JACKSON CENTER — The new eStream Concept Travel Trailer is Airstream’s first all-electric and most technically innovative vehicle ever made.
The cool and incredible showstopper is eStream’s ability to be remotely driven — without a tow vehicle — using a hand-held tablet.
Its secret is the Thor electric drivetrain and “smart” chassis.
Smart, sustainable travel
The Thor electric drivetrain pushes eStream to the front-runner position in the race against its competitors.
Powered by independent electric motors and high-capacity electric batteries, rather than being “towed” in the traditional sense, the eStream smoothly pushes itself forward.
With a top speed of 6 mph, remote-controlled maneuvering and parking of the eStream — without a tow vehicle — is a breeze.
Backing up and fitting into a tight spot have never been easier. It is all controlled by an Alexa-powered tablet with the touch of a finger.
“It has an Alexa voice overlay for customers to get information about the full control and function of the eStream,” said Bob Wheeler, President and CEO of Airstream, Inc. “Within the trailer there is an Alexa-enabled device that allows people to use their voice to give feedback and get troubleshooting assistance. The app allows you to control all of the systems of the trailer, whether it is heat or air conditioning, lights, or audio.”
The eStream is a concept travel trailer, but the target weight for a production vehicle of this size is 5,500 pounds, including its payload, as its highest safety capacity, or gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). Pulling an RV that weighs thousands of pounds can be hard on the wallet at the gas pump when using a traditional gas-powered tow vehicle. The eStream’s self-propelled drivetrain helps to save money in the long term by enabling greater fuel efficiency for these towing vehicles.
As a bonus, if the tow vehicle is also electric, the eStream can be used to charge it, if needed.
The eStream’s chargeable electricity is complimented by five semi-flexible 180-watt solar panels on the roof of the vehicle that add up to 900 watts of solar harvesting capability – three times more solar than ever produced on an Airstream.
Not only is it smart and sustainable, the eStream is incredibly safe.
Driving safety
This remarkable concept vehicle uses an advanced “smart” sensor system, making the manual weight distribution hitch mechanism obsolete. The sensor system detects and automatically improves safety and stability while the eStream is in tow. The sensor system measures the forces between the tow vehicle and trailer, ensuring that the trailer never pushes the front vehicle. It also can detect and correct trailer swaying from side-winds, automatically adjusting the trailer’s position to compensate.
The sensor system also aids in remote, automated hitching and unhitching.
The eStream’s electric chassis provides power to the wheels. It’s like adding an entirely second set of rear-drive wheels to the driving experience. The powered wheels provide added traction, which provides added safety when traveling off-road, or over difficult, muddy, and steep terrain.
Additionally, the powered wheels, when locked, provide an anti-theft feature. When the wheels are in this mode, it helps prevent the trailer from being be picked up by another tow vehicle and stolen.
The eStream helps ensure safe living and living life to its fullest through remote adventure travel are both achievable.
Quality of life
For passionate outdoor eco-explorers in the market for a new, carbon footprint-conscious recreational vehicle, the prototype 22-foot eStream is blazing a new trail toward a sustainable future through electrified RV travel.
Airstream has been a trusted name in recreational travel vehicles since its founding in 1931, and eStream is its vision for the future.
The eStream’s technological advances parallel its innovative improvements in aesthetic appeal and design.
It boasts Airstream’s sleek and eye-catching traditional silver aluminum “Silver Bullet” shell, with added aerodynamic exterior styling.
There are several primary features that aid the eStream’s aerodynamics.
“The unit is six inches narrower than the traditional Airstream trailer, it has a smooth underbelly, and there’s a fair amount on the roof of a typical Airstream that creates aerodynamic drag — an air conditioner, skylights, antennas, and vents for tanks — so all that’s gone; they’ve been moved underneath in the chassis,” Wheeler explained, “and that’s allowed plenty of room for the flexible solar panels on the roof. Then at the back, there is a diffuser, so that when the air comes off the bottom of the trailer, instead of creating this low-pressure turbulent area it’s kept in a very smooth flow and breaks away in a fashion that creates less drag.”
The interior components and features of the eStream Concept Travel Trailer aim at the future of Airstream travel, and feature an onboard wet bath, sleeping, eating, and living space, and a full-function kitchen (albeit one with fully electric appliances), similar to what we offer across the board. Additionally, the Alexa-enabled eStream adds the convenience of voice-controlled light and temperature control, just like a stationary smart home.
According to an airstream.com blog article about the eStream, “Airstream is developing groundbreaking connectivity solutions and digital resources for the future owner based on the eStream’s capabilities. Still in the development phase, future owners will be able to utilize a state-of-the-art signal booster that provides 5G connectivity and a Wi-Fi hotspot, enabling the operation of lighting and HVAC as well as accessing troubleshooting and support resources through voice commands. Intuitive touch screens will allow future owners to monitor power, water, and waste tanks, and a smartphone app in development promises to make trip planning easier while syncing the information to the eStream’s onboard systems. This powerful trip planning technology will be more than simply directions to get owners from Point A to Point B – it will be curated to maximize efficiency, range, charging, accessibility, and height restrictions.”
