Walk thru Video on the new Lithium TRAVATO

[B2Play]

Was published today, with lots of mods and tweaks to the 59G, can't wait to see what they might do with the 59K. They are running AC on the new lithium system!

Video by FitRV is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfG_8X-qMEY

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by B2Play

Was published today, with lots of mods and tweaks to the 59G, can't wait to see what they might do with the 59K. They are running AC on the new lithium system!

When they open he cabinets under the bed, the construction quality makes me wince.

[mumkin]

Yes... with all that expensive tech, those sliding doors were...

But we are just picking nits...

[jon]

I like it, especially the 3600 watt inverter with lithium batteries. Hello AC in the hot national forest campsites with no hook ups. I didn't mind the construction quality under the bed but I didn't like the uninsulated wheel well. Easy fix.

[GeorgeRa]

Wood construction by staple gun likely powered by lithium batteries, wheel well insulation by paint and cargo stuffing, a long overhead cabinet good for piling up while breaking, what a mixed bag. Had no issue with sliders, light weight, simple and works, certainly shiny solid rosewood would look better.

[mlts22]

My biggest concern is the ground clearance. One good curb hit and it will not just take out the alternator, but possibly the lithium battery bank.

[BBQ]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

Wood construction by staple gun likely powered by lithium batteries, wheel well insulation by paint and cargo stuffing, a long overhead cabinet good for piling up while breaking, what a mixed bag. Had no issue with sliders, light weight, simple and works, certainly shiny solid rosewood would look better.

Life is interesting, isn't it.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by mlts22

My biggest concern is the ground clearance. One good curb hit and it will not just take out the alternator, but possibly the lithium battery bank.

+1, re: lithium in particular.

During my time living and driving throughout greater Houston, I've hit an intact kitchen chair (heavy granny-style oak construction), a detached car bumper cover, a pressure-treated 4x4 fence post (8-footer), and numerous large retread chunks. All of them appeared suddenly in my lane and were unavoidable.

Thankfully the only thing I've hit so far in my Class B have been retread pieces, with only minimal damage. But I had one guy email me because he hit something that tore off his exhaust train and his repair shop was having trouble getting a new one re-installed. They wanted photographs of how our model of Class B had the pipe re-routed by the generator, so they could have a go-by.

Moral of the story: Collisions with big highway debris pieces are inevitable. The impact zone is not where lithium cells need to be.

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

+1, re: lithium in particular.

During my time living and driving throughout greater Houston, I've hit an intact kitchen chair (heavy granny-style oak construction), a detached car bumper cover, a pressure-treated 4x4 fence post (8-footer), and numerous large retread chunks. All of them appeared suddenly in my lane and were unavoidable.

Thankfully the only thing I've hit so far in my Class B have been retread pieces, with only minimal damage. But I had one guy email me because he hit something that tore off his exhaust train and his repair shop was having trouble getting a new one re-installed. They wanted photographs of how our model of Class B had the pipe re-routed by the generator, so they could have a go-by.

Moral of the story: Collisions with big highway debris pieces are inevitable. The impact zone is not where lithium cells need to be.

where's the lithium battery in a Tesla and how close to the road is it.

[B Eventually]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

+1, re: lithium in particular.

During my time living and driving throughout greater Houston, I've hit an intact kitchen chair (heavy granny-style oak construction), a detached car bumper cover, a pressure-treated 4x4 fence post (8-footer), and numerous large retread chunks. All of them appeared suddenly in my lane and were unavoidable.

Thankfully the only thing I've hit so far in my Class B have been retread pieces, with only minimal damage. But I had one guy email me because he hit something that tore off his exhaust train and his repair shop was having trouble getting a new one re-installed. They wanted photographs of how our model of Class B had the pipe re-routed by the generator, so they could have a go-by.

Moral of the story: Collisions with big highway debris pieces are inevitable. The impact zone is not where lithium cells need to be.

On our last cross country trip, we used Waze. I found the app really useful, from the 'you're starting to speed' warning beeps to traffic and road debris warnings submitted by other users. I reported a healthy share of debris and vehicles stopped along the the road as well, so you'll still encounter the occasional surprise.

[wincrasher]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

When they open he cabinets under the bed, the construction quality makes me wince.

What's to wince about? The cabinet is constructed of coated plywood and the sliding doors are acrylic. This change to open cubbies (instead of drawers) to store bulky items is a direct result of WGO actually listening to their customers and giving what they've requested. I think it's fabulous, and more importantly practical for the way most folks use the G.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

What's to wince about? The cabinet is constructed of coated plywood and the sliding doors are acrylic. This change to open cubbies (instead of drawers) to store bulky items is a direct result of WGO actually listening to their customers and giving what they've requested. I think it's fabulous, and more importantly practical for the way most folks use the G.

You're extolling the virtue of the design for which I have no beef but with respect to execution, yes I do wince at the raw wood and the slapdash staple construction in the cubby interior. There are situations where out of sight warrants out of mind but with respect to cabinetry support, IMO, raw wood indiscriminately fastened with staples will eventually involve a customer that's being screwed.

