Electric Powered Airstream!

[bel73]

Not sure if this has been posted already.


https://robbreport.com/motors/cars/a...tails-2898375/

[skyguyscott]

This is great forward thinking on Airstream's part.

Now if they can only apply the same brain power to more modest but definitive improvements like eliminating the insane suicide door and replacing the rotten (literally) plywood flooring. Effective insulation and thermal isolation to make the camper 4-season would also be most welcome. All these improvements would seem to be far more achievable. The know-how and technology already exist for the first two items and could be implemented tomorrow morning. But I guess these items aren't sexy enough for a presser write up in the trade rags.

And heaven help them if they ever get around to motorizing the running gear with the current production controls. Hope they get to Six Sigma way before then.

[jeffmc306]

Yep, it was on another thread the other day (same story, different writer).

I had to laugh at the author describing an Airstream as “Chrome” sigh

There’s an RV builder in Australia that is installing batteries in the chassis and no propane - all electric with a roof full of solar. Boondocking to them is a way of life. That’s where Airstream should look for ideas.

[Prettygood]

Originally Posted by skyguyscott

This is great forward thinking on Airstream's part.

Now if they can only apply the same brain power to more modest but definitive improvements like eliminating the insane suicide door and replacing the rotten (literally) plywood flooring. Effective insulation and thermal isolation to make the camper 4-season would also be most welcome. All these improvements would seem to be far more achievable. The know-how and technology already exist for the first two items and could be implemented tomorrow morning. But I guess these items aren't sexy enough for a presser write up in the trade rags.

And heaven help them if they ever get around to motorizing the running gear with the current production controls. Hope they get to Six Sigma way before then.

You are on to something. Keep your eyes out for news in the next few months.

[BigSxyWhtGuy]

Interesting. When I first read the title I thought, isn’t it already electric? I mean it does use propane for cooking but I guess electric would be fine.... then I read the article. Interesting....

I saw the electric trucks that’s are out there. My only thought is where do you charge if you’re full time living or towing cross country. The charging takes time and space.

[AlanMcD]

Apparently not everyone is excited about it. This guys totally bashes the idea:

https://www.rvtravel.com/airstream/

[kittmaster]

I'm in the camp of.......fix your pressing issues.....you know......like water leaks.....floor rot....and many other heavy hitting issues.

Having the trailer have it's own electric drive control.....um.....yeah ......no........

In the worse case it malfunctions and decides to fully activate the drive motors to full forward.......or worse.......full reverse while moving forward........

Yeah that is a crapshow I don't want to ever have to witness.

Great thinking.....but if history shows us anything, stick with the basics.....leave the autonomy to Tesla.

[skyguyscott]

For the grins, from my time traveling crystal ball....

Feb. 12, 2034, 1:00 AM EST

(Jackson Center) Citing company policy, Airstream is refusing comment on a class-action lawsuit filed by dozens of owners over problems they experienced with their quarter-million dollar trailers.

The lawsuit filed in Auglaize county civil court seeks damages and compensation following a string of various malfunctions claimed to be a result of substandard manufacturing and poor design.

Lead counsel for the plaintiffs, Howie Chetem, says Airstream marketed expensive shinny camping trailers with known defects, failed to test systems in real world use, and overcharged customers for shoddy products.

Among the alleged victims named in the suit, Guy Urbaan, of San Francisco, Calf., details a litany of problems his family experienced on their trip to Yosemite.

“We paid extra for a solar/battery option that never worked,” he explained.

“In fact, the entire electrical system went down. The awnings wouldn’t auto extend, and the cyber fridge which would automatically order resupplies via amazon drone turned into a worthless ice box. How are we supposed to camp? My two kids were without wi-fi! “

Urbaan had been looking forward to a visit to the National Park for weeks as a way for his family to “get away from it all,” but the problems started the minute they tried to use the iPhone app to park their trailer, only to discover the trailer wouldn’t connect with the smart phone.

“And to top it off, when it started to rain, the rain sensors on the vents wouldn’t auto-close and the plywood subfloor got soaked and now it’s rotting away!”

Indeed, according to the lawsuit, many owners have experienced similar problems with wet plywood subfloors. Investigators point to water seeping through the subfloor to short out and ruin the lithium battery bank under the subfloor in 14 trailers, two of which evidently caught fire in storage, leaving the distraught owners of the iconic silver bullet with a puddle of molten aluminum.

Airstream spokesperson, Lyle Andistract, pushed back against any suggestion the choice of plywood was to blame. “Airstream has been using plywood for nearly a century,” he said, “and people are only now complaining?”

Other owners point out a myriad of other problems from doors that fly open in transit, to water leaks inside, problems Chetem says go back decades.

Kryan Outloud, another owner named in the suit, claims the Airstream ran over his pet Python.

“I was using my iPhone app to auto hitch the trailer to my Tesla, Outloud said, but the trailer would just rock, when all of a sudden, it surged forward and flattened my poor Fife! Now why didn’t the trailer have a feature to automatically detect and retract the wheel chocks?” he asked, sobbing uncontrollably.

Ivanna Sue Yu claimed damages resulting from poor security protocols in the Airstream connect app that allowed malicious hackers to destroy her trailer.

“Someone got into my Airstream connect account and extended my awnings, blinked my lights, Yu says. “They used the autoback function and drove my expensive Airstream through my prized rhododendron bushes and crashed the back fence!

The remotely controlled motorized axles were also a factor in the Campuh’s extensive damage to their trailer.

“One night we were in bed, and suddenly the Airstream starts spinning around,” Dizzy Campuh, said, “I thought it was just my husband playing around, but he got thrown through the back window screen and landed in Jones’s ice chest next slot over. “

Likewise Fisher Kutbait blames Airstream for the allegedly faulty motorized chassis.

We woke up early one morning to the sound of ducks quacking in my ear. The airstream drove itself into the lake,” Kutbait recalls, “I found tadpoles in the toilet and a big mouth bass flopping under the fridge. Now that’s no way to catch a bass, lemme tell ya”.

Airstream denies any cupability in these incidents, and though spokesperson Lyle Andistract affirms it’s commitment to making camping an adventure. “Who could have possibly foreseen any of these issues?” Andistract asked.

[jcl]

I have no interest in multiplexed control systems in a trailer, or electric awnings, or even TVs, projection or not. Give me a delete option.

That said, I would like to see an electric assist. It wouldn’t be made by Airstream, they would just install it just as they do axles with brakes. It would have zero integration to the tow vehicle wiring, as that would be overly complicated and require industry standardization. It would be controlled by a hitch strain sensor, exactly analogous to surge brakes but in reverse. It would regenerate on descents, as that would improve towing stability by keeping the combination taut. Some integration to the trailer brake control would be fine there.

The result would be an EV tow combo with range similar to the EV solo. Bring it on.