New Roadtrek RS E-Trek

[Mike]

Not unexpected, for some of us on here.
It will probably provide a "shock and awe" thrill for the majority of class B owners who may not be as learned about the products, systems, and upgrades that are available these days. Do you think there are many people who buy a class B and just get in and drive to a destination, and that's the extent of their interest in the product? "It got me where I wanted to go, I can sleep in it among other things, and that's all I need to know or care about."?
Pity.

[markopolo]

Saw this on Facebook:

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Motorhomes

........The MSRP of the RS-Etrek starts at $124,580.

So there it is. Base MSRP for the RS E-Trek is $124,580.

[Mike]

Too rich for my blood...

Could probably pick up a 3 year old (or a bit older) class B for around 1/2 to 2/3 of that, and add enough stuff for another $5K to $10K to it to make it a better dry camper than the E-Trek is brand new.

[markopolo]

A Roadtrek RS E-Trek Dealer order form ended up on Facebook........

#1 - This is MSRP - dealers may / can / will sell for less
#2 - The Canadian chassis fee $8,099 is an up-charge by Mercedes for Sprinters sold in Canada. It is not an option. It has been in effect for a long time. I found out about it when I looked into buying a Winnebago View in the US. If you are in Canada make sure to check into the Mercedes warranty before rushing down to the USA to buy your Sprinter. You might have to buy a warranty from a company that offer that type of thing.

Here are the good bits:



The $17,000 cost for the optional 3 Lithium Ion batteries is an eye opener. Better have a lock on those bad boys.
The $5,000 for the EFOY was expected.

[Davydd]

I would guess the lithium battery option is DOA. I would be shocked if anyone would take that one on just to save 300 lbs. for batteries that have little historical track record for what they will be intended for.

[markopolo]

new page - so I'm bringing the MSRP sheet forward:

Originally Posted by markopolo

A Roadtrek RS E-Trek Dealer order form ended up on Facebook........

#1 - This is MSRP - dealers may / can / will sell for less
#2 - The Canadian chassis fee $8,099 is an up-charge by Mercedes for Sprinters sold in Canada. It is not an option. It has been in effect for a long time. I found out about it when I looked into buying a Winnebago View in the US. If you are in Canada make sure to check into the Mercedes warranty before rushing down to the USA to buy your Sprinter. You might have to buy a warranty from a company that offer that type of thing.

Here are the good bits:



The $17,000 cost for the optional 3 Lithium Ion batteries is an eye opener. Better have a lock on those bad boys.
The $5,000 for the EFOY was expected.

I don't know the brand or amp hour rating for the lithium batteries listed in the order sheet. A quick web search shows that you can find 3 x 300ah for about $9,000.00 but I don't know anything about the quality of them.

[Mike]

I would probably choose the XD option. It looks like it's free. And makes a lot of sense.
This box is going to be a hard sell with options priced like that. If you skip the options, it's just a Sprinter based Roadtrek. Can buy a lot of fuel/power/other add ons for the cost of the combined lithium battery and EFOY option prices. I could do around 8 cross country round trips if I spent that $22,000 on just gasoline for my '02 190P. Or, 5 trips and an engine rebuild/power upgrade.

[stanw909]

I love my solar panels on my Bounder and hate to use the generator when I'm in a beautiful spot,but use it when i need it.It would be great to have a silent or near silent electrical generator,but at the cost of the Efoy as well as needing special fuel leaves me out of that market.It would be nice if someone like Honda would make a quiet diesel generator equal to their little gasoline variety.

[Karsty]

Here is a short video on the new Roadtrek RS E-Trek RV. Apparently it is all electric with no propane at all.

[youtube:2c0kua7k]e7ZJlxygtzk[/youtube:2c0kua7k]

Might be interesting but I imagine it will be pricey.

Karsty

[markopolo]

Pricing: 110 posts on the E=Trek here Lot's of reading.



The 6 year warranty "Bumper to Bumper" including electrical (batteries) at $3,900 might be very good to have. You'd have to read the fine print to see if anything is prorated etc.
You could really cycle those batteries and get a new set or maybe two sets in 6 years. There must be some fine print or prorating on that but it still could be good. I read that full-timing Campskunk goes through a set of batteries every year.

[Mike]

I didn't know he went through them that fast, but I guess it makes sense considering the amount of use they're getting. That would limit his annual costs for battery power to around $600 (US) maybe, for 3 Group 27 AGMs. Pretty decent price/performance, I'd say, considering his other living expenses are probably almost negligible. I paid around $230 each all in for my two, but that includes 13% HST.

[markopolo]

A Google search turned up some info about the the new RS E-Trek on Roadtrek's website: http://www.roadtrek.com/prospectivedealers/e-trek.aspx

There is no propane system or conventional generator. Electrical power generation is provided by a generator/alternator mounted to the van’s diesel engine that can charge eight dead auxiliary batteries in only 40 minutes. Supplemental power comes from a 240W solar charging system and an optional 90W EFOY methanol fuel cell generator. For less weight and even faster charging times, three lithium ion batteries are optional.

All this reserve power is stored in up to eight 6V AGM batteries (1600 amp. hours) and distributed directly to 12V lights and appliances and through a 2500W inverter to 110V appliances like the air conditioner, inductive stove, instant drinking water heater, on-demand water heater for galley sink and bathroom, convection/microwave oven and comfort heater. The system features surge protection and power monitoring.

