 Electric trailer
Caravan manufacturers are struggling with weight. Every kilogram more increases the demands on the towing vehicle, theoretically reducing the number of potential customers. Because they usually don't buy a new car just
because of their first caravan. They will probably only adapt the towing vehicle when they change their next vehicle.
Now these manufacturers are facing another problem: electromobility. As is well known, pure electric cars are not very trailer-friendly. Most of them don't even have a trailer hitch or at least don't allow for retrofitting. It's a
shame, actually, because they could certainly represent the right ratio of towing vehicle to trailer weight.
But even if the electric cars were allowed to tow more, their range would be dramatically reduced given the additional height and generally wider vehicle. AL-KO has now come up with a kind of entry-level idea, namely
equipping the trailer with additional battery capacity. However, they don't want to charge it only at a charging station and apparently certainly not directly from the towing vehicle.
That's why the caravan also has its own drive, although it operates only on 48 V. And this is also the second key to charging the trailer battery, a type of recuperation. It is hoped that this will also stabilize the trailer.
The trailer would exert less pressure when driving downhill on mountain passes.
You no longer need four-wheel drive for wet meadows because the trailer takes over its function. Maneuvering the trailer by hand would also be much more comfortable. The gas bottle would at least be partially replaced and
the refrigerator would no longer deplete the battery while driving. The electric trailer could of course also work with a combustion engine at the front.
Of course, it would be pretty idiotic to let the trailer take up the energy given to the wheels by the towing vehicle during normal driving. The approval of an additional cable should not be an obstacle, especially since the 48V
technology is considered to be unproblematic. In any case, there are still losses because the voltages are not the same.
Even and especially if everything were controlled via smartphone, controlling all the options is by no means unproblematic. Noticing that you can't reach the charging station you're aiming for and therefore wanting to get a
few kWh from the trailer isn't going to be that easy. But at least you can think of additional theft protection by somehow blocking the trailer motor.
And anyone who has nothing else to do at the moment could ultimately evaluate the data from the trailer. How well was its capacity used? How much did it help? However, the possible active support of a towing vehicle is
likely to be a thorn in the side of its manufacturers due to the fact that the driving dynamics can no longer be controlled.
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