38 caravanworld.com.au
E
lectric cars aren’t exactly common
in Australia but there have been
some serious developments overseas.
Indeed, there are some well known
vehicle manufacturers which have
at least one model on their books. Tesla is
certainly a name that comes to mind but the
likes of General Motors, Nissan, Volkswagen,
Land Rover and Renault all have their fingers
in the pie.
In the RV world, things are a little different
of course and there are some serious
engineering, financial and logistics issues
that will need to be overcome before we
see a battery-powered Toyota LandCruiser
towing a caravan in Australia.
However, there are one or two battery-
powered motorhomes around. Many of
us have seen photos of the German-built
Dethleffs motorhome that is covered in
solar panels, but there’s been an interesting
development much closer to home.
Not quite in Australia though, just across
the ditch. I was in Auckland at a show very
recently and front and centre on the thl-
owned RV Super Centre stand was a Britz
eVolve two-berth motorhome which is
entirely battery-powered.
It’s a coach-built design, based on an
LDV EV80 cab chassis. In case you are not
familiar with LDV, it’s now fully owned by
a Chinese company but was once knownCLOCKWISE FROM BELOW The eVolve's engine
is so quiet, conversations between driver and
passenger are a breeze; kitchen storage aplenty —
butno gas appliances; driving range is only 120km
butit'sa great step toward sustainable RV travelPROS
CONS
Positivestep
towardfossilfuel
alternativesinthe
RVindustry
Quietontheroad
Easydriverwith
autogearbox
Relativelyshort
chargertimesAround120km
drivingrange
betweencharges
Nogas
appliances
Limited external
storageUP
MEASURING
bSEATSEAT
TOILETSHOWERSEATTABLESEATSEAT
TOILETSHOWERQUEENSIZE BED