Evotrex PG5 Atlas RV preview - charge your EV or your house
RV review: Evotrex PG5 Atlas - solving pain points and charging EVs
Today’s RV preview is of something forthcoming - the Evotrex PG5 travel trailer. This is a brand new entry into the travel trailer world from a company in Southern California that hopes to make towing a travel trailer easier and less challenging for any vehicle, but EVs in particular. This new trailer features an on-board 42kWh battery but also a gasoline-fired generator along with an electric drive motor that enables it to eliminate the drag of pulling a trailer. Literally.
Essentially the trailer uses an on-board battery and electric motor to overcome the resistance created in towing a large trailer so a pickup that gets 15 miles per gallon when not towing is likely to get the same mileage with this hung off the back of it. If your EV tow vehicle has a 300 mile range the idea is that it will continue to have that same range even with this trailer in tow. But there’s more.
With the on-board gasoline generator and large battery if you do tow this trailer and find your EV’s battery is low when you get there, you can actually use this trailer to charge that EV. Pretty slick.
If you choose the Evotex PG5 Atlas model there are also 1,500 watts of solar on the roof so you have that on-board generator plus the solar so replenishing the trailer’s battery, and even the battery in the EV, are made possible with these systems. You can even use the trailer to provide back-up power for your home.
What is the Evotrex like and how’s it made? We have to start at the road.
Underneath the Evotrex PG5 Atlas
Starting underneath the Evotrex PG5 is a chassis of the company’s own design and it’s pretty different. The chassis features fully independent suspension utilizing air bags and dual shocks at each wheel. On the subject of the wheels they’re those 33” off-road style tires. This is something that the Palomino Pause, for example, does successfully.
Like in the Palomino, that air suspension allows you to raise and lower the chassis depending on road conditions - you could lower it at highway speeds to slightly improve aerodynamics and then raise it on back roads and such.
There’s also power leveling jacks at each corner so you can use the company’s software to automatically level the trailer once you get where you’re going.
But since there’s a drive motor already here you can use an included tablet computer to actually move the trailer. Let’s say you want to back into a camp site or have the nose face a lake or just want to easily hook the trailer to the tow vehicle - simply maneuver the trailer with the tablet.
The receiver on the tongue has built-in sensors so that it can tell when the trailer needs to pull its own weight more or provide dynamic braking which then helps to recharge the on-board battery. There is also a degree of sway control so you could get away without a hitch that incorporates sway control. And since the trailer can approach your tow vehicle and set the receiver on the ball, this means hooking and unhooking are a breeze. No more of those questionable hand gestures that may or may not include inappropriate finger gestures. You know what I mean.
There are cameras on every side so you can also get a “bird’s eye” style view of the trailer as you’re maneuvering it so you don’t come into contact with something unexpectedly, causing more of those hand gestures and their accompanying foul language. And, these cameras can also help you keep an eye on the outside world while you’re inside the trailer. I know a lot of RVers have asked for this kind of functionality - Evotrex is bringing it.
The examples shown (I got invited to the preview but couldn’t make it) do not have an enclosed underbelly but this is also a prototype so things could change. They did indicate that the holding tanks have heaters on them.
Speaking of heaters Evotrex has the AC system under the floor of the front pass-through with access panels to service it. This is similar to other modern residential HVAC units which efficiently provide heat and cooling and they claim about 17,000 BTU of heating capacity. The system is all-electric as there is no propane aboard this RV whatsoever. There is; however, a 20 gallon gasoline tank to fuel the on-board generator.
Something I really, really liked are the steps on this trailer. They are somewhat traditional trailer steps but are power-actuated, again with that included tablet. But they’re also very solid and these are how travel trailer steps should be. Solid, effortless. A big change from those awful drop-down stable steps that plague the RV industry.
Inside the Evotrex PG5 Atlas
If you had to pigeonhole this trailer you could describe it as a toy hauler. Like many toy haulers it has no slide by design as the company wants to minimize potential failure points and you have no argument with me on that.
Like a toy hauler there is a rear deck that comes from lowering the ramp door and that door is power-operated. But there’s also a hatchback, of sorts, that raises up over the deck so now you have a provision for shade and a deck to enjoy. They call this system the Terrece (their misspelling, not mine) and it does have a fence around it so it would be an ideal extension of the interior.
Apparently you can close that hatchback door even with the patio in place so now you have a full wall to keep the outside out and the inside in. No word on whether they have a screen for this but, again, this is the first time they’ve shown the prototype and they’re getting input.
From the rear there are opposing bench seats against the wall and it seems that you could sit 4-6 people back here depending on how much gravity they create. There is also a pole-mounted table between the two benches and this mashes down so this space could become a queen-sized bed.
Along the ceiling on either side are metal cabinets that are painted to match the exterior of the Evotrex - there are a few color choices available - and these metal cabinets have a positive latch but also have moly panel doors. That means you could hang standard things on the exterior of the cabinets like cup and phone holders and all sorts of other accessories. It’s a really clever design and I like it.
The windows in this trailer are dual-pane polycarbonate windows with integrated bug screens and metallicized shades. The windows can flip up almost 90° for air flow which is nice. I also like that, surrounding each window, is a soft surface that Evotrex showed being used with push pins to display things. That’s a really useful touch.
