An electric vehicle (EV) curbside charging company, New York-based itselectric, announced a key initiative with the city of Detroit to power rental RVs built by all-electric RV manufacturer, Grounded RV.
Grounded RV, a Detroit-based RV manufacturer, makes Type B motorhomes. Grounded’s RV models, the G1 and G2, can be rented through RVshare in the Corktown District of Detroit at the Newlab Michigan Central Station.
Grounded RV rentals in the Detroit area can be charged at Newlab’s 15th Street EV charging enclave due to the new initiative.
Grounded RV founder Sam Shapiro said, “The EV chargers provided by itselectric and Michigan Central have unlocked the first e-RV rental experience…by making vehicle charging a completely seamless experience, from installation to turnkey rentals.”
The community-focused, high-visibility Michigan Central building and Newlab consortium attempts to demonstrate the ease with which urban-charging solutions can be easily deployed. Newlab started as a technology experiment by Ford Motor Co. Other major companies such as Google have joined the Newlab-branded endeavor. The partnership between itselectric and Grounded RV aligns with Michigan Central’s efforts to support electrification innovation.
Grounded RV’s G1 motorhome is built on a Ford E-Transit chassis. The G1 has a range of up to 108 miles.
The manufacturer’s new G2, released this fall, is built on a Zevo chassis created by General Motors’ BrightDrop division. The G2 has a range of up to 250 miles.
Both motorhomes offer app-controlled electronics and appliances, 640 watts of solar power equipment, a queen-sized bed, bench seating with a flip-up table, a kitchen with fridge/freezer, a sink, an induction stove, an outdoor shower and a dry-flush toilet.
Nathan King, co-founder and CEO of itselectric, said, “The country needs 1.2 million more public EV chargers by 2030, particularly in dense urban neighborhoods. Today, the biggest barrier to deployment is the cost and complexity of connecting an EV charger directly to the utility’s main in the roadway. Our charging network fully avoids this barrier, enabling affordable and scalable public charging infrastructure.”
