First Drive Review of World’s First Class A Electric Motorhome With Range Extender: 2026 Entegra Coach Embark

It’s a rather odd sensation rolling into the throttle of the motorhome you’re driving and not hearing a sound from the engine, or feeling the transmission shift up gears while merging into fast-moving highway traffic. It’s also refreshing to feel throttle response more akin to the performance of a basic gas-powered family car than a 22,000-pound luxury RV. And to be driving a motorhome that doesn’t feel the effects of side winds and passing big rigs, or lean like a boat wallowing on the open seas as you drive on curvy roads.

But that’s exactly how I feel sitting behind the wheel of THOR Industries’ 2026 Entegra Coach Embark, the world’s first “range-extended” Class A electric motorhome. It’s built atop a state-of-the-art Harbinger electric medium-duty chassis.

The Embark shares similar drivetrain technology to that powering cruise ships, locomotives, and electric semi-trucks. This beautiful, Euro-styled 22,000-pound coach, the first production prototype hybrid-electric RV to roll out of THOR’s Entegra Coach assembly plant, utilizes its gas engine just as a generator to power its electric drive “extended range” EV drivetrain.

In short: Consumers looking for a Class A motorhome that oozes state-of-the-art design and engineering, the all-electric 2026 Entegra Coach Embark has no rival to date. The acceleration, braking, and handling set a new high bar for motorhomes. Storage is abundant inside and out, and the seating, bedroom, and galley are all well-designed. And, every aspect of charging the 140kW battery pack is covered from every angle — off-grid, at home, or in a campground.

2026 Entegra Coach Embark Review

The marriage of a gas engine to spin a generator brings a whole new perspective when it comes to the future of motorhomes because Embark has 105 miles in the Electric-Only mode, and more than 450 miles in the Extended Range mode. 

Cruise ships, diesel-electric locomotives, and diesel-electric big rigs use their combustion engines only to spin the generators that charge the battery packs — or send power directly to electric motors that provide propulsion. So does the European-inspired 2026 Embark.

This unique coach uses a front-mounted, fuel-efficient, low-emissions, German-built 1.4L GETEC four-cylinder gasoline engine connected directly to a 140kW generator. The generator then charges the four onboard battery banks that power the electric motor connected to the rear differential, which is where the RV gets its propulsion. It’s all tucked neatly in a Harbinger-built medium-duty chassis specifically for this purpose.

That electric motor moves the Embark swiftly and silently down the road — and down the road, and down the road.

Charging will primarily be done at campgrounds with 50A hookups. It should take about 11 hours to get a full charge from empty, and a Level 2 240V home charger should take about 8.5 hours.

Charging via DC fast chargers (800V + 250kW) takes about an hour. The coach also comes with an adapter for Tesla charging stations.

Behind the Wheel

“Harbinger builds a superb medium-duty chassis that provided a strong, low-center-of-gravity frame on which to mount our Embark body,” says Kane. “The double wishbone front suspension gives it a small turning radius, which will be appreciated by RVers. The rear electric central drive, with half shafts out to the two hubs, also helps improve the ride quality.”

As mentioned earlier, driving this motorhome is much easier than a conventional Class A, or even Class C, for that matter. The biggest aspect is not having to deal with an inordinate amount of body lean when cornering or being hit by a wind gust from the side, like when a semi blows by in the opposite direction.

Updates Coming

From my initial half-hour drive around the highways and streets during the annual THOR Industries Dealer Open House in Elkhart, Ind., there were some issues encountered. But, there are changes coming soon, as is the case with nearly all prototype products.

One issue I experienced is the poor visibility immediately in front of the coach. This is because of the Embark’s driver seating position and dash placement. Forgey and team has already started addressing this, and says a “lower, slightly different dash and different seating position” is already in the works before the first models hit the rental fleet.

My other observation is the acceleration. While it’s far quicker from a stop than a comparable gas-powered RV of this size, the mid-range performance could be even faster. Forgey says the early version would literally spin the rear tires from a stop if you nailed the throttle. So they had Harbinger change the programming to dial back the power delivery.

“One of the things that we are continuing working with Harbinger on is driving profiles,” says Forgey, Jayco’s VP of Engineering. “Today, what you drove was a single profile. That’s all that’s programmed in here. But future-wise, we want to get to a point where there’s single-pedal driving. We will be making the mid-range acceleration stronger, and increasing the regenerative braking [which also charges the batteries] so it will kick in stronger to slow you down, down that hill.”

Forgey says they can make that driving profile change pretty simple: “We can just put a request in with Harbinger and a week later get a new driving profile. We’ll update it and you’re good to go!”

Those minor driving tweaks will make the Embark even more impressive than it already is compared to standard gas models.

Experiencing the Electric Class A

The prototype Embark EV, as the name implies, is a work-in-progress. It is slated to go into full (commercial) production beginning in mid-2026, according to Forgey. “RVers interested in experiencing driving an electric Class A motorhome will be able to rent an Embark from THL in 2026, where the California rental program will have a dozen Embarks in service.”

Fine-tuning the Embark from this extensive consumer testing program is a high priority for the THOR design and development team that has spent almost 5 years on this new RV entry.

“This rental program is a great opportunity to get customer feedback,” added Jim Kane, the head of eMobility on THOR’s innovations team. “The big thing from this rental program is just learn how the driver feels about things such as the Embark’s acceleration, its handling, how they use the new power system, and how much time are they spending off-grid. We will make adjustments and improvements accordingly.” 

Euro-Inspired Look & Feel

Inside and out, the new EV Embark exudes the European design influence. It’s bright and airy. There are skylights in the ceiling, the massive front windshield is angled back, the interior color scheme is tastefully muted, the textures are soft, and a lot of thought went into storage and comfort.

I loved the north-south orientation of the elevated, oversized king bed. The quality of the nightstands also stood out.

The big walk-in shower feels rich instead of cheap — like many traditional Class A coaches. I also really appreciate the way the galley is organized and equipped.

The acoustical wall panels block out annoying exterior noises at a campground or while driving to the next destination. Lounge seating is very comfortable, and I liked the way the stowaway dinette has so much flexibility in where and how it can be utilized.

The pass-through rear cargo area is huge, and it can be accessed from either side as well as from the rear of the coach.

2026 Entegra Coach Embark Pricing & Availability

The THOR marketing team told me that while final pricing will be set by its independent dealers, the Entegra Coach Embark is expected to retail between $300,000 and $400,000. The price will depend on consumer offerings defined by user feedback from the rental fleet.

When the 2026 Entegra Coach Embark does reach dealers in late 2026/early 2027, it is sure to attract a lot of attention. So will the future electric RVs rolling out of the THOR Industries stable, be they Class A, Class C, B Vans, and even towables. Exciting times!

For travelers looking to invest in the future of RVing — combining luxury, innovation, and sustainability — the Embark delivers extraordinary value in an extraordinary package. I look forward to seeing more of these on the road and in campgrounds.