Solar powered off-road teardrop swaps propane for electrical tenting – New Atlas

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Making an all-electric RV is usually a little easier if that RV doesn't require a large motor to move to camp. We have already seen quite a few all-electric caravans in the world market, and startup Colorado Campworks presented one of the first trailers for electric production that we saw in the US. The NS-1 isn't just any mobile home either – it's an off-road adventure teardrop that's designed to diverge well off the grid, relying solely on electrical power there, with no LPG required. With the options available, buyers can upgrade it to a gourmet quality 4 season glamping trailer for digital nomads.

The 3.9 m long Colorado Campworks NS-1 (Nomadic Systems 1, interchangeably called “Nomad”) began as a senior design project for founder Thomas Hoffmann at the University of Colorado. It received good reviews overall by the professor and the school, but like many ideas born behind the bright, big eyes of design students, it wasn't immediately turned into a business. However, Hoffmann got an enviable job at the most famous overland camper manufacturer in Colorado's front range: EarthRoamer.

The NS-1 was burned back but not forgotten, and in late 2019, Hoffman and a team of staff pulled it off the shelf, blew the dust away, and founded Colorado Campworks with the goal of bringing that original tear to life as a modern day overland trailer.

Nowadays it is pretty easy for overland tears to find themselves in me, which brings little more to the table than lovable nostalgic looks and convincing photographic promises of idyllic escapes. Campworks avoids this trap by adding an interesting differentiator to its off-road tear: an all-electric, LPG-free architecture worth 16 ounces of green bottle.

The Nomad is supplied with 200 watt solar modules as standard, so that all electrical devices on board run independently of the mains

Colorado Campworks

Colorado Campworks lays the electrical foundation with a 200 Ah lithium iron phosphate battery that distributes alternating current via a 3,000 W inverter. Two hundred watts of solar on the roof ensure charging in the wild.

Since there is no large white tank mounted on the fender or hidden in a kitchen compartment, common devices such as the gas double-burner stove and the kettle must be replaced by electrical counterparts. An induction hob with two burners brings the meals up to temperature, and an electric water heater, if necessary, heats the water on the way from the 76-liter tank to the sink and outdoor shower.

A look at the pull-out kitchen with sink and induction hob with two burners

Colorado Campworks

Instead of the usual galley under a tailgate, Colorado Campworks stores the Nomad kitchen in a smaller hatch on the lower stern panel. The kitchen itself slides out, bringing the hob, sink, cutting board cover and drawer with it.

That's standard equipment for trailer cooking, but Colorado Campworks takes foodies a step further with a $ 3,250 cooking package that includes a Traeger grill / smoker, Breville Smart oven, and SnoMaster cooler . The option makes the Nomad a fully electric trailer counterpart to the Loef mobile home designed in Germany and its pull-out ceramic grill / smoker.

Colorado Campworks deflates the typical teardrop construction with aluminum skin and wooden frame in favor of a one-piece, epoxy-bonded, insulated composite shell. It is mounted on an ax and shoveled on one side and a pair of Rotopax canisters on the other. This body is attached to a powder-coated tubular frame, which is padded with a Timbren 3500 HD suspension. The sides are protected by a full length set of stepped sliders. The 15-inch wheels are centered in 285 / 70R15 BFGoodrich KO2 off-road tires for successful off-road handling and are brought to a standstill by electric drum brakes.

Colorado Campworks designed the Nomad to be year-round and offers a four-season package to further strengthen it against cold temperatures

Colorado Campworks

The interior of the NS-1 is provided with warming acoustic cladding and has overhead storage cabinets. The high-density foam mattress fills the floor on a platform that frees up the storage space below. Cold outside temperatures are mitigated by an electric heater and darkness is warded off with an LED lighting system. Also included are a power management display, AC and DC sockets and an available laptop workstation.

Other standard features listed on Colorado Campworks' NS-1 sales page include LED exterior lighting, a Front Runner platform roof rack, a Front Runner awning, and a hitch receiver. Colorado Campworks is currently promoting a price of $ 37,000 and a dry weight of 794 kg. In addition to the aforementioned cooking package, buyers can purchase the $ 2,500 Digital Nomad package with built-in WiFi and a charging station to turn on electronics, the $ 6,000 Supercharged package with double battery power and app control, as well add $ 3,000 worth of the Four Season package with additional insulation, heated water tank, and water circulation.

The Colorado Campworks Nomad Trailer escapes into the wild

Colorado Campworks

Whether you're looking at the $ 37,000 price tag or going for an even higher price tag, the NS-1 costs a lot of money for a small trailer and is two, three, four times the price of other off-road models that tear the we saw. But Colorado Campworks has not saved any costs with its standard composite construction and the extensive standard functional package with lithium battery, inverter, solar panels, front runner platform frame, heating, hot water and wall-mounted outdoor accessories. These types of amenities are often optional with other followers, if they are offered at all. Colorado Campworks is also working on a base model called the Vagabond (VS-1) and plans to sell it for around $ 20,000.

Source: Colorado Campworks

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