GRAPEVINE, Texas – Over the past several years, many in the RV industry have taken an “I’ll believe it when I see it” attitude toward an all-electric Class A.
As recent as last year, though, a prototype was on display at Elkhart RV Open House showing the results of a partnership between THOR Industries and Harbinger that even included a test-drive track for dealers.
But during Jayco’s recent Dealer Homecoming event at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Dallas, it was time for the “seeing is believing” phase, as Jayco trotted out the new Embark EV, which is expected to have limited production over the next year and have an MSRP of around $460,000.
“When THOR had asked us to partner with Harbinger to develop this, for us, it was an incredible opportunity to really lead the charge into what will probably be the next generation of RVing,” Jayco Director of Product Development Cory Weatherford told RVBusiness. “The chassis itself with this size of a motorhome on it is 22,000 pounds and, off of all electric, we can go approximately 110 miles. Harbinger did develop a gasoline range extender on this. So, the engine is powering a 45-kilowatt hour generator which is powering the batteries. Depending on driving conditions, you’re at approximately 475 to 500 miles.”
To be clear, the vehicle is not hybrid in the traditional sense of using a gas or diesel engine when needs call for it.
The four-cylinder gasoline engine using 50 gallons of fuel is only used to create electricity that is funneled into four lithium batteries built into the chassis, as has been displayed at Open House technology booths.
That engine can be refueled at any point to continue producing power and further extend the range. Also, like other EVs, electrical energy is produced when the vehicle brakes, as well.
The generator does not accelerate or slow depending on the driver’s actions. It is totally dependent upon the state of the charge of the batteries and can continue charging the batteries when the vehicle is stopped.
“When we talk about 500 miles, that’s 500 miles not stopping,” said Ryan Forgey, Jayco vice president of engineering. “If you stop to eat, it will keep charging. Any time you stop, it can potentially make it go farther.”
Interestingly, there is no solar power involved in the system.
Weatherford said the development team considered adding solar, but due to the limitations of solar power decided it wasn’t worth it.
“The largest panels that are on motorhomes today would be in the 1,000- to 1,500-watt range,” he said. “If you think of 1,500 watts, let’s just assume that we have 100% sun, we have 100% efficiency, 1,500 watts going into four 40-kilowatt batteries, really that would not even be a drop in the bucket.”
The best bets for recharging outside of the generator are to use shore power or other plug-in alternatives.
Weatherford said the vehicle could handle a Tesla charge plug, but currently the software to make the device compatible is not available.
Embark checks in at 30’9″ long and just over 11′ tall. It features a roof-mounted Carefree awning and a pair of Coleman-Mach 15,000 BTU ductless air conditioners.
A side benefit of the Embark’s batteries is that they could be used to power a regular home in the event of an extended power outage.
As for the motorhome itself, there is a strong European feel to the floorplan and design.
There is a large pass-through storage compartment at the rear of the vehicle since there is no need for a diesel engine. With that in place, the rear bedroom with a 97″ by 76″ king bed is elevated, but there is still plenty of headroom.
“When we went over to Europe, we saw our sister companies and they were all doing that rear large storage and that same raised bed,” Forgey said. “Knowing that it’s important in Europe, we thought maybe we should be doing something similar. This chassis provided a good opportunity to do something like that.”
The main living contains a collapsible stowaway dinette table that makes room to open up the floor from the front to the back of the coach.
Two large skylights provide natural lighting, but shades provide for privacy and keeping things dark at night.
The bathroom is separated into two compartments – one for the shower and one for the toilet – that can be closed off with sliding doors.
In the living area, a 39″ TV is on a lift and a JBL Aura Cube House Radio provides the sound system.
Kitchen features include a convection microwave, a 12-volt InVision 8-cubic-foot refrigerator and combination induction/LP cooktop.
Hot water is provided by a Suburban tankless water heater and the coach can be heated with a Dometic furnace.
Sound-deadening acoustic panels help keep out any road noise during travel, which is minimal anyway since there is no engine driving the vehicle.
“Riding in any EV today, they’re whisper quiet and we wanted to replicate that,” Weatherford said.
The turning radius on the Embark is about 53′.
