He invents a van fitted out without a license to roam the roads from the age of 14

2023-05-07 18:02:36

The long weekends in May make you want to get away. But it’s hard to go exactly where you want when you don’t have a driver’s license! For a few months, however, it has been possible for young people from the age of 14, and all those who do not have the famous pink paper, to travel at the wheel of a fitted van. In Cholet (Maine-et-Loire), Wilfried Vion has just launched “the first leisure van accessible without a license”, surfing on these two booming trends. “We already sell small trucks without a license to painters, second-hand dealers, or people who need to transport equipment for their leisure, such as fishermen, reports the manager of several Aixfam concessions, leader of the car without a license. These customers have the same desires as the others, it is not because they do not have the license that they do not have the right to this comfort! »

In eight months, Wilfried Vion has given life aw Tiny van, a funny diesel vehicle only 3 meters long but which contains everything you need for a short road trip for two, at 45 km/h maximum. In the cockpit, you will find on the left a bench seat with storage, in the middle a removable table and on the right a kitchen unit with a small sink, whose showerhead also serves as an outdoor shower. Below are a stove, a small fridge connected to a battery, as well as two water reserves (clean and used), guaranteeing two to three days of autonomy according to the designer. Everything can be dismantled in less than two hours.

The Tiny van has everything you need for a short road trip. – Tiny van

To sleep, it’s on the roof that it happens

“We had to fit everything into a very small volume, explains Wilfried Vion, who drew ideas from boating, particularly for the layout of the cabin and the curved shapes. We therefore had to remove the toilets, which are easily found on the public highway or in campsites. The choice of materials (the structure is in aluminium) was also essential so that the vehicle did not exceed 850 kg all inclusive. For sleeping, it’s on the roof that it happens thanks to “a tent with ultra-fast opening and closing, in thirty seconds”, which is stored in a closed shell, boasts the brand’s website.

So many arguments that have a price: 29,999 euros. “Half the price of a classic van”, defends the manager, while admitting that sales are starting slowly. The Tiny van team is satisfied for the moment with the “many signs of interest” of the vehicle, while a second “less prototype” version should soon be released to further appeal to working people, who are the core target. “I don’t have a sales target because the ambition is also to continue to develop the image of people without a license, assures Wilfried Vion. There is no longer the pejorative side of the 1990s. Cars without a license are now attractive, well equipped, and with real sympathy capital. »