RVs instead of homes?

With the RV industry blowing up like never before in California. It only takes quick drive through any part of LA or SF to explain why. People can't afford homes and are scooping them up. The last time I was down in LA, pre Rona. I happened to be in a bar in Venice beach discussing the mass amounts of RVs I'd been seeing all over LA with a buddy of mine. A guy ear hustling on us decided to jump in. He said he was in the special effects industry. That after moving out to LA from the midwest for his first job making what he thought was big money he found himself living with three other guys. All three sharing the same home and situation. Despite making a good salary, Real estate prices were not going to allow him or any of them, to buy a home. At least not one any were near the areas they worked. So when the charm of renting that room wore off he needed another solution. He reached out to his parents for advice and and after coming to a consensus, he asked them to start looking at RVs. They were able to find him a killer provost style bus. It was used but pretty new and by the pictures, nicer than some of the homes I've lived in. It even had a matching garage/trailer that came with, allowing him to tow/park his Tesla in when moving the coach. The trailer also gave him a place to tinker with his personal projects. At first I was surprised he'd want a set up so immense with LA parking being what it is. Turns out his work allowed him to park it on the edge of their lot. So when he did that he had no commute. Sure he had to fly back and drive it out to the west coast. But doing so saved a ton. He said by buying it in the midwest and registering it out of his parents place as well he saved even more. His lightly used mobile paradise ended up costing him less than the downpayment on a condo in Cupertino or LA would have, trailer included! He also shared because an RV his loan is somehow similar to a home loan. He was afforded a much lower payment. Even so he planned to have it paid off in 3 years. From there on out he's stacking that cash! After hearing his explanation I was damned if I could find a hole in his logic!

I have fond memories of traveling in RVs with my parents. Unfortunately we didn't do it very many times. But I'll never forget loading up our dirt bikes and spending the week at Pismo riding along the beach. Or driving down to the desert to ride with my brother and his family. I'd love to make similar memories with my own kids. So RVs have become a regular search parameter in my weekly inter webs searches. As I have looked more and more even at new coaches. It's apparent that the RV industry is charging top shelf prices for 90s technology at best. Most Class A coaches use a highway rated Truck chassis from one of the big three Ford Chevy or Dodge and build from there. not very exciting or efficient with some glaring limitations.

So James you ask what does your dream class A RV costing well north of a hundred grand or more look like? Funny you should ask. Some companies are already getting close. Anyone that owns one can tell you feeding fuel to a class A RV gets spendy. And any one thats been stuck behind an RV will tell you following one up hill through turns sucks. As we've already discussed most class As are running industrial Truck based chassis. That means truck based motors. Not great for maintaining highway speeds up hill with all that weight. If Uncle Elon has taught us anything. Nothing cures slow like the instant torque of an electric motor! A German company called Dethleffs has already built an electric Class C RV. It's even got solar panels built directly into it's flat sides. Think of the power you could generate with a much boxier class A! While battery technology range wise might be achievable for a full electric class A. The infrastructure to charge it is not. Also, if your going to live in one full time. You might not want to loose all that under storage for battery packs. I think a hybrid system makes all the sense in the world. Why not use a small military style burn anything motor to run a generator and have a full electric driveline? This would not only solve that pesky torque problem but it would also allow for AWD even steering on all axels. The technology is available. Now couple that with solar body and roof panels. Maybe even solar awnings and retractable wind turbines for when you're parked. You might be able to run your appliances without connecting to any outside power. Using them to charge when parked and your burn anythuing generator when driving? Your looking at a killer off grid machine.

Since I am already deep into this flight of fancy. If your an on road kind of guy why not keep the chassis low like the GMC motor homes? Or if overlanding is your bag look to the chassis design the guys building those incredible Dakar race/chase trucks are using. The modularity of electric makes both possible. It wouldn't have to be crazy long either, current coach builders do amazing things with 25-27 feet. If you go at this from an instead of buying astatic home point of view. Even if you spent two or three hundred thousand. Buying a high end motor home would still be cheaper than homes in the larger cities on either coast.

Am I ready to sell my own brick and mortar home and adopt this nomadic lifestyle? Well the Rona has shown both myself and my employer that working from home is not only possible its preferable. As long as I can connect to internet I am good. That said Id have a hard time making the leap right now personally. Although that said if I didn't have kids and I could score a trailer to hide the Galaxie in.... I think I could be convinced!

James

The Lowered HMFIC