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Winnebago’s compact Elora and its Rosa twin are targeting RV noobs.

20-ft, V6-powered motorhome sleeps four passengers but can carry six.

Single fuel setup eliminates propane hassles and keeps camping simple.

Buying your first motorhome can feel like signing up for a second career and a second mortgage. Between propane tanks, unfamiliar controls, oversized dimensions and oversized price tags, there’s plenty to get your head around. Winnebago ’s answer is the new Elora and Resa, compact Class C campers designed to make RV life far less intimidating.

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Built on the Ram ProMaster chassis, Elora and Resa are identical motorhomes wearing different badges, continuing a long standing Winnebago tradition. The newcomer stretches just over 20 feet (6.1 m) long and aims to deliver driving manners that feel much closer to a regular vehicle, or smaller Class-B RV, than a traditional Class C. Winnebago says the narrower body makes parking and maneuvering less stressful, while still providing seating for six and sleeping space for four.

More: $1.1 Million Chevy Is A Tiny Penthouse On Wheels

Inside, flexibility is the name of the game. The whole interior looks kind of spartan and utilitarian, but the rear lounge converts into a queen bed, while a powered overhead bed drops down when it’s time to sleep. Fold everything away and the rear transforms into a generous cargo area for bikes, outdoor gear or whatever else your weekend adventure requires.

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Winnebago has also tried to remove some of the little frustrations that come with RV ownership for first-timers. Instead of juggling propane alongside gasoline for the ProMaster ‘s 3.6-liter V6, the Elora runs everything from a single gasoline supply. An integrated lithium battery system handles onboard power, while simplified controls are designed so owners can spend more time enjoying the trip instead of figuring out how everything works.

Hybrid Bathroom

The bathroom uses a clever hybrid wet and dry layout that maximizes the available space by letting users swinging the wall containing the sink across the toilet on the opposite side to reveal a shower area. And the RV kitchen has most of the hardware you’d expect of a bricks and mortar home, including an induction cooktop, sink, combination microwave oven and a tall refrigerator.

The Elora and Resa arrive at dealers this month with a starting price of $153,772. That’s still a significant amount of cash for most of us, but in the world of new motorhomes where some Class C Winnies cost twice as much, and some VIP trailers are 10x the price , it’s one of the more approachable ways to trade hotel bookings for weekends on the road.

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Winnebago

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The Slate Truck’s options can nearly double its attractive entry-level price.

Converting the pickup into an SUV adds thousands before accessories even begin.

Customization is the brand’s biggest strength and its biggest pricing trap.

Slate has built its entire pitch around simplicity, affordability and endless customization. Those goals sound great together, but spend just a few minutes in the company’s online configurator, and you’ll discover they can also work against each other.

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It’s already easy to question the truck’s value compared to the Ford Maverick , but start checking option boxes without much restraint, and the budget-friendly EV suddenly looks a lot less like a bargain.

More: Carvana May Have A Foot In Bezos’s Slate Auto Already

The startup’s electric pickup starts at $24,950 before destination charges, but that’s only the beginning. Buyers wanting something more practical than the standard pickup can choose either the Squareback SUV conversion for $29,950 or the Fastback SUV for $31,950, both of which add a bed cap and rear seating. From there, it’s remarkably easy to inflate the sticker price.

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The Accessory Rabbit Hole

Slate’s business model revolves around personalization, and the accessory catalog is extensive. Exterior wraps alone can add $1,599.99, while decorative decals, auxiliary lighting, roof racks, fender flares, alternate grilles, spare tire carriers, and upgraded 20-inch wheels all pile onto the total. The configurator even lets buyers choose whimsical graphics, including faux business branding, alongside more traditional racing stripes.

The interior follows the same philosophy. Buyers can add a center console, upgraded armrests, storage accessories, floor mats, and optional speakers because the truck doesn’t come with a traditional audio system as standard. A front-center speaker costs $249.99, while additional dash speakers add another $149.99. Even the dashboard-mounted tablet, which serves as the infotainment interface, a feature that will no doubt be popular, still doesn’t have a published price.

Also: Ford’s New $30K EV Truck Barely Clears An Expedition’s Shoulder

As Car and Driver found, and as we confirmed ourselves, stack enough of those accessories together and the math changes dramatically. A fully optioned Fastback SUV sailed past $46,000. Ours hit $46,607.49, to be exact, and you still have to crank your windows by hand, at least until the electric kit Slate has hinted at actually shows up. Keep in mind, there are some more exotic options like a lift kit, off-road tires, and more that aren’t priced or available yet, so the figure will go up. Importantly, none of this is a criticism of the strategy.

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The Upside Of Paying For It

Pretty much every legacy brand boasts about all the customization buyers can do, but none of them come close to this. Slate lets customers choose exactly where to spend their money without hiding unique features behind a giant trim upgrade. Someone who simply wants a basic electric pickup can still buy one at the advertised starting price, while enthusiasts can build something far more distinctive.

That all said, it’s an important reminder that while a $24,950 truck makes headlines, the price out the door can be dramatically higher.

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Photos: Slate Auto

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Video showcases China's road-mobile electromagnetic catapult launching an aircraft for the first time

The footage comes from a now-deleted social media post from the Beijing Institute of Technology's School of Mechanical Engineering

Leverages China's existing EMALS tech by miniaturizing what it already uses on its aircraft carrier

China seems to have solved one of the biggest challenges modern drones face: deploying without a runway anywhere on the planet, thanks to a miniaturized version of the EMALS catapults found on its newest aircraft carrier.

A short video clip that surfaced towards the tail end of last month, from a social media post by the Beijing Institute of Technology's School of Mechanical Engineering, shows three eight-wheeled trucks linked together in a Lego-like fashion to form a runway that allows a propeller-driven drone to take flight.

The footage also shows all three trucks detached, coupling with each other, and exhibiting all-wheel steering that, in principle, enables them, if given enough space, to launch drones or small aircraft in any direction.

Replacing a runway in the modern battlefield?

China's move is not one that occurred in a vacuum: the United States was the first country in the world to deploy an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), sparking an arms race when it launched its first aircraft in 2017 aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford.

China followed suit with its own aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which sports three EMALS catapults to the US's four, possibly accounting for the Chinese carrier's smaller size relative to its principal naval rival's largest.

China has, however, beaten the US to the punch when it comes to demonstrating a portable EMALS, it seems, with its three-truck solution essentially marking a first for either country.

Chinese state-owned giants account for a significant share of the 70+ organizations directly involved in an impressive achievement that sets the stage for the next generation of drone-based combat.

Despite the video making its way across social media, it was taken down by the Beijing Institute of Technology's School of Mechanical Engineering, which originally posted it. The move, however, has not stopped defense forums and Chinese analysts from offering insights into what is clearly a major technological achievement for the country.

With France and India both committed to launching EMALS (albeit on future aircraft carriers for now), only two countries currently have the tech deployed on a ship, and only one of them has a land-based, portable option in play for now: China.