Departure

We have 91% autonomy. While planning the trip to the Lac Etchemin campground, the car suggested we stop at the Sainte-Eulalie supercharger in Madrid.

Route

Once on the road, we try to follow a truck in order to increase our autonomy through the suction effect. To do this, you have to position yourself two car distances away. We notice that our consumption decreases to approximately 180W per KM versus 280W without the suction technique. The technique really seems to work!

We arrive in Madrid where our autonomy is currently at 59%. We recharge our vehicle for about 10 minutes via the superchargers.

Arrival at the campsite

To get there, we had to stop twice to load up. We are at 45% autonomy and an average consumption of around 294W per KM. We finally reach our newly renovated campsite. We settle down and prepare to spend the night.

We are forced to charge the car at 8 amps because the circuit breaker keeps tripping. Rather surprising for new installations! It will therefore take 24 hours to fully charge the car. However, as we are spending the weekend here, there is no stress to be had.

Miller Zoo Tour

Following the overnight charge, we are at 75%. Consumption is doing very well. The zoo is located about forty kilometers from the campsite. Let’s go to see the animals!

Early return

Since it is raining today, we decide to move up our return. The light rain allows us to store our gear without it getting soaked. We leave for Lévis with an autonomy of 86%.

Weekend review

It was a very nice weekend! The campsite is very beautiful and well maintained. For the charge, we needed two recharges to go, about fifteen minutes maximum each, totaling approximately 50% charge. It would have been possible to do the trip on a single charge, according to what the car suggested to us. However, since we had planned to go to the Miller Zoo located about forty kilometers from the campsite. We therefore preferred to be careful, also not knowing how the charging would take place at the campsite. To be honest, we did well, since at the campsite, as mentioned, we had to recharge at 8 amps because the circuit breaker kept tripping. Following this incident, the person responsible for maintenance came to change the plug, which solved the problem and allowed us to charge more quickly afterwards. The service is therefore excellent at the campsite! For the return, we made the same stops for charging. The road and consumption were very similar.

To conclude, we announce that we are going very soon to Lac Taureau where we anticipate a good challenge since there are very few charging stations. Check our blog regularly to learn all about this crisp adventure!

L’article Should you charge your Tesla several times from Ste-Julie en Beauce? est apparu en premier sur RV for EV.

Today, we are going for an impromptu picnic in Estrie with our Bonair trailer pulled by our Tesla Y. We tell you about the little unexpected things we encountered!

We leave with our vehicle loaded at 80%. At the beginning, our average consumption is 163W while driving. We will follow this closely during the road and see the result. We are heading to the Eastern Townships with no plan in mind. We have the TerraGo application in hand to help us in our adventure.

On the road, our consumption increases and is now around 241W.

We decide to follow the road to Magog in order to rent bikes. However, since we came with the trailer, there is no place where we can park. We are asked to park at a distance of about 3KM and walk back to rent the bikes. Let’s say it’s not easy! We feel far from the “van life” where we can go as we want.

We then arrive at Parc de la Pointe-Merry in Magog where we stop for a picnic.

After three unsuccessful attempts, we finally arrive at the parking lot of Escapades Memphrémagog accepting RVs. We will then go for a short family hike on nearby trails.

Once the ride is over, we head to a Tesla supercharger station, just to charge ourselves before the return road. Only 10 minutes to recharge to reach halfway, just enough time to buy us a little refreshment before returning.

Review of our improvised picnic

Before leaving, it is necessary to plan in advance where it is possible to park your RV. We did not know that the majority of parking lots were prohibited with a

trailer. Vans are accepted everywhere. All around the lake, all the parking lots were one lane, so we couldn’t park there. Finally, we

We cooked on the induction hob inside the trailer, even though we had our barbecue. We then ate in a park. In all honesty, it’s not exactly what we had in mind! However, this allowed us to test the transport of the trailer in new conditions, a much more mountainous and very windy region.

We got great results! On the driveway, we broke records, averaging 230W per KM. On the way back, it’s something else! In hindsight, maybe we should have been wary and done a full charge instead of half. We arrived in Sainte-Julie with about 40 KM of range remaining, we also had messages indicating that the car might not start again if it was switched off. The consumption varied between 330W and 380W of the KM, which was closer to the results shared by other campers. We also realized that despite the aerodynamic shape of the trailer, we still feel the wind very well. Our little impromptu getaway certainly bolstered our previous purchase of the CHAdeMo adapter. It is reassuring in these cases to know that it is possible to charge quickly even if there are no superchargers nearby.

All in all, it was a pleasant day, once parked, we discovered trails to explore which kept our day busy! Check our website regularly to read our latest articles!

