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9 Lessons Learned From Our 1,000-Mile Journey Towing Our Aliner Camper With Our Chevy Bolt EV
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
- bit.ly/osetj-47
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How to Prevent Virtual Raccoons From Making a Mess in Your RV
Last week, we reported that we’d completed a 1,000-mile trip up the Southeastern Seaboard towing our solar-powered Aliner Scout with our Chevy Bolt EV. This week, we will share the nine lessons we learned along the way.
Lesson #1: Don’t Drive Too Far in One Day
Our Chevy Bolt EV can go about 150 miles on a single charge towing our Aliner Scout, and leaving a bit of cushion allows us about 125 miles of practical range. Charging to about 80 percent for the second leg gives us a total one-charge range of about 220 miles. If we charge nearly to full again, we can reach close to 250 miles on a single stop to charge.
On the trip, we carelessly planned a 300-mile day. It was a challenge. Not only did we have to charge twice, both times required unhitching the trailer. Driving back roads, we averaged just 40 miles per hour when we were moving. The result was a ten-hour day that got us into our next campground at about 8:00 pm.
Lesson learned. Keep daily travel under 250 miles.
Lesson #2: Charge the Trailer Battery With Solar Before the Trip
To maximize the number of days we utilize solar power only in the trailer, it is essential to charge the battery by parking it in the sun to charge the battery before leaving.
We have a 2.4 kWh battery, enough to power the refrigerator and various other devices and lights for more than 24 hours. We can even run the A/C for a while. To get the full benefit of the battery, we need to start our trip with a full charge.
Lesson #3: EV Charging in RV Parks is Great Except When Prohibited
On this trip, we stayed in four campgrounds. In three, we charged our EV successfully each night. It is delightful to wake up to a fully charged vehicle right outside your camper door.
At the Savannah South KOA Holiday, managers told us immediately to unplug the EV. Well, they actually sent a teenage staffer to tell us. He said he was instructed to tell us that KOA national bans EV charging.
Gail and I will follow up with KOA to let you know what they say. We view it as our role, in part, to advocate for EV RVers to ensure that arbitrary rules like this are eliminated. We’ll follow up with KOA and report on what we learn.
Lesson #4: Choose Campground Sites Without Shade
For us, choosing campgrounds and sites within campgrounds without shade is essential. We loved our secluded campsite but didn’t get a watthour of solar power. Lesson learned!
Lesson #5: Put a Toddler Security Latch on the Fridge to Keep Raccoons Out
There are no raccoons in our trailer, but it sure looked like there were. On a couple of legs of our journey, we opened the trailer to find a mess that resembled raccoons rummaging through the trash.
What had happened was the food in the fridge popped the door open, escaped and made a mess.
We bought these baby-proofing refrigerator straps that seem to solve the problem. If you use something else, let us know in the comments.
Obviously, ours was a newbie mistake.
Lesson #6: Charging the EV Is Easy With a Small Trailer (Most of the Time)
More than half the time, we could pull up to an EV charger to charge without unhitching the trailer. When that works, we figure it saves about ten minutes. Those are happy times.
Unhitching isn’t the end of the world, but it is a bit of pain, and we love it when we don’t have to do it!
Lesson #7: These Backrest Pillows Instantly Convert Beds to Recliners
We bought backrest pillows like this one at Walmart for half the price of the one on Amazon.
The pillows effectively convert the beds to comfy places to work with a laptop or to watch Netflix on an iPad. That eliminates the need to set up the table in the morning and convert it back to a bed in the evening. Five minutes twice daily over a week saves us more than an hour!
Lesson #8: Organize
As relatively new RVers, we’re learning the need to organize everything for camping. Everything needs an assigned place and should be in it all the time. We’re acquiring tubs and bins that fit strategically in tight spots to maximize the stuff we hold in cupboards and under beds.
Keeping the trailer tidy gives it a roomier, more comfortable feel. While that isn’t a big deal on a two-day camping trip, it starts to matter on a week-long journey.
Lesson #9: Electric Blankets
The Aliner Scout is lightweight and all-electric. There is no furnace. To keep warm on cool nights, we bought electric blankets. They use much less electricity than an electric space heater would.
They do a great job of keeping us warm on cool nights; they won’t do the trick in genuinely cold weather. With our Aliner living in Florida, we plan to avoid the cold for now.
oursolartrailer.com
I think a lot of people do not understand EV charging. They tend to think you're sitting there asking to put a 7Kw+ load on their system, when really all it takes is the same amount of energy to run a 1,000w microwave.
Maybe camp sites could just adopt a policy like this:
4 hours of Level 2 Charging (220v @ Maximum Amperage)
Unlimited Level 1 (120v @ 8-12 Amps)
Great Channel. So happy I found it. I am trying to see if getting an EV is a good idea been looking at a used Bolt EV. Thank you, guys and safe travels
Thank you so much! 🙏
Hey regarding the issue with food spilling out of the fridge: I used to have a pop-up camper and there was a really small latch built in the top corner of the fridge which had three positions (locked, unlocked, and propped open to prevent mold growth when not in use).