Just imagine the possibilities. If you don’t need air conditioning, you can go for days without an external electrical connection (shore power). And when your batteries do run low, you can charge them up fully by simply idling the engine for 30-40 minutes using less fuel than a conventional generator to do the same task.

When it is hot, the auxiliary batteries will run the 110V air conditioner with the compressor on for over 9 hours – and longer under normal use when the compressor runs only intermittently. No more dry camping on hot nights with the generator running all night! You can run the 110V air conditioner with the engine mounted generator for supplemental cooling while driving – for much less than the cost of running a conventional generator. Plus you avoid the maintenance required on a conventional generator. Enjoy comfort heating without the noise of a propane furnace.

Some items need clarification by Roadtrek or a dealer..........

All this reserve power is stored in up to eight 6V AGM batteries (1600 amp. hours) and distributed directly to 12V lights and appliances.......

1600 amp hrs at 6 volts yes..... but only 800 amp hrs at 12 volts! You won't have 1600 amp. hours available to 12v inverter. You'll only have 800 amp hours. Must be a typo .......

and

Electrical power generation is provided by a generator/alternator mounted to the van’s diesel engine that can charge eight dead auxiliary batteries in only 40 minutes.

Let's assume 80% discharged is "dead". At 12 volts: 800ah x 80% = 640 ah to replace
I'll make four other assumptions.
#1 is that you could get 175 amps (net available to the auxiliary batteries) out of the Sprinter alternator at 1600 rpm idle
#2 is that you could get 125 amps out of the Outback inverter charger powered by the under-hood generator
#3 the batteries will accept the all the amps you can give them
#4 the the Outback inverter/charger will not reduce output when it sees the 14.4+ volts from the alternator

So, if you can generate 300 amps how would that replace the 640 amp hours used ("dead battery") in only 40 minutes? It doesn't add up.

I'd like to see Roadtrek clarify this. They could post test results on their website.

[booster]

Originally Posted by markopolo

250 watts of solar installed flat on an RV roof will give you between 60 and 100 amp hours per day depending on the weather and the latitude where you are. I'll average it at 80 amp hours.

1 hour running of a 13,500 btu air conditioner on an inverter could draw 150 amp hours from your battery bank. Solar panels will give back 80 amp hours (per day) leaving a deficit of 70 amp hours. You'd have to run the Efoy 2200 for 9 hours just to recoup the 1 hour air conditioner use ............. Here again, you'd run the van motor instead.

I can't wait to see more detailed specs on the new Roadtrek RS E-Trek to see how they are handling stuff like this.

I agree that they have a need to explain all this much more thoroughly than they have, as much of it doesn't make sense. I wish that they would do it for us. Roadtrek was very vocal and in the limelight when they were announcing the E-trek, and then missed the delivery of it and have been amazingly silent since. Did anyone actually get a chance to see one, or are they still in the mythical stage?

[markopolo]

Also this week, at the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association’s National RV Trade Show in Louisville
Kentucky, Roadtrek’s new E-trek class B motorhome earned “Best of Louisville” by RV Insights.
Of the hundreds of new RVs on display, RV Insights selected the E-trek with its all electric coach portion. RV
Insights’ Bob Zagami stated in an interview with Roadtrek President Jim Hammill “All the press talk to each
other… Everybody says ‘Go to Roadtrek and see the E’trek’. So everybody’s talking about it.” Hammill went on
to say “We’ve been buried with people so far looking at it… We love it!”
(Watch the whole interview at https://vimeo.com/54502400 )
Please visit Roadtrek.com/PR to learn more about the exciting and environmentally sensitive E-trek and its
5000W engine mounted electrical power generator, 5000W inverter, 3200 amp. hr. auxiliary battery bank,
optional lithium ion batteries, sophisticated power management system, and more.

[Mike]

And all that for only $1??,000 .
No mention of price for the total package he just mentioned?
I would prefer to see how many orders they get for it, then evaluate the design. Doesn't matter how innovative and revolutionary it is, if it doesn't sell.
Just my 15,000,000 cents worth.

[AZ ADVenturist]

Is that CAN$ or $US? & how about "Foreign Transaction Fee" charged by greedy banks - both ways; in addition to & regardless of currency exchange rates!
We paid it coming & going on our trip to AK this summer.

[stanw909]

Just order a Sportsmobile. They will do the same rig for about $30 k less.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by stanw909

Just order a Sportsmobile. They will do the same rig for about $30 k less.

And you pick the fit, and finish, and manufacturers of the parts. With a little diy planning, and some research homework, you could probably create a better product with the assemblers at Sportsmobile. You could also decide where/how to allocate your funds based on personal priorities for the end product.
IMO, truly the way to go, if you're in the market and have the money.

[stanw909]

Order your Sportsmobile quick before they figure out they can charge much,much more for stuff they've been doing for years.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Mike

And you pick the fit, and finish, and manufacturers of the parts. With a little diy planning, and some research homework, you could probably create a better product with the assemblers at Sportsmobile. You could also decide where/how to allocate your funds based on personal priorities for the end product.
IMO, truly the way to go, if you're in the market and have the money.

When we were shopping for our B (2006-200, we took a serious look at the Sportsmobiles. We liked the idea of the modular approach. What we found was that by the time we got one with the things we wanted, it cost as much as a Roadtrek and didn't look as "finished" do to the modularity. By the time we bought in 2008, we able to get a Roadtrek 190P with pretty much everything on it (more than if we had chosen only what we wanted), for considerably less than a much less equipped Sportsmobile. We were quite surprised by that.