Airstreams First Electric Travel Trailer Costs More Than A Lucid Air

• Airstream’s first production-spec electric camper trailer has a 10.3-kWh battery pack.
• Unlike the much larger and more expensive Lightship RV, this trailer doesn’t have powered wheels.
• The Airstream’s battery powers all the appliances.

Airstream, maker of iconic aluminum travel trailers, has finally entered into the electric era with the new Basecamp Xe. Based on the regular Basecamp model, the Xe adds a battery pack and a bunch of solar panels on the roof to power all the amenities inside.

That said, Airstream’s first electric camper doesn’t have electric motors to alleviate the range loss experienced by the vehicle that’s towing it. The company showcased a rather impressive electric trailer concept called the eStream back in 2022 that had a huge 80-kilowatt-hour battery pack and could assist the towing vehicle while on the move.

The Basecamp Xe is not that, though. Its 10.3-kWh Battle Born lithium battery pack provides energy to a fully inverted 30-amp electrical system that integrates 600 watts of solar panels (upgradable to 900 W) and a 3000 W inverter. For backup, there’s a 20-pound propane tank that can be used to heat water or the trailer itself, thanks to the Truma Combi Eco Plus System which can use electricity, propane or both to produce heat.

The trailer is 20 feet long, has one axle and can sleep up to four people in a dedicated sleeping space in the back. The dinette up front can also be converted to more sleeping space. There’s a wet bath with a shower, sink and a toilet, and there’s a removable induction stove for cooking. The options list includes a composting toilet, a microwave and an air conditioner. The heater is also optional.

There’s no word on how much time it will take to deplete the battery, but that’s understandable as it all depends on how much energy is used by the appliances. If the 3 kW inverter is maxed out, a full battery should last a little over three hours, but that’s likely an edge case. In normal conditions (not too hot or too cold outside), a full battery should be enough for a day or two of camping.

The Airstream Basecam Xe starts at $76,900. That’s roughly $6,000 more than a brand-new Lucid Air sedan, a luxury EV that can move under its own power. Granted, it would be quite uncomfortable to camp in an Air. That said, the Basecamp Xe is also $22,000 more expensive than the regular, non-electric Basecamp travel trailer.

Is it worth it? Let’s do some math, just for the fun of it. For the starting price of Airstream’s electric camping trailer, you could stay 384 nights in hotels that cost $200 per night. If you have 30 days of vacation per year, it would take nearly 13 years to spend $76,900 on accommodation.

That doesn’t sound like a very cost-effective purchase, but let’s not forget that Airstream (and others like it) also sell camping trailers that cost over $200,000. People certainly buy them, and while you could certainly enjoy the comforts of a hotel for less, you can’t park a hotel room next to a cozy river winding through a secluded mountain pass.