The new all-electric vehicle is the next generation forward fulfilling AirStream’s goal of providing the comforts of home while still satiating the adventurous spirit of its customers, enabling them to “go everywhere” and “stay anywhere.”
The eStream’s two large-scale lithium batteries are massive, automotive-grade batteries that are currently in use in a well-known automotive brand.
They can generate 242 horsepower and provide store 80 kWhs of electric storage capacity and work in conjunction with the 900 watts of solar harvesting on the rooftop, equating to 30 times more power than the current largest lithium battery system in an Airstream today. By providing power to the electric motors in the drive axle, the batteries can help extend the tow vehicle’s range by 50-75 percent. In Drive Mode they provide the power for remote controlling the unit, and in Living Mode, they allow Airstreamers to camp off the grid in comfort for up to two weeks. That means all of the interior appliances — like the lights, heating and cooling, water heater, refrigerator, stove, microwave, and television — can be run for an extended period of time on a single battery charge.
A lighted strip running along the bottom of the concept vehicle’s exterior is blue when running on battery power, green when being charged, and red when in need of a recharge. “It made a great visual for the concept,” said Wheeler, but this feature may not make it into the commercial version.
In terms of supportive electric power infrastructure developments, most campgrounds already have standard power poles that can be used for slow, overnight battery charging. The eStream’s high voltage power system is designed to permit even faster charging.
Fast-charge electric stations are now rapidly being deployed at camp sites around the nation. Likewise, with the pledge of major car companies to offer all-electric automobiles, “gas stations” across the U.S. are also quickly adding fast-charge electric stations alongside their gas pumps to keep up with increased demand.
“We know that there will always be the need for the traditional, ‘Silver Bullet’ Airstream, and internal combustion engines aren’t going away anytime soon. But we also recognize that there is a growing customer base with EVs, who want the ability to tow without having to worry about the impact on their battery range, and if you look at the announcements coming out of the automotive manufacturers, almost weekly, about converting their fleets to EV, we know that we have to be prepared and positioned to meet the needs of that market. It’s our legacy and responsibility to lead the industry, and that’s exactly what we’ve done with the eStream.”
Anticipated cost
As a concept vehicle, the eStream is not ready for the production line so it does not have an associated price tag.
According to Wheeler, the decision-making process about taking a vehicle from concept to commercial production is an important one and makes a difference in terms of the features and cost of the final models that become available.
“Market surveys are great to get feedback on the viability of the idea and what kind of feature set people would really value in that concept. We poll our dealers as well as potential retail customers,” Wheeler said.
Airstream also has over 800 names on their mailing list of people wanting to stay up-to-date on the progress of the concept vehicle, who serve as a great source of feedback and information.
“We look at what’s in the market, if anything, in a similar vein. Though, there is nothing really in that category in the moment,” Wheeler said. “Finally, we gauge the feedback of the public when we launch a product like the eStream concept vehicle — we look at press coverage, what the editorial tone is, and what the comments are related to the product by folks who have come across those articles. Then we screw up our courage and jump out of the plane.”
Wheeler is looking at several roll-out production business models for the eStream.
“The Tesla model is appealing because it’s a very good indicator of real interest if folks are willing to put down a deposit, even if it is refundable. Or, more traditionally, our dealers might get a list of folks that have serious interest and are willing to put down a deposit. We use that to gauge early interest. I don’t think there’s going to be any issue selling the early production models that we produce. It likely will start up at low volumes and slow rates, as we ramp up to meet market demand. We expect the market and interest will build on itself. We’ll likely take the halo vehicle concept, where we put out a fully-featured and high-end version of the concept and then, over time, we’ll produce variants on it that are less fully-featured and will be more affordable to meet the needs of a different target customer than the early adopters.”
Employment boon for local workforce
As the vehicle moves from concept to production line, it is going to impact the local economy by creating new employment opportunities.
Airstream built a new manufacturing facility in Jackson Center in 2019, and that is where Wheeler plans to build the eStream.
“We anticipate that we would be able to build the eStream here in our new travel trailer facility. We built this plant big enough to accommodate future growth,” said Wheeler. “When this product line comes to market,” which will likely take about two years, Wheeler said, “it will have its own assembly line in our trailer factory, and we’ll be looking to hire to fill those positions.”
The anticipated hiring need will be around 150 employees within the next six months, and more after that.
For more information about employment opportunities with Airstream, visit their website at airstream.com/company/careers/.
To see the eStream in action, watch the video here and check out others provided by Airstream and Thor on their official YouTube pages.
