01/20: Alternative fuels in RVs?
Category: General
Posted by: Lee Litchfield
Going green is all the rage now. However, when the public thinks of green, I'm sure that RVs don't come to mind for most folk. But there are people in the RV industry that are thinking green. Maybe it's because they think they have to, but the point is they are trying to take advantage of the favor "going green" is currently enjoying.
Manufacturers like Jayco are experimenting with composite materials that are lighter than conventional fiberglass sidewalls. They recently introduced the Skylark at the Louisville show that have these composite materials. It was a 22' trailer that weigheds under 4000 lbs. It was also higher priced than their regular Feather Lite, so we'll have to see how much of a premium customers are willing to pay to go green.
Sometimes people talk about supporting green, but don't in practice. I can remember my best friend and his wife talking of not using disposable diapers when they had their first child. They made a big deal about not wanting to contribute to the landfills with non-biodegradable diapers. They could save money, too. That lasted less than 2 months. After that, it was like who cares--I'm done with washing out poopy diapers!
I know that some manufacturers have looked at using fuel cells to power motorhomes, but nothing has become of it yet. We probably won't see any more progress in that area until sales fully recover where they can afford to continue R&D. They probably feel that they will get more bang for their buck investing in lighter towables to be pulled by smaller vehicles.
I've saved the best for last. Last week we had a major natural gas company look at ordering a fleet of gas and diesel motorhomes. They do have the bucks to do R&D. They want to outfit the units to be powered by natural gas along with the regular fuel source. They are talking about mounting natural gas tanks on top of the motorhome that could be switch on at any time. They even are talking of catering to the tailgaters by having natural gas grills that can be set up with quick-connects!
Their plans are in the conceptual phase as far as marketing, but they definitely want to equip these motorhomes to run on natural gas. Ideas considered are marketing direct at football games as a conversion option to be done at authorized dealerships, going in RV shows, convincing manufacturers to offer the option, etc.
It's possible this could revolutionize the industry or it could be a complete bust. I think it depends on the cost. If it were $10K, you would probably have a lot of takers on the diesel pushers, but might get some resistance at the gas motorhome level. If the price were around $5K, I believe it would really take off. Of course, getting more places to fill the tanks would help. Most cities only have a few public places to get it right now. Most put the fill tanks in their garage and slow fill their cars overnight.
In Oklahoma City, they're pumping natural gas today for $1.23 a gallon. The gas company thinks they can have motorhomes double their fuel mileage, when compared with gasoline and diesel. Would that be great or what?! Here's to hoping this becomes a reality in the coming years!
Go camping more--have more fun! Lee
Manufacturers like Jayco are experimenting with composite materials that are lighter than conventional fiberglass sidewalls. They recently introduced the Skylark at the Louisville show that have these composite materials. It was a 22' trailer that weigheds under 4000 lbs. It was also higher priced than their regular Feather Lite, so we'll have to see how much of a premium customers are willing to pay to go green.
Sometimes people talk about supporting green, but don't in practice. I can remember my best friend and his wife talking of not using disposable diapers when they had their first child. They made a big deal about not wanting to contribute to the landfills with non-biodegradable diapers. They could save money, too. That lasted less than 2 months. After that, it was like who cares--I'm done with washing out poopy diapers!
I know that some manufacturers have looked at using fuel cells to power motorhomes, but nothing has become of it yet. We probably won't see any more progress in that area until sales fully recover where they can afford to continue R&D. They probably feel that they will get more bang for their buck investing in lighter towables to be pulled by smaller vehicles.
I've saved the best for last. Last week we had a major natural gas company look at ordering a fleet of gas and diesel motorhomes. They do have the bucks to do R&D. They want to outfit the units to be powered by natural gas along with the regular fuel source. They are talking about mounting natural gas tanks on top of the motorhome that could be switch on at any time. They even are talking of catering to the tailgaters by having natural gas grills that can be set up with quick-connects!
Their plans are in the conceptual phase as far as marketing, but they definitely want to equip these motorhomes to run on natural gas. Ideas considered are marketing direct at football games as a conversion option to be done at authorized dealerships, going in RV shows, convincing manufacturers to offer the option, etc.
It's possible this could revolutionize the industry or it could be a complete bust. I think it depends on the cost. If it were $10K, you would probably have a lot of takers on the diesel pushers, but might get some resistance at the gas motorhome level. If the price were around $5K, I believe it would really take off. Of course, getting more places to fill the tanks would help. Most cities only have a few public places to get it right now. Most put the fill tanks in their garage and slow fill their cars overnight.
In Oklahoma City, they're pumping natural gas today for $1.23 a gallon. The gas company thinks they can have motorhomes double their fuel mileage, when compared with gasoline and diesel. Would that be great or what?! Here's to hoping this becomes a reality in the coming years!
Go camping more--have more fun! Lee
Larry Guthrie wrote:
I agree, that would be great!!!!
Uh, one question, where would they put the fuel tank? A natural gas fuel tank big enough for a 700 mile range would be about 16 inches in diameter and 30-40 feet long!
Also with the same engine, same motorhome there is no way possible to double the miles/gallon using natural gas. Natural gas actually has less energy per equivalent miles/gallon. Any positive fuel efficiency modifications made to the engine would also effect the gas/diesel efficiency positively.
Sounds like more Boone Pickens smoke. He owns lots of NG and would like to sell it. On the face of it NG is a great idea...until one tries to find a place to store it on a vehicle. It is good for fleet vehicles that travel less than 150 miles/day.
It's also under very high pressure, 3000 psi so the tanks have to be very well made, inspected and expensive.