Sleeping w/Generator on for AC use

[blw2]

Originally Posted by dstankov

Although it is not important to me (I rarely boondock), one might look into what makes a "Quiet Generator" quiet and see if those principles can be applied to the Onan line.

oh, on this point I suspect that these really quiet little inverter gennys
are mostly silenced by three variables
1) small engine size
2) good muffler design
3) good housing insulation and vibration damping

I don't boondock a whole lot either, but I do find that I would likely run the genny more than I do if it were quieter....
The onan isn't too bad. OK if sitting way back on the edge of a parking lot, but there are times when i'm wanting to be a little less conspicuous....
and I wish it was more in line with the little hondas, or my V-10 even at fast idle....
such as sitting at a water park or beach parking lot, resting with my youngest, while DW and the other kids are still playing...

[EA37TS]

I wasn't necessarily thinking about the small inverter style generators but rather the quite line of whole house generators that are manufactured by Generac and others as well as some of the "family of quiet generators" that have been around for a couple of decades. Some of those quiet generators range in sizes from 5 to 100KW and are used in situations where sound can be a killer.

[blw2]

ah yes, didn't think of those......
what do you think, the same 3 elements likely apply there as to how they make them quiet.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Yeah I've ridden in an S85--very impressive. The P85D must be a truly scary ride!

I've wondered what it would take to have a fully EV RV. There would be plenty of room for batteries under the coach but I'd guess range and recharge time would be the real issues there: All that battery would take a lot more than the 50A supply at the campground can supply (I can fully charge my Focus on the 50A supply at a campground in about 3.5 hours).

I expect pure EV won't be practical for a very long time. Cost associated with batteries would be prohibitive except for the mega rich. In order to have any real range even a small motorhome like an Axis/Vegas would need at least five times as much battery capacity. And if you had to buy something like 500 kilowatt-hours of battery capacity it would take more money than what many diesel pushers cost (just for batteries).

On the other hand if the cost goals for batteries are met in the near term, it will be very affordable to eliminate the RV generator and replace it with batteries to power typical ACs for up to 10 hours or so. Those who will boondock for days will still need to add solar, generator, or run large engine-powered generator once in a while.

What I would like for myself is a factory-built plug-in hybrid. That way range won't be a problem, the engine-driven generator would be built-in for fast battery recharging, battery charger from grid would also be built-in, air conditioning would be electric, and most important, the hybrid's battery can double to power the coach as a house battery, including the AC.

I think we'll first see plug-in hybrids integrated as RV on Class Bs -- in part because of lower cost due to smaller size.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by Chance

I think we'll first see plug-in hybrids integrated as RV on Class Bs -- in part because of lower cost due to smaller size.

That is a given--the auto market has taken this route as well: hybrids first, plug-in hybrids, then full EVs (although the Volt & Tesla's did come out around the same time frame).

A "plug-in" hybrid RV would make a lot of sense--especially since you'd be plugging the thing in anyway if A/C is available. A smart charger putting any "extra" amps into the hybrid batteries while camped would be great. Although I would imagine that campgrounds would start to complain that the new plugin hybrid RVs are consuming all of the available power when they first plug in! LOL

Such a system would probably not make it to market, though, given how frugal the RV manufacturers are.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

....cut....

Such a system would probably not make it to market, though, given how frugal the RV manufacturers are.

How frugal are million-dollar motorhomes or almost $200,000 Class Bs?

I agree that hybrid technology won't be integrated into motorhomes in mass production for a long time because of cost (both in equipment and development) but it will no doubt start as soon as plug-in hybrid vans are available.

Like solar and other new technologies, I expect early adopters will be technical guys doing it as a hobby to make a point, then spreading to low-volume RV manufacturers like Roadtrek that seem to pursue innovation even if it drives costs higher. Then the major OEMs will jump into market with much improved and lower-cost products based on established customer demand. There seems to be a repeating pattern.