Caravan for the future

[robirob]

In this link you can see the caravan for the future
in the page there are many links for see the spectacular prototip
this link are in english

this is the advance




ciao

Rob

[CliveAlive]

Now THAT is Spectacular. OK, even though it's a "stickie"!

Nice to see this coming from England. Though it makes sense with their strong caravanning contingent!

Thanks for posting that Rob.

Ciao.

[Gina D.]

Hey! The door is on the wrong side!

OK, I am going to my room now...

[Jan Adams]

I love it - someone has taken all my ideas and built a wonderful trailer.

Wonder how heavy it is?

[Frederick L. Simson]

In this link you can see the caravan for the future
in the page there are many links for see the spectacular prototip
this link are in english

this is the advance

Attachment 6663


ciao

Rob

It has a slide-out! And a "Hybrid" pop-out in back.

[robirob]

Hey! The door is on the wrong side!

OK, I am going to my room now...

Hi gina,

The door is ok... in Italy the door in on the right and in England is on the left
This is an english Avondale caravan and the door is on the left...




ciao Gina...

Rob

[Andrew Gibbens]

I am rather unimpressed by most of those entries - given that the objective was a 'Caravan of the Future', most seem to be re-styling exercises rather than looking to the future. I liked the trailer-on-stilts idea that became a spare bedroom at home - though I could see my neighbours complaining......

But I am biased, as I had applied for a job as chief designer for a caravan company several years ago and one interview question was "how would you repsond to this competition?" - it's the same competition! Afterwards I did a quick sketch of ideas and sent it to them, so I thought I might repeat it here:





Some design points are:

• when static, the caravan is self-sufficient in energy (indeed it is a net positive energy generator), through a combination of solar panels on the roof and a foldable wind turbine generator;

• the energy generated by the caravan is sufficient to contribute wholly or partly to its own propulsion at low speeds (when not in use, the solar panels generate power that is supplied to the owner's house);

• the caravan has extremely low drag (both aerodynamic and rolling resistance) and extremely light weight (less than 500kg, excluding its fuel cell);

• the caravan has four steerable wheels and can be 'towed' ('guided' would be more accurate) by the rental auto-rickshaws that are used for local public transport, and which are much smaller and lighter than the caravan itself;

• in 2101, no-one can afford to tow a caravan off on holiday – the caravan is towed to a holiday area in a (very slow) 'road train' of several self-propelled caravans, organised by the Camping and Caravanning Club which is still going strong a hundred years from now!

If you hadn't guessed from the last sentence, the competition was organised by this club and so this is pure flattery! However I think the premise is right - towing a trailer across the country will be less affordable in 100 years than, say, having as many domestic servants as family members is today.

Oh, and no, I didn't get the job. But they phoned me up a few months later having made a bad decision and, that time, I turned them down!

Andrew

[Brian B-P]

Andrew: Brilliant, as expected! Is there a CAD or PDF version of your plans on your website? I don't see anything from your home page. The steered front axle configuration (two axle, but not tandem) makes sense to me for a high trailer-to-tug mass ratio, and while it is not a new idea, it does address a future with different conditions.

I agree that the competition winner is not particularly futuristic, although it appears to have a nice open feeling to it. When I saw the wooden framing in the construction photos I assumed that it was a mould support or temporary bracing, but it looks like they actually used it as structure!

[Andrew Gibbens]

When I saw the wooden framing in the construction photos I assumed that it was a mould support or temporary bracing, but it looks like they actually used it as structure!

Yes, hidden away on their web site is a comment that "time did not permit them" to build a working trailer and that this is only a static display model!

I'll send you the CAD file.

Andrew

[Miriam]

Beautiful.
Small wheels, tho....hard on our gravel roads.

- Miriam

[Mike Watters]

in 2101, no-one can afford to tow a caravan off on holiday –

Andrew

The cost of towing the trailer is nothin'. What kills you is the cost of owning and driving your tow vehicle around every day you're NOT out camping! It seems to me that what would likely make more sense would be more of a cultural change:

Don't buy a tow vehicle. Buy the little fuel efficient car you'll use 95% of the time. RENT the tow vehicle when you want to head out someplace. That way you can save the cost of owning and driving a gas-hungry powerhouse.

The economics of it are pretty simple. For the first 5 or 6 years it's the best. Monthly payments on the tow vehicle are likely about double that of a small lightweight commuter. That's $200 a month (roughly) or $2400 a year in rental fees covered already. It's a bit more complicated to account for the fuel savings. Depends on the mileage, fuel costs and how much you tend to drive.

Assuming 12,000 (non-holiday) miles a year, a 20mpg tow car and a 50mpg commuter (our van only gets about 15mpg and the old Geo I used to have got 50mpg, the new hybrids do better) and roughly $2.50 a gallon. That gives you another roughly $1000 a year savings.

Insurance costs are also going to be lower on the smaller car - but we'll ignore that.

So... That's now something like $3000 - $3500 worth of savings the small car gives ya over the tow-monster. That can pay for a lot of rentals of monster tow cars before you even break even.

mkw

[Andrew Gibbens]

Mike, you're talking about 2007 - I was talking about 2101. There's 94 years difference!

I don't doubt in the least that out great-great-grand-children will view the way we use energy today on personal road (and air) transport in exactly the same way that we now view our great-great-grand-parents' use of child labour. With amazement, and some revulsion.

One of the ideas I had for this trailer was that it could probably make enough power to propel itself behind a (pedal) bicycle, with a transponder on the cycle producing the guidance signal. That photo of an Airstream behind a bicycle may yet come true!

Andrew

[Mike Watters]

I ran the figures for 2007 since I don't have the numbers for 2100.

Yeah... That's going to change the figures - but not the basic principles. Regardless of what is fueling your vehicle an energy efficient one isn't going to be able to tow effectively. The principle holds.

I wouldn't bank on things changing any more than is absolutely required. There hasn't been a *serious* change in transportation technology since the invention of the car - especially after people settled down on using gas (as opposed to electric etc).

I'd wager that the fundamental *concept* of the car will remain, but will be radically altered into something much smaller, lighter and more energy efficient. Gas will be gone of course. I'd bet on some sort of hybrid. Fully electric for short hops (home/work) with something that refuels rapidly for longer runs (hydrogen perhaps).

Trailer-behind-bike:
So, the bike isn't providing power or brakes or steering, it's just operating essentially as a remote control for a fully independent trailer. I'd call that a motorhome with really uncomfortable seating where you get wet in the rain. If the trailer is THAT independent - why bother with the bike at all?

Course for those located in more coastal areas - their trailer needs to be waterproof for towing behind a boat. They'll be under water after all.

Besides - energy USE isn't the issue... it's the source of that energy and any damage caused by the use of the energy. If we could develop a decent solar cell and battery there wouldn't be much of an issue.

Mike

Mike, you're talking about 2007 - I was talking about 2101. There's 94 years difference!

I don't doubt in the least that out great-great-grand-children will view the way we use energy today on personal road (and air) transport in exactly the same way that we now view our great-great-grand-parents' use of child labour. With amazement, and some revulsion.

One of the ideas I had for this trailer was that it could probably make enough power to propel itself behind a (pedal) bicycle, with a transponder on the cycle producing the guidance signal. That photo of an Airstream behind a bicycle may yet come true!

Andrew