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L’article Leave unexpectedly with a Tesla Y and a Bonair trailer est apparu en premier sur RV for EV.

Installation of the shower

We are about to install the shower where the toilet is. Only small problem, we do not know what is hidden under the fiberglass. To avoid having surprises, using a camera, we will pass under the chests of the bed located at the front in order to see what is there. On the camera, we see that there is a space of about 1 inch and a half between the bottom of the trailer and the bottom of the shower. We are therefore confident that it will be possible to drill the bottom of the shower, then the bottom of the trailer. The hole is now drilled. This will allow us to install the drain purchased at the hardware store. The chosen drain is a sink drain that has a very thin edge which will allow water to flow easily. Now we install the drain, which we glue with silicone. We choose not to use the small rubber included. The reason being that with the rubber, the rim will be too big for the water to run off. The piping system used for the shower is the same as that for the sink and the toilet located under the trailer. In addition, in the event of a spill, there is no danger since the flow would occur under the trailer.

We are now down to installing the faucets. For the installation we have chosen “quick plug” type taps to save a little time. We add some Teflon sealing tape and then we are ready to install them. Then all that remains is to connect the pipes to have access to cold and hot water when we are stationary.

Accessories used for the shower

• Sink drain
• Drain adapter
• Shower faucets
• PVC elbow
• 2 cookie cutters to punch the holes

Installation of canvases

We decided to replace the original curtains in order to modernize the look of the trailer. Ideally, we would have chosen black canvases to go with our design, but we couldn’t find any. All the stores visited offered canvas only on request at a cost of $50 and we did not want to pay such an amount. That’s why we opted for these canvases from IKEA that we could have immediately at a cost of $42. The result is great and allows you to darken the trailer well. All that remains is to install a small hook at the bottom so that the canvases mold to the rounded shape of the trailer.

Hope these tips help you with your renovations! More in our next articles.

L’article Unprecedented renovations of our caravan est apparu en premier sur RV for EV.

Renovations in the kitchen

We now have a bench that covers the table. This allows us to have a space to sleep and in theory, this is where our 2 girls will spend the night!

We also changed the refrigerator as seen in episode 3, for a real refrigerator, more spacious, converted for 12V. It has a little strap to prevent the door from rolling open.

The old laminate countertop was replaced by a wooden one. The sink, faucet and latch handles were also changed to improve the look.

We replaced the curtains with linens from IKEA to modernize the look.

We usually cook with an induction cooker outside, since we don’t have a hood inside. We preferred not to build it into the countertop and thus keep a larger surface.

Renovations to the toilet

It’s small, but it does the job! We have the shower phone, equipped with 2 hooks, which was installed with the drain.

Electrical renovations

First of all, we installed a fairly complete control. We can turn the water pump on and off with the push of a button. It is a small blue light that allows us to quickly see if it is on. Then there is a button to turn off all the electricity in the trailer except for the refrigerator. If we are in panic mode, this button will allow us to maximize the remaining autonomy by cutting off everything that works on the 12V and the 5V. There is also a cigarette lighter type plug that allows us to plug in, for example, a cooler, a sweeper, etc. Finally, there are 2 USB plugs of 2.5 amps each that allow us to recharge our phones quickly.

Then, let’s go to the multimeter or voltmeter which allows us to see the amperage consumed or gained, in voltage, in watts or in amperes. As soon as there is sunlight, we see that it goes into recharge mode, meaning that the panels are doing their job well. This is very interesting since it allows us to adapt our consumption according to the different indicators. There are also 2 other USB ports. It is also possible for us to turn on the “inverter” module of Renogy brand to supply the 110V power outlets. It allows to have 2000W of electricity on the 110V. We also have a lithium battery of 170 amps hidden in the front which allows a good autonomy for our needs. If we want to go a little further, in a 100% autonomous mode for a week of camping, we will have to monitor the consumption and evaluate if a second battery is needed. The module also allows, when we are plugged in, to recharge the battery in conjunction with the solar panels. Moreover, it is possible to adjust the charging amperage.

Future work

Whether to cool or heat, the solution remains to be found. For air conditioning, we have not found anything small enough and we do not want to install anything on the roof. During our research, we saw someone who would have an air cooler running on 12V, to be continued! As for the heat, for now we use a Dyson type fan, allowing us to make hot and cold air, in a silent way.

That’s it for the guided tour! Check our site regularly to follow our next renovations via our articles!

L’article Visit our renovated Bonair Oxygen trailer est apparu en premier sur RV for EV.

