Luxury travel trailer maker Bowlus Road Chief is back with another edition, one that handily exceeds the off-grid battery and tech capabilities of current and past models. With a design inspired by yachts, aircraft and electric vehicles, the Endless Highways Performance Edition can roll clean across the entire United States and back without ever running out of battery power. It also has a full remote monitoring system, floor heating, indoor/outdoor cooking capabilities and the effortless style of Bowlus' riveted polished-aluminum shell.
Modern-day technology and comfort have been cornerstones of the Bowlus Road Chief design since Geneva Long and her father John revived the nameplate in 2013. The trailers have always been equipped with standard and available features like multiple batteries, solar panels, air conditioning, and connectivity tools to support industrious digital nomads. In 2016, Bowlus upped the ante by offering the Lithium+ package with 4-kWh LiFePO4 battery bank meant to keep onboard amenities running for up to a week at a time. It later rolled that package into its standard Endless Highways model.
With the Endless Highways Performance Edition, Bowlus steps things up once again, this time doubling the capacity of its LiFePO4 battery to 600 Ah/7,680 Wh. The new battery bank delivers power to appliances and outlets for up to two weeks between charges with help from a marine-grade 3,000-W inverter, upgraded from the 2,000-W inverter on the standard Endless Highways.
The two-week estimate is based on running standard equipment like the fridge, lights, routers, pumps and heaters but doesn't include running the air conditioning. Bowlus says the battery can run the A/C for about two nights before running out of juice. The onboard power management system is wired up to the internet and Bluetooth, enabling remote monitoring via smartphone.
If you happen to be towing the 25.8-foot (7.9-m) Performance Edition trailer with an electric vehicle, you can even use the external 110-V outlet to provide an emergency charge, adding roughly 16 miles (25.7 km) worth of battery power to the tow EV, which will hopefully be enough to get it to shore power.
Beyond the big power upgrade, the new model houses the same Endless Highways floor plan as in the past. It starts off with a king bed squeezed into the creased tail that can split into a V-shaped pair of twins. Directly ahead of the bedroom, the aisle-split dry bathroom has a port-side teak-finished shower room complete with seat and a starboard-side toilet room with sink.
The large dining area also spans the aisle, this time with a pair of dining booths/work stations that convert over into single beds. The kitchen area is the last stop on the way to the front door and small tongue deck.
Roving chefs that prefer to cook in the fresh air will be glad to know that Bowlus includes an outdoor cooking station with both 110-V outlet and propane hookup. This allows campers to combine electrical and LPG cooking equipment like a portable grill, induction cooktop and blender into a high-powered outdoor kitchen.
The Endless Highways Performance Edition launches today and is available for pre-order at US$225,000, a shockingly high price, for sure, but not unprecedented.
Source: Bowlus
