Hey! We’re back in Detroit after a busy month of building vans and attending events, so get comfortable, because this newsletter is full of big updates!
G2 REVERANCE
We’ve officially revealed G2 Reverence, our first artist collaboration vehicle. We are proud to team up with Detroit based artist Ivan Montoya on this one of a kind art piece on wheels, blending the worlds of art, technology, and outdoors. The van features a hand painted exterior, with scenes of land and water on each side. In Ivan’s words, “It is a canvas that reflects the spirit of adventure and reverence for the natural world”.
Check out our instagram (@groundedrvs) to see detailed photos, behind the scenes videos, and time-lapse's of Ivan’s work coming together.
The exterior isn’t the only thing with a fresh coat of paint… we’ve been hard at work improving the interior too. We’ve replaced the UV coated plywood with red oak, giving the walls a more premium look and feel. The door handles and rail-mounted accessories also received a makeover, with our refreshed branding being represented inside the van through neon green powder coating. This new process unlocks opportunities for even more customization!
The shower has been completely overhauled, with a more space efficient design resulting in a larger usable area inside the wet room. The focus on material choice continues, with subtle white tiling adorning the walls for a premium waterproof surface. We also updated the handles and shower head, opting for minimal but functional options that complement the wall material well.
GROUNDED'S FIRST EXPO
Our first experience at an expo was an enjoyable one. The scale of Overland Expo took us a second to wrap our heads around, and we were placed at the heart of a sprawling site filled with the best suppliers, manufacturers, and upfitters in the overlanding world. This gave us a fantastic opportunity to build relationships with fellow builders, explore opportunities with suppliers for future development, and meet adventurers staying in the campsite.
We were delighted to receive such a positive response from everyone who checked out the van, and hearing what features people value most is hugely helpful in guiding our efforts to continually improve our products. Feedback from the expo highlighted the modular rail system, tall ceilings, and new shower design as standout features of this new G2.
Our next expo will be Electrify Expo in Austin, Texas on November 9th and 10th. This will be a great opportunity to meet the team and tour the vehicle, so let us know if you plan on attending so we can make your visit special! If you can’t make it to Austin, let us know where you want us to visit next - We’re planning on a lot more events next year so we want to hear where you want us to go!
EXPLORING THE ROCKIES IN AN ELECTRIC RV
The last segment of our trip was dedicated to adventure. We left Loveland and headed West into the Rocky Mountain National Park, where we knew we’d find some exhilarating driving roads and plenty of backdrops for photoshoots.
Charging infrastructure is expanding at a rapid pace, and we were able to pick from a multitude of options around the park entrance. We plugged into a fast charger in Estes Park and grabbed some food and coffee in an effort to keep the humans charged up too. It was a seamless experience; All it took was plugging in the CCS charger and tapping our Chargepoint card and we had gained more than enough range by the time we were done with our food.
The driving roads were incredible! We drove the G2 along a tight, twisting road that cut through the mountain. The scenery had the whole team speechless on countless occasions, and it felt like we passed through five completely different sceneries in the span of a few hours. We progressed from the jagged rocks, to long winding roads lined by thick trees, before an endless climb higher and higher into the clouds finally culminated at the peak of our drive in what genuinely felt like the rolling hills of Scotland’s Highlands.
Along this fantastic drive, we made sure to stop to get some content for our refreshed website and our Instagram page (@groundedrvs, which you should definitely follow!). We had a blast shooting the van in all of these backdrops, and it prompted Nadia to say “Ridonculous” on many occasions. The only time our faces weren’t locked into a smile was when our rookie drone pilot (and CEO) crashed our brand-new drone into a tree. I’ll be posting that video on Instagram soon, so if enough of you follow us to see that video, we can chalk it down as a worthwhile sacrifice.
Knowing there was no phone signal in the mountains, we bought some cheap walkie-talkies to let us communicate between the G2 and the photography car. We quickly found out that you get what you pay for… We did our best to interpret the hand signals coming from the opposite vehicle, but thankfully Starlink came to the rescue later into the journey. As we progressed further up the mountain, the G2 broke free of tree cover and had a clear view into the sky, providing us with fast internet and the ability to FaceTime the other vehicle. Finally, we regained our ability to communicate!
The all wheel drive climbed up steep hills without breaking a sweat, even on gravel, but it was the regenerative braking whilst going downhill that impressed us the most. We coasted down the steep decline steadily, and our eyes watched in amazement as we saw the remaining range estimate on screen increase by the minute. By the end of it all, the estimate increased by nearly 60 miles between the turnaround point atop a 10,000ft elevation viewing point and our final destination - a delicious Thai restaurant nestled in the middle of a small skiing town.
We had a great time in Colorado, and are eagerly looking forward to our next expo in Austin. Reply to this email if you want more information on that trip, and follow @groundedrvs on Instagram to stay in the loop.
See ya,
Nick Fitzpatrick
Co-Founder & Head of Design
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