t’s been hypothesized by folks a lot smarter than me that “the only constant in life is change.” Actually, the maxim is first credited to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus — I know, I had to search it. Amazing, when you think about it, that some guy who passed away almost 2,500 years ago could so succinctly sum up contemporary life.

Change is definitely a constant in the RV industry. Innovation has always ruled, but if I had to choose a time where such advancements really took center stage in the RV arena I’d probably look to the Great Recession. Consider: this year, the industry is expected to ship more than 600,000 RVs to North American dealers; in 2009, as the recession was cresting, it shipped just 165,700. With time on their hands, OEMs went about redesigning many of the products they were selling. In fact, an argument could probably be made that the industry went from producing units it wanted to build to manufacturing RVs the public wanted to buy.

And it has never looked back. If you want a glimpse into the current state of RV technology, read “Top Debuts for 2022” in this issue. Put together in conjunction with the editors of RVBusiness, it highlights more than two dozen top towable and motorized RVs for the new year.

Where will this evolution end? Who can say? A few short years ago, no one really thought we’d ever see an electrified (battery-powered) RV. Then company engineers put on their “thinking caps” and things began to happen. At this month’s Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa, Florida, THOR Industries will unveil a concept travel trailer equipped with a prototype proprietary high-voltage electric drive system to support tow vehicles.

Developed in conjunction with ZF Friedrichshafen AG, a Germany-based global technology firm, the eTrailer System is expected to maintain — and possibly extend — the nominal range of an electric vehicle when towing a trailer. Electric vehicles experience a significant reduction in range when towing any load, but a trailer equipped with the eTrailer System would be capable of moving by utilizing its own power. Through its sophisticated technology, components and sensors, the trailer’s drive moves the trailer at the same speed of the tow vehicle, allowing an electric tow vehicle to pull the trailer with minimal loss of range.

The technology also is said to have the potential to boost fuel efficiency of conventional tow vehicles. By helping propel the load, these tow vehicles would burn less fuel — and thus benefit from extended range.

This is well beyond the “what if?” stage. In July 2021, THOR companies’ Erwin Hymer Group and Dethleffs demonstrated the capabilities of this technology by using an electric Audi etron Sportback to tow an eTrailer System-equipped travel trailer prototype from Germany to Italy. The eTrailer System enabled the tow vehicle to pull the trailer a distance of 386 km (approximately 240 miles) through the Alps on a single charge — with power still remaining in the eTrailer System as well as in the electric tow vehicle. Audi’s stated range for the tow vehicle is 393 km (244 miles).

Will we eventually see a battery-powered motorhome? No doubt. The technology exists; it’s just a matter of application and expense. It’s said that the RV industry has always been about 20 years behind its automotive counterpart, but that’s no longer true. Technology — and consumer demand for cutting-edge products — won’t allow it.

Of course, not all change has to be fueled by technology. For example, the current growth of RVing has laid bare one of the industry’s main drawbacks: A lack of qualified service technicians. That’s why, in 2018, the RV Industry Association’s board of directors created the RV Technical Institute (RVTI): to train the next generation of service techs. In 2022, RVTI’s goal is to recruit and train at least 1,000 new technicians.

In the meantime, some dealers are taking things into their own hands. National Indoor RV Centers (NIRVC), a five-location dealership group (Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, Nashville and Phoenix) recently announced a partnership with Newmar Corp. that circumvents many of the stumbling blocks to timely service. Among the program’s directives: no more OEM authorizations needed before technicians start work; the stocking of the top 200-300 fastest-turning parts at each NIRVC location; and the warehousing of more expensive parts at NIRVC’s Texas facility — where Southwest Airlines has daily flights to each NIRVC location and parts can be flown to the necessary site (with a goal of under 24 hours). And, Newmar has committed the relocation of a senior service person to that same Texas facility who also will travel to any NIRVC location to help cut through “red tape” encountered with any supplier.

There’s a lot more to the NIRVC program. Suffice to say, it’s the type of system that, adopted by other dealers and manufacturers, cannot help but reduce what the industry refers to as RECT — Repair Event Cycle Times — and improve consumers’ opinions of the industry.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that change has also affected RV Enthusiast. As we enter our second year of publishing what we feel is the most capable and qualified technical “how-to” magazine in the RV space, we’ve brought a new face on board as a few staff editors have opted to pursue new challenges. Effective with this issue, Bill Gehr is the Technical Director of RV Enthusiast — and to say he brings a wealth of experience to the position would be an understatement.

Gehr started his 50-year career in the RV industry when he went to work for an Airstream dealership. After the gas shortages in the ’70s, he decided to start his own business and founded Bill’s RV Service in Ventura, California, where, after several years in business, he met RV Enthusiast Publisher Bob Livingston. At the time, Livingston was the technical director for Trailer Life and MotorHome magazines — he would eventually become group publisher of both titles — and together the duo worked on literally hundreds of technical editorial projects for the publications while becoming great friends. Gehr also eventually joined Livingston on the TV show “RVtoday,” filming a number of hands-on projects. After retiring, Gehr headed out full-time in his fifth wheel and toured 39 states while continuing to write technical articles for the two magazines.

Let me put it another way: Livingston has more technical “know-how” than any RV journalist alive today…and when he’s stymied by a problem, Bill Gehr is the guy he goes to for advice. Now, Gehr will share that accrued knowledge with RV Enthusiast readers.

Yes, the only constant in life is change. Just don’t blink, or you might miss it.