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Topic: Does `Vanning Have a Future?

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rustyfrog

21/9/2018 at 11:33pm
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With the moves to get away from diesel and petrol engines being put upon us, will caravanning still be possible?
With the present line up of presently available electric and hybrid vehicles, it looks not.
Looking at the specs. of a few existing Hybrid SUV/cars, trailer tents may be an option, but I dont know of anything that will pull an average family 'van.
Thoughts?

Post last edited on 21/09/2018 23:58:30

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tango55

21/9/2018 at 11:43pm
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We were once encouraged to buy diesel vehicles by the government which over the years the public engaged and took their advice. Now, they want to penalise drivers with diesel vehicles because of the excessive pollution fumes they kick out so they now want us to believe in thinking that electric and hybrid vehicles are the way forward. Electricity has to be generated by the power stations so more energy will be on demand to charge the electric vehicles so the way forward isn't exactly encouraging as we might think. Never trust a politician and until they come up with something more constructive and practical I think that caravanning still has a very strong future.

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JTQU

22/9/2018 at 7:30am
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Well, put it this way, I would not want my pension pot invested in a conventional caravan building company.

I feel caravans will morph towards a new breed of cool, light weight, more activity orientated thing that in reality is a trailer tent by any other name, but definitely not one called anything old hat.

There is going to be a new generation of "white van" for essential duties the present perform and I can see that being the basis of a motorhome.

Tents, I am sure will remain as they are affordable and viable with the more compact size homes we are likely to see more of in the future.

Buzzy-Beans

22/9/2018 at 8:00am
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There shouldn't be any problem as, for instance from 2020 all Volvo's will be electric, the new replacement for the Land Rover Defender (I am told by someone who works there developing the electrical systems) will only be sold in the UK as an all electric vehicle etc. etc.

I can't see either of these companies and heaven knows hown many more, bringing out vehicles that aren't capable of towing very heavy trailers!!

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oxter

22/9/2018 at 8:24am
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Interesting post. Should stimulate a lot of discussion.
Being selfish, my 3 year old diesel car could quite easily have a 10/20 year lifespan and as long as it doesn’t get taxed off the road, would see off my days of tugging a tin box around.

Looking around sites here and overseas, it is clear that campervans are in the ascendancy while caravans are declining.

Perhaps caravans will just slowly disappear and manufacturers will turn to creating campervans/motorhomes from a new generation of clean white vans. Electricity generation is becoming much cleaner but will green generation ever catch up with demand?

Hydrogen power units might be better, but we can see the current direction. The Tesla thread has been very busy.
Keep going, there’s a lot of life in our cars and caravans yet.

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bnmuk

22/9/2018 at 8:25am
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I'm old enough not to believe anything that politions say, there will have to be massive improvement in batteries, if we all go electric how many more power stations will have to be built,what fuel will they use,all done by 2040, as it gets closer they will have some excuse to put it to 2050,

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Mitchamitri

22/9/2018 at 8:48am
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Caravan sales are yoy running at record levels. There will always be vehicles capable of towing a caravan. Caravans weigh less than 10% - far less - of the weight a truck can pull - thereI'll always be a call for big motors. I can't see the middle classes giving up their horseboxes either !

oxter

22/9/2018 at 9:23am
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Quote: Originally posted by Mitchamitri on 22/9/2018
Caravan sales are yoy running at record levels. There will always be vehicles capable of towing a caravan. Caravans weigh less than 10% - far less - of the weight a truck can pull - thereI'll always be a call for big motors. I can't see the middle classes giving up their horseboxes either !

But they could use the horses to pull their caravans

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iank01

22/9/2018 at 10:40am
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If we all moved across to EVs I hate to think of the number of people that will become unemployed. Recently we had to use Airbnbs for about 3 weeks and what a pleasure plus almost as cheap as a caravan site. No lugging a caravan around and our dogs could join us.

Francais

22/9/2018 at 11:07am
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I guess that we will see a mass return to towing with Petrol cars, as Diesel cars get phased out and priced out.

It will be some time before BEV's can take over from fossil cars for towing, so it will probably be the case that you have a fossil car for towing, and a BEV for your day to day car.

It could even open up a new market, were caravan storage includes storage of the tow car, almost a bit like having a motorhome.

We are at the beginning off what will be seen as the start of the BEV revolution.

Post last edited on 22/09/2018 12:52:16

Colin21

22/9/2018 at 5:15pm
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The stupid thing is that as new diesel cars get more expensive through taxation designed to curb their use, more people will hang onto their older and therefore more polluting models. I have always believed in the principle "why change a vehicle after only 2 years when it was designed to last 20 years?" When I look around I see loads more 10+ year old cars on the road today than was the case 20 years ago. I have just bought one that's 11 years old to replace my 18 year old one, and this one's probably got another 10 years in it with careful use. Caravans will still be around long after I'm gone I suspect, and in my opinion so will diesel cars unless the government decides to tax them out of existence.

We may well be "at the start of the BEV revolution" but I think it is indeed just the beginning. It will be decades, if ever, that they take over from oil-fuelled vehicles, as there are too many hurdles to overcome. Not least of all being the electricity generation problems.

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Mike3003

22/9/2018 at 5:20pm
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I will tell you what guys, living in South Devon I have most definitely seen more caravans on the road this years than ever.

One Saturday morning a few weeks ago on our way to Exeter, and traveling along the A38, it seemed ever fifth car was towing a caravan.

I would certainly like to be in the caravan business at the moment, for sure.

saxo1

22/9/2018 at 7:07pm
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I travelled up the A303/M3 to london and back last week and the Motorhomes outnumbered the caravans I reckon 5 to 1
saxo1

Francais

22/9/2018 at 7:36pm
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That's interesting saxo, I wonder if we will see motorhomes going from Diesel back to Petrol, some of the advances in Petrol engine technology are giving very good MPG, not far of that of a Diesel using twin electric turbos and other stuff to get more oomph out of say a 1.8lt Petrol mill.

HumberWolf

22/9/2018 at 7:52pm
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I would support saxo's observation regarding the ratio of motorhomes to caravans outside the main holiday season.

We travel to France each year in June and the number of motorhomes/campervans seems to have increased significantly in recent years. Five years ago the ratio of motor homes to caravans on sites was approximately 3:1. This year it was more like 6:1. This may not be the case during the main holidays when there are more families on site, but motorhome sales appear to be on the increase with retired folk (along with electric bikes attached to the back).

keuken

22/9/2018 at 9:18pm
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Judging by the packed sites in west Cornwall this week in mid Sept the future of caravanning is indeed rosy. As for electric, flippin eck, a Nissan Leaf stopped beside me at traffic lights. Lights green & it was a dot on the horizon before I got into 3rd. You will get more torque from an electric motor than diesel/petrol. Once they have batteries with 500mile range & 5min charge ev’s will be good to go with or without caravan.

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