[JakeyLee]

All in all it looks like they have made many improvements to this rig. That's a good sign, IMO. I'm looking forward to the specs. It looks like the freshwater tank was moved, as well as the removal of the Onan generator. I wonder if the fresh water tank is now larger? Those windshield shades are a welcome edition. Like I said, really looking forward to the spec sheet.

[mlts22]

Originally Posted by cruising7388

You're extolling the virtue of the design for which I have no beef but with respect to execution, yes I do wince at the raw wood and the slapdash staple construction in the cubby interior. There are situations where out of sight warrants out of mind but with respect to cabinetry support, IMO, raw wood indiscriminately fastened with staples will eventually involve a customer that's being screwed.

I'd rather have the cabinets be screwed, not the buyer. I do think that for the price, the Travato is the best bang for buck there is for a class "B". It may have rough edges, but it is quite usable.

I still would take the generator and the two AGM batteries though, if I went with a Travato. Maybe in 2-3 years, once the bugs were ironed out, things would be different.

Of course, there is battery replacement. The AGM batteries are not too tough to replace, as they are a standard size and voltage. Lithium banks have to be custom made, so I'd not be surprised if replacing the battery bank ran $5-10k, plus requiring specialized labor due to the high voltage circuits.

[kltk1]

At the very least, this Volta, as well as the WATT Fuel Cell, package proves generators are on their way out. While practical, and they have their use, generators from companies like Onan have somewhat created their own demise by not making their generators as quiet as the current batch of Inverter type generators. In all honesty, with the resources at their disposal, there's no good reason Onan, or someone else, hasn't built a near quiet 3KwH generator.

[Davydd]

As far as I am concerned high amp hour lithium ion battery banks, high watt inverters and second alternators have made Onan generators obsolete in a Class B van. That's been several years now. If you drive most days that's all you have to do. I believe most Class B owners do drive most days because that is the one major advantage over many other RV types.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by kltk1

At the very least, this Volta, as well as the WATT Fuel Cell, package proves generators are on their way out. While practical, and they have their use, generators from companies like Onan have somewhat created their own demise by not making their generators as quiet as the current batch of Inverter type generators. In all honesty, with the resources at their disposal, there's no good reason Onan, or someone else, hasn't built a near quiet 3KwH generator.

I will hold my judgment on fuel cells but I am skeptical, many years of development and still going. “there's no good reason Onan, or someone else, hasn't built a near quiet 3KwH generator.” Indeed, or less than 3kW if combined with a right size battery bank. Onan is ancient, loud, no invertor, air cooled, oil scoop lubrication, seems as R&D folks are a sleep there.

[BBQ]

.

In the past, the biggest hindrance to fuel cell has been the fuel,
because most companies chose hydrogen as the fuel, and it is practically impossible find the fuel anywhere.

If propane can be used, then the obstacle is gone,
because propane is a lot more readily available than hydrogen.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

I will hold my judgment on fuel cells but I am skeptical, many years of development and still going. “there's no good reason Onan, or someone else, hasn't built a near quiet 3KwH generator.” Indeed, or less than 3kW if combined with a right size battery bank. Onan is ancient, loud, no invertor, air cooled, oil scoop lubrication, seems as R&D folks are a sleep there.

We all should hold our judgement, but I am pretty optimistic about fuel cells. I have no data, but I suspect that a LOT more R&D is going into them than quiet dyno-fuelled generators. ICE is a dead end and everybody knows it. I agree with you that gensets could be vastly better, but nobody is going to bother.

OTOH, fuel cells combined with a medium-sized AGM battery are a potential game changer. As I said above, I think that such a setup could ultimately be just as good as a huge lithium system, without the onerous management issues. Whether it will have its own downsides remains to be seen.

[cruising7388]

Originally Posted by mlts22

I'd rather have the cabinets be screwed, not the buyer. I do think that for the price, the Travato is the best bang for buck there is for a class "B". It may have rough edges, but it is quite usable.

I still would take the generator and the two AGM batteries though, if I went with a Travato. Maybe in 2-3 years, once the bugs were ironed out, things would be different.

Of course, there is battery replacement. The AGM batteries are not too tough to replace, as they are a standard size and voltage. Lithium banks have to be custom made, so I'd not be surprised if replacing the battery bank ran $5-10k, plus requiring specialized labor due to the high voltage circuits.

I agree that the Travato is good value but at this price point, with just a one year warranty period, I think it would be optimistic to assume that there won't be some headaches. At RV dealers and shows I make it a point to look over every B on the lot to see what kind of damage is caused by the multitudes that stumble in and out of them. Travatos invariably looked worse for wear, e.g. on the 59k, every one of the bathroom doors were broken and on one, some upper stapled cabinetry had fallen apart. By comparison, the Pleasureways looked unblemished and the Roadtreks were about half way in between.

With respect to the Volta option, I don't think there are bugs yet to be worked out. It's a well vetted engineered system, not some kludge put together by peach tree mechanics. As far as the cost of replacing the lithium bank is concerned, the Volta battery warranty is for eight years which for most practical purposes makes replacement cost, at least for the original owner, a non-issue.