Quote:
Originally Posted by ldjessee00
I thought the same thing about RVs in the past, though I was thinking of a bigger battery, minimum Nissan Leaf sized (30kWh+).
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I choose 20 kWh based on the Chevy Spark specs. That car has a 19 kWh battery and outputs 140 horsepower.
An RV with an EV supplemental motor that can give 140 horsepower of assistance with a 20 kWh battery can go flat out for about 10 minutes. That would cover most hill climb scenarios I'd think, while minimizing the weight, volume, and expense of a larger battery. Also, any battery 16 kWh or larger qualifies for the full federal tax credit, so the closer to that size you get, the more heavily subsidized the battery becomes. At 20 kWh, it's still a money maker at $375/kWh.
Of course, all this is based on my very limited knowledge of RVs, and assumes one of a certain size that I'm thinking of. They come in all sizes though, so that would necessitate all sizes of hybrid drivetrain. I just think that between eliminating duplicate items like generators and roof mounted AC units, and federal subsidies, adding a hybrid drivetrain could end up costing the same as a non-hybrid while reducing operating costs and pollution.