This is the most practical method. Quite simply, because the vehicle recharges during the night, which allows us to have a full electrical charge for the next day. We currently have a FLO station with a J772 connection. Before, we had a Nissan Leaf car and we decided not to change our terminal, since the Tesla comes with an adapter to convert the J772 connector into a Tesla connector.

For the use, it is very simple. Just plug the connector into the Tesla socket. It is possible to set in the Tesla, the maximum load desired as 50% or a number of KM. For our part, we set the charge to 50%, because this is more than enough for our needs. However, when we plan to transport the trailer, we will program a charge between 90% and 100% in order to make a considerable journey.

2. Portable terminal

We use the 110V portable charging station included with the Tesla. With the connection for 240V, the terminal becomes quite powerful and will almost reach the charging speed of the FLO terminal. It is also possible to order a set of connections compatible with the Tesla. The connector we are interested in is the TT-30 which could allow us to connect directly to a trailer terminal when we are camping. However, the trailer terminals can have 30 amps, 50 amps, etc.. We therefore recommend that you adjust the amperage according to the terminal and maybe even below in order to be careful.

3. Tesla Supercharger

There are many of them in Quebec, but some regions are more advantaged than others. Today, we went to Quartier DIX30, in Brossard. The charging station is located in an underground parking lot, so it is not very practical, if not impossible, to get there with your trailer. To charge, you just have to unhook the charging gun, press the little button to open the door protecting the plug and then plug in. The terminal is activated and indicates the time remaining to complete the charge. You should always avoid exceeding 80% of charge in order not to wear out your battery prematurely. Ideally, we advise you to charge only what you use. The charging station recognizes our vehicle and our account as soon as we plug it in, which allows us to use it without a card, since the cost will be charged directly to the credit card linked to the account. Please note that only Tesla vehicles can use these charging stations.

4. CHAdeMO connector and electrical circuit terminal

The first step is to connect the adapter to the CHAdeMO connector on the electrical circuit. The second step is to authenticate using the power circuit card. We have a fund of $50 on our circuit board account for some time now. Normally, each charge costs us about $5 to $10. We then open the door to the outlet, connect, and press the green button to start charging.

Why a CHAdeMO adapter when Tesla supercharge stations are quite widespread in Quebec?

Simply because there are still some areas that are not covered and some of the campsites we want to visit are among them.

We hope that this article has inspired you to tow your trailer with your electric vehicle. Visit our website regularly to read our latest articles!

L’article 4 ways to charge your Tesla and tow your trailer est apparu en premier sur RV for EV.

Arrivée au camping

À l’arrivée, nous sommes à 62% de batterie. Le niveau de consommation électrique est très intéressant, soit 292WH par KM. En considérant que le réservoir d’eau est plein et que nous sommes remplis de bagages, c’est très bon! 

Nous allons nous promener au camping. Le comité des loisirs organise plusieurs activités pour tous les âges, aujourd’hui, c’est la poule aux œufs d’or! 

Rencontre avec Patrick Perron, organisateur des activités au camping Oasis

Quelles sont les activités offertes cette année aux loisirs?

On retrouve deux types d’activités : les activités régulières pétanque, fer, etc. Puis les activités spéciales, comme la poule aux œufs d’or. Étant un camping familial, nous prenons soin de toujours organiser la version enfant. Cette année, la plus grosse activité prévue est la Fête de la St-Jean Baptiste qui tombe pile avec les mesures de déconfinement ou il sera possible de tenir de plus gros rassemblement.

Comment les activités sont-elles financées?

Si on prend l’exemple de la poule aux œufs d’or, cette activité à un penchant levée de fonds permettant ainsi de financer d’autres activités. La façon d’organiser ces activités gratuites pour les jeunes est donc de faire des activités payantes. Un autre exemple est la collecte officielle des canettes chaque dimanche qui permet d’amasser plusieurs milliers de dollars.

La situation avec la COVID-19 nous oblige à être créatifs. Par exemple, la poule aux œufs d’or se fait normalement dans une salle. Pour qu’elle puisse avoir lieu, nous avons fait une version mobile afin d’éviter les rassemblements. Surprise! Cette formule a permis de toucher plus de personnes. Certaines des activités conserveront donc cette formule même lors du retour à la normale. Pour être au courant de toutes les activités, visitez la page Facebook du camping oasis.

Petit arrêt à la boucherie St-Paul pour le souper, au menu steaks Tomahawk!

Recharge au camping

Ce qui est génial au camping oasis, c’est qu’il y a une borne de recharge électrique. Si comme nous, vous souhaitez vivre une expérience de camping branché, nous avons listé ici, sur notre site, tous les campings qui sont munis de bornes électriques.

