Tesla Model S-based electric motorhome is coming

Many Tesla fans have been asking for the automaker to make an electric motorhome. It is finally coming, but it’s not from Tesla itself – though it is built using a Tesla Model S.

There have been several recent attempts to create all-electric campers and motorhomes, but most of them don’t have a significant powertrain.

For example, there’s the all-electric Iridium E Mobil motorhome, which has only 124 miles (200 km) of range, and Dethleffs has an e-home with 100 miles (160 km) of range.

Entrepreneur Travis Rabenberg decided to start off with a vehicle that already had a good all-electric powertrain to create a motorhome.

The government of Michigan announced that Rabenberg is going to unveil the prototype at a state expo next week:

“Author, entrepreneur, and world traveler Travis Rabenberg will bring a prototype of a Tesla electric motorhome to the ride and drive. He is making a Tesla Roamer motorhome with an expected top speed of 150 mph and range of 200 miles in the hopes of breaking the Guinness World Land Speed Record for an electric motorhome. To encourage sustainable travel, Travis will drive the Tesla Roamer from England to Dubai, where the motorhome will lead the parade of electric vehicles into the World Expo 2020.”

In the meantime, he released two renders of the Tesla Roamer electric motorhome:

He hasn’t released many details about the prototype yet, but several modifications are visible from the renders.

First off, it’s obvious that the backend has been completely modified to fit a camper box, which can open into a tent with the roof made of a large solar panel.

The suspension has also been lifted significantly.

Those modifications are going to negatively affect the aerodynamic performance of the Model S, which contributes significantly to the efficiency and range of the vehicle, but Rabenberg seems to believe he can still get a range of 200 miles.

It will be unveiled at Michigan Energy Office’s EV ride and drive on April 17.

Electrek’s Take

As I have often stated in the past, I’m excited about the prospect of all-electric motorhomes. The idea of moving your home around with zero-emissions without using gas is very appealing.

It is especially appealing when you talk about adding solar power into the mix and parking your electric motorhome somewhere for a few days and charge using solar.

But the problem with RVs is that they are not aerodynamic, which affects efficiency at highway speeds. It takes more energy to go further and we have so far not seen any concept with much more than 100 miles of range, which is simply not enough.

You want a full day of driving worth of range since these vehicles are used to cover significant distances.

It would be interesting to see where a Tesla Model S-based camper stands on that front, but we would need something like a Tesla electric motorhome based on Tesla Semi to get a truly useful full-size electric motorhome.

I think we are going to see the space being seriously electrified in the next few years.