Honda Unveils Travel Trailer Prototype — the Base Station
In a surprise move, automaker Honda unveiled a new travel trailer prototype aimed at the North American market. Honda calls this small, lightweight trailer the Base Station. Its design offers some unique build qualities and features for RV living, but it can also serve as a smaller cargo trailer, according to the Honda press release. Naturally, it is also designed to be towed by most Honda-branded vehicles. The Base Station features a pop-up roof system similar to a vintage VW Westphalia camper. Additionally, there is an outside kitchen and spacious cargo hold that houses the bed, which also folds into a couch.
Honda Puts R&D to Work on Travel Trailer
Jane Nakagawa, vice president of the American Honda R&D Business Unit, says, “Base Station is a perfect example of what can happen when you let a team of researchers, designers and engineers pursue bold new ideas to create new value for our customers.” Nakagawa believes innovative design like the Base Station could even broaden the camping community. She says, “Just like the Motocompacto, Base Station is the product of fresh and innovative thinking. We designed it to make camping more accessible and enjoyable for families across America.”
At its core, the Base Station is a large box with three windows on the road side and two on the camp side. There is also a door, the same size as the windows, on the camp side. The entire back of the trailer is a huge hatchback, which provides the main access to the interior space. Inside the Base Station, there is a couch, which can slide along tracks to become a queen-size bed. Honda’s designers say that many people prefer providing their own organization and storage solutions. So, the Base Station offers something of a blanck slate for storage. There is a provision to add a bed into the space the pop-top provides. That provision increases the number of sleeping spaces to four.
Interestingly, the large windows on the sides of the trailer can be removed and replaced with modules that will become available. Those modules include an outdoor kitchen. The outdoor kitchen incorporates a two-burner induction cooktop, cutting board, and sink featuring a water pump. Water storage aboard is mentioned, but there has been no announcement on capacity. Further, Honda spoke to the Base Station having an air conditioner and outdoor shower.
Let’s Talk About Power and Structure
Honda stated that there was a lithium power source aboard the new travel trailer operate things like the electric furnace and also the optional outdoor kitchen. Zero emissions power off the grid is enabled through a standard lithium battery, inverter, and integrated solar panels. External power sources, whether campsite hookup or Honda generator, can be quickly connected for extended stays.
While the company’s press release spoke to solar panels, the prototype shown didn’t appear to have them. It was an initial prototype, albeit one that appeared very detailed. The basic structure of the Base Station is an aluminum frame and aluminum chassis with a fiberglass outer shell. This is similar to how companies like inTech build their trailers.
Things not shown include the furnace and details about outside storage, specific size and weight of the trailer were also not provided. The company did state that this was intended to be able to be pulled by vehicles like the CR-V, Pilot, and Passport which figures around 1,500 pounds for the boxy build.
Incidentally, the last major vehicle manufacturer in the U.S. to build an RV was GMC with their GMC Motorhome in the 1970s. Coincidentally, Honda’s R&D is celebrating half a century in the U.S., and the GMC Motorhome was in production at the time Honda started this operation.
Tony Barthel
You might also like
