Common sense would say that you can't offer more features in an RV with a more compact footprint, but challenging the status quo is something this German RV specialist does very well.
The RV industry is still booming, three years after the international health crisis that literally shuttered half the globe's population, shutting down businesses and temporarily locking us inside our homes. Travel picked up right away, with local destinations becoming favorites, which paved the way for the now-ubiquitous vanlife, the digital nomad revolution, and a fresh boom for the RV industry.
The upward trend is expected to continue for several years more, so manufacturers are busy developing new models, better layouts, enhanced autonomy, more comfort, and more variety. This one manufacturer seems determined to do all of these at once with the latest addition to its already impressive lineup.
This is the Yaseo travel trailer, dubbed "the first caravan for e-mobility." It's the latest from German maker Knaus Tabbert, a name that hardly needs any introduction in Europe. We covered some of its RVs before, including the now-iconic Caravisio demonstrator and the recent 2023 CUV Tourer, both outstanding in their own right.
Photo: Knaus Tabbert
Coming to confirm Knaus' commitment to innovation and versatility is the Yaseo, which they call the first caravan designed for EV towing or towing with a smaller ICE (internal combustion engine) car. For the sake of accuracy, this isn't the first towable made for EVs. But it is the one with the most impressive and surprising layout.
To impact the range of the electric towing car as little as possible, a trailer has to be small and lightweight. Neither of these goes with Knaus' desire to still offer a full family home, with all the creature comforts and even room to spare. So they're reconciling the irreconcilable by means of a transformable interior and multi-functional spaces and furniture.
The Yaseo is like the Swiss army knife of travel trailers in the sense that you can use features and then slide them out of sight. Convertible spaces and transformable furniture are not a novelty on the market, but the sheer number of them in a single layout still stands out.
The Yaseo offers a face-to-face dinette that becomes a bedroom by dropping the bed from the wall, a lounge that also turns into a bedroom, a fifth berth popping out of nowhere, and a bathroom that slides into existence out of itself. It's not magic, we'll explain.
These features are available on the larger floorplan, the 500 DK. It's 528 cm (17.3 feet) in length with a curb weight of weight 1,150 kg (2,535 lbs(, but it offers the same features as the much larger 790-cm (26-foot) Sudwind 580 QS. In fact, as they explain in the video below, some spaces are even bigger, including the kitchen and the bathroom.
This is possible by using multi-functional furniture. The dinette is doubled by a Murphy bed that drops on top of the seats as soon as you fold up the dining table. The lounge extends into a two-person bed. The third bunk drops from the wall it usually rests against and integrates a safety railing.
Photo: Knaus Tabbert
Remove one of the seats in the lounge and you can extend the bathroom to create a shower room. Remove a couple more from the sitting area, and you can use that space as storage for two bikes.
Knaus says the Yaseo saves as much as 20% space while presenting 14% less drag than a larger towable. It’s also rendered self-sufficient because it's no longer gas-reliant for any of the appliances, which now run on electricity instead. Using the E.POWER technology, the trailer uses the EV's V2L connection to run or can be hooked up to the grid at camp.
EV owners with serious range anxiety will argue that this is the opposite of self-sufficiency and quite a kick below the belt in terms of drainage on the battery of the towing vehicle. It's a double-edged sword, to be sure. To those, Knaus offers gas optionally.
Photo: Knaus Tabbert
As noted above, the Yaseo comes in two layouts: the ultra-compact 340 XP that sleeps two people and doesn't include the extendable bathroom (you get only a wet bath) and the multi-functional 500 DX, with its extendable bathroom and as many as five berths to fit the entire fam.
The Yaseo debuted in August at the 2023 Düsseldorf Caravan Salon and is getting ready for a string of appearances at European caravan shows. In the meantime, pre-orders are underway.
According to one media outlet, the Yaseo 340 PX starts at €22,719 (approximately $24,210 at the current exchange rate), while the versatile 300 DK has a MRSP of €29,219 ($31,134). Options range from the LGP system to fabrics, lithium battery, smart TV and sound system, and microwave, and they will add to the final price.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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