Ajustement pour la deuxième nuit

Pour la deuxième nuit, nous laisserons dormir les filles dans la roulotte et nous testerons le confort de la Tesla et de son mode camping en dormant sur un matelas soufflé à la belle étoile du toit panoramique.

Bilan du premier weekend

Nous avons eu toutes les températures possibles: vent, pluie, chaleur, soleil, mais tout s’est très bien déroulé, même notre nuit dans la Tesla. Nous sommes très satisfaits de notre roulotte, elle nous permet de tout faire et nous sommes contents de vivre davantage l’expérience du vrai camping.

Suivez-nous nos aventures dans d’autres campings dans nos prochains articles!

L’article Camping Oasis en Tesla : Notre 1er weekend en camping! est apparu en premier sur RV for EV.

Replacement of the radio

We begin by disconnecting the radio, connected just above the sink, we are going to be able to recover this space. We replace the radio for the MB Quart GMR3 model which will allow us to save space according to its smaller size and the new more optimal place where we decided to position it.

Change of the ceiling lights

We take the opportunity to change the ceiling lights for LED lights. In addition to having a better clarity, the LED lights consume a little less and have a longer life span.

Installation of the solar panels

First, prepare the panels by installing the aluminum mounting brackets. Then we have to plan their position on the roof. We also bought a wire cover in which we can hide them and give them a cleaner look. When it came time to install the second panel, we wondered if we should leave the front space empty for transportation. After some costing, we decided to install it in the front anyway. The installation is not easy, but we take our time to make sure we do it right. Next step is to connect the controller and then the electricity. We install the control plate where the old radio was. To pass the wires from the roof, we use the moldings since it is impossible to pass the wires in the walls, since they are filled.

Summary of the electrical installations

2 solar panels of 200W of Renogy brand: $206
Controller: $49
2000W inverter: $599
170 amp battery to allow for a total consumption of at least 2000W: $1149

This will easily power the 36W refrigerator, water pump, LED lighting. Currently, not to mention the 110V elements we have a great autonomy. We will also be able to run the induction cooker, the fan and a small pellet barbecue. The only elements for which we will need more autonomy will be the water heater and the heating, since they are elements that run for a very long time, so on the inverter, it is not enough with 170 amps of battery. So to do that, we would have to add a battery and have more solar panels.

Anyway, since what we prefer is to be plugged in from campsite to campsite and we don’t really do wilderness camping, our current autonomy is more than enough. We will therefore evaluate in the long term our needs to add new panels and another battery.

Verdict of the consumption

After a few days of using the solar panels and the refrigerator, the battery never goes below 94%. Jean-François comes back from work and it is maintained at 100%. Even if it is not yet very hot outside, with these data, we are convinced that we are autonomous for at least a week by powering the radio, the refrigerator, the water pump and the lights.

L’article Use solar panels to power your trailer est apparu en premier sur RV for EV.

We went shopping at Home Depot to find everything we needed for our renovations.

Step 1: Demolition

Before installing all our new purchases, we first have to make room for them! At this stage, we remove the old sink, the faucets, the old countertop and even the drawers. We keep only the wooden structure.

Step 2: Preparing the countertop

As for the countertop, we chose a wood countertop. Eric takes care of cutting the countertop to fit the dimensions required for the installation of the sink. Then, we varnish the countertop for the first time.

Step 3: Installing the countertop and the sink

It is now time to install the sink on the countertop, and then to assemble it to the countertop structure. It is also at this stage that we must connect the various pipes. We start by installing the “S” shaped trap to organize the new piping. Once this step is completed, we connect the different water pipes in the places provided for this purpose.

We take advantage of these renovations to install new drawer slides on bearings on each side of the drawers. The old drawers were constantly moving from left to right, which was not ideal for the road! For this purpose, we use what we like to call a “hook” screwdriver, which is a screwdriver with a deviated angle tip. The right angle allows us to reach tight areas, very practical for this kind of work. Small adjustment required, we have to reduce the size of the drawer because of the new runners. We adjust the size to the required dimensions by removing the side, then cutting the bottom and re-connecting the side. The drawer now fits perfectly.

Step 4: Installing the backsplash

First, we clean the backsplash wall with Trisodium Phosphate Powder (T.S.P.) to prepare the surface. For the backsplash, we chose self-adhesive tiles. We carefully glued each panel, adjusting them to the surface and applying constant pressure to maximize adhesion.

