California-based Polydrops is evolving the teardrop camping trailer into a towable with a modernist, faceted design that appears influenced by the Tesla Cybertruck. Their latest, the P17A, is larger and more expensive than their previous trailer and adds an in-chassis battery pack and rooftop solar panels to allow for off-the-grid adventures. Yet it still weighs only 1,200 pounds, which makes it light enough to be towed by almost any car, including many EVs.
The P17A measures 13.6 feet in length. Gullwing doors are located on either side toward the front of the trailer, while the rear opens up as a large liftgate. The battery pack is housed within the chassis. A 2.4-kilowatt-hour unit is standard, with 4.8-kWh and 12-kWh battery packs available as upgrades. Rooftop solar panels totaling 260w or 520w are available. The batteries power the included HVAC system, and the trailer is insulated to a value of R14, which is exceptional for a trailer. An optional kitchenette includes a minifridge, a sink with a 1.6-gallon water tank, and an induction burner. The P17A sleeps two in a full-size bed.
The company claims the larger battery pack can sustain off-the-grid camping for six days. Of course, that depends greatly on one’s electricity use. The six-day claim is based on three hours of daily HVAC use, four hours of lighting, running the refrigerator for 10 hours a day and the Bluetooth speaker for seven hours.
Prices range from $24,990 for the base model with a 2.4-kWh battery pack and a 260w solar panel array to $33,790 for the 12-kWh battery upgrade and the 520w solar panels. The kitchenette is an additional $1,850, and a Bluetooth speaker system is $500. For that money, one can easily get a standard-style travel trailer that would sleep four or more and also include a bathroom. The Polydrops P17A is therefore likely to remain a rarely seen novelty, although certainly an interesting-looking one.