GoRV - Digital Magazine Issue #53 | Page 39

RV FEATURE
THE ULTIMATE SELF-SUFFICIENT VAN !

ALL-ELECTRIC
At the heart of every Retreat ERV lays a 14.3kWh automotive-grade lithium battery , designed , engineered and manufactured in Australia by OzXcorp , a company doing for caravans what Tesla did for cars . The result is the ability to power all needs , wants and appliances in a caravan via the state-of-the-art battery alone . The applications of the technology – which GoRV will soon report on further – are staggering .
The 14.3kWh battery is integrated into the ERV ’ s chassis . It is mounted between the crossmembers and protected by a steel casing that includes a 50mm crush resistance zone . As first glance , you might mistake it for a water tank . The battery is IP67 , which means it is completely dust-proof and water-proof to a depth of 1m for at least 30 minutes .
While the Retreat ERV can be plugged into mains power in order to recharge the battery , it ’ s unlikely to ever be truly necessary . You see , almost every square inch of available space on the van ’ s roof is covered by solar panels , with the TV antenna and a couple other items strategically offset to the rear offside of the roof in order to maximise the available space for solar . In total , there ’ s 2000W worth of solar panels up there ( and up to 2400W on the ERV 226R ).
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