Yes, Peter!! What we knew as the gas pedal is now known as the throttle!! I currently drive an electric car- a Renault Zoe - and I don’t intend to return to petrol or diesel!! It’s what I call ‘The Silent Killer’!! My car is coming up to the end of her lease, so I’m going to lease a Vikenze III-e!! The Combo Life Electric, as it’s now called, is the Vauxhall Corsa Estate Car.
Hope you get a Vikenze III-e - let us know how you get on! Have you seen our review of the whole electric campervan market in the February issue of What Motorhome - www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/store/back-issues/
I could live with this as being my campervan. Well thought out for one person, because this can only be a one person camper, but as there are loads of single travellers I believe this kind of option does have a market. The interior has some good solutions. On the whole a great weekender. The seat solutions are also innovative. Some real thought went into this conversion. A good basic design for someone wanting to do a DIY on their own 'diesel' van IMO without spending a fortune.
yes, some great ideas that can be utilised into a self build, and yes, a great one person off the shelf camper solution....and, it's electric, what's not to like?.... apart for the price!
As a Peugeot Partner owner with a boot jump this video is great. Would love to have this micro Camper with the permanent setup. Thanks for the content.
Brilliant, as a traveling sales person I've been looking for an option like that, hate hotels and motels, and a normal motorhome is not practical when it comes to parking etc. The range is not so great but in reality probably enough as it's always stop start. The price is a bit scary though, but what a great idea!
I have it’s bigger brother the e-expert crew cab van with a larger 75kwh battery. Range is 200 miles (plus about 30miles if driven very carefully) perfect for camper van.
Wow what a well thought out vehicle, excellent use of space and the fact you can 're charge your vehicle battery from camp hook up is superb . Bit cramped for 2 but ideal for single travellers , clever use of space and I did wonder where clothes would go, until you lowered the bed ,just genius. Thanks for reviewing
Thanks for this, a really interesting and well thought out vehicle. Great for solo travellers and just shows how quickly electric vehicles are developing.
Very nice van. Really nice electrical habitation setup by the sounds of things. Virtually identicle to what I have had in my old van for the past year. Induction hob, microwave, kettle no gas. I will be taking a close look at some of the other features to see if any of them will go into the DIY build on a Vivaro-e I am planning. It's going to be bigger than this as it's the LWB Vivaro-e but with the 75Kwh battery the range is similar. I really cant wait for the van to turn up so I can get started on it. I have spent the last year analysing my use of my current van and working out what the consequences would be of going electric. I virtually always wild camp so hook up on a camp site and charging there is of no interest to me. About 50% of the weekends I am not going further than the electrical range so just charging at home will do the trick. 40% of the time I will need to charge once at a rapid charger over the weekend. I will probably end up doing this towards the end of my drive to where ever I am going on a Friday night while I cook up a late night meal. It's only 10% of the time that I will need to charge more than once and typically this is going to be more than a weekend trip. I will basically be taking my normal on route coffee stops on long drives at a rapid charger. So nothing really limiting my range any more than my bladder already.
I have been driving an electric vehicle for the last two years. I only use the B mode, which gives me regenerative braking all the time, even when the B Mode is restricted by either a cold battery or the battery being fully charged.
What a great use of space. Very innovative. The price is a challenge but an interesting electric option. People will slowly get used to the fact that you do not need to cart around up to a hundred litres of diesel. The fact that you can add seven miles per hour as you enjoy your camping should persuade the progressive camper fan.
The proof of the pudding is when you are wondering what the price is. This van does make one think again about what can be achieved. It is really good. My dream camper van does have integrated power, the same battery for everything rather than a leisure battery. Reason being that you then have options. You can drive further or you can cook. Integrated cooling for the fridge/freezer and main AC would be good too. The Raymond Briggs book where Father Christmas goes to Las Vegas in his own camper van is my inspiration. I have had the dream to have a van like his since I was nine.
That is a very well thought out commentary Peter, thank you for the explanation of kw/h versus mpg, we all need to learn the electric equivalents of cc, HP, mpg and so on that we are used to. Then there are the other variants such as some vehicles come with faster chargers than their cheaper slow charger variants. That one with 300W of solar panel, the huge lithium leisure battery and associated induction hob, microwave, fan heater and compression fridge make it a quite remarkable vehicle. Wheelhome have really thought hard and long about how to use a vehicle as a camper van. I'm curious about opening one flap, removing a lead and plugging it inside another flap. It reminds me of IBM Type 1 data connectors - they were hermaphroditic, the plug plugs into another identical plug. I can't help wondering why the mains cable doesn't just plug into the charging point, specially as the habitation electrics are separate from the charging circuits.