While no wood is being used in the structural build of this trailer there are slat walls that are nicely finished but that also let you hang things using standard mounts. I really like that the company enables you to use cabinet faces and walls to tailor the interior to your own use case. While all the tech in here is going to grab the most attention, these flexible interior design pieces are possibly the biggest usability aspect of this design and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Another thing that’s unusual is that the Evotrex doesn’t come with a TV, per se, but with a screen and projector. That projector is an Anker product owing to the company’s founder coming from Anker and that projector also incorporates two speakers on it that can be removed from the top and placed where you want them to optimize audio quality. But you can also use this projector outside or in the bedroom and there are provisions to hang the screen in those places too.
I had mentioned the included tablet, which charges on its magnetic mount and can be removed and used inside and outside the trailer. But there are also redundant physical switches for lights and such so you don’t necessarily have to use the tablet.
Kitchen in the Evotrex PG5 Atlas
With no propane aboard the kitchen features a two-burner induction cook top and convection air fryer microwave as the cooking components. Naturally there’s a 12 volt RV refrigerator.
There’s not a huge amount of counter space but it’s decent and there’s a flip-up counter extension to help things out.
Someone in the cabinet design department should get bonus credit as the drawers below the kitchen counter have exceptional organizers in them including a string of flexible bands in one and nesting pieces for dishes and such. There’s also a set of two trash cans that pull out when you open that cabinet door. All the cabinets are either that metal door with the moly panels or a composite structure - again, no wood. There’s also a spice/can drawer.
A big surprise is that there’s an espresso maker that lowers itself from an upper cabinet which has gotten a lot of attention but I’d be fine without this gimmick and more cabinet space.
Bathroom in the Evotrex PG5 Atlas
The bathroom is a dry bath but there is a drain in that floor of the space where the toilet resides. Not a bad idea. There’s a proper shower and, again, someone was thinking as there’s an extendable hanging cord for stringing up wet clothes and towels and such in the shower.
The counter space is okay with a big bowl-style sink and there are cubbies to keep your stuff - not a bad bathroom, really.
One thing that makes me step back a bit, since there’s no propane aboard, is the fact that this uses an electric on-demand water heater which I was told was next to impossible in an RV. You need to be able to use a lot of power to heat water in an electric on-demand water heater which is why this is the first time I’ve ever seen one in an RV. I wonder if it might make more sense to use the on-board gasoline but they insist that this works well. Can you tell I’m skeptical?
Bedroom in the Evotrex PG5 Atlas
The Evotrex PG5 Atlas comes with a proper queen-sized bed and I really like the bolstering around the headboard area. There are cubbies on either side of the bed but you mostly have to crawl in from the foot of the bed. They’ve optimized these bedside spaces to make more room in the pass-through, which isn’t a bad thing, but will be a challenge for some sleepers to crawl over.
Over the bed is a window that can be darkened with the app or with a knob on the camp-side night stand. This is one of those pieces of glass that incorporates darkening technology in it so it can go opaque electronically. There are also two flip-up polycarbonate windows on either side of the bed as well.
As for storage in here, there is a closet in the hallway but not the typical bed-side closets you’ll find in most towables.
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My thoughts on the Evotrex PG5 Atlas
As mentioned, much of this trailer is in preproduction and the company seems open to ideas and influence from people who experience the design.
The wall and ceiling build materials and technology are very different and there aren’t the exposed seams that are so common in RVs. Nice. The roof is a fiberglass piece so, again, no flexible seals. I had also mentioned that the AC unit is below the deck in the front pass-through so there’s no AC sticking out the top like it’s the 1970s. That also means that, on Evotrex models with the solar panels, virtually the entire roof is there to place solar panels.
Speaking of those, I saw that they are using flexible panels right on the roof and my concern about these is that they don’t provide much air flow and can overheat which shortens their life span - this is common with many flexible panels. We shall see what real-world experience plays out to be.
Oh, and that pass-through is pretty huge with the company showing two kayaks fitting there. Wow. But they did use rotary latches on the pass-through and I would prefer slam latches at this price point.
You may have read our stories about the Pebble Flow, the Living Vehicle and the Lightship L1 trailers which sort of offer similar advances. The Living Vehicle is more of a residential-style trailer but the Pebble and Lightship are similar in their thinking to this Evotrex offering. But I think that Evotrex is more realistic in the chassis design, thinking and functionality than their two upstart EV rivals.
There’s also the Entegra Embark which is an EV RV from an established RV maker, Jayco/Entegra. I like a lot of the thinking that went into that as well although there were some serious head scratchers in that design which I point out.
The Evotrex product could solve a lot of problems for anyone interested in towing with an EV including the biggest one, what happens if you run low on battery power once you get to your destination? Of course you can hook to shore power but this also has the ability to charge an EV or even provide back-up power to your house, both of which are pretty cool ideas.
As of right now there are two models that will be available through the Evotrex website - a Pioneer model at $119,990 and the Atlas at $159,990. The Atlas has the solar system and some of the other desirable features so I would imagine it would be the most popular choice.
I have long said that the RV industry is ready for a big change and I had assumed it would come from overseas but it seems that it’s coming out of California. It remains to be seen how popular these trailers will be but I do like what I see here in a lot of ways. There are a lot of pain points solved with the design of this rig.
Who is Evotrex?
Evotrex is the brainchild of Alex Xiao who was the first product manager at Anker back in 2011. The idea of a power-generating RV came to him on a hike in Tibet. The company now has some 40 employees in Southern California and hopes to have deliveries of the PG5 in late 2026. Incidentally the name PG5 comes from there being potentially other variants of the company’s products including smaller trailers.
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