On 30 October, Kym Bolton released an EarthCruiser progress report.
Kym's company, All Terrain Motor Homes, has been recognized as a second stage manufacturer by Fuso in Australia. This means that the EarthCruiser's suspension modifications and super single rear tires have been given the thumbs up by Fuso, and by the Australian government body that certifies national standards for vehicle safety (the Australian Design Rules, or ADR). The Fuso chassis with EarthCruiser modifications now carries the full factory warranty.
The design of the expedition cabin (the camper part of the truck) has changed a little. Here's the layout
The dimensions of the cabin are 140.5 inches (11.67 ft) long and 80.7 inches (6.5 ft) wide. Weight of the finished cabin with pop-up roof will be less than 2000 lbs. Production of the EarthCruiser will begin in 2009.
Kym expects to create three versions of the EarthCruiser. The first will be the complete vehicle and camper, for sale in Australia. This version will cost about $A177,000, including taxes. That's about $US118,000 at today's exchange rates.
A version of the fully equipped camper will be built for export. This will allow you to replicate the EarthCruiser using a Fuso chassis designed for the rules in your country. The parts to convert your Fuso suspension to super singles will be included in this version. Price is expected to be $US71,000, plus shipping costs.
Last, Kym will produce a do-it-yourself version of the expedition camper, suitable for you to install on the chassis of your choice. The camper interior will be partly finished, with wiring, plumbing, and other equipment installed. Price of this version will be about $US56,000 plus shipping.
Let's see: A camper weight of 2000 lbs, an overall length of about 12 feet. That would be a nice fit on an F350 or Chevy 3500 with flatbed and single rear wheels.
The guiding principle behind EarthCruiser remains the same: To create a durable, practical vehicle with excellent rough road capabilities, while affording enough creature comforts that two travelers can live in the vehicle for weeks or months.
To put their ideas to the test, Kym and his wife Lyn have lived in the EarthCruiser prototype for a total of six months, driving 23,000 miles across Asia to Europe, and from England south to Morocco and back.
To test the new vehicle, Kym will use it on an expedition across central Australia's Simpson Desert in April 2009. The trip will cover 500 miles without roads, navigating by GPS. It's a severe test of vehicle durability. I hope we'll receive updates about this trip as the date of departure gets closer.
The update released on 30 October contains lots more details about the construction and equipment used to outfit the EarthCruiser. If you'd like to receive information about EarthCruiser, sign up at
http://www.allterrainmotorhomes.com/
Chip Haven