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World’s First All-Electric, Eco-Friendly Motorhome Could Debut in 2022

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Turns out it is easy being green. In the last decade, Toyota and Tesla helped mainstream the all-electric car. Last year brought us the Rivian R1T electric pickup truck, a few battery-powered crossovers, and even a host of seriously badass electric sports cars. Now, 2019 will likely be the debut of the world’s first pure electric drive motorhome: the Iridium E Mobil RV.

At the moment, official details and photos are scant. We know that the E Mobil will likely be powered by a sizable bank of lithium iron phosphate batteries. The good news is that the system runs with zero emissions and is capable of standard charging via traditional wall sockets or fast-charging at dedicated stations of up to 50 kW.

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The bad news is that it will be a limited-range RV. On a single charge, it’ll be good for about 200 kilometers or 125 miles — a substantially shorter range than most electric cars and trucks on the market. Early adopters won’t be embarking on any hardcore, off-grid road trips to the Grand Canyon just yet. The manufacturer predicts, however, that the range will grow quickly as battery capacities increase in the near future.

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Iridium E Mobil RV
Iridium
Iridium E Mobil RV
Iridium
Iridium E Mobil RV
Iridium

The E Mobil is the product of a partnership between Germany’s EFA-s electric vehicle company and the Iridium brand of European motorhome distributor WOF. We’ve seen a flood of electric motorhome concepts over the last few years, but none have made it to production. Both companies are looking to get a jump on several big name manufacturers who currently have all-electric RVs and camper vans in the works.

Following Volkswagen’s wildly popular 2017 I.D. Buzz concept, the automaker announced it’s putting an all-electric Microbus into production. While it won’t offer the same full-fledged RV features as the E Mobil, it will boast a 111-kWh battery pack with a nearly 300-mile range. The downside? You can’t buy one until at least 2022. Last year, Nissan likewise released a pop-top camper van version of its e-NV200 work van, but it’s hardly a legit “motorhome.”

The Iridium E Mobil RV is scheduled to be unveiled at Stuttgart’s Travel Fair CMT in Germany this month. Official pricing has yet to be announced, but we anticipate a base price in the high five figures.

Mike Richard
Mike Richard
Contributor
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He’s kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South… Read Full Bio
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