A new Bowlus travel trailer is always a welcome addition to the American road, in both figurative and literal senses. And each stage of the evolution of the firm’s catalog does appear to in some sense echo the popular sensibilities holding forth in this country.

The firm’s Road Chief Endless Highways and its polished aluminum fuselage lit up the asphalt labyrinth in the summer of 2019; the spring of 2020 saw the model’s social-distancing-inspired Performance Edition cruise past, drawing second takes wherever it traveled, and curiosity wherever it put down its landing gear for an extended stay.

This year’s Bowlus breaks new design ground. It looks the part of a Bowlus — shimmering, bullet-shaped, and evocative of its namesake, a former aeronautics designer who turned to RVs in the 1930s — but it hides a green soul. It’s called the Volterra, and it is an all-electric design that aligns Bowlus with the conscience of the automotive industry and puts it at the forefront of its niche. No propane, no generator, no CO₂ (although a backup propane heat source can be optioned for those looking to spend winter in the Volterra)_.

Firstly, the most essential fact: the Volterra can exist off the grid indefinitely. It is loaded with 17 kWh of lithium iron phosphate batteries, on its roof is discreetly installed a solar panel array, and it carries 150% more fresh water than any previous model to emerge from the company. As for its interiors, they’re thoroughgoingly Bowlus, linking the company’s 1930s models with the contemporary sensibilities that inform its reboot.

Other details of the Volterra include the fact that it can give your EV an emergency charge worth about 65 miles of travel, and that it is satellite internet-ready.

The Bowlus Volterra starts at $310,000.