Camper Trailer Revolution?

[Hoppi]

The more I see and read about CT the more I see it revolutionizing the pickup truck category. I'm wondering though what changes will come to trailers as a result of that revolution.... For instance, I would imagine that having a trailer that includes a huge battery (possibly with the ability to hook up to CT battery for charging or additional range) would be a coming feature. Also, having additional cameras around the outside just like the CT that can be seen on the CT screen and incorporated in the FSD system would be desirable. Also, with the added roof area, additional solar (including fold out awnings etc) would be an expected feature. It would also be nice if the trailer had similar air shocks as the CT and could connect to the CT system to be dynamically adjusted at the same time as the CT. I'm also thinking it would be nice if there was an API or connection harness that could be used to communicate between the CT and the trailer.

What other features do you see as being specific to CT towing or just much more desirable if using the trailer with a CT?

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[Crissa]

• Battery integration
• FSD awareness
• Safety system integration
• Solar integration (possible with battery integration?)
• Unified stability / load balance / camping balance system with air shocks

I think you've covered it. Perhaps...

• Integrated regeneration hub(s) for braking

-Crissa

Wait, I see you have the air shocks in your list.

 

[TruckElectric]

Also, having additional cameras around the outside just like the CT that can be seen on the CT screen and incorporated in the FSD system would be desirable.

The Airstream International comes with a rear-view monitor and an optional 180w Solar Package with Interior Monitor and AGM Batteries (25 ft.-30 ft.)

So yeah, a must.

I'm also thinking it would be nice if there was an API or connection harness that could be used to communicate between the CT and the trailer.

Most definitely. With the CT it will be up to Tesla to make that available. After market add-ons aren't going to happen.

I have seen with amazement how quickly there can be someone to see a possible market and have their wares available in seemingly record time.

This will be a specialty market at first tailoring to the needs of EV haulers.

 

[android04]

There are some concept campers out there that have hub motors for aid in driving and braking (regen), and battery packs to drive them. They usually use sensors to detect how much force there is between the tow vehicle and trailer and try to match that with the hub motors. With a Tesla, that could be made easier and more responsive by having the trailer tap into the vehicle's CAN bus. I've actually been brainstorming and thinking of developing my own. But I'm not an entrepreneur and am saving my money for the Cybertruck.

Here's a few examples of those campers:
https://newatlas.com/outdoors/ozx-self-powered-camper-trailer/

https://gearjunkie.com/dethleffs-e-home-coco-rv-trailer-electric-motor

Just remember that adding a battery pack and motors to the camper will make it heavier, so I think the best case scenario is that with one of these your tow vehicle energy consumption is the same with or without the trailer.

 

[Luke42]

What a lot of folks miss about existing trailers us that it's a standardized interface. Trailers and tow vehicles are interchangeable for the most part.

Redesigning the truck-trailer interface can break compatibility.

Something to consider.

 

[Crissa]

What a lot of folks miss about existing trailers us that it's a standardized interface. Trailers and tow vehicles are interchangeable for the most part.

Redesigning the truck-trailer interface can break compatibility.

Something to consider.

Sure. But using a computer breaks your backwards compatibility with graphite pencils, too.

-Crissa

 

[Hoppi]

What a lot of folks miss about existing trailers us that it's a standardized interface. Trailers and tow vehicles are interchangeable for the most part.

Redesigning the truck-trailer interface can break compatibility.

Something to consider.

I would expect that CT would support 2 interfaces. The standardized one for current trailer compatibility. And a new interface for electric towing compatibility. Being the first on the block permits them to set the new standard. I would guess that the new standard has a substantial power connection, a computer networking connection (CAT6 or above?), and perhaps the lower voltage connections that already exist in normal trailer harnesses. I remember reading somewhere that SpaceX was using redundant cheap networking for communication between rocket components. With that expertise I’d expect that Tesla could design a robust but affordable harness that would be compatible with most requested features going forward. Essentially, once you have a fast enough network connection, the rest of the work comes in software and can be iterated over time as new capabilities come on line.

And the new harness might not be a single plug like the current standardized plugs are. Perhaps it is 3 separate plugs: current standard, networking, and high voltage.

oh, and if an easy to connect magnetic harness was used that would be nice. Something really easy to clean and able to tolerate mud/dust. We are planning to be out in the bogs and rocky outcrops right.?

 

[Hoppi]

There are some concept campers out there that have hub motors for aid in driving and braking (regen), and battery packs to drive them. They usually use sensors to detect how much force there is between the tow vehicle and trailer and try to match that with the hub motors. With a Tesla, that could be made easier and more responsive by having the trailer tap into the vehicle's CAN bus. I've actually been brainstorming and thinking of developing my own. But I'm not an entrepreneur and am saving my money for the Cybertruck.

