Tesla as a TV

[Wayne&Sam]

It can be done

[rostam]

That's impressive. I think a lot has to do with the trailer though. Bowlus is very light weight, narrow, has very low tongue weight, and you don't need a weight distribution hitch. Bowlus can truly be pulled by most sedans/station wagons/minivans.

[Wayne&Sam]

Yes, obviously a very light weight trailer. But it would be great someday.........

[andreasduess]

A Tesla would make a fantastic to vehicle, if they'd get the range under control. Electric motors will outperform combustion engines all day long - that's one of the reasons why many train engines are diesel-electric.

A super low centre of gravity thanks to the battery and not much else is the best possible starting point.

[OTRA15]

Maybe the new Nest trailer (possible the next Airstream?) would fit the bill?

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f483...ml#post1770544

The posts after the one linked above detail Airstream's plan to buy the manufacturer of the Nest.

http://www.nestcaravans.com/

This site used to have more detail, including the Nest's specs etc.. Maybe it has been taken down pending the acquisition?

[dznf0g]

Agree with everything said here...but....You really going to charge it on the campground post? Most CGs can hardly handle the AS, let alone a car charger. You would be limited to 120V, 20Amp or 30 AMP (one not available to AS)...and the all-electrics would take 1 - 2 days to recharge completely.

Novel idea if you're going to a campground just down the road...but not ready for prime time....even remotely.

[rostam]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Agree with everything said here...but....You really going to charge it on the campground post? Most CGs can hardly handle the AS, let alone a car charger. You would be limited to 120V, 20Amp or 30 AMP (one not available to AS)...and the all-electrics would take 1 - 2 days to recharge completely.

Novel idea if you're going to a campground just down the road...but not ready for prime time....even remotely.

I agree. Forget about towing, as it stands, Tesla only works for people with short commutes. I'm sure as the technology improves electric cars will eventually become mainstream, but IMO we have several more years before we get there.

[jcl]

In the longer term, travel trailers could have an empty bay low down and over the axles, where an owner could install a second vehicle battery, to extend the range on longer trips. Umbilical cord to the tow vehicle.

[BoldAdventure]

Tesla plans on adding another 17,000 supercharger stations by the end of 2017 to their current network. I think the range is moot now. Jalopnik and other auto journals have driven the thing across the country. While you do have to stop to charge, you're only talking about 30 min charge times.

As for short commute comments, saw a guy driving a Tesla in Zion yesterday. With Oregon plates. So he's gone pretty far.



You'll notice, these are placed strategically along major highways and cities.

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

http://www.nestcaravans.com/

That's not much of a web site.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

That's not much of a web site.

Yeah as I said, the site was much more detailed a few days ago. Read that other thread, maybe some of the details got posted there? Pretty sure it weighed more like 2500 pounds.

[rostam]

I'm sure long travels can be done. But not without challenges:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OWhAJz90tg

[bono]

Great idea!

http://fortune.com/2016/02/23/nomadi...obile-battery/

Originally Posted by jcl

In the longer term, travel trailers could have an empty bay low down and over the axles, where an owner could install a second vehicle battery, to extend the range on longer trips. Umbilical cord to the tow vehicle.

[DanB]

Would a Honda 3000 mounted and running on the tongue with the car plugged in while driving work?

Wait, I just made a Chevy......

[PKI]

The river of denial is going out with the tide. Tesla is producing some really interesting designs.

A range of 150 towing miles is a significant break through. A 50-80 mile range made commuting possible in an electric. The 150 could do the same for towing. When we were first looking at AS we did some video watching and were quite surprised to find that folks were only towing about 200 miles a day. With a 150 mile range, a stop for lunch should get the rig down the road in quite nice form. And if you added a stop for dinner you might log a really nice day's run. Do you suppose regenerative braking might eliminate the need for those evil sounding jake brakes that keep us up at night when the RV park is too close to the highway?

The Tesla challenge is a very interesting case study. Will folks give up gasoline? Well, diesel seems to be acceptable, maybe electrons will as well. Is a four passenger vehicle that accelerates quickly going to engage a new age of gear-heads? Well, blowing off a Corvette may prove to encourage the fun. Is the business world ready to ditch the dealership model? Well, not yet, but it's fun to take a trip to pick up a new car and a lot of brands are getting sold by dealers doing their sales pitch on the internet. Will battery technology improvement begin to kick-start other technology? Solar should be helped by better storage banks. The mating of an RV and TV battery banks might just push the towing range up a bit and a day or two to let the solar panels recharge in the sun is not a bad thing. Will 2ftitis go the way of the dinos? Well now, that is the question. How many folks will go smaller and lighter? It does happen now. Will it occur with the future RVers?

Yes, this will be an interesting case study. A bit of a dream, maybe? It's been a long time since we had a good space program. Nice to see they are coming back in style.

Travel safe Pat