Would You Buy an EV Camper with 300 Miles of Range?
Are you the owner of a camper or RV? Would you be interested in owning one that runs entirely on electricity? Thor Industries‘ latest EV camper van looks like it might be the future of camping. However, you don’t want to get stranded out in the forest or wherever you go camping. Would you buy an EV camper with 300 miles of range?
Thor Vision Vehicle: an EV camper with 300 miles of driving range
The Thor Vision Vehicle is an electric camper ready to take your family on its next camping trip in style. Best of all, it won’t use any fossil fuels, so there will be no necessary gas station stops no matter how long the trip might be. However, there might need to be a few for electricity, as this EV camper won’t make it cross-country on a single charge. But neither would a gas-powered camper, so what’s the difference?
In the grand scheme of things, 300 miles of range is a lot of distance to cover without stopping. For instance, according to Infoplease, it’s just 304 miles from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Boston, Massachusetts, or 305 miles from Louisville, Kentucky to Chicago, Illinois. Covering that distance without stopping is quite the feat for a camper running on electricity. Is it enough for the EV camper concept to compete with its gas-powered competition?
How many miles can gas-powered campers drive per tank?
According to Glamping or Camping, Class A RVs have an average tank capacity of 100 gallons, averaging seven mpg. That means RVs can go up to 700 miles on a single tank of gas, more than double the capacity of the EV camper. However, this concept model is a camper van, not an RV. Camper vans are considered Class B motorhomes, the smallest in size.
GoC says Class B motorhomes typically have a fuel tank somewhere around 25 gallons. This is around the same size as standard large vehicles, like a Ford F-150 pickup truck. The best Class B motorhomes get up to 25 miles per gallon, but many are far below that. Some don’t even hit the ten mpg mark, but the average is somewhere in the middle. It depends on your make and model, but 10-15 mpg is typical.
What else do we know about the Thor Vision Vehicle concept EV camper?
Although it is still in its concept stages, Motor1 shared the critical specs for the production model. Thor guarantees a best-in-class range of 300 miles, which obliterates the 125 miles a Winnebago EV RV can travel per charge. The Vision concept comes with a virtual cockpit, digital entertainment experience, and an advanced power management system to help the owner monitor the battery life.
Thor seems to be embracing the digital age, making this concept a high-tech EV camper option. Motor1 called the Thor Vision Vehicle “a complete transformation of the RV experience.” This is to highlight how futuristic and next-level this concept model looks. Previous attempts like the Winnebago RV EV are closer to a regular RV with an electric powertrain thrown in, while Thor’s is a step into the next generation of campers.
Would you buy an EV camper with 300 miles of electric driving range? We think it would be enough distance for most people. However, we’re also sure that if you wait a few more years, more and more range will become available for campers. EVs are the future in all classes of vehicles, but campers and RVs are still just getting started.
