Guide: E-Camper: In the weight trap

2023-08-24 22:59:23

Guide: E-Camper In the weight trap

Mercedes EQV Sortimo expansion

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For a time, electric campers were thought to be the future of RV travel. But with the conversions, the weight plays a decisive role, which affects both the range and the required driver’s license.

Where a Bulli, there a California? Correct? Incorrect. At least what VW ID. Buzz is concerned. At least for now. Actually, the battery-electric traditional camper should make holiday electricity socially acceptable from 2024. Nothing will come of it. Provisionally, as VW emphasizes. Because the normative force of the factual puts a spanner in the works for the Lower Saxony commercial vehicle division. Because including the standard driver, the electric Bulli in the standard version weighs 2,471 kilograms. VW specifies three tons as the permissible total weight. In the case of the XL variant with a long wheelbase, which is suitable for the California, the 91 kWh batteries and all-wheel drive, this value skyrockets. If you convert the vehicle into a camper with a roof tent, cupboards and kitchen, you can reach a weight of more than 3.5 tons in no time.

The result: In order to move this California, the classic category B driver’s license would no longer be sufficient; it would then have to be category C1, which is mandatory for vehicles weighing between 3.5 tons and a maximum of 7.5 tons. That would be the death knell for every camper with which the manufacturers want to make money. If you consider that the ID.Buzz’s 77-kilowatt-hour battery weighs a good 500 kilograms, and that the camper version certainly has a longer range and therefore requires batteries with more capacity, it will then be possible to take the electric camper onto the road to bring as soon as more powerful and lighter energy storage are on the market.

It will be some time before that happens. The VW camper will continue to be available with a combustion engine based on the Multivan until mid-2024. So VW Commercial Vehicles has to act. The Stromer future of the Bulli camper is initially partially electric as a plug-in hybrid. At the Caravan camping fair, VW is presenting the California Concept as a PHEV version, which will probably have a range of around 50 kilometers, but has an internal combustion engine on board to cover the necessary kilometers. In the medium term, it will also be available as an all-wheel drive version.

If you absolutely want to go camping with your ID.Buzz, you have to resort to conversion specialists such as Alpin Camper or Dvan-TC Conversion. The conversion is based on the ID. Buzz Cargo or the ID. Buzz Pro and costs around 92,300 euros or around 95,200 euros. Then up to four people should be able to sleep in the e-camper and you will also find amenities such as a kitchenette or a refrigerator that you can conveniently fill from above.

Some companies are currently working on retrofit solutions for electric vans. The start-up ElectricBrands offers one of the most charming solutions with the XBus, which can be converted into a mobile home. The camper has space for two people, a kitchen with a sink, fridge and hotplate. This camper costs at least 29,480 euros. The Swiss company Yellowcamper converts a Toyota e-Proace City, which is an everyday vehicle, delivery van and camper all in one, for uncomplicated summer visitors without great demands.

For all those who cannot get used to these retrofit solutions, Mercedes Vans offers a camper conversion from a single source in cooperation with the specialists from Sortimo Walter Rüegg. The EQV will then have a pop-up roof with a roof bed and a multifunctional box with a sleeping and kitchen unit, which is housed in the trunk of the battery-electric van. To save space, the kitchen unit utilizes drawers for cutlery, cooking accessories and supplies. So that holidaymakers do not have to limit themselves, the kitchen is fully equipped and includes two gas-powered, removable hobs, a sink and a cool box.

The foldable bed is precisely tailored to the dimensions of the EQV and is set up in just a few simple steps. When the sleeping system is stowed away, the rear seats are freely accessible and can be used without restrictions. To ensure that Mercedes does not fall into the weight trap like VW, the components of the camping module are kept as light as possible. Mercedes specifies the WLTP range of the EQV 300 with a 90 kWh battery as 326 to 363 kilometers. The camping version is likely to be on the lower end of the spectrum. Therefore, real long-distance holidays with the electric motorhomes require careful planning.

This should also include choosing a suitable campsite, as there are not too many charging stations there. Most campsites have a CEE socket pre-installed at the pitches for mobile homes and campers. Depending on the expansion level and variant, either a red or a blue CEE socket is available. The latter offers a single-phase charging capacity of up to 3.7 kW, while the red one offers three-phase charging of up to 11 or 22 kW. There are several versions of this socket: one with 3x 16A, 11 kW and a larger one with 3x 32A, 22 kW. In order to be able to fully use this charging capacity, however, the onboard charger must enable 22 kW charging. In addition, an adapter is often required for charging. It is best to find out about the charging infrastructure at the campsite before you start your journey. If all else fails, you can also fill the batteries with the classic Schuko socket. However, loading takes much longer.

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