Yahoo Autos This Plug-In-Hybrid RV Will Offer 500 Miles of Anxiety-Free Range
Thor Industries, the parent company of Airstream, just showed off the prototype of a motorhome with a twist: a plug-in-hybrid RV built on an electric-vehicle platform, with a small internal-combustion generator to improve overall range.
The battery pack is good for about 150 miles on its own, with the generator boosting the overall range to roughly 500 miles.
The company says it will offer RVs on this hybrid platform for sale starting in 2025.
An electric RV without the range to get you out of your current ZIP code is a bit like an umbrella peppered with holes. There's not much point. But, with the increasing push toward electrification throughout the entire automotive industry, RV manufacturers are looking for ways to join in. Airstream parent company Thor Industries is offering up a new plug-in-hybrid motorhome that should get you much farther afield than the next county.
The Thor Test Vehicle (very creative name) is a partnership between Thor and the EV manufacturer Harbinger. The brand describes the Test Vehicle as the world's first hybrid Class A motorhome. The camper features a 140.0-kWh battery pack with an 800-volt system that allows for DC fast-charging. The standard range is around 150 miles, though that number jumps up to roughly 500 thanks to a small internal-combustion range extender.
Unfortunately, Thor didn't reveal powertrain specifics, but the manufacturer described the setup as having "twice the torque of a diesel engine" (it didn't say which one).
Unlike most hybrid vehicles, the Test Vehicle is a series hybrid, meaning that the combustion engine is not connected to the driven wheels, and the RV is powered solely by the electric motor(s). Think of it like the upcoming 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger pickup. Along with the interesting powertrain, it also utilizes a steer-by-wire system, like the Tesla Cybertruck.
According to Thor Industries, RVs utilizing the new chassis will be commercially available in 2025. Pricing information will surely be dependent on brand.
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