Читать книгу RVs & Campers For Dummies - Christopher Hodapp - Страница 20

We talk about boondocking in Chapter 20, but since the very earliest trailers were designed, the goal has been to last as long as possible without external electric and water connections. If the desire to live “off the grid” with the smallest possible carbon footprint keeps you awake nights, an RV may be the answer. The green movement and the tiny house movement are natural bedfellows with the RV world. Innovations that cram more features and conveniences into cramped spaces have been the trademark of trailers and motorhomes since the 1920s.

As solar and battery technologies continue to improve, more and more people look upon RVs as the ultimate “green machines.” RV builders today are offering solar-ready trailers and motorhomes, and conversion of older units to accommodate solar panels and lithium batteries is becoming the most common request for RV dealers and service centers. Look for a “solar ready” sticker on RVs when you go shopping. It means the rig is prewired for easily adding solar panels. (Be sure to check both Chapter 14 about electrical systems and Chapter 20 on boondocking.)

The RV industry has its own environmental certification program for vehicles. To earn a Certified Green sticker, RVs have to meet or exceed specified energy- and water-efficient requirements, by using LED lighting, stronger composite construction materials, sustainable materials in interior design elements, and energy-efficient appliances.

Meanwhile, electric cars and trucks aren’t quite up to towing RVs of any substantial weight for an extended length of time or distance. Not yet, anyway. (We talk about the anticipated electric truck market in Chapter 7.) And there are currently no electric motorhomes on the market. But they will doubtless be available very soon. Unfortunately, what can’t be depended on is the ready availability of electric charging stations. Until there are a sufficient number of quick-charging stations at rest areas, truck stops, shopping centers, and other convenience points, electric vehicles won’t be practical for any kind of long-range road trips, much less as tow vehicles.