Great tip! I'm sure you're not the only one!
I love you guys!❤
We love you!
Cool! I wonder if it's possible to charge ev for any meaningful mileage using only towable solar panels. 1Kw panels would provide about 5Kwh per day, which about 15 miles.
Such a fun question! There is a coming crop of new vehicles with solar panels. We've ordered an Aptera that can add about 40 miles per day from the sun.
If you can get good sun and angle the panels, you could get 8-12 kWh per day from those panels, and get 24-48 miles. I live in the southwest, though LOL.
If you can come up with a folding array design, or rollup panels of some kind, you could get decent L2 charging speeds for a full charge during a day. A group in Australia did that recently.
@@jennifersensiba4449 You are exactly right. Of course, that assumes we use no power in the trailer. :) We do hope to get a bigger trailer with more solar, and perhaps we'll be able to generate a surplus of power we can use to charge the tow vehicle!
Great tips! Have you found out when your Rivian is coming yet?
As configured, word is 2024! Rivian has hinted they may offer a new configuration that could be available mid-2023.
@@oursolartrailer Sounds good!
@@jfrog5440 :)
I will be getting a Bolt EUV shortly and in a couple more years, I intend to get a very lightweight camper/trailer (the Meerkat, weighing 900 lbs, with a rounded shape like the old Eriba Pucks). Will this void my warranty? By the way, I love your straightforward, level-headed chutzpa here.
Great question! We love the Bolt EUV! Good choice! We're not in a position to speak for Chevrolet, so officially, our answer is we don't know. That said, while at least a dozen well-intentioned followers have told us towing will violate the warranty, we've had the dealer service our Bolt a few times and they've never said anything about our hitch violating the warranty.
I only have a comment on charging at campgrounds. I can see campgrounds allowing it but for a fee. You have to pay for EV charging at charging stations. Also, none of the gas, or diesel, tow vehicles get to fill up at campgrounds for free.
But big motorhomes draw more power than EVs for charging and campers are already paying for power. Why should ev drivers pay twice?
@@oursolartrailer because they would be getting more than the people driving gas trucks to pull their campers. If you want campgrounds to provide charging stations they should get them installed in a designated area. And just like gas pumps, insert credit card. If ev charging should be free and at each site, campgrounds might as well install gas and diesel pumps, at each campsite, for free.
You have apparently failed to understand my point. Big RVs already use more juice than small ones. EVs tow smaller RVs. EVs don't charge much at all after the first night.
@@oursolartrailer apparently you're missing my point. The comparison isn't rv to rv, it is tow vehicle to tow vehicle. Why should an electric tow vehicle get more from a campsite than a gas or diesel tow vehicle?
It seems to me if you pay for power at your site, you should be able to use it. It doesn't matter what you're using it for, you paid for it.
Thanks for the great informative video., and congrats on your all-electric travel project.
I'm curious about your installation of a trailer hitch on the Bolt, as I'm considering adding one to my 2020 Bolt.
Did you do the installation yourselves, or did you have it installed? And what brand hitch did you use? Any advice for a Bolt owner considering doing the same?
Thanks, and pleasant (electric) travels.
We made a video about the hitch. ua-cam.com/video/LAKrFjE0Sew/v-deo.html. It is an Ecohitch. We had it installed. Thanks for watching!!!
Have you since learned if that KOA restriction is legit? Hopefully it's just a matter of time if it is.
We're following up to find out. We'll be sure to share what we learn. Thank you so much! 🙏
I can see little mom and pop campgrounds with limited budget to upgrade their electrical system but some of these more expensive CG’s shouldn’t place a restrictions on recharging your car/truck. The future is here and more and more EV’s are coming.
@@haroldb5569 Good point, except that no upgrade is required. Campgrounds are set up to provide 50 amps of power for RVs. A level 2 charger uses only 32 Amps or 64% of the standard capacity. EVs can even charge meaningfully overnight on a 120 volt/12 amp charger. If a campground offers electrical hookups their systems shouldn't know or care whether an RV is connected running the A/C or an EV is connected and charging.
@@oursolartrailer yes crusade and lobby! I love it. Unfortunately it’s prob something of a bit of personal politics happening as a lot of people are against electric cars. Could’ve been just something the regional manager did because on fri I emailed the KOA in Thunder Bay, Ontario about charging my Bolt and today they wrote back saying they are ok with it.
@@Liefpj I'm glad you're confirming that the ban is local and not universal! I'd love the company to ban the bans!
What I learned that towable campers are going to get real cheap as people will be unloading them after they realize how much hassle EV travel camping is.
We're paving the way, making it easier for others.