Category Archives: Electric Motorhomes

News and reviews of electric motorhomes.

Nissan Turns the Townstar EV Into a Capable Camper With a Roof Tent and Tailgate Kitchen

September 12, 2023Electric Cars, Electric Motorhomes, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, NissanRepost

With the global electrification efforts and more electric vehicles on the market than ever before, vanlifers seem to also be interested in jumping on the EV bandwagon. While all-electric van manufacturers are mainly competing in the last-mile delivery industry, this new generation of vans has great potential to be used as a platform for electric camper vans as well.

Nissan is showcasing the potential of its all-electric Nissan Townstar EV station wagon as a camping rig at the ongoing 2023 Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf, Germany. The carmaker has outfitted the light commercial vehicle with a high-popping rooftop tent and a tailgate kitchen unit, turning it into a practical camper, ideal for weekend getaways and holiday breaks.

Those who follow the e-camper van market might remember Nissan’s e-NV200, the world’s first electric camper van. That model was retired in 2021 and replaced by the Townstar EV. Considering the popular e-NV200 van regularly topped the European sales charts while it was in production, the Nissan Townstar EV has quite the reputation to uphold.

View through the rear doors (Image: T. Larkum)

This is the first time the emission-free vehicle has undergone a professional campervan conversion, but Nissan hasn’t presented it as a full-fledged camper van product but rather as a preview of how the Townstar could be turned into a compelling e-mini-camper. Also, as a sneak peek into the future of sustainable family travel.

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Blow for Putin and MBS as oil demand set to slow

August 30, 2023Economy, Electric Cars, Electric Motorhomes, Electric Taxis, Electric Vans, News, Reviews and Comment, Oil, OpinionRepost

Growth forecasts for global oil demand next year have been downgraded as the post-pandemic recovery stalls just as electric vehicle (EV) use surges.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday that demand will rise by only one million barrels per day (bpd) in 2024, which is 150,000 bpd less than previously forecast.

This will be a blow to both Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is using oil and gas revenues to fund his war in Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose oil profits are driving the country’s economic diversification.

The IEA said: “With the post-pandemic rebound running out of steam, and as lacklustre economic conditions, tighter efficiency standards, and new electric vehicles weigh on use, growth is forecast to slow to 1m bpd in 2024.”

The Paris-based energy watchdog has forecast that 14 million electric vehicles will be sold by the end of 2023, a 35pc surge compared to 2022.

By 2030, it expects EV use will be displacing five million barrels of oil per day.

But for now, world oil demand is still hitting record highs following China’s post-pandemic reopening and a rebound in global air travel.

In June, demand hit an all-time peak of 103m bpd. The IEA said August demand could surpass this level.

The IEA said global oil demand will jump by 2.2m bpd to hit 102.2m bpd in 2022, with China driving more than 70pc of this growth.

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Electric Vehicles Are Better For People & The Planet

August 25, 2023Electric Cars, Electric Motorhomes, Electric Taxis, Electric Vans, Energy and Climate Change, FAQ, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesRepost

There’s quite a lot of misinformation and disinformation — deliberate misinformation — about electric vehicles online. One of the key bits of disinformation is the false notion that EVs aren’t that green because there are carbon emissions generated by mining for the materials in their batteries and manufacturing them. The false claim is that an EV owner would have to drive about 49,000 miles to offset the carbon emissions from manufacturing the battery and vehicle. The claim was based on a study that eventually was debunked.

The true figure was about 16,000 miles, after which an EV would be ‘greener’ than a gas- or diesel-powered vehicle. The word greener is in quotes because gas and diesel-powered vehicles are not at all green. They have been dirty ever since they were invented, and at no point could ever be considered green.

There’s also something disingenuous — read ‘fake’ — about the concern over an EV battery’s carbon emissions from materials mining and manufacturing, because the people who express it had no regard whatsoever for vehicle mining emissions before EVs came on the scene. That is, for decades before electric vehicles began to appear they never said a word about internal combustion engine or diesel-powered vehicle mining emissions, including their own. Additionally, fossil fuel mining is far worse.

“Every year, about 15 billion tons of fossil fuels are mined and extracted. That’s about 535 times more mining than a clean energy economy would require in 2040.

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Electric Vehicles and Electric Vehicle Charging: Risk and Opportunity

July 7, 2023Buying/Leasing, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, Electric Motorhomes, Electric Taxis, Electric Vans, FAQ, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

UK data shows that by September 2022, there were 1 million licensed plug-in vehicles (EV) in the UK. This equated to 2.5% of all licensed road using vehicles, up from 1.6% at the end of September 2021^[1]. Additionally, the UK government currently plans to prohibit the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in 2030^[2].

