Bloomberg: RV Makers Go Electric

The RV Industry Association PR team works with media outlets across the country to tell the real-life stories of RVers and introduce even more consumers to the RVing lifestyle. Recently, they hosted a media summit at Harpers Ferry KOA, which was attended by several lifestyle and business outlets, including Bloomberg correspondent Kellie Lunney. 

A few weeks ago, at an RV industry showcase in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, I test drove an electric motorhome — a concept vehicle made by Winnebago Industries Inc. as it works on developing a commercial e-RV. More like a shuttle van with sleeping accommodations than a traditional motorhome, the concept e-RV can be charged in 45 minutes and can travel up to about 120 miles before needing a recharge.

I hopped into the driver’s seat and racheted it up to accommodate my short legs. Recalling the gray tank of my family’s Chevy Astro van circa 1992, I felt a twinge of anxiety. Then I started driving. It was a soundless, smooth ride.

Iridium debuted the first all-electric motorhome at a German trade show in 2019. Since then, the industry has raced to refine the concept. Camping and RVing, long popular in North America, now make up a $140 billion-a-year business, according to the RV Industry Association. RV makers say they were able to connect with a younger, more diverse demographic after the Covid-19 pandemic shuttered stores and offices in 2020 and everyone headed outside. Over the past two years, the typical first-time buyer of a recreational vehicle was a millennial between the ages of 33 and 41, with an average annual income of roughly $90,000, according to online surveys the group has conducted.

“If you don’t have a history in this lifestyle, it can get super intimidating really fast, and super frustrating,” said Christy Spencer, director of marketing and communication at Keystone RV, whose parent company is THOR Industries Inc. “So as the market has grown and new people are coming, we’ve really doubled down on innovation that makes camping more accessible.”

THOR— one of the top three RV manufacturers in the world, along with Winnebago and Forest River Inc. (which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc.) — also owns Airstream Inc. This year Thor announced two high-voltage, luxury electric RV concepts, the THOR Vision Vehicle and the Airstream eStream. The eStream has an electric motor and can tow itself, so pulling it won’t drain the towing vehicle’s battery.

Read the full Bloomberg article here.