We want one (with a few additions to make it perfect for us). Going to the NEC and hoping to check one out. We sold our diesel camper last year and miss having a day van/van for cycling events.
I love the fact that it is all electric including the habitation side. Bery inovative on the inside. Also, if you habe very limited parking at home, it would be great. My only thought is its really small. Personally I'd prefer something with more room for a bit more money.
If you're a single person, it's a great camper. If you want a slightly bigger EV camper there are a few coming onto the market now. See the February issue of What Motorhome for all the latest details. www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/store/digital-archive-subscriptions/what-motorhome-digital-archive/
The range is a problem also the charging infrastructure is not up to the job. Some might say that the site electrics is getting used at a constant charging rate unlike normal motorhome intermittent use, it’s the equivalent of having the site coming round and topping up your vehicle with a couple of litres of fuel every day. I do like the concept and how its put together.
The charging infrastructure certainly needs to improve, but charging your EV camper on campsites - as here - could be a solution, depending on how far you want to travel.
EV’s could be the death of both touring caravans and motor homes. Ever since the latest drive towards going all electric within the next ten years was announced , we’ve noticed a decline in the number of touring camp sites. At least 2 in our local area have removed their touring pitches and replaced them with static vans, all crammed in 6 meters apart! There seems to be a technical catch 22 between the necessary power and weight of batteries needed to pull the vehicles. Electric cars are typically much heavier than their internal combustion engine counterparts. When this is applied to motor homes it becomes more of a critical issue, and is bound to significantly reduce payloads. People talk about hydrogen cell technology, but the infrastructure just isn’t there. Let’s face it, the infrastructure for electrical charging points for electric cars is years away from being adequate! Maybe there will be a market for refurbishing used motor homes over the next few years?
An electric camper with a limited range seems kinda counter productive, unless you only wanna go from campsite to campsite or bring a generator to charge it. But it probably feeeels good, like that south park episode called “smug alert”.
@@MotorhomeCampervan Sure, but it kinda rules out the longer trips into the really large nature areas where there are no chargers. Wanna take this through death valley for example? Neither do i. EV’s are just not practical for anything other than cities yet because of the range problems, so until they get like a 1.000 km range on a charge, it’s a virtue-signalling wagon and not much else.
This looks nice. However, I would like to take my bike with me and go for rides from where I am camping. I know you can get external bike racks but I like to keep my bike inside so would need something with a little more space. Something like a Romahome or Nu Venture with a rear door not side door for ease of loading the bike. Both of these have space to have the bike inside and sleep at the same time.
Never assume! The mattress when specified, sits within the drop-down bed moulding and does indeed remain in place when raised up into the roof. The electric roof then raises and lowers carrying the bed and mattress with it. There is a small infil cushion that "plugs" the roof mechanism hole at the back that travels behind the cab seats. Whilst this does make it a two berth, this option is typically chosen by single folk who want to sleep "upstairs" and thereby leaving more floorspace at lower level which is especially useful if they have a larger dog. Hope this clarifies.
With the current energy crisis, I'm yet to see how campsites will address charging electric vehicles on their normal power sockets... Let's see if electric leisure vehicles are really the future...
It'll work if, as here, the site hook-up is only serving the EV batteries on a slow charge. You can't expect the site to also power all the habitation services, as on existing leisure vehicles
I've camped in an eFixxter. Based on the larger eVivaro. Did 310 km secondary roads. Not seen any interesting ones from UK. Besides an Westfalia style set-up. This small one is really clever layout. Albeit a one person car. That campsite charging isn't been allowed that much anymore. Or they charge you silly money. At least in germanyan Holland they got notice the EV profit to much in one price electrics. It's pretty high kWh in the end 😉
There are almost no hybrid vans for campervan companies to convert. I've tried the Transit Custom Hybrid but the EV range is so tiny it's pointless as a camper.
