Date:         Sat, 3 Jun 2023 06:49:02 -0700
Reply-To:     Steve Williams <sbw@SBW.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Steve Williams <sbw@SBW.ORG>
Subject:      Re: Opinions wanted: Overhaul or Eletric?!
In-Reply-To:  <CAHrsyzxdi5YsOn-P8Hi3MBbXKmEiA7eNFsnToAzeGnPeTpb5rw@mail.gmail.com>
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Thanks for the link to Cafe Electric.  It got me thinking.

I sold my '84 Westy some time ago, because it was getting too hard to
find people to work on it when traveling around the U.S.  And it wasn't
very comfortable.  And the air conditioner was never gonna work right.

Now I'm outfitting a small travel trailer.  My tow vehicle is a 2017
Outback 2.5i Limited, much more comfortable than my Westy, and easy to
get worked on.

Towing the trailer, the Outback gets 18-19 mpg over the road, a little
lower than the Westy.  I'm hoping I can nurse that up a bit over long
distances.

But it's still gas!

I'd like to see a purpose-built EV tow vehicle.  I haven't explored Cafe
Electric's list of EV related links, but reading a bit about their motor
controller clarified my thinking about my tow vehicle a bit:

Cafe Electric seems to be about performance and racing. That's fine, but
for the tow vehicle, I wouldn't want high performance, since I'd be
limited to 55 mph in many areas.  Instead, I need it to tow the trailer
up a hill and have good range.  Fast charging would be nice.

So I'm picturing an old VW Rabbit, souped up with big brakes, tons of
batteries, and Recaro seats.  (Are there aftermarket electric cabin
heaters and air conditioners available, efficient enough for EVs?)

I can dream.