What's an electric VW Camper really like? 

Bless you for saving these beloved vehicles. Wish you lived closer to convert my 74 Bus. I sold it after my mechanic retired. Cheers. :o)

This is perfect! I couldn't ask for anything more. The lack of that nasty air-cooled petrol lump is the best part. Did a 5-hour (each way!) stint behind the wheel of one of these on a trip between Bonn and Basel in the '80s. Memorably miserable going... Thanks for providing the engineering that can banish that bollocks!

That was definitely a real night's sleep you had there 😂

Really enjoyed watching that. And I’m glad you asked for suggestions. My brother in law runs his own local building business and he has said for a while that an electric pick up would really suit him. he doesn’t need massive range. 100 miles would kill it.

Great van, but it couldn't beat that logo at the end! 🤣

Great content as usual Richard. There is no reason for old VW camper vans to be scrapped at all. The conversion completely transforms this iconic vehicle. You will be needing larger premises soon to cope with demand for conversions 👍😎

This literally is my favorite conversion video of all time ! I have been watching conversion videos for over ten years , this one really is fantastic . Thank you very much .

all fantastic examples of EV conversions. But where are the solutions for end users like me?

i am imagining the possibilities when I convert my long bed single cabs 2002 chevy PU and my 1984 Chevy PU. I want to put a pop tent in the bed and store gear under the pop tent. Spud is the best!

I love these conversions! I will say, as a Californian, I am always taken aback by camping in the UK; looks a bit like a suburb to me. Most of the camping I do is dispersed camping, so I am generally not going to have a charge point at the campsite, and if I do stay at a maintained site there may just be a three-prong 120v outlet. That being said, a 200 mile range will be more than enough in almost all cases, provided there is public charging in one of the towns along the way before heading into the mountains or the desert.

Omg I’d love to see my Mercedes James Cook converted like that 😍😍

Shame they are still soooo expensive to convert. Got a '69 with a 1776 engine & freeway flyer gearbox....will sit at 70 all day and still overtake. 300 miles on a tankfull and 10mins to refuel. The price of conversion still buys a lot of fuel

A family member had a VW Bus, with the money-to-noise converter for 'power', and a detachable tent and awning. He took it all over Southern England and Northern France on a regular basis, and loved it. (Allegedly.) His wife and son didn't mind being at places, and camping in it, but the journeys to destinations were not good experiences for them. You've brought out its true potential by giving that one a decent power unit. Thanks to you all for the demonstration. 🙂👍

great video. looking like you had a bit of fun making it. keep up the good work

Gosh I cannot wait for the ID.Buzz as a camper. Same benefits of charging at the campsite, but also a big battery for wild camping and rapid charge capabilities ! Certainly less charming than a classic VW Bus, but a lot more comfortable !

Brilliant camper. I would love one myself.

I was gonna ask about solar pannels, but then I looked at the sky and remembered you're in the UK. Guess you'll have to wait for a rain pannel tec.

I think it's a great idea. You'd first have to find a VW van with no rust, which would be difficult. I love the idea though, and electric seems the best way. I worked for a VW dealer back in the mid to late 70s, and you're right. They weren't fast.

That range is nice 👍

I LOVE this, I have a ‘77 bay and I would love to convert at some point. (My lovely wife still loves the sound of the air cooled).

I enjoy your shows, SO much. Thanks.

Happy Days !!! 😆

I must be missing something….the last thing we want when we camp in our tiny T2 is to end up in crowded campsites at night. Staying overnight in the wilderness and disconnect from society for the course of the weekend or holidays is the reason of why we choose our vintage camper. I guess different strokes for different folks…

Great video mate 👌

Great video thank you!

someone getting passed by this would have to pull over and rethink their life.

Great stuff. Got to be the way forward. Keep the good work up. Love it.

Brilliant!

I would love to convert my 72 Westy!

Would love to see a solar set-up for multi day off grid camping.

It's got gears, that's awesome. that's one thing which I think will really put a lot of classic car guys off doing an electric conversion Vs a Honda conversion in something like a mini, is the lack of gears to use. That's such a huge part of the joy of driving and especially an old car. To loose the noise of an old engine AND the changing of gears takes a lot away from the cars. Being able to change gears would be so awesome

1960s Grumman Olson or similar would be a fun conversion.

Brilliant loved this richard love these campers and think merc 4m sprinter could be a good one to do or a long transit

love it!

Last year I spent 7K upgrading my T2 motor on my ‘74 Westy. Just dropped it after 2200 miles, uninstalled all the parts and shipped the block back to mfg due to cylinder fail. Waiting to hear the cost to damage and go forward. Very frustrating she’s dead in the water..again. 😥 That’s VW life.

KEEPING UP WITH MODERN TRAFFIC ! A.Any relative speed accelleration performance figure would be verry appreciated . B.Is the original drive train from a 1.8 or 2 ltr donnor vehicle . C.Battery +motor totall wieght. Bonvoyage

This is the Best Electric vehicle. I love vw camper

A FJ40 Toyota Long wheel base Landcruiser from circa 1970 (contemporary to the Series Defenders) with a longitudinal Tesla swap would win many hearts as a camper or a off roader.