The kitchen makeover is now complete! The result is an updated wood countertop, a modern black sink with a shower faucet and a self-adhesive backsplash that looks great! The only drawback is that the cabinet handles with latches that we bought cannot be installed on our doors because the holes for the handles are already drilled. We will have to find another solution to keep the doors closed. To be continued in a future article!

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2Oo3pF4eX4[/embedyt]

L’article 4 easy steps to makeover the kitchen of your trailer est apparu en premier sur RV for EV.

Who is cooking for us tonight? It is a nomadic chef from Quebec and originally from France named Loïs Bus who will treat our taste buds to celebrate Marie-Pier’s birthday. It is important for Loïs to use fresh and local products, that’s why for the preparation of his dishes, he carefully chooses food and producers from Quebec.

Guided tour of the bus

Before the meal, Loïs proposes us to make a visit of the bus. We discover a small freezer and a conventional oven. The bus is equipped with a small wood stove to heat the winter. Yes yes, Loïs lived there this winter, he travelled in Gaspésie, in Mauricie and in Charlevoix. He admits that it’s not always easy, it can happen that he wakes up in the morning and the water is frozen or that he has to change the propane outside when it is -30 degrees. “It’s work!” Lois admits.

Process and precautions

As the meal approaches, we are excited! It’s already been several months since we could eat in a restaurant here. We are looking forward to eating something different. Of course, the sanitary measures are respected to the letter. Lois cooks all the meals in her bus and comes to serve us afterwards. When serving, we all wear masks.

Lois’ kitchen

We had a 4 course meal. First, a bison tartar on home made bread, thinly sliced. Then, we were treated to pan-fried sea scallops from the Magdalen Islands. For the main course, we enjoyed a land and sea duo of filet mignon in Whiskey sauce and giant Ŝept-Îles shrimp accompanied by homemade pasta, made by Lois, right off her bus. For dessert, Loïs concocted us a Saguenay blueberry panna cotta. We hope that the description of our menu didn’t make your mouth water! The verdict of our dinner? We ate a king’s supper! A meal worthy of a great restaurant.

The formula and the different dishes of Lois conquered us so much, that we are thinking of inviting him a second time, to our company in order to have an employee dinner. To be continued!

Despite the unusual content, we hope you enjoyed our little personal getaway. Through all these renovations, a little break sometimes does a lot of good!

Tags: bus, cooking, meal, gastronomy

To follow Loïs Bus :

Site web : https://loisbus.com/ 

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/buslois 

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/lois.bus/ 

Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1KA4dhOEmsB9wr9z9YWVyQ 

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntcSowhtWwk[/embedyt]

L’article Forget the Tesla, here is a gourmet bus for your birthday! est apparu en premier sur RV for EV.

Choosing your fabric

It was time to choose a fabric to cover our cushions. It is at Club Tissues that we choose our cover fabrics. We choose two very similar fabrics that match perfectly. One that we find in the clearance section at $10 per meter and one at full price, at $19 per meter. Why two fabrics? Simply because we were afraid of running out by taking only the one in liquidation! We chose high quality, neutral colored fabrics to ensure that they would age well over time. Initially, the benches were covered with a fabric with flowers and boats patterns, no longer really up to date. We decided to recover the “leatherette” fabric that was under the original benches. The total cost for the fabric was $300.

To be adequately equipped

We also take the opportunity to get some very useful accessories for the project:

• Fabric scissors to be precise in the cut and to limit fraying: $12
• Rolls of thread to assemble everything: $19.77
• A fabric pencil to guide us during the cutting process. : 5,99$

For a total of $37.76.

All that’s left to do is to start making them!

Making the cushions

First, we trace the pieces according to the shape and size of the cushions, then we cut them. Then they are ironed to make sure they are flat, without wrinkles or marks. The whole family gets involved!

Now it’s time to assemble the pieces!

Because each project has its own challenges, a broken zipper, round shaped cushions…We quickly understand that some cushions are easier to sew than others! It’s in the middle of the sewing process that we realize that the 2 700$ charged by the upholsterer were maybe justified!

Let’s test our cushions!

Let’s put the cushions to the test! We are quite satisfied with the result, the combination of the leatherette recovered from the old cushions and the new fabrics give a very nice result. There are still a few covers to be produced, the ones for the backs and a large cushion. It is possible that they will give us a hard time because of their rounded shape, but we are confident!

It is with the collaboration of the whole family that we managed to make the cushions ourselves and we are very proud! In spite of a few small problems, this home-made project allowed us to save an important amount of money that could be used for other purposes in our trailer!

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpvW4Z94meY[/embedyt]

L’article Sew the cushions of your trailer yourself! est apparu en premier sur RV for EV.