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Coachmen RVEX - the electric RV of tomorrow?

Coachmen RVEX - the electric RV of tomorrow?

Tony Barthel
RV Review, Van Life - Class B RV

Review of the Coachmen RVEX all-electric Class B

Can it deliver on the EV promise

Today’s RV review is of the forthcoming Coachmen RVEX EV motorhome. This is a totally new vehicle for Coachmen and is a Class B RV based on the GM Brightdrop platform. Essentially the Brightdrop platform is an all-electric van created for companies like FedEx to use as a delivery vehicle and has already found success in this field.

While Coachmen should get credit for how they’ve turned this delivery vehicle into an RV, they’re not the first with Grounded RV taking that title. But I think Coachmen has done a better job and there are a lot of advantages to how this RV is put together.

The Coachmen RVEX as an EV

The elephant in the room is the fact that this is a totally electric RV and is coming to market. So the biggest question everyone asks is how far it will go and Coachmen guesstimates that that number is about 275 miles on a single charge.

If you’re not entrenched in the world of EVs, you might think that that’s the end of the story but it’s absolutely not. The EV charging infrastructure is much more widespread than you might imagine with even some BucCee’s having EV charging stations as well as other places we RVers might go.

Let’s say you leave home with that 275 miles of range and, by lunch time, you want to stop for an hour or so to grab some grub. No problem, the RVEX supports Level 1, Level 2 and DC fast charging. If you stop at a restaurant or grocery store with a fast charger you can add another 160 miles of range in an hour’s time and be on your way.

Power for this machine comes form a 172 kWh battery pack and all four wheels are driven with 300 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque.

In addition to the battery that powers the driveline of the RV there’s also a 1,000 amp-hour house battery that’s a 48 volt system that can be replenished by the 1,000 watts of solar on the roof. I don’t know why there are two systems, but there are.

But what really sets this apart is that you can get to your campsite and plug in to a 30- or 50-amp pedestal and recharge that way, too. Figure that’ll be an overnight charge.

Driving the Coachmen RVEX

Knowing how people think let’s talk about the other elephant in the room (so many elephants! Have you seen our video about Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium?) - the driver’s cockpit.

Owing to the delivery van nature of this vehicle the cockpit isn’t that far removed from its roots as a delivery van. There are those sliding doors on the side of the space and the passenger-side seat is almost more of a deluxe jump seat than anything else.

However if you’re thinking of delivery vans of the past know that this thing is much nicer than that. The driver’s seat is a comfortable place to be and all those safety technologies that you might expect in a fancy car are right here including things like halo cameras, lane assist, anti-lock braking and all that and more. While a delivery van used to be a spartan place to be that’s no longer the case.

But there are no armrests on the doors as they slide back into the side of the vehicle and the door handles are the type that are designed to be operated quickly so you can hustle that package onto the front porch of a buyer and get back to the next stop on the route. I’m sure there will be people put off by the clear roots as a delivery vehicle but, really, get over it. It’s really not that big of a deal.

What’s inside the Coachmen RVEX

This is considered a Class B RV which might otherwise be thought of as a van conversion. Well, this is a van conversion really.

Coachmen has done an admirable job choosing surfaces and materials that are both light weight but also provide a nice surface and feel. There has been a lot of thought in materials and surfaces to minimize noise and vibration but also be lightweight and feel nice to the touch.

There is no slide in this rig which is fine. On the camp side is a counter with a single-burner induction cooktop and a sink. There’s a microwave above that in a cabinet. On the subject of cabinets, there are a decent number of those and drawers so storage is fine, especially for a Class B RV.

The fridge is pretty small in this RV so don’t plan to bring a month’s worth of groceries but, the fact that you can park this in a normal parking space at the grocery store takes some of the bummer out of the fridge size.

At the back of the RVEX are opposing couches which are the beds of the vehicle, but offer good seating during the day. There is also a Lagun-style table here and you could easily seat six people back here for a night of conversation or games.

One of the signature features of this RV is a big back window which is also the top of the rear entry plan. That window can swing up like a big hatchback and there’s a door that swings open beneath it. These two reveal that this can also tote a lot of totes or other cargo.

But that flip-up window has more magic up its sleeve in that, with an included remote control, you can turn that window opaque. This is a fun magic trick - the window is transparent, it’s opaque, it’s transparent, it’s opaque. Fun times.

When it’s opaque it blocks the view in but it can also serve as the screen for the included projector in this RV.

The bathroom in this follows most Class B RVs in that it’s a wet bath and, yeah, it’s a bit tight. I’m really impressed with how Grand Design has overcome this challenge in their Lineage VT Class B RV - perhaps Coachmen might sneak a peek at how they’re doing things.

Final thoughts on the Coachmen RVEX

Ultimately I think Coachmen has done a good job with this. I can see this working well maybe for a single individual or maybe a couple as a weekend camper vehicle. But it would really be great if you have a child in group activities like band (or, I guess, sports) where you could bring all their gear with you and also have a bathroom and kitchen and fridge.

I know some people are going to be tripped up by the fact that this is only an EV and, yeah, there are some challenges there but the presence of chargers is much more prevalent than many people realize. And, again, the average commuter only travels about 35 miles in a day and the average camper only travels about 72 miles in a day so maybe it’s not as big a concern as your friends will tell you that it is.

The MSRP on this is about $150,000 which really isn’t bad and is less than a lot of Class B RVs. Plus that price might be more attractive depending on any tax incentives that may be available.

I think Coachmen has done a great job with this initial attempt at building something different. But I always appreciate your feedback on these things.

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