Looking to the future of the caravan
Where will our love of caravaning be when the fully electic vehiciles comes more of the car of the day, will we be able to tow with it or will we all need to get a motorhome for our use. Can anyone from experts dept. of the club look at this matter and give
an update in the CC Mag. Will there be tow car of the year or caravans get much lighter to get a match.
Comments
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As cars get lighter caravans will have to but not sure how. It may be we will have to lose things like full size cookers but the best bet is new metods and materials. I gather Knaus have come up with a new build system and they think they can get a full size caravan down to 750kg. If this can be done there is a future for caravans although iI do wonder if motorhomes will be the future.
I have no faith in electric cars though. They only move the polution not prevent it though unless we can get an all renewable supply.
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For some time the Dutch and French have been using lighter cars than we tend to here, and still tow. Then they don't get hung up by our limiting concept of mass ratio. They obviously try and see what works, not pre-dismiss things because decades ago that seemed to be the order of things. The technology of modern vehicles allows that to happen if the vehicle is selected with towing in mind.
I am not seeing electric cars as too quickly becoming the norm, but becoming initially the tool for certain jobs. Technically, battery technology challenges aside they can't do because there is not the infrastructure to generate and distribute the extra electrical power now being accessed by the use of fossile fuels in cars.
Things will develop as they can, not just and simply as it is wanted.
The caravan industry needs however to get more weight savvy, structurally I can't see much potential but there is in the furnishing where things seem to have driffed away from the ultra light construction used in our early 1990s Castleton.
The next generation of buyers might be having less funds to buy quite as oppulent vans anyway, more modest ones could be lighter.
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If it becomes difficult to find suitable cars for towing larger caravans perhaps more people will start thinking about motorhomes? Whilst I am sure the same develoment will follow in the base vehicles currently used for motorhomes perhaps it is a little
further down the road?David
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If it becomes difficult to find suitable cars for towing larger caravans perhaps more people will start thinking about motorhomes? Whilst I am sure the same develoment will follow in the base vehicles currently used for motorhomes perhaps it is a little
further down the road?David
Maybe David but then it is not comparing like with like and would need a cultural change in how they/we camp. One thing I suspect would be a need for more conurbation located rather than "sticks" located sites as I don’t see a quantum change in rural bus
services coming any time soon.
Tent camping could see a strengthening provided the designers have an eye for something really cool and stylish, and though I dread it more “cabins”, again if quirky enough.0 -
I think in the distant future more folk will rely on static accommodation on site, with a greater degree of flexibility in booking. I don't think this will be in my lifetime though. In the UK you will still probably have to pre-book, as is our custom
but european sites will be more flexible as they ae at present. Just my guess.....David
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Caravans will not die out completely. They have reached saturation point regards physical size/weight to accommodate those who want every modern mod con.
I predict a return to smaller, lighter, less lavishly equipped vans to match lighter and more economic towcars.
Conversely, over the next 20 years the Motor Caravan will become more popular till they reach saturation point as regards size and usability. With smaller M/Homes being much more in demand.
I also forsee an interest in "back to basics camping" with many more families choosing Tenting and hiring Pods.
Campsites, wishing to maintain their profitability will have to adapt to accommodate those modern changes.
K
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The main 'driver' behind electric cars are the politicians who are out of touch with the consumer along with those who are sufficiently wealthy and want to be seen potraying a polar bear hugging image but still have other cars in their garage for realworld driving. Without the 100% tax benefit for business in the UK very few people would buy an EV or hybrids and across the globe EV sales are still nowhere near the level predicted only a few years ago. The less excitable manufacturers are only developing EV's for largely PR reasons and as halo models. Look how few EV's Renault sell after their huge investment in an EV product line and then look at EV used values..... The future will be a mix of propulsion methods including EV and hybrid however petrol and diesel will still be a very large part of the market in 20 years. I like the idea of electric propulsion but the tech has to deliver what the consumer needs (ability to tow, decent range and quick refuel/charge) and not expect the consumer to change their life styles to suit the tech. The demand for ever more luxury on holiday is growing and the caravan market is booming across Europe and beyond - the recent international show in Dusseldorf had its highest attendance ever and watch the Caravan TV episode about China from a few months ago....
Driving an EV may be supposedly environmentally friendly - if you ignore the extra power stations and infrastructure required - however how long until the real costs (toxic chemicals, health issues etc) of battery production and in particular battery disposal come to light? that will make the VW diesel issue pale into insignificance by comparison.
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If it is so important to power cars and other tow vehicles by using electricity generated somewhere far away, it must be equally important to similarily power motor caravans, delivery lorries, omnibuses, and in fact everything that moves mechanically. How big a battery will be needed for a cruise ship?
I'm nowhere near convinced that electric traction is any less damaging than fossil fuel - my view is that when all the activities needed to generate, transmit and store electricity are included it is worse. The best option I see is the synthetic generation of man-made "fossil" fuels from sunlight and carbon. That way we will still be able to carry a spare 30 miles in a gallon can.
