Future Tech | My MotorHome Life

#CAMPER/CONCEPT: Ford Once Considered Making A Low-Slung Sporty RV That Doubled As An Office

BY Mercedes Streeter—Some of the greatest motorhomes in history have come from companies deciding to think outside of the box. The GMC Motorhome still has a forward-thinking design even decades later and Wanderlodge showed that Blue Bird had more tricks up its sleeve than just school buses.

#EVLEGISLATION/UPDATE: Virginia Bill Aims To Bring EV Charging To State And Local Parks

BY RV Industry Association Staff—As battery technologies improve and gas prices climb, many state legislatures have placed a focus on electric vehicle (EV) related legislation in the 2022 session. Ranging from HOV lane access to new regulations on EV manufacturing facilities, states are preparing themselves for the growing number of EVs and electric RVs (eRVs) on their roads.

#CAMPERLIFE/CONCEPT: Mitsubishi Shows Off Electric Micro-Camper and Delica Overlander

BY C.C. Weiss—Van life and pursuit of leisure are shaping up to be major themes at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. Nissan rolled these themes into a pair of Caravan concepts it has already previewed, and now Mitsubishi shows its own take on the concepts.

#ELECTRIC/CONCEPT: Could this Delivery Vehicle Be a Future Electric RV (eRV)?

BY Cristina Mircea—Fully flat, electric, modular, and with a payload of up to 8,800 lb. (almost 4,000 kg), REE Automotive’s newly announced P7 platform is suitable for commercial delivery vehicles and promises to pack up to 35 percent more packages than other competitors.

#ELECTRIC/DCNETWORK: Can eRV Chargers Act Like Gas Stations? It’s Not as Easy as You Think.

BY David Ferris—Vice President Kamala Harris visited an electric vehicle charging station in Maryland last month and laid out a vision for what the government’s $7.5 billion payout for charging infrastructure will create. “Absolutely make it accessible for everyone and easy,” she said, “just like filling up your car with gas.”

#ELECTRIC/EVCHARGING: The US’ First-Ever National EV & eRV Charging Summit is Coming, and it’s Free to the Public

BY Michelle Lewis—A coalition of business, labor, and environmental advocacy leaders will host the US’ first-ever National EV Charging Summit on January 20, 2022. Members of the public are invited to attend, and it’s free.

#ELECTRIC/BRANDUPDATE: Canoo Plans EV Production in 2022 in Arkansas, dropping Netherlands Plan

BY Stephen Edelstein (with additional reporting by Marco Kathuria)—EV startup Canoo has ceased contract manufacturing discussions with the Netherlands’ VDL Nedcar, opting instead to build EVs at its own United States facilities starting in 2022.

#ELECTRIC/EVCHARGING: Alaska is Getting its Own EV Charging Network

snow capped mountain next to lake under blue sky

BY Stephen Edelstein—Alaska is slated to get its own EV charging network, making electric RV (eRV) and other EV ownership more viable on the Last Frontier.

#ELECTRIC/EVNEWS: Battery Material Plant will Feed GM’s North American EV Supply Chain

BY Bengt Halvorson—In order to produce affordable electric vehicles at scale, automakers need to both drive down battery costs and secure a stable supply of critical materials. For General Motors and its Ultium Cells LLC joint-venture battery plants with LG Energy Solution, that will be aided by plans to form a joint venture between the automaker and South Korea’s Posco Chemical.

#ELECTRIC/CONCEPT: Nissan’s Electric e-NV200 Camper Concept

BY Rob Hull—The Winter Camper is an electric van kitted-out for ski holidays—but a 124-mile range may not get you to the mountains on a single charge.

#ELECTRIC/EXPLAINER: The Li-ion Battery Packs that Power Global Marquees from Tesla to VW & Rivian

BY Daniel Ren— Four major battery variants that currently power electric vehicles (EV) on the road are known as NCM, NCA, LFP and sodium-ion packs. EV batteries will be in high demand over the next decade, as carmakers ramp up production and the carbon neutrality era draws nearer.

#ELECTRICRV/TECH: The First Fully Electric Motorhome From Knaus Tabbert

BY Marco Kathuria—The “KNAUS E.POWER DRIVE” is the first fully electric motorhome from Knaus Tabbert and was developed in conjunction with HWA AG – a leader in the motor sport and engineering field.

#ELECTRICRV/EVSE: Electrify America Adds Road-Trip Chargers at Wall Drug

BY Stephen Edelstein—Working to fill gaps in its network, Electrify America is adding charging stations (also known as EVSE units or electric recharging points) in new locations, including one site near a famous roadside attraction.

#CAMPERLIFE/CONCEPT: Toyota Unveils ‘Tacozilla’ Tacoma Camper Overlanding Rig at 2021 SEMA Show

BY Marco Kathuria—Toyota used this year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show to unveil a unique lifted Tacoma camper riding on 33-inch all-terrain tires. It features a retro paint scheme to help it stand out from the crowd. Complete with all the “mod cons” an Overlander or Weekender might need, the “Tacozilla” comes with a bathroom, kitchen, dining area, and living space.

#ELECTRICRV/TECH: Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle To Get Panasonic Battery Cells

BY Bengt Halvorson—The electric vehicle startup Canoo has chosen Panasonic cylindrical lithium-ion cells for its upcoming Lifestyle Vehicle, the company revealed on Monday. The Lifestyle Vehicle is expected to arrive in late 2022 and start at $34,750.

#ELECTRIC/BRANDFOCUS: The Canoo Electric Lifestyle Vehicle Launches Late 2022

BY Marco Kathuria—Canoo has developed a breakthrough electric vehicle that is reinventing the automotive landscape. Prospective buyers can configure the vehicle to provide the utility of a cargo carrier, campervan, minibus, mobile people mover, pickup truck, and more. The company says that the modular EV platform will include up to 300hp and 332 lb.-ft. of peak motor torque with 250 miles of battery range.

#ELECTRIC/RVNEWS: Manufacturer Unveils Electric RV Chassis Plans

By RVNews: Specialty vehicle manufacturer The Shyft Group unveiled plans to launch an all-electric chassis platform made to serve RVs and other markets.

#ELECTRIC/CAMPER: The First Electric Camper Van Is around the Corner

BY JAY RAMEY: LEVC’s take on a European-style camper van, once represented here by the Volkswagen Westfalia and its descendants, is the VN5 e-Camper. The London Electric Vehicle Company revealed renderings of what such a model could look like after partnering with camping vehicle specialist Wellhouse Leisure, and it’s headed into production at the end of 2021.

#ELECTRIC/RVTECH: GM Will Suck Lithium From the Salton Sea?

BY MARK VAUGHN: With most of the world’s carmakers planning to go all-EV soon, the world is going to need a lot more lithium. It is needed to make EV batteries and most now comes from Australia and Chile. General Motors think it might have found a way to get more, signing an agreement to extract Lithium from waters beneath the Salton Sea in Southern California.

Category: Future Tech