Here's a few examples of those campers:
https://newatlas.com/outdoors/ozx-self-powered-camper-trailer/

https://gearjunkie.com/dethleffs-e-home-coco-rv-trailer-electric-motor

Just remember that adding a battery pack and motors to the camper will make it heavier, so I think the best case scenario is that with one of these your tow vehicle energy consumption is the same with or without the trailer.

I like the idea of the motorized trailer Assisting in pushing and regen.

as for the energy consumption, there must surely be a combination of weight, aerodynamics, and power that would be more on the beneficial side of things. But without some real testing I’d only be guessing. But as an extreme case, imagine a trailer that was simply a flat trailer with all batteries in it up to the 14,000 pound limit. How much power could be stored, and how much range could be increased? I’m not the one to figure that out. But if that kind of combination could add substantial range, then the next question I’d have would be how much aerodynamic loss could be added by reducing weight through removing batteries such that the trailer would be usable for something other than just range extension.

Of course it would also be interesting to see what a battery only trailer could do to extend the range. Could such a trailer be used to drive cross country on a single charge?

 

[CyberMoose]

I think the Cybertruck will make a great camper as is, especially with the tent that Tesla looks like they will include as an option. If they manage to add a pass-through, there will be tons of space, camper mode. You will also have the option for their full camping package with a stovetop, although I think i would probably just have a small electric stovetop and a kettle to save space.

A camper trailer would be really nice if you are going on a trip with family, or it's a really big camping trip and you need more space for equipment.

 

[android04]

On the issue of different trailer wiring interfaces, Tesla could just have an interface under an access panel that has all the functionality they could need (normal trailer lights, auxiliary power to trailer, braking controls, CAN bus to communicate with vehicle computer, and digital video for trailer camera/s) and just have multiple adapters. This would be like the current adapters for 7-way round or blade, 6-way round, 4-way round, 5-way flat, 4-way flat.

As far as range extension with a trailer goes, it would strictly have to be from the trailer helping push the vehicle forward. You can't charge the Tesla battery while driving the car, and I don't ever see Tesla or any other manufacturer enabling that functionality. A flat bed trailer will be more aerodynamic than a camper. As far as how much the trailer can help by pushing, a good tailwind can reduce energy consumption by a lot on an EV. The trailer can benefit the vehicle the same way, but experimentation would have to be done to see how much "pushing" or "pulling" is safe and beneficial. Also, calculation and experimentation would have to be done to balance how much battery for what cost and what one wants to achieve (keeping in mind that a 75 kWh battery pack and HV electronics like in Model 3 weighs around 1,100 lbs and costs around $12,000).

My goal would be to have a battery pack in a camper that makes up for the lost range from pulling the camper. So the range would be the same whether I was driving the vehicle by itself or pulling the camper. But I could see how some people would be interested in driving 1,500 miles with the vehicle and a flat bed battery trailer without stopping (that's not me).

 

[Capt_Roy]

I wonder what tyoe of tow hitch you need to tow (a standard travel trailer RV) with the Cybertruck. With adaptive air suspension, I'm guessing there's no need for a weight distribution hitch, but I don't have too much experience with truck towing trailers. Right now we have a Class-C motorhome, not travel trailer.

 

[Hoppi]

I wonder what tyoe of tow hitch you need to tow (a standard travel trailer RV) with the Cybertruck. With adaptive air suspension, I'm guessing there's no need for a weight distribution hitch, but I don't have too much experience with truck towing trailers. Right now we have a Class-C motorhome, not travel trailer.

I don’t know what’s needed but I started down this path after seeing a Bruder trailer https://bruderx.com/brochure/ex-6/
Those be expensive but I see that there are air suspension kits you can get for trailers so that might be a better answer. Now to figure out how the hitch would work.
The main thing I like about air suspension for the trailer is being able to level easily so that it is easier to sleep/cook/etc.

 

[Crissa]

Well, a CCS-style (or Tesla connector) connector does have networking available, too.

So it's already there.

-Crissa

 

[lam@cocf]

I wonder what tyoe of tow hitch you need to tow (a standard travel trailer RV) with the Cybertruck. With adaptive air suspension, I'm guessing there's no need for a weight distribution hitch, but I don't have too much experience with truck towing trailers. Right now we have a Class-C motorhome, not travel trailer.

I would think that a weight-distribution hitch has to do with the weight being pulled and how solid the connection is. I don't see how an adaptive air suspension system affects that?

 

[Capt_Roy]

I would think that a weight-distribution hitch has to do with the weight being pulled and how solid the connection is. I don't see how an adaptive air suspension system affects that?

OK. I thought the goal of a weight distribution hitch was to shift the tongue weight from the truck's rear axle to the front axle, but I don't know for sure. When the Cybertruck is rolling out, I'm sure they'll have a good idea what's the best setup for it to tow RVs.