This week, I’m at the RV Open House in Elkhart, Indiana. All kinds of RV manufacturers are here, from the country’s largest conglomerates to tiny independents, and they’re trying to entice dealerships with the best fare that they can put on the road. I’ve found many awesome campers here, including adorable pocket-sized fiberglass trailers and fifth wheels with more than a single story and multiple bedrooms.
But the majority of the RVs at the Open House are just different flavors of the same thing. They take a box, bolt some wheels to it, and fill it out like a tiny apartment. You might see neat tricks like a power awning, a big bathroom, or a chandelier, but few features will really blow you away. One trailer stands out as moving the needle on camper innovation the farthest, and it’s the Airstream eStream.
I wrote about this concept earlier this year, but seeing it in person among literal hundreds of those other campers really illustrates just how much potential Airstream has to change the RV game. On the surface, the Airstream eStream is just like the company’s other trailers. It’s 22 feet of gorgeous aluminum that sleeps up to four. It looks cute inside, too.
Airstream wouldn’t let me physically step into its functional eStream prototype, and apparently, the company decided not to do any demonstrations during the Open House. But its rep did let me lean in. I love this interior. But the interior isn’t the headlining feature here. Instead, it’s what’s below the floor that Airstream wants to talk about.
Located under the trailer is an 80 kWh battery pack feeding a pair of electric motors. Together, they make a combined 242 horsepower and 132 lb-ft torque. Airstream says that this EV setup has two main benefits. The first is that the eStream assists the tow vehicle in hauling it. When you punch the accelerator in your tow vehicle, the eStream’s powertrain gives an assist. Airstream’s reps tell me that the goal is to assist, not to push the tow vehicle or even match the tow vehicle’s output. So the tow vehicle will always be doing the towing, but the trailer’s drivetrain will be lending a hand to make things easier.
This alone is a huge innovation. It doesn’t matter if your tow vehicle is powered by gasoline or by electricity, towing a camper drags down your range. There are now countless EV towing tests out there and each one has roughly the same result: The tow vehicle loses around half of its range towing a boat, cargo trailer, or camper. Of course, that’s similar to an ICE vehicle, where hauling a camper can put a big dent in fuel economy. Even my little 1,100-lb U-Haul camper takes my Volkswagen Touareg VR6’s normally 18-20 mpg and sends it down to about 11-12 mpg.
The great thing about the eStream is that its EV system is self-contained, so that it can help any tow vehicle get better range, regardless of how that tow vehicle is powered. This technology has been in development for four years, with German RV company Dethleffs (owned by Airstream parent company Thor Industries) and ZF road testing the E.Home camper. The E.Home has about the same specs as the eStream, and as a test, Dethleffs hooked it up to an Audi e-tron Sportback. This is a vehicle with an EPA range of 218 miles. In testing, it and the E.Home drove 240 miles crossing the Alps, using up 82 kWh of its 95 kWh battery. The E.Home used up 74 kWh of its 80 kWh battery. With an EV, this means that a road trip with a camper doesn’t have to stop at a charger nearly as often. And with an ICE, you’ll stop at the pump less, leaving your bank account a little fatter. It’s a win for everyone. And that’s not all. Another awesome feature of the eStream is that it can park itself. Parking a travel trailer can really suck. Over the years I’ve learned that parking spots at campgrounds and storage facilities can often require deep focus as you navigate your rig with just small amounts of clearance in just about every direction. I can slip a trailer or bus through spaces so small that I’ve surprised myself. But my parents? Things haven’t gone as smoothly for them. Earlier this year, my parents bought a 2022 Heartland Mallard M33 (another Thor camper). The lengthy trailer hasn’t been on a single real camping trip yet because my dad damaged it the very first time that he took it out. It was also broken and rusting on delivery, too.
He was trying to fit the trailer into its storage space when bam, dad dragged the awning across a pole. Because of RV parts shortages, my parents have only gotten it fixed recently, just in time to put it away for the winter. The eStream solves parking problems by being able to park itself. You disconnect the trailer from your tow vehicle, then pull out your phone. You can then control the trailer like an R/C car with your phone with a full view of the camper’s surroundings. No more constant hopping in and out, no more spotters, and no more damage.
And perhaps the coolest thing about all of this is that Airstream tells me that this is not just a concept. The company is committed to putting this on American roads, and soon. Airstream tells me that the timeline isn’t “next week,” but “next generation.” Put plainly, expect a wait of at least two years.
I just love that this is going into production at all. It used to be said that the technology of a current year luxury car will be the technology an everyday car will have ten years later. I hope that’s the case here, and that a camper that can help its tow vehicle one day becomes a feature that you can have in just about any camper. The only way this makes sense if it’s somehow it has capability of hooking up to the house during an outage, or part of a solar solution. Pass. Argh Lithium batteries hold their charge pretty well I believe. plus a fun fact that I won’t give the answer to because it will just be refuted. how many pounds of earth do you have to strip mine to get a car battery? It’s a shame that more people have never asked that question. Is a trailer that just sits the best use of a battery? Obviously not. Is a trailer that is actually used, and that makes its tow vehicle more efficient, while also being easier to use and park, a good idea? Absolutely. It’s great that it will up the mileage of your tow vehicle, but how often do you tow? How about a cost/analysis study? I think Airstream missed the mark entirely. I’m not mad at it, but in terms of best bang for the buck electrification, this is so far down the list. Can the wheels of the Airstream be used to charge the batteries, which are then hooked up to the tow vehicle to increase range another way? Conservation of Energy says that won’t work. While I love the idea of parking the trailer via RC controller, that’s a Model 3 worth of batteries sitting idle 51 weeks out of the year. Given the likely shortages of battery material in the near future, I’m not sure this is a good use of it. :-/ The fact that they admitted it’s not coming anytime soon makes me think they’re not sure this is viable either. I give it 50-50 odds of ever showing up on a dealer lot. The parking assist is a brilliant idea that actually fixes a problem that needs fixing Getting all of that battery weight down low will help with towing dynamics. Though I didn’t see Mercedes mention how much the battery added to the trailer weight (or a total weight). The power addition does sound like it will essentially make the trailer seem lighter for the tow vehicle. Possibly even integrate with tow-haul mode in a vehicle to assist with traction and stability control. Yes, as you and others have said, being able to use this as a house battery when not camping could solve a few issues and I can see that as a future selling point. Also see it as a “home upgrade” tax write-off for some creative accountants. If I’m splurging on an electric Airstream, you better bet I’m not dealing with propane anymore! Induction cooktops have become more common in vans and RVs the last couple of years. Need a rather large battery to power them, but this would be no issue here. Similar with the heat pumps. I’d personally not just add solar panels, but design the layout where possible to maximize panel space. That size trailer normally has maybe 100-200W on the roof, but you could squeeze in more like 2KW with carefully integrated design. Add slide-out solar awnings, and you’re at more like 4-5KW. Or ~25KWh/day in the summer. Enough to run anything you want and still gain range, or in the winter enough to go several days on the 80KWh pack. But this tech is better than “bold new graphics” for a new model year The tiny little 16′ Airstream Bambi conventional camper trailer starts at $59,300 MSRP base price.
