2020 EarthCruiser?

[C p weinberger]

It appears Europe is moving away from Diesel engines, several larger cities are banning/ or plan on banning diesel vehicles. This will likely put a big hit on future diesel emission research...

 

[Zybane]

It appears Europe is moving away from Diesel engines, several larger cities are banning/ or plan on banning diesel vehicles. This will likely put a big hit on future diesel emission research...

One reason I put purchasing an expedition vehicle on hold. Electric is the future. Imagine an expedition vehicle based off of the Tesla semi or pickup truck that is soon to be released. To have 200Kwh of power to tap into. All in a package that can last a million miles and hardly any maintenance, charge anywhere in the world with large solar on the roof.

I wouldn't at all be surprised if in five years companies like Earthroamer and Earthcruiser are 100% electric vehicles. Electric yachts are already making huge waves in the boating world. Sail across the Ocean just on the sun alone. Not worrying about all of the pitfalls of normal sail boats.

 

[gregmchugh]

One reason I put purchasing an expedition vehicle on hold. Electric is the future. Imagine an expedition vehicle based off of the Tesla semi or pickup truck that is soon to be released. To have 200Kwh of power to tap into. All in a package that can last a million miles and hardly any maintenance, charge anywhere in the world with large solar on the roof.

I wouldn't at all be surprised if in five years companies like Earthroamer and Earthcruiser are 100% electric vehicles. Electric yachts are already making huge waves in the boating world. Sail across the Ocean just on the sun alone. Not worrying about all of the pitfalls of normal sail boats.

Not sure how you would ever get enough solar on the small roofs of these vehicles to provide enough battery charging for an all electric vehicle? I expect you would need to supplement the solar with plugging into a charge station of some sort which would not be available away from populated areas. Maybe a future possibility when charge stations become more common place but it would not seem likely 5 years from now...

 

[IdaSHO]

Its more than possible currently, just have to pay close attention to duty-cycle of the system as a whole.

For a legit off grid full time over-lander, I like the idea.

Be loose with your travel/movement plans, as they are very much determined by your energy usage and ability to recharge.

 

[68camaro]

One reason I put purchasing an expedition vehicle on hold. Electric is the future.

As I was holding off purchase awhile back for newer to come out someone said "don't let the perfect get in the way of the good". I agree, electric is future but could be long wait.....carpe diem

 

[danf]

So I had a look at two Iveco based Earthcruisers yesterday at a show.

Again, I could not see the value in them at 300k+ But then again the Aussie Blissmobil guys wanted $290k for a 13" Blissmobil unit, let alone the Unimog it was sitting on.

I personally just don't see it when companies can build a 19ft Caravan out of similar materials and build quality without some of the expensive bits for 70-80k.

 

[hermz]

So I had a look at two Iveco based Earthcruisers yesterday at a show.

Again, I could not see the value in them at 300k+ But then again the Aussie Blissmobil guys wanted $290k for a 13" Blissmobil unit, let alone the Unimog it was sitting on.

I personally just don't see it when companies can build a 19ft Caravan out of similar materials and build quality without some of the expensive bits for 70-80k.

Looking forward to see the comparable product your purchase/build for $80k

 

[Don@EarthCruiserSales]

Don, thanks for the link to that video. Very nice looking vehicle. One suggestion: It seems that videos and pictures of ECs rarely show the cab-to-cabin access, and I am unclear how big that access is. If it feasible for a normal person to get through that, that may be something you want to show.

Also, a question: How much clearance is there between the bed and roof when the roof is down? Is it feasible to lower the roof at night (for warmth or security or "stealth" reasons) and still sleep in the bed.

Thanks. while not actively looking to buy another camper right now, it is good to keep up with what is available on the cutting edge.

Sorry for the delay! See if these pics help!? I am 6ft3in tall, weigh 220lbs (more or less!) and I am your average 51yr old ...i can get through the pass thru with no issues. My wife has done it several times while in transit with no issues as well. The table can be full swiveled out of the way for easy passage.
There is plenty of room to sleep between the bed and roof while down! I'm not sure of the actual distance on the new models but it is sure to be sleep-able!
.

 

[Don@EarthCruiserSales]

Crew cab should be a game changer. One would think that quite a few older 2-door EC owners will immediately trade up and some nice pre-owned EC's will be available soon. IME folks who own rigs like this (EC's, Earthroamers, etc.) take great care of them, do some fantastic modifications and getting one second hand can be really a great way to go, maybe better than a new one in a lot of ways (especially if you are going to be limited to a gas engine). My main question with the future EC's is that gasoline engine...the push to kill diesel is plain silly and I realize this is in no way EC's choice but is there really no chance Fuso will offer a diesel after 2020? I just don't think I'd be too interested in a gas-powered overland rig for a variety of reasons, but to each his own. Additionally, is there another chassis EC is looking at in order to continue to offer a diesel-powered rig of this size?