Did you not use B Mode on the ‘gear’ selector? That increases your regeneration and puts your braking energy back into the battery and extends range, lessens brake pedal use and lessens use of brake linings. While on hookup you could use the cars Aircon all night and day! It would only use about 0.5kwh from battery without hookup! Same for heating if needed!! Can’t really do that with diesel without noise and fumes!
Yes, as I stated I engaged the 'B' mode but it's a separate switch, not on the 'gear' selector. Air-con on site is limited by the fact that I understand the doors have to be locked and, if you open the doors, the air-con goes off.
Interesting van Peter although some of the features felt a little 70's. I returned from Spain last night covering 1250 miles over 2 days so electric vehicles have a long way to go before they can match that having said that great for local trips, but Devon or Cornwall would be a 2-day hike from here in Liverpool rather than 6-8 hours.. Cheers k.
When returning with the Vikenze III-e from my testing in Shetland (in a cool, so less efficient May) I covered 550 miles from Aberdeen to Essex in one day. Total testing mileage was 2,100 miles at a cost of just £125 with charging on campsites and some "free-vend" in Scotland. I have recently returned from towing our Dashaway micro-caravan with Tesla M3 from Annecy in SE France to Calais, 580 miles, again in one day. This combination has a similar range when towing to Vikenze III-e. No one here is saying "electric camping" is for everyone, but it absolutely works if you want it to.
It does have a 50kwh battery but that is not the useable capacity. Usable is 45kwh so at 3.7 that's 166 miles. But this ideal conditions, slow stop start traffic is great for EV range, add motorway in the summer it'll be 120 miles. Winter you're certainly looking at under 100 miles on a motorway run. Electric is great, I own one but don't expect the range quoted.
No, in winter you won't match the range quoted by Vauxhall. However, in summer, driving slowly on country roads I was able to beat Vauxhall's claimed range. EVs are so susceptible to the conditions and driving style.
Going fully electric is the only sensible option for new motorhomes. This clunky little vehicle demonstrate this fairly well. Of course, the conservatism of vehicle manufacturers does mean that it has taken far too long for any reasonable base vehicle to come along. And the conservatism of vehicle converters means it's still rare to find a motorhome with a proper induction hob.
Amazing use of space would work very well with a small awning like a cube breeze or similar. I wonder if campsites will start charging extra for electric cars etc as they will believe they will be using more electricity
With electricity costs rising, I suspect all sites may move towards metered usage. Currently Camping and Caravanning Club sites don't charge for electric vehicles but Caravan and Motorhome Club sites do.
Sorry but there is no electric VW campervan on the market yet. The ID Buzz is just a people-carrier. We're told there will be a California camper version but that looks like being at least two years away. As for a coachbuilt motorhome that's a practical EV, that's even further off...
Shame the upper bunk was so glossed over. Maybe an update with the mattress and how that cable and pulley works. Seems like it’s all in the way… and what’s with that giant hole!
The vehicle wasn't supplied with the upper mattress but I did climb up and lie in the storage tray! The cable unclips when using as a bed and the hole is filled in by the matttress - access is at the side. It works as an extra bed but most Wheelhome buyers are singletons.
It's great for one person. There's a full review of all the EV campervans on the market - and ones coming - in the February issue of What Motorhome - www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/store/back-issues/what-motorhome/what-motorhome-february-2023/
Yes, of course. But while my old phone would link to Ford and VW systems in our own vehicles, it refused to pair with the Vauxhall one (both Wheelhome's owner and I tried). I think it was an issue with an ageing phone, which has now been replaced.
Nice EV,, but have a look at the Xbus, that will come out in 2023. It has a camper version that will have a better range, is A LOT cheaper and has Solar panels standard. Smaller, but he, we like smaller.
Err, no. I spent two nights camping with no issues and Wheelhome's proprietor has spent two weeks camping in it on a trip to Scotland with no issues at all.
It has rapid charging as well which, assuming it’s the same electric traction system as my Peugeot e-208, which it looks like, means you can recharge it in about 30 mins. These are the chargers you would use on a long trip. The slow campsite charging is only one option, another is a home charger that will take about six hours. I have a charger that charges it when my house solar panels are exporting power so over the summer it’s been largely free to charge my car.
There's as much work involved in the conversion as a larger 'van such as VW T6, and a lot more kit - those lithium batteries, solar panels, etc. And EVs cost more than diesel cars. Look at the price of a VW ID Buzz, before conversion to a camper!
