, I worked 15 1/2 years where locomotives were built. Several thousand HP Diesel engine turning the generators (AC and DC) to power the traction motors.
The only batteries were to start the engine. As I understand Ram’s idea is the 3.6L engine is there to charge the battery as a range extender, not a power source to drive the vehicle. Years ago I had an idea when I was learning about hydraulics of using a gas engine to power a hydraulic pump with supporting equipment to drive my car at the time. The more I studied the less practical my idea was, so that idea drifted out of my mind. I’d wager Ram’s idea will not gather fruition for several years to come.
All that electric stuff looks good on paper – BUT, just imagine all of it being proprietary technology from all of the different manufacturers. Throw in the availability issues, because we make literally none of the chips needed here in the USA anymore, and there’s the perfect storm. And it WILL break, early and often, in the beginning. We read about shoddy repairs being done all of the time on the old technology, so does anyone think this new stuff will really improve anything in the next 25 years? I go camping to get away from that craziness, not to add to it because I’m too lazy to pull down a window shade.
No thanks. I prefer the KISS method.
What a time to be alive! Electrification of cars and other large vehicles is fantastic. They are so much more capable of the vehicles today and 100x more fun to drive. I realize this audience is the most resistant to the new tech but keep the articles coming. Yes, the infrastructure needs improving but it will come in time. We are following the same path of paved roads vs. the introduction of the automobile (vs horses). The Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 and the Federal Highway Act of 1921 marked significant federal involvement in road construction. This was after mass production of the auto. The growth in automobiles forced a change to paved roads due to demand. Same is happening here.
nice dream BUT lack of infrastructure for charging remains to be the deal killer unless you are talking about the Ram truck that Tony was discussing in the article. ICE for me now until the charging delays/ availability is addressed. Oh, and what about the end of cycle life for the batteries and disposal?
Can the RamCharger be flat-towed? If so, I have four vehicles that could be deleted from my small personal “fleet” of towable and non-towable vehicles. I love my old vehicles so much that I can’t let them go and consider them my collectibles, LOL, but an all-in-one like a flat-towable RamCharger might make me give them up.
Since it’s still just a prototype there’s no information about this yet.
Interesting article. I like RAM’s approach using the engine as a generator for battery propulsion. I’m a long term owner of a Promaster van with the same Pentastar 6 cylinder engine they plan to use. As most long term Pentastar owners know, this engine does not like to be run at idle for long periods. The oil just does not circulate to the lifters properly at idle which leads to other mechanical issues over time. Ok for short periods, but not a good idea for extended running. Hopefully RAM will address this in the new truck and at least set an adequate minimum idle RPM for the engine.
I would imagine the engine would be re-tuned for the unusual operation conditions it would run in and probably run at something like “fast idle” to operate the generator. But good point!
Thank you, Tony! It is apples to oranges, but some drivables have the sort of information that you want on either of two displays, e.g., our 2022 Newmar New Aire. Getting the information that you want displayed on your truck’s screen may only happen if the truck manufacturer starts making towables and offering as options the third-party add-ons that you have. At least that is how we got TPMS info in the dash display of RV #2 after having it on a third-party screen that DW monitored with RV #1. Safe travels and happy new year! 🙂
My wish list at this point is pretty simple-
Oooh – these are good!!!!
Micro-Air sells an aftermarket thermostat called Easy Touch that can do exactly what you want. It can act as an normal AC, heatpump, and furnace thermostat, can switch automatically to keep a certain temp, and has a home/away mode. Check it out.
I think SIMPLE is best. All these tech gadgets inevitably glitch and/or fail…causing nothing but vexation and often ruining the good times with trying to fix them. Did RVers need all that crap 20-30-40 years ago to have a good time??? As long as I have the basics, I’m happy.
Tony, I don’t share your thoughts about screen(s) in front of the driver. I think I’m a good driver anyway and I don’t want my vehicle beeping and chirping any time I cross a line on the road or when there’s a vehicle next to me. I keep up with all maint. on our rig and everything most always works as it should. I don’t need another set of sensors to tell me my fridge is ok, etc. People on the road are distracted beyond belief these days with only a phone to play with along with some fast food to eat. (I don’t know why they still call it a phone either!)
As far as ev technology goes, I welcome the advances that hopefully will make our world cleaner and more efficient.
Thanks for todays article Tony! I can’t wait for tomorrows follow up.
Over complicating things is only going to distract more from the essence of taking your RV out and exploring this great country. Making a better quality coach that doesn’t appear to have been designed in the 80’s and utilizing better construction with modern materials and fabrication would be the way forward. The only gadget I need is a cell phone for navigation, weather and finding places to camp at. Like others have said: KISS!!!
Yep!!