AC Future AI-THd - all electric, very different, possibly real?
Review of the AC Future AI-THd Class A RV EV
Today’s RV review is of the forthcoming AC Future AI-THd motorhome. I had a chance to see the prototype in Elkhart during the big dealer expo there and there are absolutely some things that are mind blowing about this. But first, who is AC Future and what is the AI-THd motorhome?
AC Future is a company that is formed with the intention of building three different and rather unique RV platforms; a travel trailer, a destination trailer and a motorhome. All of these platforms have a very stylish look to both the inside and out and are the result of people who don’t come from the RV industry.
That can be a good thing or a bad thing, quite honestly.
It can be good in that the thinking that is the RV industry can result in what we’re all familiar with. But the RV industry is also aware of the realities of what users do and experience and the use patterns users have.
The AC Future AI-THd motorhome
At the core of this vehicle is a structure built by EV bus manufacturer REE Automotive, one of the now many companies that are a start-up EV platform builder. Ree’s main platform is more for box trucks but it works well here. Essentially there are way the company calls REEcorners® at each wheel.
Those REEcorners incorporate the suspension, drive motor and steering and, on its face, look like a really smart and modular way to build these systems. Advantages of doing this include the modularity of the system and the fact that each wheel has a drive motor, suspension and steering system integrated into this system.
With a drive-by-wire system where the steering wheel and accelerator pedal are only connected by wires to these subassemblies you have the advantage of being able to offer four wheel steering as well as all the typical advantages of an EV such as dynamic braking, one-pedal driving and all of that.
From this platform AC Future worked with Italian design house Pininfarina to design a big motorhome and it looks like something an actual styling company put together. Then they took to the road and, according to Dan Dalia, National Sales Manager for AC Future, put a million miles on the prototype that I saw. Wow.
That prototype did have some wear on the finish of the vehicle as you would expect but didn’t look like it was in rough shape at all and there’s one of the many advantages of an EV - component wear isn’t as worrisome.
Overall the prototype we saw measured only about 25 feet in length with all the slides in and, I assume, about eight feet wide. I write it like this because I have tried numerous times to reach out to the company for answers with no luck. More on that in a bit.
But then you open the slides and it’s a whole different story.
The slides in this don’t work the way most RV slides work. Instead of being an enclosed box that takes up space when it’s retracted, the slides in this rig are more of an origami system where the panels unfold creating the interior space of the vehicle.
There is an eight foot slide on the road side of this rig and a smaller slide on the camp side. Then there’s another eight foot slide at the back of the RV.
The structure under the slides is like a bridge girder - it’s remarkably substantial looking. There is also a self-leveling system in the RV and that includes leveling jacks, or likely support jacks, on the outside of the slide box. Typically it is not recommended to put supports on the outside of any slide box but they do so by design here.
The whole RV is all-electric including a dual-zone mini split heat pump system that provides both heating and cooling.
What’s inside the AC Future AI-THd motorhome
With the slides extended the interior space of this previously-smaller RV is increased substantially.
The road-side slide is essentially an empty space into which regular furniture is placed. The plus side of this is that, while the company includes the furnishings and such, you can easily just take them out and replace them if you’re not happy with AC Future’s choices. Or if they wear out in all those million miles.
The down side is that you have to pack up that furniture to fold the slide room in. Choose wisely.
The kitchen in this features an island design that incorporates an induction cooktop and sink. There’s also a dishwasher here.
In the camp-side slide are more drawers and cabinets and counter space and there’s a Furrion 12 volt refrigerator. This is the only thing in here that seems to have roots in the RV industry.
A bathroom bisects the interior of this coach and there seems to be good space for anything you might want to accomplish in here.
From there you get to the bedroom which feels narrow just because it’s not the dance hall sized space of the main living quarters.
The bedroom, too, has a mammoth eight foot slide but it’s one that extends from the back of the coach. That means that the bed has to fold up against the wall to accommodate the slide’s movement. Well, really, more folding than anything else.
More features of the AC Future AI-THd motorhome
There are a few things AC Future did with this that were really remarkable. Those origami space extensions, because they’re really not slides are they, are the most obvious.
But something else the company is doing is using a water generator feature that can pull moisture from the air and put it into the holding tanks. This isn’t completely unusual in the world as there are companies in the middle east, for example, that have this technology. But it’s not something I’ve seen an RV builder do before. But it makes sense.
This rig also uses gray water to flush the toilet which also makes a tremendous amount of sense. That gray water is just otherwise waste water but, in using it for flushing the toilet, it serves double dootie. Er, duty.
As for EV range, the company said the prototype is getting about 250 miles of range but production models will have a larger battery and thus have a realistic range of 300 miles. There is no doubt that that’s a decent amount of range and 300 miles is typically more than I want to drive in a day. However, you can also charge this rig at a normal charging station where EVs charge and, at 25’ overall length, it may not be unreasonable to be able to do so even in some more compromising charging stations.
As for EV charging, for those who aren’t entrenched in the EV world it might seem that charging stations are few and far between but, once you really look at the reality of it all there are a lot of EV charging stations including in rural places. They’re not as uncommon as you might think.
My thoughts about the AC Future AI-THd motorhome
The biggest concern I have about this thing isn’t the RV itself, it’s the company. They made a big splash at Open House but when I tried to reach out to them with questions, both of the phone numbers for the company were non operable. I have also used their contact form and email with no results.
So is this vaporware? Perhaps. The company has gotten a lot of press and such but it is concerning, to me, that I can’t now seem to get in touch with them. There is a lot right with this design and the thinking behind it but now the more traditional RV builders are also stepping into this space with their dealer infrastructures and buying power.
Another thing I question is the recharging times for this. While I was quoted eight hours to a full charge on a 50 amp service, there’s no way. The math just doesn’t math out. This is a big battery and even an RV 50 amp service isn’t going to charge it that quickly. And that’s assuming you’re not using other things inside the RV like the HVAC system, microwave or water heater. Or sucking water out of the sky which does take a bit of energy.
We shall see where this goes and I’m hoping that AC Future has one, a future that is, but at least we got to see some out-of-the-box thinking and a unique design.
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