Electric vehicles are changing how America goes camping

There is a sound that, one day not too far in the future, may disappear forever from that gentle symphony that greets a camper each dawn. Among the singing birds, the owl’s hoot, maybe the sound of a deer pulling at the leaves of a nearby tree, the rumble of a gasoline-powered generator will be… strangely gone.

One sound could go missing from the symphony that greets campers at dawn. Besides bird chirps, owl hoots and racoons searching for food, the rumble of car engines firing up as campers head home may be strangely absent. It will at least be less common as electric trucks and SUVs start arriving at more campsites. While still a small minority, campers are more likely to own an electric vehicle than those who don’t go camping, according to a survey by Kampgrounds of America, the nation’s largest campground operator. Only about 1% of Americans currently have an electric vehicle, according to KOA, but about 4% of regular campers do. People who use them extoll their virtues while expressing the need for some infrastructure improvements out in America’s vast open spaces. Meanwhile, trailer companies are working to make their products easier to tow while EV makers are trying to make the whole experience better, from camping to charging. Electric motors have distinct advantages when it comes to towing camper trailers. They can pull strongly at low or high speeds, without straining or needing to shift gears. “I’m not constantly sitting there watching transmission temps climb, I’m not watching motor temps climb on hills, and we live in the [Texas] Hill Country,” said Matt Linn, who goes camping with his Ford F-150 Lightning and a camper trailer every few weeks. One major concern campers share when towing with an EV, of course, is range. Any vehicle – whether powered by gasoline, diesel fuel, or electricity – will lose significant driving range between refills when towing a trailer. But liquid fuel tanks are quicker to refill than battery packs and pumps are easier to find than chargers.