An Electric Chevy BrightDrop Van For 50% Off?

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The other day, watching the below video, there was a little excitement to find out about an electric RV, but that quickly turned to dismay to find out it uses a gas generator to provide extra electricity. The RV in question is the 2026 Entegra Electric Class A Motorhome, which reportedly costs between $300,000 and $400,000. 

At this price range, fortunately, not many units will sell and there won’t be many on the roads using fossil fuels. While it may be better than a fully gas or diesel EV for the planet and the health of people, it seems like an unnecessarily large RV. In the video above, someone says they tried 7 battery packs in a fully electric version but couldn’t get to 300 miles of range. Well, perhaps the RV is too large and too heavy then and the solution would be to manufacture one of an appropriate size. The Class A hybrid has an electric range of about 105 miles, and the rest of the total driving capacity with fossil fuels to run the generator is another 345 miles. Obviously, most of the time, the 22,000 pound road behemoth would be running on fossil fuels.

Hybrids might confuse some people into thinking they are “good for the environment,” but this is not true because they still use fossil fuels. Hybrids delay the transition to fully electric transportation. Is it necessary for anyone to own and operate an RV that is over 40 feet long? One can imagine two retirees driving this huge rig on their vacations, but it is oversized for just two people.

Comparing to the below Chevy BrightDrop 600, which is all-electric, has all-wheel drive, and has an electric range of 250–272 miles, the huge hybrid road behemoth is not energy efficient. The BrightDrop is not outfitted as an RV — it is just a barebones cargo van — but it was purchased for less than $50,000. Add another $15,000 to transform it into a DIY RV including rooftop solar and a battery system and it would be much more energy efficient and save money by running entirely on electricity. It would also be far better for the environment and human health because it would not directly burn any fossil fuels. Additionally, it could save even more money because its electric motor and battery system are far simpler than the huge hybrid RV’s system. More potential savings could result from staying at RV parks, campgrounds, hotels, and AirBnBs that provide free or very low-priced overnight charging that costs far less than gasoline or diesel fuel.

Another all-wheel drive fully electric vehicle option is what Jennifer Sensiba has written about: the Silverado EV. Pairing it with a trailer would cost much, much less than the giant hybrid confusion master above, and again it would only run on less costly electricity. It again is not a hybrid, so the technology is simpler and easier to repair. In fact, the other day at an auto shop, I heard a mechanic complaining about how hard it is to work on hybrids.