You are correct about the demand for the V8 by current EC owners, both standard as well as Crew Cab and we do expect to have several pre owned diesel units come into our consignment program in the near future. It is a fact that you won't go wrong with a diesel EC, they will make exceptional trucks for their future owners. We agree that the push by many to kill diesel throughout the world is silly. But, no matter how silly we all think it is, it is a reality. We did consider switching to another platform that might still be producing a diesel chassis, but in the end...we saw the writing on the wall that most, if not all, will be switched to gas in few years anyway. We have decided that FUSO was still the best fit for us and to change to a different mfg just to stay with diesel for a year or two just didn't make sense to us. Keep an eye on our website for the great deals to be had on those pre owned diesel trucks coming in soon!!

 

[gdaut]

Thanks Don for those pass-thru pictures. Looks very nice.

 

[Don@EarthCruiserSales]

One reason I put purchasing an expedition vehicle on hold. Electric is the future. Imagine an expedition vehicle based off of the Tesla semi or pickup truck that is soon to be released. To have 200Kwh of power to tap into. All in a package that can last a million miles and hardly any maintenance, charge anywhere in the world with large solar on the roof.

I wouldn't at all be surprised if in five years companies like Earthroamer and Earthcruiser are 100% electric vehicles. Electric yachts are already making huge waves in the boating world. Sail across the Ocean just on the sun alone. Not worrying about all of the pitfalls of normal sail boats.

I agree! Not sure if 5 years is a bit optimistic or not...but we can hope! But in the mean time!! lol

 

[lucilius]

One reason I put purchasing an expedition vehicle on hold. Electric is the future. Imagine an expedition vehicle based off of the Tesla semi or pickup truck that is soon to be released. To have 200Kwh of power to tap into. All in a package that can last a million miles and hardly any maintenance, charge anywhere in the world with large solar on the roof.

I wouldn't at all be surprised if in five years companies like Earthroamer and Earthcruiser are 100% electric vehicles. Electric yachts are already making huge waves in the boating world. Sail across the Ocean just on the sun alone. Not worrying about all of the pitfalls of normal sail boats.

Sounds neat. I'm not too well-versed on the potential viability of solar/electric 4x4 campers but think it will be a while before solar technology can produce enough power to reliably move a heavy vehicle and for the time being it looks like most of the electric battery vehicle market is still largely reliant on fossil fuel power plants (unless you are lucky enough to have access to hydroelectric)....plus all those batteries and chemicals, etc. Has anyone ever calculated how many square meters/feet of solar panels (and estimated installation cost) one would need to heat/cool a typical home in Tucson AZ or Calgary AB year round? Just curious.
Hybrids seem to lose most of their advantages when compelled to go long distances without a lot of starting and stopping, I seem to remember a Motor Trend or similar comparison between hybrids and a diesel mercedes or bmw that involved four or five vehicles driving across the US and there was simply no comparison in the efficiency of the diesel. It would be great to get off fossil fuels but I can't see it happening soon without new or vastly improved technologies emerging [but I may be out of the latest/greatest alternative energy loop]. One big leap forward in efficiency that too few companies in the overland space seem to aggressively pursue is lightweight vehicle design.

 

[nomad661]

I'm far, far from an expert but I've been told and have read a couple places that the source's for Lithium (and thus the batteries) is kinda like the diamond world. There isn't a shortage but it's hoarded to keep prices high. So it's not so much that the tech isn't there but rather it can't be had for anything approaching a reasonable cost.

Edit- I fully accept if I'm completely off base. It's just come across my radar from a number of different people/places and I haven't taken the time to research on my own.

 

[waveslider]

One reason I put purchasing an expedition vehicle on hold. Electric is the future. Imagine an expedition vehicle based off of the Tesla semi or pickup truck that is soon to be released. To have 200Kwh of power to tap into. All in a package that can last a million miles and hardly any maintenance, charge anywhere in the world with large solar on the roof.

I wouldn't at all be surprised if in five years companies like Earthroamer and Earthcruiser are 100% electric vehicles. Electric yachts are already making huge waves in the boating world. Sail across the Ocean just on the sun alone. Not worrying about all of the pitfalls of normal sail boats.

In 5 years I will have taken countless trips, made a million memories and travelled numerous backcountry roads.......and you will still be waiting for an electric expo truck. Juss sayin'

 

[Keyne]

So how does the 2020 chassis work? They buy a new Fuso and replace the engine, trans, and axles? A gas engine makes a ton of sense.

I would add a composting toilet and some way to add a canvas cover over the cabin section... it would look more like a delivery truck for those times you want it to not stand out. Could still access the interior through the pass-through...