While many Americans aspire to own an RV, renting from companies like Cruise America is also a popular option. Now a Silicon Valley startup aims to offer an electric alternative.
RollAway broke cover in 2023, announcing plans to rent out a fleet of electric RVs based on General Motors BrightDrop vans. It’s now accepting online reservations as of this week, Electrek reported, although the website notes that rentals appear to already be almost entirely booked up through fall 2025.
RollAway electric RV rentals
Reservation holders will get the key fob to an electric RV with what RollAway estimates is 270 miles of range, more than the 250 miles the startup originally quoted in 2023. The conversion incorporates a roll-open rear door that creates a large picture window when opened, and RollAway plans to offer hotel-like add-ons like a virtual concierge, breakfast packages, and toiletries and spare bedding to order.
While the rental angle is new—and taps into a large potential market—RollAway isn’t the first company to use GM’s BrightDrop vans for RV conversions. Detroit-based startup Grounded announced its own, less luxurious BrightDrop RV in 2023.
RollAway electric RV rentals
Mercedes-Benz vans have long been popular RV candidates, and the automaker aims to keep that momentum going with its next-generation electric vans debuting in 2026.
Conversions of commercial vans still result in vehicles smaller than traditional motorhomes, and fully-electric versions of those behemoths may be a bit further out, mainly due to charging infrastructure that isn’t scaled to these larger vehicles. In the meantime, plug-in hybrid RVs like the demonstrator shown by Airstream owner Thor Industries earlier this year could provide an electric motorhome alternative while addressing the charging conundrum.