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By Nick Godt Published December 17, 2024 4:34 PM
RollAway
While glamping, or glamourous camping, with electric vehicles has been a thing for a number of years, you can always count on Silicon Valley startups to take it to the next level.
RollAway, one such startup, is now offering Airbnb-style luxury “stays on wheels,” where you can climb aboard a fully-equipped electric van built by GM’s BrightDrop and take the whole experience on the road.
The company actually began offering pre-bookings for its on-wheel stays in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2023. But RollAway has now officially unveiled its first-generation “Suite on Wheels” offerings, with reservations opened for 2025. The company’s website, meanwhile, currently shows all vans already booked up through October of next year: This might be a good signal that a new trend is in the offing.
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The main concept, as featured on RollAway’s website, is that the new rental experience is: “Not a hotel. Not an AirBnb… But the ultimate stay on wheels.”
An environmentally friendly, zero-emissions commitment also features prominently in RollAway’s marketing. And the company’s commitment to sustainable traveling begins with the BrightDrop electric van promising 270 miles of range on a full charge.
But it doesn’t stop there: The “Suite on Wheels” offers expansive windows and a panoramic roof to see natural vistas of the surrounding environment while natural light “floods” every corner of the interior. And while in camping mode, an expansive rear rolling door promises to seamlessly connect the indoor with the outdoor.
The inside of the recreation vehicle (RV) features a fully-equipped kitchen, a living room/sleeping area, as well as a bathroom and shower.
The glamorous side includes five-star onboard services and amenities such as a virtual concierge, YETI amenities, Starlink Satellite Wi-Fi, Farm to Table breakfast, housekeeping, as well as Spa-Class toiletries.
While RollAway is pioneering the rental aspect, it isn’t the first company to turn GM’s BrightDrop vans into RVs. Grounded, a Detroit-based startup launched its own version in 2020.
Mercedes-Benz is also planning to release its own next-gen electric RVs in 2026.
Nick Godt has covered global business news on three continents for over 25 years.
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