Photo: The Volta Power System offers enough power to run a hair dryer, slow cooker, air conditioner and more at the same time.
The 2019 Winnebago Travato, which will hit dealer lots this summer, will feature an optional new battery, solar, and charging setup from Volta Power Systems. With fast charging in under 90 minutes, the Volta energy system will supply up to 30 amp, 120 volt service with nearly 10,000 watt-hours of capacity, which the company says is enough to run standard appliances including the main air conditioner for several hours or overnight. The system charges while driving, idling, connected to shore power at the campground, or through a high efficiency MPPT solar charger. A 200-watt solar panel comes standard.
The Volta system on the Class B Travato is a part of the Pure3 package, which aims to improve sustainability through power, insulation, shading and other efficiency upgrades. The Volta system essentially replaces an on-board generator.
“Increasingly, we are seeing a different kind of RV user. Today’s buyers want total freedom from shore power and the ability to camp anywhere with minimum impact on the environment,” said Russ Garfin, Product Manager at Winnebago Industries. “We had been looking for the right technology to meet our high standards for quality and safety, and a relationship with Volta makes great sense.”
Volta’s storage system is built on automotive-grade lithium ion technology. Unlike competing RV systems which use consumer-grade LFP batteries, the Travato’s energy storage packs utilize NMC lithium ion chemistry, which is the same platform used for electric vehicle drivetrains. The company says that makes the Travato’s system safer, more robust and built to last the lifetime of the vehicle.
“Billions of dollars and years of lessons-learned in the automotive industry have produced a truly amazing energy storage technology,” said Jack Johnson, co-founder of Volta. “It’s exciting to see what it can do for the RV industry. Winnebago is setting a new industry standard with the Travato.”
“We designed the Volta system to be powerful, yet easy to operate. The system is simple and can be turned on by a single button,” said Bill Cavanaugh, co-founder of Volta. “By designing the system to run autonomously, we were able to make very advanced technology easy for all users to operate.”