Opel Corsa-e Electric Car (Image: Opel.com)

What’s the issue?

EVs provide significant advantages, with benefits including:
Quieter engines reducing urban noise pollution.
Emit less emissions, though debates rage if they are truly ‘green’ bearing in mind the associated costs of mineral extraction and battery recycling.
Cheaper maintenance costs as simpler drive trains reduce opportunities for components to fail.
Cheaper running costs as electricity rates allow a cheaper cost per mile in comparison to diesel and petrol vehicles. EVs becomes even more economical where homeowners have access to solar charging for their vehicle^[3].

What are the risks?

Electric vehicles commonly rely on lithium ion batteries to generate electrical power. However, when damaged or improperly manufactured these batteries can fail. Failure can raise the surrounding temperature and subsequently become the source of thermal runaway resulting in catastrophic fire damage to the vehicle – potentially also spreading to surrounding infrastructure and buildings^[4]. As a result, damaged battery packs may lead insurers to write off otherwise perfectly suitable vehicles.

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The EV transition is coming to campervans

October 27, 2022Electric Cars, Electric Motorhomes, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

With 460,000 pure electric vehicles driving on UK roads, it’s now time for EV camper conversions. They can be small and harder to charge off-grid, but they also provide owners with a home-from-home that they love, leisurely drives and tea al-fresco while powering-up. If that doesn’t tempt you, there’s the freedom of unfettered travel and exploration, too.

The trailblazers kickstarting the trend are documenting their travels while on the road, and not everyone is paying over the odds.

Electrical business owner Geoff Norris lives in London with his girlfriend and dog, who are both from Valencia, Spain. So his Nissan ENV200, which he’s currently converting to a camper, comes in handy on his travels to see their family.

He says: “Over the last two years I’ve spent just £500 on electricity and the upfront costs of the van were £25,000 including VAT. I had a petrol van but crashed it during Covid. When I weighed up the pros and cons, I decided to go electric.

If you have apps like the Pod Point app, you can type your destination in and it’ll tell you where to charge, and you can charge for free and maintain a work and social life. My girlfriend and our dog were always out walking in the forest during lockdown. I decided with my new electric work van I would insulate it and make a bed so we could enjoy more of the outdoors.”

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Wandsworth Council EV charger rollout progresses with Liberty Charge installs

March 9, 2022Away From Home, Charging, Electric Cars, Electric Motorhomes, Electric Taxis, Electric Vans, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

On-street electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints are being rolled out across Wandsworth, with 35 sites set to see installations.

Wandsworth Council began the rollout of the infrastructure in 2021 across 26 sites, with 10 already live. The latest installations will take the total number of sites to 35, comprising 65 dual socket EV chargepoints able to charge 130 vehicles at any one time.

Liberty Charge is to own and operate the chargepoints, which are to be delivered by its sister company Virgin Media O2, with the council having chosen the company due to its ability to deliver fully-funded chargepoints for residents without the means to privately charge their EV.

Additionally, Liberty Charge’s chargepoints are 22kW, which the council said is faster than other street chargepoints.

Liberty Charge is a joint venture between Liberty Global and Zouk Capital, utilising Virgin Media’s existing infrastructure – as the telecommunications company is owned by Liberty Global – for the chargepoints.

Its creation followed an EV charging trial using Virgin Media’s infrastructure, the Virgin Media Park & Charge project, which aimed to deploy 1,200 charging sockets in towns and cities across the country by early 2021.

Liberty Charge is to own, operate and maintain the Wandsworth chargepoints without requiring local taxpayer support, while the council helps to identify locations and grants the necessary approvals, with the sites in Wandsworth agreed after consultation with residents throughout the technology rollout.

“We want to not only increase the number of available charge points but to ensure that a charge point is easily accessible to all our residents,” said Kim Caddy, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for finance, resources and climate sustainability.

Over the past year, EV take up in the borough increased by just under 1,000 vehicles, with the new charging infrastructure to support and encourage EV adoption across the borough.

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How much does it cost to charge an electric car? Running costs of EVs and how to find a charging point

March 2, 2022Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, Electric Motorhomes, Electric Taxis, Electric Vans, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

One of the major draws of switching to an EV is the chance to avoid the petrol pump – here’s how much you could save

Growing numbers of us are switching to electric cars – in fact the latest UK sales data suggests sales of electric cars doubled last year.

One of the major draws of switching to an EV is the chance to avoid the petrol pump; this week the cost of fuel across the country jumped to a record high in a further squeeze to the cost of living.

