Composites Make RVs More Energy Efficient
Posted by Shawn Friesen | Vice President of RVT.com on Jan 15, 2010Composite materials are one of the new innovations in RV construction that are revolutionizing the RV industry. Light-weight composite materials are one of the newest eco-friendly features driving the green revolution in RV construction. Composite materials are allowing RV manufacturers to build lighter RVs. Less weight translates into greater fuel efficiency and savings at the gas pump — a guaranteed selling point with RV buyers.
At the National RV Trade show in Louisville last month, potential RV buyers were wowed by EverGreen’s introduction of its new Ever-Lite fifth-wheel RV trailer. The first-ever all-composite RV, the 30-foot Ever-Lite weighs in at a slight 7,500 pounds fully equipped. Built using a new ComposiTek construction process originally developed for the military, the Ever-Lite features seamless, one-piece construction integrated onto an I-beam frame. Composite materials are vacuum laminated onto a structural frame made of double-welded aluminum. The result is an extremely light-weight yet durable RV that the manufacturer says will stand up better than traditionally-constructed RVs to punishing road conditions and constant travel.
Besides their lighter weight, composite materials offer additional important advantages. Composite materials are tougher and more durable than standard RV building materials. Totally wood-free exteriors and one-piece construction make these RVs impervious to moisture. No more worries about dry-rot, mold and mildew!
Composite materials are just one of the new green products that are changing the RV industry. Next week we’ll tell you what else is coming round the bend!
January 18th, 2010 at 9:49 am
[...] of the new green RVs on display that featured solar panels, wind turbines, sustainable interiors, light-weight composite construction (see our January 15 post), hybrid fuels and other eco-friendly [...]
January 20th, 2010 at 8:25 am
[...] addition to light-weight composite construction, RV manufacturers are introducing more aerodynamic designs, lighter-weight exterior and interior [...]
March 10th, 2011 at 10:57 am
Be careful on what you think is “Green”. Composites are made of petroleum based products (resins, styrene, additives, etc.) and are not environmentally friendly or sustainable. With an RV, it is inherently unfriendly to the environment. Making it lighter so it gets, at best, a 2-3 mile more per gallon does not justify the long term cost of the composite components, which are not recyclable, reusable, or repurposed. Most RVs, if not all RV’s, sit somewhere (behind a garage, in a field, etc.) after their useful life, while they degrade (slowly, 100′s of years). At least some of the wood, steel, aluminum, and glass could be recovered and reused, however, there’s nobody doing that, as the market does not support that type of endeavor. RVs are not the only product in our society that have the same earth-unfriendly characteristics. You and I could quickly list many. We have to start implementing, not just thinking about, Cradle to Cradle design and manufacturing.