All the efforts to produce lighter caravans will just result in the all-consuming public wanting more luxury, not less. What I want to see is 'vans being fitted with self-erecting awnings as standard!
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Electric cars that plug into the mains cannot be "green".
The electricity is produced in power stations. A point that some forget.
Green is Hydrogen fuel celled vehicles. They are on their way and it's only a matter of time before they are available at sensible prices to the public.
You can have one right now if you give 1/4 of a million to any number of car manufacturers. Might struggle to fill it up though. There are (currently) something like only 5 fill up points in the entire UK but that's going to change.
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and they don't pick up after them as some dog owners do.
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I think all electric will come in london we can only buy all electric cab from 2018 but its nearley as heavy so weight should not be a problem I think in years to come you will have motor on the van to help power it run of a alternater to charge it own power
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This is the ’Van of the Future’:
Up to any size you can fit onto the road network. Equipment: anything your heart desires. Self-propelled by any available technology (electric if it so pleases you, as weight and size of batteries need only be limited to that which will fit under the floor).
Axles – any number, with the steering, brakes, indicators, lights and all other devices required for an on- road legal vehicle, enabled by radio control from a mother vehicle, of any road legal type, traveling in front. Absolutely no mechanical connection
required whatsoever.On site - self-parking, self-levelling and self-connecting to services and Yes!! that self-erecting awning. Just leave it on pitch and off you go for your day out or shopping. Other cost options available.
We have the technology now!!! Do you have the Money???
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The thing is you cannot force people to buy what they do not want, no matter how hard you try.I would love to know how many Citroen Cactus vehicles are sold as towing vehicles ? 50 kg max noseweight, 810 kg Caravan !! That kind of limits things doesnt it ! And it won its class in the Towcar of the Year !! More of a joke than Caravanner of the year ! Electric vehicles are useless for anything except city centre driving.As for towing......forget it. Battery technology still isnt there yet. Hybrids mayby, I even saw a Dutch caravanner charging his Mitsibushi PHEV 4x4 hybrid direct from his CC hookup this year ! Is that allowed ?
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I dont think anybody old enough to read this need worry that there wont be any vehicles around capable of lugging a couple of tonnes around the country. Just look at world agriculture. A massive market there for vehicles ideal for our purposes.
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I think that within 10 years we will see a massive increase in the number of electric cars. Take a look at the range of the new electric BMW; they are saying that within about 3 years this range will double which will put it on a par with many petrol cars.
Don't forget that although electricity production is not pollution free it is far easier to tackle it at the power station than at the vehicle. Who would want a noisy, smelly, petrol/diesel car when they could have electric. Modern railways all have electric
propulsion.We won't see an electric tow car or motorhome just yet though!
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Whilst electric cars might be the future it will take a lot of development before one has both the power and range to tow a 1.5 tons caravan. I think what we will require will exceed what can be achieved for log time yet. What nobody seems to ask is how long the batteries last and what is the cost of replacement. I did hear once about £5,000 which if true is a lot of diesel.
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Even when they are freely availkable to use people avoid electric cars. Local councils here have bought quite a few but they had to admit the staff do not use them and were doing far less mileage than there conventional counterparts. If you cannot manage
to get people with a free choice pick them it is going to be hard to sell them to those who have to pay and the poor life and cost of batteries could yet be there downfall as the first ones age.0 -
Presumably these batteries can be re-cycled to a degree?
Still dont see how it's "green" technology with all the heavy metals that go into battery manufacture, the manufacture of the car itself and that it uses power station produced electricity.
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Presumably these batteries can be re-cycled to a degree?
Still dont see how it's "green" technology with all the heavy metals that go into battery manufacture, the manufacture of the car itself and that it uses power station produced electricity.
They should be recylable but as they age the distance you can cover will drop and the replacements cost the earth.
The other problem for me is if you get stuck in a traffic jam at night the power you need to get you home might go to keep the lights on.
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. Modern railways all have electric propulsion.
Tell that to the Waverly Line.
Also, all the Thunderbirds are diesel. Why? Because they have more sheer pulling power and they still work when the power goes off.
[For the railway non-enthusiasts a Thunderbird is a powerful locomotive kept in reserve for rescue work. See television show of same name]
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With battery technology at the moment it is evolution not revolution but thousands of people are working on research. It seems quite possible there could suddenly be a step change in the technology which would have a massive impact.
For electric locomotives you of course need overhead lines so its the busy routes that are upgraded. Tesla and others are selling battery power packs for home use. A silent revolution is happening!
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I reckon as all us older farts that passed the driving test before 1997 pop our clogs or just stop caravaning manufacturers will have to devise new ways of getting lighter caravans for the lighter cars of the future. A five Berth 'van capable of being towed
by a 900cc three cylinder car will take a bit of thinking about. Maybe high tech trailer tents or folding caravans will start to become a more usual sight?0 -
The way Kampa are going I think the self-erecting awning will come long before we're all driving about in electric cars!
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