This looks very good and perfect vehicle for an electric conversion. I have had a Toyota IQ from new (2009) and love this little car. It would be interesting to see if it could be converted to an electric vehicle? Would it have enough room for a reasonable set of batteries to give it any kind of range? Would be too small to convert to electric power?

Brilliant! Is there a limit to the battery capacities or can they be added together if the vehicle allowed it? An xlwb crafter twin wheel has ample space underneath it with loads of ground clearance. Can't help but toy with the fantasy of having massive milage potential and torque

Just scrolling through idbuzz videos. They have messed it up. They started ‘vanlife’. 60 years ago. But after checking the dimensions are about the same, I couldn’t figure how they have lost so much space and then I saw it. They have moved the front seats back to where the first rear seat row was. Taken out 1/4 of the interior space. Sacrificing for safety I suppose but as you mention in this. No one wants ‘vanlife’ that can do 0-60 in 4 seconds. VW could have built a 150hp 150ftlbs and a battery that gets you 400 miles. Extended the front a little and basically remake everything but retain the brilliance of basically an apartment on wheels in the space of a car. But no they haven’t and I don’t think even the extended IDBuzz that comes next year with a camper option for 70,000 quid is gonna save them. So what you have here is ultimately a better vehicle than all the great minds at VW can come up with. …in 2025. Gonna be sad to see the company fold.

There's an endless array of fiat ducatos of many generations who could do with bolt in kits.

Looks great! Have you tried converting anything larger? I would love to see an early '90s Hymer B544 or B564 converted, with a decent amount of solar on the roof for off-grid multi-day charging. Any solution that could work for the generic Sevel van chassis (Fiat Ducato, Citroen C25, Peugeot J5, Talbot Express) has a huge target market and the potential to keep a lot of old motorhomes on the road post-hydrocarbon.

Brilliant!! Salute

I agree with everyone here. The classic Bullis are iconic and incredibly cute. Having one that's also powerful enough to keep up with modern cars is a blessing. You said this one is like 70 horsepower, and I found this vid from your VW Beetle in a day, where the same-ish sized engine (from the looks of it) is 140 horsepower, which is honestly more than a lot of modern ICE cars and vans. Of course it's lacking all the modern safeties, but other than that it's really cute and outright almost perfect.

very nice but you can best the noise from an air cooled vw

Great video, that electric VW camper looks wonderful! As far as suggestions for conversions, I have a W reg Mazda Bongo camper, currently Petrol/LPG Have you ever considered doing a Bongo?

the old ford transit long wheel base would make a good camper, hey?

Nice to see some 'Real world' views. Any chance of addressing the elephant in the room = price? How about, you can buy this van today for xyz. To convert one with modern batteries and motors, ITRO = xyz?? I know tech and conversions would vary hugely, but it would help perspective tyre kickers :)

For so many years I've been dreaming of converting a Nissan Atlas camper to full EV and try to live in it for a year.

Ya! I want one 🤩🤩👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

I used to own a 72 Ford Econoline with a mattress in the back lol that would be a great conversion stronger everything

Older 93-2004 Toyota Hiace with the locking wheel hubs for 4wd would be my choice. LWB one if possible 🙂🙂

I wonder if Richard could tell us if he thinks a fully electric camper van is more or less likely to catch fire than an equivalent (in age and model type) internal combustion engine camper?

Any thoughts on using in-hub motors, as in the X-Bus?

Lovely stuff. Eerily quiet for an old vw and no trail of engine oil lol. 🤙

Bro love It need one in colombia jeje :(

Love it! I want to Doit to my van when I move to Spain next year! I would like to work for free at your shop to learn, is that possible?

Back in my missspent youff, I nearly gassed myself a few times, exhaust gasses coming in through the the heater.

How much for a convertion in this type of bus on a 200 mile with the new technology?

How long does it take to recharge the vehicle? How long before the batteries drain if you go off grid?...for example; using a tv/lap top, lighting, microwave, Induction hob?

Increasingly camp sites are prohibiting the charging of vehicles via the pitch hook up bollard.

Basically lived in a '72 for a few years. my goodness this is infinitely better than the old 2-liter upright motor. Though, they are dependable and I still love them. Awesome upgrade, especially for such a classic. Hmm where's the 914?

I’d turn that front tire into some kind of windmill.

Hi, love the video, we’ve got a 72 Westy, how much would it cost to put in the 100 W/H conversion? Would it be possible to convert a VW Karmann Ghia Safari Camper? Thanks

Brilliant way to go as the cost of diesel is going through the roof so what's the cost of the conversation kit ✌️😁🇮🇪

So when you charge the traction battery it also powers all the camping gear?

I would live to see a first generation Toyota Previa converted maybe even with high performance

"It's a Brazilian bus" And there I thought that meant it's waxed...

