Airstream’s two-year project creating an all-electric travel trailer, the eStream Concept vehicle, led to company advances in solar power generation and battery capacity.
These features have been incorporated into the manufacturer’s 2024 Trade Wind, a 25-foot travel trailer with the most powerful electrical system Airstream has released to date.
Vice President of Sales Justin Humphreys said, “It is quite a bit more than anything we have in our lineup.”
The power generation begins with 600 watts of solar panels on the Trade Wind’s roof – double Airstream’s highest input on any other model. The solar power feeds into three chassis-integrated 270-amp-hour batteries. The 810-amp-hours of capacity is four times greater than nearly every Airstream travel trailer.
Finally, the lithium-ion Battle Born Batteries power a 3,000-watt inverter/charger, 1,000 watts more powerful than other Airstream models.
Together, the power system can simultaneously run a 15,000 BTU air conditioner and a microwave.
“There is so much power here,” Humphreys said, “this coach is almost like you are constantly hooked to shore power.”
The system includes a Victron-powered interior monitor and a compatible mobile app to manage power. A SmartPlug 30-amp shore power inlet enables shore power connection.
Because Trade Wind can remain off-grid for extended periods, Airstream added a 3-inch lift kit to ease off-road travel. The lift kit, Airstream’s first factory-installed kit on its traditional travel trailer lineup, includes 29.3-inch Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse tires to support off-road access.
“We have some SUV-style tires … to allow you to have that durability to get off the beaten path,” Humphreys said.
Trade Wind launches with one floorplan, the 25FB, one of the manufacturer’s most popular layouts. Two interior decors are available the Fieldstone with brown colors and the Terracotta with red clay colors. Each has vinyl flooring with a distressed concrete pattern.
“We were very intentional on the design team,” Humphreys said. “You are going to be outdoors, off the beaten path, and we wanted something that will not show as much dirt and take a beating.”
The travel trailer has a standard queen bed, the Showermi$er recirculating water system, a convection microwave with an air fryer and all the electrical outlets are inverted to receive power from the inverter/charger.
The RV has an optional rear hatch to ease loading and bring the outside in when parked. A screen keeps bugs out when the hatch is open. Another option is a compost toilet for the wet bath.
The travel trailer will be available in a twin bed floorplan in early 2024.
Airstream President and CEO Bob Wheeler said: “We are allowing people to choose where and when they can go, how long they stay and giving them everything they need to have a great experience—what we can an untethered experience.”
