RV FEATURE
TESTING
Rod Francis said he and his staff had conducted extensive testing on the Flexible Solar Awning in Australia , including a 10-day outback trip . This included towing the van to which it was fixed over lots of corrugations and remote tracks .
“ On our last trip , over 10 days , the lowest our batteries were ever depleted was to 86 per cent , and that was with the fridge running overnight and with us running the air-con off the van ’ s lithium batteries during the day , not to mention other appliances , such as a TV ,” Rod said .
The awning has been in development for about six years . In total , Rod and the team at Australian RV had the awning in high use for eight months before releasing it to the Australian market . As Rod said , “ We ’ re very happy with the way it works .”
Asked about the durability of the Flexible Solar Awning , noting that it would be rolled and unrolled countless times by the customer , Rod pointed to the warranty on offer : three years .
The Solar Awning opens at the push of a button .
The big question : can it be retrofitted to older vans ? The answer is yes , in time . In 2025 , Australian RV intends for it to be able to be swapped with Dometic and Carefree awnings , though there ’ s still a bit of development to be done before that becomes available .
Meanwhile , there ’ s no doubt that this is an innovative product . Next to fresh water , power is the one thing that can limit your stay offgrid . Imagine parking your van in the shade , extending the awning into the sun , and letting technology take care of the rest . With up to 1000W going back into your batteries ( in good sun , between 10am and 2pm , or thereabouts ), and more if you already have roof-mounted panels , it ’ s hard to believe that you ’ d ever run out of juice again .
PRICE : $ 5700 ( 12ft Awning ); $ 6399.95 ( 16ft awning )
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