As Canadian startup Potential Motors teased a few weeks ago, it's aiming to create an all-new category of all-terrain vehicle with its debut product, something it calls an ORV (off-road RV). Sure, there are plenty of off-road RVs already out there, but Potential's twist is indeed a new species: an all-electric UTV micro-camper that may or may not be legal to drive on public roads in your neck of the woods but will always be more fun to drive off-road, anyway. To wit, it has a narrow body, terrain-reading adaptive suspension, torque-vectoring dual-motor powertrain, and camper van interior with double bed and slide-out kitchen. Ride tight, gnarly, overgrown trails; find a level clearing; and spend the night in the wildest of wilds.
The tiny Adventure 1 e-van reminds us most of the Xbus off-road camper van but is actually nearly two feet longer at 178 inches (452 cm), just over 4 in (10 cm) longer than a two-door Ford Bronco. Like the Xbus, the Adventure 1 is not actually a traditional passenger vehicle, instead classifying in as a UTV, an off-highway vehicle that's legal to drive on non-highway roads in some US states but not all. Short of driving it to the trailhead, owners can roll it onto a trailer and tow it there, just like they would a more conventional side-by-side.
Ultimately, the Adventure 1 looks like it will be best-suited to folks that live in Moab or other locations close enough to OHV trails to easily drive to and from. Because unlike other side-by-sides, the Adventure 1 is designed to haul both people and gear to the trail. Potential positions it as something of a cargo van crossed with a camper, capable of carrying two full-size motorcycles to base camp. An integrated roof rack provides extra hauling capacity. So load up, jump in, roll to the trailhead or a distant primitive camp, and enjoy the weekend motor or mountain biking and micro-van camping.
![The Potential Motors Adventure 1 is built for UTV-style off-road fun and mini-camper van-like R&R](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/0d43beb/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x984+0+0/resize/1366x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5b%2Fbe%2F9ae2023b43c6a561b3f498f01975%2Fcomp-potential-hero-driving-07-neu-1.jpg)
Adventure 1 owners may also choose to leave the bikes at home and just tear up dirt and sand in the Adventure 1 itself. The e-ORV is optimized for off-roading in a way even the most off-road-capable highway-legal 4x4s are not. It measures just 64 in (163 cm) wide, close to 10 in (25 cm) slimmer than a Jeep Wrangler and equal to a Polaris RZR XP 1000, giving it the ability to navigate tight, twisty trails that weed out larger vehicles. Couple that slim design with a 604-hp/737-lb-ft (999-Nm) dual-motor electric 4WD, and you have a vehicle that's capable of tackling truly rugged trails and spending the night in the undiscovered wilds at trail end.
![The compact Potential Motors Adventure 1 is meant to navigate more like a side-by-side than a street-legal SUV](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/79c2acc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1125+0+0/resize/1440x810!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe0%2F66%2F218cb1714d69a9cc50f8132d43a5%2F630fb04f9402f0b62eab6511-scene1-final.jpeg)
The bad news? With only 100 miles (161 km) of available range, those trails had better be on the shorter side because you can forget about taking the Adventure 1 on the type of truly epic, long-mileage overland adventures for which it seems otherwise optimized. Ordinarily, that would leave us hopeful for a turbo-diesel version, but we already know that the Adventure 1 is more of a proof of concept and marketing vessel for Potential's real-product: the Off Road OS system specially designed for an all-electric off-road vehicle platform.
Though 4x4ers often prefer simple, tried-and-true mechanical design, the Off Road OS should prove fun to play around with. The next-gen off-road smart system uses a series of sensors to read the terrain ahead of the vehicle and proactively adjust suspension damping and motor torque for the smoothest, cleanest ride forward.
![Potential Motors' holistic control system uses the type of advanced sensors seen in the passenger car industry to analyze terrain and adjust vehicle settings](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/9a11657/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1400x763+0+0/resize/1400x763!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd0%2Fd5%2Fd19d4c7d48fa9957d0429ba9843a%2F1-u40uz-bmjcft6jg-vufgqg.jpeg)
Also benefitting the Adventure 1's off-road capabilities is the low center of gravity ensured by the chassis-mounted battery, a 12.9-in (32.8-cm) ground clearance, and an approach/departure/break-over angle split of 40/45/29 degrees. The wheelbase stretches 105 in (267 cm).
As far as camper capabilities, the initial renderings show a simple slide-out kit quite similar (perhaps identical) to the Egoe Nestbox (complete with face-mounted hatchet), which includes a flip-up sink basin, slide-out kitchen equipment and fold-out interior bed.
![The Potential Adventure 1 slide-out kitchen provides a tailgate-sheltered place to prepare food and drink](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/477e235/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1094x615+0+0/resize/1094x615!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4c%2F07%2F3afd792d4066b308de8479acb47c%2Fscreen-shot-2022-09-08-at-11.43.11%20AM.png)
At a base price of US$136,600, the Adventure 1 is definitely positioned as first adopter tech product and certainly not meant for the masses, and Potential only plans to build a very limited volume. The new off-roader will go up for preorder ($1,000) this month, ahead of an official world premiere at Overland Expo East 2022 in October.
Potential's latest video shows some prototype testing in the sand and through the trees:
Source: Potential Motors