My son has grown up traveling the world in purpose-built campers. He has had the opportunity to experience every shape and size of overland vehicle in a real-world, global travel environment. He has been planning his own adventure vehicle since he was 12 (he is now 23) and has spent thousands of hours staring out of the window as the world passed by, dreaming of the perfect setup for his own exploration. Guess which vehicle he has identified as the perfect vehicle. The Defender? I wish. A Toyota Land Cruiser Troopy? Nope. A Unimog with a GS 1200 hanging off the back? Wrong again. He, at 6-foot 3-inches tall and north of 250 pounds, has decided that the diminutive Suzuki Super Carry is the be-all and end-all of overland vehicles. The Super Carry! Asked incredulously why, he responds with a haughty grin: size, fuel economy, capability, interior space, character, availability of spare parts, reliability, internal and external (rooftop tent) living space, and manga.
He also plans to have a home base and use the vehicle for limited exploration; a childhood spent on the road is enough.
The Adventure 1 is a unique, electric vehicle built for a specific purpose and will appeal greatly to the right person or couple who would like to have the best of all worlds as it is “an exclusive off-road vehicle designed to take an expedition vehicle experience to the destinations of a UTV.” Essentially this means that as a UTV, there are limitations to where it can be driven on public roads, but there are few limits to where it can be driven off-road. At first, this seems like a significant disadvantage but let’s not compare apples with pears. A traditional overland vehicle is designed and built to accommodate a traveler and to be suitable for the type of exploration they enjoy, be that van life road tripping or deep mud jungle treks and everything in between. There is always a compromise. It seems that the niche for this vehicle is as a base camp explorer, a vehicle that can be towed or carried to an area and then used for excursions into the wild where, after a day of hard work, the occupant can relax and recuperate in style before returning to the base camp (most likely a Class A RV) to recharge. No, this concept does not appeal to everyone, but the Adventure 1 is not built for everyone; the vehicle will be built and sold in limited quantities to a discerning clientele. My son is undoubtedly impressed.
Now for the specifics. The Adventure 1 offers a dual electric motor, is 64 inches wide with a built-in roof rack, and, apparently, enough dry storage for two full-sized motorcycles. The integrated kitchen and bed solution is a custom-designed camp module that the overland equipment experts at Egoé provide with everything needed to cook and sleep in comfort in remote places. This will be the first vehicle to feature Egoé’s Nest concept as factory equipment. Czech-based Egoé expanded into North America in 2021 with the goal of providing elegantly designed “Nestboxes” and other camping equipment to the rapidly growing overland market. With a collection of design awards, including a 2020 Red Dot, the Egoé Nestbox has been hugely successful in enabling European adventures since its launch in 2016.
Off-Road OS, Potential Motors’ vehicle control system will proactively adapt torque and suspension for the vehicle’s terrain, ensuring optimal performance in all situations without manual adjustments. This system is designed to enable experienced riders to go further and entice new off-road adventurers. Power paired with a 40-degree approach angle, 45-degree departure angle and a 29-degree breakover angle coupled with a low center of gravity, ensures that the Adventure 1 is an agile off-roader. The goal is clearly a unique experience.
The sunk-in roof load area is appealing if interior space is not compromised, as it seems a secure location for gear. This high-tech mountain goat is said to offer 100 miles off-road range from a 70kWh battery pack.
The Adventure 1 will be road legal in many American states where UTVs and OHVs can be licensed on non-highway roads.
Potential Motors develops electric off-road RVs and vehicle control systems for off-road vehicles. Headquartered in New Brunswick, Canada, Potential Motors aims to accelerate the electrification of off-road through selling low-volume, category-defining vehicles and through supplying vehicle control systems to off-road OEMs. Potential Motors is a VC-backed startup that has raised $6.5M CAD/$5M to date from investors such as Marc Benioff’s Time Ventures and Brightspark Ventures.
Available for pre-order upon launch in September 2022, the Adventure 1 will be on display at Overland Expo East in Arrington, Virginia, from 7-9 October 2022.
From $136,600
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