Those high roof LWB 'vanlife' campers would be awesome to be converted. You could put nearly a whole model S or X pack in them or even a model 3 pack, dump it in the back and build a interior on top of it.

Looks a better idea now than it ever did and with conversions becoming cheaper it will be a great one. Beat the noisy and stinky old VW bus...surely!🤩

I love everything about this. But have to laugh about charging at the camp spot. I've never. ever, camped my van somewhere that I could plug in.

I think we are in the time like the early eighties when buses didn't have enough value to restore properly and old GTX tins were used. I think its the same with EV conversions, I can see the reasons for professional conversions for a 120K+ SLK Mercedes when adding a £50K power train allow the classic to be future proof, but for a Brazian bus less than half the value of the conversion, isquestionable.. But if you have the spondoolies.

When charging a camper, is the high voltage battery isolated? Because if you've got an induction hob going,would it run the battery down quickly?

I'd be more tempted to buy a mid sized electric van than an electric car and use it as an everything vehicle. I love vans but not so interested in the classic stuff, I'm more keen on vans for their utility so something more like the new Transit Custom ev.

Just awesome. If you even need a Mazda bongo with auto lift roof to test out a conversation, let me know. 😉I think it would make a fantastic small electric camper 👍. Either way I’m keeping mine till I can afford to convert it in the future.

Charging the bikes will be a nice addition for a premium version.

I am moved to wonder if the addition of a battery pack also lowers the center of gravity, and makes the vehicle more stable in a crosswind. There are bridges in the United States that do not permit VW vans to cross, because they've had those vehicles blown off the bridge deck by high winds in decades past. Also, while it's on charge, I assume that also charges the leisure battery as well? Lastly, how scaleable is the electric drivetrain? I have an old Dodge/Xplorer camper van, and since it's around 8500# (3855 kg) GVWR, I imagine that would require a significantly larger battery pack to have any meaningful range.

Which campers to convert.... any and all Transporters(?) Or, a Bedford CF?

It will be interesting to see which is cheaper, the ID.Buzz camper or a conversion like this. Given the announced prices for the standard 5-seater ID.Buzz I can't see the camper coming in under £65k-£70k.

When my VW Eurovan's motor dies (hopefully no time soon), I'm not sure I'd put another petrol in it. I'd look at Eclectic conversion.

Looks great. Thinking about converting my more modern T4. Is that something you guys would work on or too new?

That’s all very and but how much does it cost to convert it

I think it's a great idea and clearly better for short hops. The only downside is not being automatic like most EV's (For those limited by having an auto only licence or a disability), although some people will like it still being manual even if you only change gear once or twice a trip.

I dream of a fully electric A class motorhome with huge solar panels on the roof. Something like a Burstner or a Hymer.

I think it’s a great idea. Unless you live, and want to tour, in Australia. 160 km isn’t even half a day’s driving over here. Greater range and / or faster charging required, with more regular charging points, which isn’t really feasible in the outback.

Hi Moggs, I have a '76, 2 litre auto in the middle of a complete strip restoration. It doesn't suffer from the long tail of traffic behind, by any means, in fact it does well over the speed limits as standard. Just rebuilt the engine but, is it worth looking at an EV conversion using the auto box?

Would you be able to convert the back wheels of a VW Caddymaxi, but keeping the diesel engine on the front

I love the idea of an electric camper van. How long does it take to fully charge the batteries from empty?

Very convenient since most campsites have electric outlets already.

Waiting for someone brave to let you modernise a vwt4. Not seen it yet and it lacks cool as a vw for some.

It’d be good to do this particularly if you can make a DIY fit conversion kit on a newer more affordable T4 based camper. The cost of a classic air cooled VW bus plus the conversion would be prohibitive for most people. I could see any US import petrol engines gas guzzling RVs being great candidates for EV swapping as well!

I’ve got a Brazilian t2 myself any room is limited so with all them batteries not sure where you put anything also lost the toilet to battery space 😮

Last I camped they had spots with unlimited electric access for an additional $5 a night. I used to take advantage of it, to run a 12v DC charger so my radio didn't kill my battery. 110 isn't ideal for charging an EV. But $5 for overnight charging has got to be cheaper than average.

Need!!

Way to go Richard. That camper van seems indestructible. It probably may need a new battery in the coming years, but with new types of batteries coming up, the new one may be the last, because it will last forever.

How about some idea of price?

how does it have gears?

hey Moggy, didn't realise you were on RU-vid. I picked up my 1970 Early Bay (South African import) a couple of months back, with conversion in mind to use to travel the world. It appears that the small Model S Tesla or 160kw Leaf Motors are popular due to lack of cutting and the bonus of losing the Trans and on the Battery side, i'm leaning towards LFP, as i will probably need to use superchargers quite often and LFP seem more robust. Just wondering what your choice of set-up would be if you built one today? Thanks for the TV show, it got me through lockdown. John

Looks like a brilliant idea can you solar charge camper for off grid camping ?