Is it realistic to think that renewable energy will become common in RVs in our lifetime?

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our E-mail Digest or RSS Feed. We will then send you the stories that are posted each day in an e-mail digest. We use a service called Feedburner for delivery of these emails. You will receive an e-mail from Feedburner after you subscribe and you must click on that email to activate your subscription. Thanks for visiting and enjoy all the information! RV.Net Blog AdminBy Bob Difley Inventors and inventions are a dime a dozen, as the saying goes. Proof is the number of patents filed in the US Patent Office every year (over 500,000 in 2010). Few ever make it to the marketplace, and even fewer become profitable. But that is where creativity takes root, and if the venture capital flows and the public accepts the product–take the iPhone or iPad for example–sales can go viral. What does that have to do with RVing. I’m sure the inventor of the first commercially viable cell phone was not thinking of how useful a mobile, untethered, phone could be to the RV traveler making his nightly campground reservation on the fly, checking ahead to restaurant seating availability, taking calls from excited grandchildren while cruising down the highway, or calling in emergency services when away from nearby help. It took some RVers to actually look at the new invention and ask, “How can I use this to make my life better?” The same holds true with inventions and progressive ideas today. The shortsighted seldom see the... Read more

Does the future of RVing include smart highways?

By Bob Difley There are a lot of smart scientists working on a lot of futuristic projects, many of which will impact RVers and the way we enjoy our lifestyle. Take electric (EV) and hybrid electric (HEV) vehicles that are getting all the media play and new EVs are popping up like spring wildflowers–not only in the US but also in India, China, Japan, Korea and just about every country that makes automobiles. So far, it’s been a hard row to hoe getting people to accept a different concept in their vehicles than what they are accustomed to, such as THE MILEAGE range between fossil fuel vehicles and EVs, time to fill up with gas or diesel fuel compared to chargging a battery, ability of electricity powered vehicles to carry or pull the loads that would be required for RVs, and cost differentials–EVs and HEVs are much higher compared to internal combustion engines (ICE). But these smart and innovative scientists and entrepreneurs are working on this stuff. They’d rather that we changed our perspective on how we look at vehicles but also realize that until electrics are offered that have the same or better range, charge (fill up) time, and cost as an ICE operated vehicle, the populace is unlikely to adopt the new concept. So they are going about their business by inventing better batterties, ones that will weigh less, are smaller, offer more usable power, and charge quicker. And a Dutch firm has re-invented highways with solar powered glow-in-the-dark surfaces... Read more

Electric Vehicle update: Events affecting EV development and public acceptance

By Bob Difley As many of you know I follow the development of the electrical vehicle (EV) and how it will impact RVers as it develops and become viable to the general public–that’s us. Two recent events have given proponents and advocates of EVs encouragement. First, an EV charging station has been installed at a remote location of Yellowstone NP and in one of the most air-polluted parks, Great Smoky Mountain NP  as reported by Melissa Hincha-Ownby of the Mother Nature Network. Thanks to the Black Bear Solar Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation and solar energy, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park region is now home to one of the largest concentrations of electric-vehicle charging stations in the nation. Dubbed the Green Gateway, the region features 24 EV charging stations at strategic locations between major cities in Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park gateway community of Townsend, Tenn. A future expansion will add solar canopies, which will provide clean renewable power to the charging stations. You can read the whole article on theMother Nature Network. As the number and distribution of charging stations continues to expand, and campgrounds and RV resorts add EV charging, the EV my become the dinghy of choice somewhere in the future. Second, the Tesla Model S, a high line performance luxury sedan from the makers of the impressive Tesla roadster, was named Car of the Year by Motor Trend magazine, and more... Read more

Get the most out of your solar panels when boondocking in northern forests

By Bob Difley Most snowbirds have fled their winter desert hangouts and have moved or are moving north to their stick house or, if fulltiming, into their favorite summer destinations. Most will travel between favored campgrounds, but some will be heading into the national forests to boondock at their secret campsites, providing they haven’t been eliminated by the Forest Service’s new Travel Management Plan (TMR). That’s another story, but briefly, new rules for driving and boondocking  in the national forests now define where you can drive and where you can camp. Make sure you pick up the particular forest’s Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) that defines the approved roads and dispersed camping areas. Read more  Read More →

Electric Vehicle Update May 24, 2012

By Bob Difley FedEx owns and operates 40,000 vans and trucks to run their package delivery business, using 300 million gallons of fuel per year. That’s the reason they purchased 34 electric trucks that they will operate out of their facility in Menlo Park, California to service the San Francisco Bay area, as well as another 53 trucks to go elsewhere in the country. What does this have to do with RVs? The trucks are being built by Navistar partnering with Smith Electric Vehicles. Navistar is also the owner of Monaco, the upscale motorhome builder, as well as the builder of the Workhorse motorhome chassis, one of the few built from the ground up specifically for RVs. FedEx chose this particular vehicle partly because it gets 100 miles to a charge, and since the average delivery route in the SF Bay Area is about 88 miles and doesn’t change fro0m day to day, the trucks can return safely each night to the Menlo Park depot and charge up overnight for the next day’s run. So fuel costs are zero except for the much lower cost for the electricity used to recharge, and that is overnight when electricity costs are the lowest. The trucks cost two to three times what they normally spend but cost 70 to 80 percent less to operate than their diesel trucks, and they are quiet, require less maintenance, and are non-polluting. So if the program works out it’s likely that Navistar will be looking to develop a similar chassis for the RV market. As an RVer three important future... Read more