Well at least you can have a sleep while it charges. Until the Toyota battery becomes available I am afraid it’s get the bed out we are charging. Now what’s the rule, never let the batt go below 20% and never charge above 80% well simple maths shows that you have lost 40% of range
It is perfectly acceptable to use the full range when on a long trip, but the re-charging times are fastest between 20-80%. So on a long trip you may well arrive at your destination in a shorter time if you had, say, 3 shorter/quicker charging stops rather than 2 much longer stops. 550 miles in a day is entirely feasible, I've done it. I usually plan these stops to coincide with comfort/food/walk the dog stops anyway. Indeed, a number of times I've cooked lunch or had a cup of tea whilst charging, which works for me!
@@wheelhomecampers it’s all a case of what works for whom. Long charge stops to me are a waste of time. My hope is for the Toyota 700k in 15mins also no dog to worry about
Not as a campervan but Wheelhome admits that going electric pushes the price up by around £10k. You should get some of that back in lower running costs.
180 miles is 3 hours driving. A responsible driver would take a break, grab a coffee, stretch their legs and visit the toilet. While all that was happening, you could be rapid charging the van to get another 150 miles of range back in.
@@saramark4622 fat arse out of shape carb addicts can't drive for 3 hours so you're right they would be irresponsible as they get sleepy. the rest of us a fine. and safe.
That may be so, but Wheelhome models names mostly come originally from merging the Christian names of family members. So, the original Vikeste was Vi-Ken-Stephen. Others include Daneste, Matteste, etc.
You say starting at £58k. It's a great little solo camper but a new E - Combo van is £31k, making this is a £27k coachbuild? I don't see £27k in this build sorry. The bed locking mechanism is a door bolt @ £1.28 from Toolstation? I'm all for electric and clean transport but this seems very expensive for what it is. I'm supised you made no comment on value for money Peter. 🤓
I think it's excellent value. Find another 'van at ANY price with this level of electric components on the habitation side - the lithium batteries, solar, inverter, electric roof, induction hob...
170m range. WOW. If my Diesel gets to only 150m remaining (of the 650m) then I'm looking to fill up. EV concept is OK but battery tech needs a revolutionary step forward first. Still enjoyed the review.
@@benkelly948 actually, it is true. the battery manufacture and lithium mining is highly polluting and that's before you take into account the electricity generation. EVs don't emit CO2 in use but getting to the point of use they are more polluting than the equivalent ICE vehicle.
@@garyneedham1282 if you're refering to the article from Volvo about their 2021 XC40 and if you read the entire article it makes it quite clear that it is not as clean as an ev once you get passed the the point of 30 to 70k miles. So over it's entire life time it's much cleaner to go ev. It's also a big fat, resonably inefficient SUV built on an ICE platform so not comparible to a lot of other ground up ev's. It also doesn't take into account the well to wheel of the fossil fuel production, the drilling, transportation, refining etc. All of which require massive amounts of fossil fuels and electricity (and a fair bit of cobalt). Then there's the fact that you're giving your money to an industry that as far back as 1978 knew that the effects of their products would risk the end of human existance but cracked right on and did it anyway, whilst mudding the waters of scientific fact along the way. Would you be happy if your money was going to the nazi party? The FF Industry is aurguably far more evil. But yeah, I guess if you ignore all that stuff I supose you're right Gary, what is the attraction?
@@MotorhomeCampervan Ev’s are not green, they’re just not, also I can’t stand the thought of child slave labour to mine lithium and colbalt for batteries, added to that camping is about freedom, not planning the next charging session.
@@hectorshouse7348Bet you don't care about the child slave labour used to mine the Cobalt used in refining oil, only to burn the stuff. Cobalt is used in thousands of other products also, air bags for example. What's exciting is how quickly battery manufacturers are responding to the criticism regarding Cobalt and altering the chemistry of the NMC Lithium batteries to minimise the Cobalt used. Of course other Lithium battery chemistries, such as Lithium Titanate (LTO) and Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) use no Cobalt at all. LFP use has really taken off. My MG4 uses LFP batteries, so contains no Cobalt. The new Shenxing Plus LFP battery from CATL now exceeds the energy density of NMC (205 Wh/kg vs 200Wh/kg) and are half the price,so we can expect them to pretty much take over the EV battery market, especially as LFP batteries have a host of other advantages, including lasting nearly twice as long on average. I've just bought an e-Transit and am planning to convert it into a campervan. It troubles me a bit that the NMC batteries contain Cobalt, but I'm consoled by the fact that the Cobalt, like the Lithium, is pretty much fully recyclable.
