Coachmen RV will continue to explore new chassis options for the all-electric RVEX, but General Manager Zach Eppers said there are no 2026 production plans.
Eppers said the company decided not to display the RV at this month’s Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa. He added there are no plans to include RVEX at any 2026 RV show.
The Type B van’s fate took a shocking twist in October when General Motors decided to stop production of the BrightDrop 600 chassis that provided the RV’s base. Coachmen introduced dealers to RVEX just a month earlier during Elkhart Extravaganza.
GM said the commercial electric vehicle market developed more slowly than anticipated. The BrightDrop 400 and 600 vehicles were built as commercial and last-mile delivery vehicles.
GM had numerous BrightDrop 400 chassis available, Eppers said, but the models were not viable for RV use.
“The big option that we needed was the extended battery and the larger (gross vehicle weight rating) GVWR,” Eppers said. “Without those options, which are available with the BrightDrop 600, we could not build an RV with enough range and cargo carrying capacity.”
RVEX debuted to what Eppers called positive reviews at Elkhart Extravaganza. The motorhome had an expected MSRP of $150,000 and an advertised 250-mile, single-charge range.
Eppers said dealers placed orders, and Coachmen was set to begin production in 2026 before GM discontinued manufacturing. Eppers said he is hopeful a similar chassis will be available in the future.
“The people who committed to us, both dealers and consumers, are still excited about RVEX,” Eppers said, “and we are still very interested in continuing this project. We just have not been able to find a chassis that offers those important features at a similar price point. If we cannot bring the range, cargo capacity and price together in a vehicle, then there is not as much excitement for it.”
Eppers said Coachmen has not given up on the concept. Some RVEX technologies and concepts will find their way into a new RV that Eppers said will be introduced in the fall. Coachmen team members who had worked on RVEX will move on to that and other Forest River projects.
RVEX’s back end included a rear window that lifted and a swing-open lower door. Eppers said he could envision the rear layout in future RVs. Inside, the rear area offered a versatile spot for sleeping, sitting, eating or storage.
Coachmen made just one RVEX prototype. Eppers said there are no specific plans for the lone model that dealers saw in Elkhart.
“We could keep it here as a demo or use it as an R&D vehicle,” he said. “We could end up selling it as a demo. Time will tell. We still believe in RVEX. We just do not want to force something that we are not 100% behind.”
