What gasless changes about the build
A gasless caravan does the jobs LP gas usually does, cooking, hot water and heating, with electricity instead. That means a much bigger battery, more solar, and more weight on the axles and the drawbar.
It suits people who camp away from powered sites for weeks at a time. If that is not you yet, a portable power station is a smaller step in the same direction. How to size one properly.
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What 48V actually means
Power is volts multiplied by amps. Run the same appliance at 48V instead of 12V and the current drops to about a quarter. That allows thinner cable, and less energy turns into heat on the way to the appliance.
12V systems
- • The long-standing standard in Australian caravans
- • High-draw appliances need heavy cable and a large inverter
- • Voltage drop matters over long cable runs
- • Usually paired with gas for cooking and hot water
- • Every auto electrician has worked on them
48V systems
- • A quarter of the current for the same power
- • Thinner, lighter cable runs
- • Built around air conditioning and induction cooking
- • Usually sold as part of a gasless fitout
- • Fewer workshops have worked on them
A 12V van can run the same appliances given enough battery, enough inverter and heavy enough cable. The higher voltage makes that easier to build and lighter to wire, which is why makers reach for it once the appliance list gets long.
What runs without gas
Cooking
Induction cooktops replace the gas burners. They only work with flat, magnetic-base cookware, so budget for pans if yours are aluminium or copper.
Hot water
An electric element does the heating. Ask about tank size and how long it takes to reheat, because showers are the biggest single draw on most days.
Heating and cooling
Air conditioning and electric heating run off the battery bank rather than a generator or a gas heater. Diesel heaters are the common middle path on vans that keep some gas.
The fridge
Compressor fridges already run off the house battery in most new vans, so this part usually does not change when the gas comes out.
Big-battery fitouts you can compare here
Published solar and battery figures from the makers' own pages, largest battery first. For scale, the middle of the checked catalogue sits around 600W of solar and 300Ah of battery.
| Range | Solar | Battery |
|---|---|---|
| Titanium Caravans WS1 | 1,400W | 1,380Ah |
| Kedron Caravans TE6 Topender | 3,000W | 1,250Ah |
| Zone RV Summit | 1,520W | 1,200Ah |
| Retreat Caravans ERV | 2,000W | 1,167Ah |
| Ezytrail Ceduna 16R 3 Bunk MK4 | 1,020W | 940Ah |
| Royal Flair Caravans Eco Mate | 1,250W | 940Ah |
A big battery bank is not the same thing as a gasless van. Read the maker's spec sheet for the range you like and check which appliances are electric on the floorplan you are actually buying.
What changes for you
Charging becomes the routine
Solar output falls away with cloud, shade, dust on the panels and short winter days. The other two ways in are the tow car while you drive and 240V on a powered site, so ask what the van is fitted with for both.
Weight comes out of payload
Batteries, inverters and extra panels are heavy, and that weight is already in the tare. Check tare against ATM on the floorplan you want, and check the ball weight against what your car can legally carry.
Servicing is a question to ask
Before you buy, ask who services the electrical system, where the nearest one is to home, and what happens if something fails a long way from a capital city. Get the answer from the dealer in writing.
The paperwork changes
A van built without LP gas has no gas installation to certify. Either way, ask what compliance documentation comes with the van, including for the battery and inverter installation, and keep it with the handbook.
What it costs
A large electrical fitout is an option list, so the honest way to price it is to compare the same layout with it and without it, then ask the dealer for the difference in writing.
Gas bottle refills stop. In their place you carry the up-front cost of the system, and on a run of grey days you are either paying for a powered site or driving to charge. Whether that trade works out depends on how you travel, so do the sums on your own trips rather than a brochure's.
Is electric right for you?
Worth a look if
- • You camp off powered sites for long stretches
- • You travel where gas suppliers are a long drive apart
- • You want air conditioning without running a generator
- • You have the payload headroom and the tow rating for it
- • You are comfortable spending more up front
Probably not if
- • You mostly stay at powered sites
- • Budget is the thing driving the decision
- • You would rather have gear any workshop has seen before
- • You travel in shaded or wet country for weeks on end
- • You need every kilo of payload for gear
Common questions about electric caravans
What is an electric caravan, the van or the tow car?
On this page it means the van. An electric or gasless caravan does the jobs LP gas usually does, cooking, hot water and heating, with electricity from lithium and solar instead, which means a bigger battery, more solar and more weight on the axles and the drawbar. Towing with an electric car is a separate question about the tow vehicle, and the two are often mixed up because both get called electric.
What does 48V mean on a caravan?
Power is volts multiplied by amps, so running the same appliance at 48V instead of 12V drops the current to about a quarter. The cable can be thinner and less energy is lost as heat on the way to the appliance. It is a packaging advantage rather than more power: a 12V van can run the same appliances given enough battery, enough inverter and heavy enough cable, and the higher voltage just makes that easier to build and lighter to wire.
What runs without gas in a gasless caravan?
Cooking moves to an induction cooktop, which only works with flat magnetic-base cookware, so budget for pans if yours are aluminium or copper. Hot water is heated by an electric element, and tank size and reheat time are worth asking about because showers are the biggest single draw on most days. Heating and cooling come off the same battery system.
Compare off-grid caravans
Line up solar, battery, water and weight side by side on the ranges you are considering.