185 mile range? If they can't make a micro camper like this with a realistic range, they'll never manage to build a larger electric motorhome. The last thing I would want to do is spend my holiday planning routes via charging points. We also never hear how the extra weight of the batteries effects the potential payload. Not something that is an issue maybe on such a small campervan, but would definitely be an issue on larger motorhomes.
They could except that the manufacturer don't make it with a larger battery than the 50KWh one, which is way too small for this type of car IMO. I've checked and the Opel/Vauxhall Combo Electric, Citroen eBerlingo, Peugeot e-Rifter and Toyota Proace City EV are the same car and neither come with a larger battery, not even as an option. Maybe fine for a work car driving around in the city or a second car for someone, but pretty useless for anyone driving longer distances. The same companies (maybe except Vauxhall) sell a larger one too, the Zafira E-Life/ë-SpaceTourer/e-Traveller/Proace EV which come with a 75KWh battery and have a more useful range. That battery in the Combo Electric would have been a much better fit. Particularly for a camper.
Yes, with current technology electric motoring is viable for small campervans (maybe up to T6 size) but not for big, heavy motorhomes. Let's see what the industry comes up with to address the weight issues. Hydrogen?
Just wait till electric vehicle owners are fighting over charging points. Or when the national grid is so stressed that they'll only allow overnight trickle charging.
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Hmm. I would say we are still at least 10 years off of things being really feasible. Can the solar panel charge the vehicle battery? Anything that requires me to move my drivers seat would do my absolute head in!
No, the solar is for the leisure batteries. Almost all small campervans move the driver's seat when you stop - not to do so would be a massive waste of space
@@MotorhomeCampervan I'm so OCD with my driving position so I couldn't be dealing with that haha. I think if the range was double and the van was twice the size or more then I would be interested but I'm guessing the cost would be ridiculous. In fact I just looked at this list price and 56k would be absolute lunacy when you could buy a large used diesel camper and fuel it for years for the same price. So yeah I think we are still many years off this being really feasible and not niche as hell.
“Is this the first credible electric motor caravan? No. But it would make a super day van for a very rich fisherman who wants to do lots of “wild camp” fishing. And who is also extremely eco-conscious. Although they would have to dump all their expensive kit outside if they wanted to sleep in it. That is possibly the only real market for this van. An eco conscious wildlife photographer (another typical single user) would probably drive an electric car and book a cheap airbnb. Personally, I would not waste 58,000 pounds on something in which I probably wouldn’t get a good nights sleep. If you assume as much as 35000 pounds for a reasonable electric car, that still leaves 23000 pounds worth of stays in a comfortable Airbnb or rental cottage somewhere. Or even a B and B or a hotel. I have a Middlesex motor caravans “mira” conversion based on a second hand diesel Citroen Berlingo. Which my partner and I use primarily as a day van on holiday. We could use it for an overnight stay - but quite frankly, a warm bed somewhere is usually not that much more expensive than a stay at a caravan site. I think we would only use it in a “wild camp” situation. For which, it is better suited than the electric vehicle you are demonstrating here at a fraction of the price - in that we are not range limited at all with something like 600 miles of potential motoring in the tank and large enough car canister for plenty of meals. Sorry, but fossil fuel is still the way to go. And even eco-terrorists know this. Which is why most of them have a rule-guzzling range rover as their daily commute. And they will get a comfortable bed and breakfast gratis from the taxpayer just by gluing themselves to a prominent valuable asset somewhere.
There's a serious market for this camper - more than a small company can build! They are usually older single people who see the financial savings in running a vehicle like this.
It’s NOT a Vauxhall,it’s a Peugeot-Citroen with a Vauxhall badge on it,still wouldn’t pay £58,000 for it especially being electric with a range like that,2 or 2-2 litre diesel would run rings round this thing and cost nowhere near the money this did.
Only about 170 miles? A gas tank gets you 300 at least.they will have to be better before I get one.a 125cc motorbike gets 140 on a gallon of gas. And then you have to wait for it to charge....the living side of the van is well thought out
