At its heart, a travel-trailer is like having a home on wheels, and Airstream’s original 1958 International brought the dream of traveling with the comforts of home while out on the road to life. But in the decades since, the upper limit of how long one can stay off grid has remained bound by battery limitations, tank capacities, and the need for portable power generation. And even those who have mastered the art of long-term boondocking understand that staying remote for longer periods of time means sacrificing some comfort. Standard air conditioners require shore power, and boondocking comfortably often means bringing along some form of “portable shore power,” like generators, heavy fuel canisters, and bulky portable solar arrays.  So in 2020, Airstream set out to visualize what the future of travel-trailers could look like.

To accomplish the vision of a futurized travel trailer, Airstream partnered with parent company, THOR Industries, to create the eStream’s “Towable Platform Concept.” Together, they set out to solve for a few of trailering’s most common user complaints:

  • Parking, hitching & backing,
  • Driving range and efficiency, and
  • Shore power.
eStream Concept Travel Trailer by Airstream
The 2022 Airstream eStream Concept trailer

So what does the future of Travel-Trailer’s look like?

In a word, you could say the future of travel trailers is: Electrified. You could also maybe throw in, Smart, and here’s why. Traditionally, a trailer is just dead weight that’s drug around behind the forward tow vehicle, but with Airstream’s eStream concept, the trailer itself is mated to a high-voltage electric chassis which contains a battery-powered electric drivetrain designed to reduce its burden from the truck. 

eStream-Charging
The heart of the “Towable Platform Concept” with its battery packs and electric motor

In addition to self-powered battery electric propulsion that could assist with driving, Airstream also wanted the Towable Platform Concept’s chassis to tackle the difficulties around backing and parking. So they rethought about the way we do those things today. To do so, they came up with the idea to use a remote-control to maneuver the trailer while it is disconnected from the truck.

eStream-remote

Powering and Living With the eStream

With the Towable Platform Concept, Airstream and THOR set out to eliminate the common limitation of providing shore power, which depending on your style of camping may not be available at all. The high voltage batteries and electronic systems are essentially capable of providing the experience of being connected to shore power while being far away from it. With 80 kWhrs of power stored in its battery bank, the eStream can provide more than 30 times the power of the lithium batteries that are included with most travel trailers models today.

Now, with the eStream’s technology, folks who who were hesitant to take their adventures further afield, are presented with more capability to do so. There’s less weight to carry, less equipment to maintain, and less concern about where you’ll refuel. With the ability to run the air conditioner without the need for shore power, the eStream presents a more comfortable way to travel. 

Driving with the eStream

For the eStream, the future of travel-trailers means: Increasing towing efficiency, improved safety, and better fuel economy. No matter what kind of vehicle you’re hitched to, the eStream’s aerodynamics and drive-assist motors are designed to tow almost as if it weren’t even there.

eStream driving down the road
Towing the eStream

More than just helping to move the rig forward, the drive motors work in tandem with sensors to actively stabilize the eStream. Combined with a reduced hitch weight, the technology simplifies the towing experience since you will be able to tow without weight distribution hitches. In addition to powered travel while on the highway, the system can also give you more traction for navigating slick roads. Last, it can also lock them while parked for extra safety and theft protection.

Inside the eStream

While the technology driving the eStream gets most of the attention, the vision of what the future of travel-trailers will be also meant updating the interior. The eStream features modern styling to match its technological advances. Inside its 22-foot floor plan, you’ll find all the comforts of home you’d expect from an Airstream. That includes an onboard wet bath, flat screen TV, and all-electric appliances, including a cooktop, convection microwave, and refrigerator.

eStream-Galley
Inside the Airstream eStream

Airstream set out to build in a dedicated connection to the world with a cellular signal booster that provides 5G and Wi-Fi hotspots. Acting as more than a standard internet connection, the connectivity also enables the remote operation of lighting and HVAC. On-board touch screens will also allow people to monitor power, water, and waste tanks.

Last, the future of travel-trailers also means better trip planning. With the eStream concept, Airstream also wanted the technology to give the drier more than just directions to get from Point A to Point B. Their integrated smartphone application is also designed to also help plan out needs around efficiency, range, charging, accessibility, and height restrictions while on the road.

Taken together, all of the things that make up the eStream are designed to make travel more comfortable, easier and ultimately, more fun. If this is what the future of travel-trailers will look like – sign us up!