The biggest name in the recreational vehicle industry, Thor Industries, has set its sight on adventures powered by electric power starting with the Thor Industries Electric RV Concepts, the Thor Vision Vehicle Concept, and Airstream eStream Concept.
You heard that right. An eStream. And this can only mean one thing: a self-propelled Airstream. TBH, it is hard to wrap my head around the concept of a “drivable” Airstream but more on that in a bit.
Before we jump on these two adventure e-vehicles, you have to know Thor Industries is the RV titan. Airstream and Thor Motor Coach are just a couple of the brands under its wings. I bet most people even know that brands like Keystone, Jayco, and Entegra – just to name a few, are Thor Industries’ group of companies. It is like the Luxottica of RV.
In case you don’t know, it is also the brand responsible for Thor Trucks’ name change to Xos Trucks. Anyways, back to the concepts.
The Thor Vision Vehicle is, from the exterior, nothing groundbreaking. It is basically a Transit-based electric RV built on Thor’s exclusive motorized platform. Juiced by a high-voltage battery pack and an integrated fuel cell, it will have 300 miles range, with solar charging capabilities to boot.
It will have a digital cockpit that includes ultimate trip planning and charging technology that lets you plan when and where to charge, thereby, hopefully, eliminating your anxiety about battery life.
While Thor Vision Vehicle is high-tech and all but the real star of the show ought to be the Airstream eStream Concept.
Powered a high-voltage, electric drivetrain that powers the trailer’s wheels and thereby reduces the tow vehicle’s fuel or energy consumption, in the case of an EV.
Being self-propelled and app-enabled (yup), it lets you remotely control the trailer including remotely parking the RV without a tow vehicle, thus eliminating the dreadful maneuver of backing into a campsite.
Unfortunately, the self-propelled capability is pretty much limited to repositioning or aligning it for hitching up. It does not have enough power to move through an entire journey. Though it would be nice if it could.
The eStream also utilizes Thor’s electric recreation vehicle platform for ease of planning, driving, and camping. It includes Thor’s digital tools that let you see how many miles until the next charge and also help you locate the charging stations from your phone so that you can plan when and where to recharge, and integrate it into your overall travel plan.
Images: Thor Industries.
via autoblog.