What do you get when you mix a London taxi and a Volkswagen Westfalia camper and throw in a little bit of Chevrolet Volt for good measure? It seems that the London Electric Vehicle Company got their e-Camper using these specifications, a vehicle that will be available “across the pond” in the third quarter of this year. But it’s certainly interesting to see the trend.
While the company claims that it’s the first electric campervan available, that’s using a lot of asterisks. The vehicle is powered by an electric traction motor, just as the Chevrolet Volt was. There is enough battery power aboard to shuttle the odd-looking machine about 60 miles.
After that, it’s good old-fashioned internal combustion to the rescue. There’s either a gasoline or diesel generator aboard kicking on and saving the day. Again, just like the Chevrolet Volt. With a full tank of petrol, er, I mean gasoline, the company claims a total range of some 300 miles.
The battery in the vehicle is a 31kWh lithium battery pack. No details are given on the “range extender” or gasoline engine.
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The e-Camper has an interesting configuration
While details are minimal at the moment, the vehicle is sort of like a minivan with the nose of an old-fashioned London taxi. The roof has a pop-top like an old VW Westfalia camper. The company claims sleeping for up to four individuals.
Two of those sleeping positions come from a rear bench seat that folds down. Two additional sleeping positions are in the space opened up when you pop the top.
“The campervan market is growing rapidly and, despite these vehicles being used for coastal and countryside adventures which often include national parks and protected areas, they are still powered by petrol or diesel engines. This is a major conflict; we can see a shift in consumer attitudes, with demand for greener mobility solutions to help to protect and improve air quality. Our new electric, zero-emissions capable e-Camper offers the perfect solution and is well-equipped with high quality features that can be tailored to meet a range of customer requirements,” wrote Joerg Hofmann, CEO of LEVC in a press release from the company.
There is a table that can be dropped into place in front of the rear bench seats. Then the front individual seats rotate 180° so there’s seating for four.
There is an all-electric kitchen
Along the road side (in England – it would be the camp side here in the U.S., but they drive on the wrong side of the road over there – how silly!) is an all-electric kitchen. It includes an induction cooktop and sink as well as a small 12-volt refrigerator.
If you want one of these you’ll have to figure out how to get it past U.S. regulations, which can be daunting. But you’ll also need about $86,000 U.S. If all this sounds great to you, you can reserve your own on the company’s website.
When you look at how humans really “motor about,” something like this actually does make sense as a daily driver. Most people’s daily commute has fewer than 35 miles. So you could actually use a vehicle of this size as a daily driver and never dip into that petrol … er … gasoline.
Head for the hills in the e-Camper
When the weekend comes, you dump that stuffy work outfit and head for the hills. There you and three others can camp in a vehicle that’s really not all that large. If I did get one of these, I’m not sure I’d order it in black, however. That’s the color London taxis are painted. Although, perhaps you could start your journey as a solo camper. Then, by the time you’ve reached the campground, pick up three fares and take them on an interesting taxi ride to the woods. [From the editor: Tony, that sounds a little sinister. Just sayin’. 😉 ]
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.
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It would be good to see some foreign Rv’s finally come to America. Maybe they’ll force American RV manufactures to improve their quality like the Foreign car companies did. This RV seems like it could be aerodynamically superior to our box motor homes.
I try to buy American as much as possible, but you make a good point. Something is needed to bring the quality up in American RVs