If you’ve been waiting for an update on Winnebago’s ambitions in the electric RV space, you may want to circle January 18 on your calendar. The Forest City, Iowa-based company released a video last week teasing a big announcement for that date. While the short YouTube clip doesn’t offer much in the way of details, we know that it involves unveiling a new all-electric camper van at the Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa.
Winnebago made headlines last January when it revealed its e-RV prototype for the first time. That vehicle is built on a Ford Transit Van platform and comes with an 86-kilowatt-hour battery giving it an effective range of about 125 miles. It has an electric water heater, a roof-mounted air conditioner, a slide-out induction stove, and a marine-grade refrigerator that draw electricity from those power cells. The design includes a small kitchenette with a sink and a bathroom equipped with a toilet and shower.
The teaser video for Winnebago’s big announcement hints that we can expect an upgraded version of the e-RV at the Florida RV SuperShow. What exactly those upgrades entail has yet to be revealed. The images in the clip provide glimpses of the vehicle’s exterior—including an electric charging port in the grill—along with a shot of the cockpit. Other than that, there isn’t much to see.
Photo Credit: Winnebago
One area that we’d like to see improved on a second-generation e-RV is the range. Last year, Winnebago cited a report indicating that most RVers traveled less than 200 miles on their camping trips, which is why the prototype’s range was limited to 125 miles. Since then, company execs have taken the vehicle on a 1300-mile road trip, which required recharging the van every 100 miles. Hopefully, that test run showed them the value of larger battery capacity, even for owners staying relatively close to home.
For now, we’ll all just have to wait to see what new features the e-RV has gained over the past year. Stay tuned for more updates next week when we’ll all get a better sense of what the all-electric, zero-emissions future looks like.
