The New Campworks NS-1 Teardrop Trailer Is Just as Badass But Better, Can Now Charge EVs

This is the NS-1 EV or NS-1 Micro-Grid, the latest iteration of the NS-1, the teardrop trailer Campworks introduced last year as the ideal off-road and off-grid-capable unit for adventurers and digital nomads. The NS-1, Campworks said at the time, may have even reinvented the teardrop trailer by delivering the perfect unit.

As it turns out, you can improve on perfection. This month, Campworks introduced the NS-1 Micro-Grid, the only OEM RV or trailer ever to be built with 9,000 W 240v electrical output, a perfect recreational product that guarantees comfortable, a full list of amenities, reliability, and the ability to charge the towing EV or even power up the entire campsite. In short – and Campworks goes to great lengths to highlight this – it’s the teardrop trailer that allows you to “Live where you are,” which also happens to be the company’s motto.

“Energy is a currency,” Kristian Rene, Campworks Director of Community, says. “It is actual power, and if you have it, your ability to do work, to explore, to build, to then rest, is that change we wish to see in the world. […] Energy has undeniable value, but it's most valuable if it's well managed. The operator must be able to travel with the generator. You're not just off-grid in an NS-1; you own your own energy and grid, you own your mobility.”

So what does this mean exactly? It means that where the NS-1 in basic configuration offered 200 W of fixed solar cells, a 200-Ah lithium-iron-phosphate battery, and a 3,000 W inverter, the NS-1 Micro-Grid comes with 5,000 W mobile off-grid energy at 240 volts, 5,500 Wh liFePO4 battery with capacity up to 11,000 Wh, and 1,840 Wh solar energy. You can also charge the battery at any outlet in the world, thanks to a 100-260 volt input, and one single charge will last four people up to a week without even having to rely on solar.

Improvements are visible in other areas as well: the NS-1 Micro-Grid is now described as a studio apartment with a loft. The accuracy of that statement is highly dependent on your definition of an “apartment,” but the comparison is prompted by the fact that the roof comes with a pop-up tent that can sleep two more people. It still has the storage racks of its predecessor, but the space is utilized to expand the habitat.

The water tank is also larger, holding 25 gallons (94.6 liters) of water. The standard kitchen is now the chef’s variant, with a heightened countertop, dual-burner cooktop, integrated storage, and all the appliances you need to throw together tasty, full meals for the entire party.

Inside, the camper offers comfortable sleeping on a queen-size mattress, and there are hard wood cabinets both at its foot and head, with the possibility to add customized drawers. The interior is sound-proofed and insulated for cold weather, which helps create a cozy space that doesn’t feel cramped even though it’s very compact.

The previous NS-1 had a dinette under the bed, which doubled as an office. That option seems to have been removed in favor of more storage underneath, presumably on the consideration that you can work on your laptop even in bed or when you’re outside.

The list of standard features on the NS-1 Micro-Grid includes the composite unibody with steel-plated underbody, 19-inch (48.2-cm) ground clearance and a 25-degree departure angle, fully programmed digital electrical systems, outdoor shower, hot water and AC, and a dry weight of 1,700 pounds (771 kg). Materials used are premium, from the U.S.-made Nishati solar panels with Merlin solar cells, the interior lining, and the wood for the cabinetry, appliances, and technology used.

“If we design and manufacture the best product possible, it becomes a tool. Your equipment should be an asset, never a liability,” the same Rene explains.

Starting at $65,000, the NS-1 Micro-Grid is clearly a premium product, but Campworks envisions a future in which such self-sufficient off-grid units could tackle the issue of homelessness or be used in emergency response situations. A self-titled perfect teardrop trailer with serious off-grid credentials and the ability to serve as a micro-grid for charging other vehicles, and a heart of gold – it might just prove to be an irresistible combination.