But just how much could you save by switching to an electric car? And when you’re on the road away from home, how easy is it to find a plug point to recharge?

Ecotricity app display after ending session (Image: T. Larkum)

Charging at home is cheap

For EV drivers lucky enough to have a driveway and a home charger, charging at home is easy and much cheaper than the cost of refuelling a petrol or diesel car.

For a typical electric car with a 60kWh battery and a 200 mile range, a full charge at home would cost about £9.20, according to PodPoint, although cars with larger batteries can cost up to £20 to recharge at home.

That is still cheaper per mile than a petrol pump.

Charge for free on the go

Growing numbers of employer are installing EV chargers at workplaces, and many offer charging to employees for free.

Likewise, supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Lidl, and Aldi offer free charging to customers, and some councils also provide free-to-use chargers in their car parks.

Scotland has the highest number of free EV chargers, according to Zap Map.

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Nissan e-NV200 Winter Camper concept unveiled

January 28, 2021e-NV200, e-NV200 Camper Van, Electric Cars, Electric Motorhomes, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, NissanRepost

Nissan goes off-piste with an electric camper based on its e-NV200 Combi MPV

This is the Nissan e-NV200 Winter Camper concept, a modified version of the brand’s electric-van-based MPV. With a host of modifications to help it deal with snowy conditions and adventurous camping expeditions, Nissan says the concept “combines the thrill of electric driving with the spirit of the wild”.

Nissan has fitted the e-NV200 with its Camper Technology Luxury Kit, which comprises an on-board 220V power pack, roof-mounted solar panels and an integrated kitchen with fridge, folding beds and insulated glass.

These camping essentials have been combined with external modifications intended to help the e-NV200 fare better over rough terrain, including off-road tyres, a raised ride height and a set of spotlights up front. Other accessories include rear mudguards, rubber mats and door-entry guards, all of which are available as ‘Nissan Original Accessories’ for the standard production version.

The Winter Camper concept is otherwise unchanged from the standard e-NV200 and so uses the same powertrain, with a 40kWh battery offering 124 miles of range. There are no plans to put the Winter Camper into production, but it does act as a showcase for the potential of Nissan’s electric MPV – and some of the accessories available when you place your order.

“For Nissan, electric mobility is all about offering an exciting experience behind the wheel – while above all remaining conscious of our impact on the environment,” said Dmitry Busurkin of Nissan Europe. “Imbued with the essence of adventure and thrilling electrified power, the Nissan e-NV200 Winter Camper concept van is an expression of the future of zero-emissions mobility.”

This isn’t the first time Nissan has experimented with custom versions of its electric model. In 2020, it revealed the Nissan RE-LEAF disaster-response vehicle and for Clean Air Day in 2019 it commissioned an e-NV200-based ice-cream van.

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I Went Camping in a Tesla

November 6, 2016Electric Cars, Electric Motorhomes, Model S, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaTrevor Larkum

Elon Musk inadvertently spawned a subculture that’s hacking the Model S into a 21st century tent.

Camping in a Tesla Model S (Image: T. Randall)

As the sun set beyond the long-needle pines and emerald waters of Lake Tahoe, I looked across the campfire and laughed out loud. I was about to go “camping” in the back of a $145,000 electric car because, well, it’s become a thing.

Tesla “Camper Mode,” as it’s often called, may not be sanctioned by the company, but a community of drivers is devoted to the practice. There are forums and YouTube videos that praise the virtues of Tesla camping and explore the hacks you’ll need to make it work. There’s even a third-party Tesla car app, with a “Camp Mode” function that will optimize the car’s systems for a good night’s sleep. This is a quirky, little Tesla subculture, and of course I had to try it myself.

I know what you’re thinking (because it was my first thought, too): Why would someone who can afford a Tesla need to bed down inside one? The last time I slept in a car was on a college road trip from Iowa to Florida, and it was a night of eternal torment, with cramped seats, suffocating heat, and mosquitoes that swarmed when we cracked the windows. Who would choose that again?

But Tesla camping promised something different. The sapphire blue Model S I was driving for the week has a 90 kilowatt hour battery—the largest you can find in a car on the road today. In theory, it should be able to handle a night of climate control and HEPA-level air filtration without much limiting of the vehicle’s range. Also, electric cars are virtually silent and release no tailpipe emissions (they don’t have tailpipes) so they won’t suffocate the camper or disturb the local fauna. As for the Model S’s panoramic glass roof, well, no tent can compete with that.

Electric Campervan

From ‘Travel Electric’ – some information on their eNV200 camper

Tour of our flexible campervan conversion from a full electric Nissan env 200, with a 250w solar panel