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Chance · 11-12-2020, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurnerFam

as an owner of no less than TWO Nissan Leafs(2014/2015), both with over 60,000 miles and still with 11/12 battery condition bars, the idea of a 'work van' for local usage makes a LOT of great 'cents'... now, on the other hand, the same vehicle with an 'RV' usage may not, so much.
Range is the ultimate issue, as well as 'where' you can recharge your vehicle's battery - those two needs are what lacks within the 'infrastructure' of the U.S... we have fuel stations on almost every corner, but a 'plug in' outlet, not so much, at least not the 'fast charger' type that you would really need to make any 'travel' really feasible.

We LOVE our Leafs, whether it's my son using his to travel back and forth to UAH Campus from N of Huntsville for aerospace engineering, about 19 miles one way, or whether it's my wife using hers to travel between the various schools in our county, as a specialist teacher, sometimes 20 miles to one, 15 miles to the other, and another 15 miles home at the end of her day, etc. They both plug into a 240v 20a outlet when they arrive, and everything is good the next morning - fully charged again.

We actually DO use our Leaf, with a ~70 mile realistic range, to take trips back 'home' to our parents - which is over 230 miles away - but, of course, it takes planning, and making use of any 'fast chargers' available along the way. GA POWER does a great job in hosting many in GA, whether near a hotel, a chic-fil-a, or a Burger King. These normally DO cost to charge, but not as much as some might fear, and no where NEAR what you'd pay to fill up your car, and you're done in a 15-30 minutes depending on the level of your battery when you arrive. The Burger King in Columbus, GA actually has brand-new GA POWER dual fast chargers, both FREE. The local Nissan dealer also does, but their charge many times is not active, and they don't keep it up well. If you plan your route and arrive with no ability to fast charge, you'll end up 'slow charging' for many, many hours to get the same charge. Not a nice outcome. We've also run into several occasions where another vehicle was already plugged in, but at fast chargers no one is going to be there very long.

If campgrounds and rv parks have no issues with your charging your battery vehicle, then certainly they will be the 'go to' option for many RVs with that need, in the future, but if those folks DON'T like the electrical draw that battery charging requires, they may either turn those folks away, or increase their overnight stay cost, just as some charge 'extra' if you have TWO air conditioners - we've seen it before.

The statement you referred to was about a hybrid with only 50~100 kilometers of electric-only range (31~62 miles), and not an electric like a Nissan Leaf. That changes everything. When I go on long trips, I often drive 600 to 800 miles daily until I get close to my destination, or home on way back. That may change some as I get older or buy a larger camper, but I can never see myself stopping every 100 miles to charge.

A hybrid or plug-in may make more sense, but fuel economy on highway may be worse, so a straight gas engine will suit motorhomes much better for foreseeable future.

Notice there’s been a lot of speculation about Ford making a range extender generator available for upcoming F-150. Speculation is that it may be located in bed just behind cab.

For a motorhome, I’d settle for a stand-alone 48V high-capacity alternator that can charge a large lithium house battery bank in relatively short period. For actual driving on highway, a simple gas engine will get me there as fuel efficient as a comparable hybrid.