How these wandering technology nomads could change your concepts of electricity

By Bob Difley Things change, in fact they have changed a lot–especially in the technological products available for RVers–since I first started RVing more than 40 years ago. I struggled in my early days of RVing with keeping my batteries charged, the annoying drone of what at the time seemed to be the endless running of my generator trying to re-charge those batteries, and still find electricity to be somewhat mystical. So I was interested when I discovered Chris Dunphy & Cherie Ve Ard, a couple wandering America in their 1961 bus conversion. On their website, titled Technomads: Technology Enabled Nomads, they describe their current state as “exploring the confluence of full-time travel, technology, career, and community; all while embracing nomadic serendipity”. It could be said that all of us boondockers and fulltimers are seeking “nomadic serendipity” but Chris and Cherie are putting together their version in large part with the help of combining standard technology with cutting edge technology developments to create and operate the best, most efficient, resource and environment friendly electrical system possible for their bus. And they write with clarity and knowledge about their efforts along with real time examples of their efforts. I was especially fascinated with what they had to say about “boosting inverters”: Boosting Inverter = Smaller Generator RV generators have traditionally been sized so that they can handle... Read more

Update: Developing electric vehicle battery technology

By Bob Difley A lot of hype and optimism attach to press releases and news reports on not only the future growth of electric vehicles (inevitable) but also in what will be the jump start to propel them  fully into the mainstream. Though electric vehicle market saturation is only in the single digits, we hear a lot about the Nisson Leaf and Chevy Volt (photo), and it seems that every other automobile and light truck manufacturer – including dozens of start-ups around the world – are jumping on the bandwagon and trying to catch up with the market leaders. For RVers, we can hope for development of electric dinghys that will re-charge from the main RV engine while towing or from a plug-in at campgrounds and public re-charging spots while on the road. Light trucks must have enough torque to pull a small trailer or carry the weight of a small motorhome.  And of course, range and cost are currently the problems. Hybrids, where you have the power and range of a supplemental gasoline engine such as in the Prius and Volt, are the logical interim step to full electric like the Tesla or Leaf. But they will not become a hit with most mainstream car buyers until a battery–or other energy storage system–can deliver on reduced size, lighter weight, lower price, and a range of at least 300 miles. Progress is being made by research institutions such as Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LAL) in Berkeley, California, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.... Read more

Tips to a Long Lasting Generator

If a generator is properly maintained and cared for it is quite possible it will last longer than the RV itself. Here are some of my tips to a long lasting generator. 1)      Carbon Monoxide Poisoning:  My first tip won’t extend the life of your RV’s generator, but it could save someone’s life. Carbon Monoxide gas is invisible, odorless and deadly. If for any reason your RV does not have a functioning CO gas detector you need to purchase and install one designed for use in Recreation Vehicles (follow the manufacturer instructions for proper installation). Test the CO detector for proper operation prior to each RV trip. Inspect the generator exhaust system before starting the generator, and never run the generator set with a damaged or leaking exhaust system. Do not leave windows open when running the generator and do not park in close proximity to obstacles like buildings or other RVs when running the generator set. Be cautious of other RV owners running their generators close to where you are parked, and never sleep while the generator is running.  2)      Preventive Maintenance: The key to a long lasting generator set is periodic maintenance. When it comes to generator sets we are primarily concerned with two types of maintenance, preventive maintenance and routine maintenance. Both can add years of life to your generator set. Preventive maintenance is maintenance you perform on your generator before a problem exists. These checks are designed to prevent... Read more

Vintage Trailer Restoration Project Captured on Video

  Earlier this year video producer Mark Polk, of RV Education 101, decided to produce an online RV series, titled “Mark’s RV Garage.”  Polk explained the goal of the show was to help educate and entertain RV consumers and RV enthusiasts. When considering a feature segment for the new RV series Polk decided to tackle a vintage trailer restoration project. Little did he know at the time the scope the restoration project would entail.  Unforeseen damage, below the surface of the exterior metal, would result in dismantling the project trailer down to the bare frame and rebuilding it from the ground up. Adding to the complexity of an already daunting challenge Polk’s plans included upgrading the old trailer with modern day RV equipment and amenities. As season one of the new RV series progressed each step of the vintage restoration project was captured along the way. What initially began as a 10 episode season evolved into 17 episodes, culminating in the season finale where the finished product was revealed to viewers for the first time. When asked to recap season one of “Mark’s RV Garage” Polk responded, “I think anybody who likes RVs, or is thinking an RV might be in their future would not only enjoy watching the vintage restoration project unfold, but could learn a great deal from the series too. To view season one episodes of Mark’s RV Garage visit this You Tube link Happy RV Learning, Mark Polk RV Education 101 RV Consumer  Read More →

Mark’s RV Garage Season One Finale Released

RV Education 101 releases the season finale of the new Internet based RV How-To series titled “Mark’s RV Garage.” The new episode is available for viewing at www.rvconsumer.com and on You Tube            After 16 bi-monthly episodes the highly anticipated season finale is released, revealing the completed vintage trailer restoration for the very first time. Season finale highlights:  * The Old Yellowstone trailer gets a fresh coat of paint. * Polk installs a new 3,500 pound Dexter axle. * The electric brakes are converted to disc brakes with the addition of new brake rotors, calipers, and a Actulink electric/hydraulic brake actuator. To complete the new braking system Polk adds a DirecLink Network Enhanced brake controller. * Before the trailer can hit the road for the first time Polk installs an Equalizer hitch. * Mark Polk reflects back on season one through a series of Q&A. * All of this and more on the season finale of “Mark’s RV Garage”   If you missed previous episodes of Mark’s RV Garage they are archived at www.rvconsumer.com for easy retreival and viewing Happy RV Learning, Mark Polk www.rvconsumer.com www.rveducation101.com  Read More →

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