June 30, 2021 – And when you least expect, it comes the announcement of the world’s least likely electric camper van. The manufacturer is the British LEVC, well known all over the planet as the manufacturer of the famous London taxis. Before seeing the (few) details released by the company in the official announcement, let’s see the 3 relevant elements:
- the vehicle is not a pure electric one, but bases its capabilities on the presence of a “range extender” (i.e. a petrol engine that comes into operation to charge the battery)
- the arrival across the Channel is expected by the end of the current year
- the price excluding taxes will be between £62,250 and £73,000 VAT excluded (between €72,500 and €85,000, which with Italian VAT would rise to €88,450 and €103,700 respectively)
Not really a joke, considering that we are talking about a Volkswagen California class vehicle, with a folding roof and no bathroom. But this is the price to pay for those who want to be a pioneer. Called e-Camper, it offers a zero-emission range that can reach a maximum of 98 kilometers, while with the range extender in action the maximum distance covered is 489 kilometers.
“The campervan market is growing rapidly and, despite these vehicles being used for coastal and countryside adventures which often include national parks and protected areas, they are still powered by petrol or diesel engines,” said Joerg Hofmann, CEO of LEVC. “This is a major conflict; we can see a shift in consumer attitudes, with demand for greener mobility solutions to help to protect and improve air quality. Our new electric, zero-emissions capable e-Camper offers the perfect solution and is well-equipped with high quality features that can be tailored to meet a range of customer requirements.”
The layout is that of California
The set-up – which includes a side kitchen, central sliding bench that converts into a bed, rear wardrobe and folding roof with integrated double bed – is created in collaboration with the British specialist Wellhouse Leisure. Further information on the equipment (such as heating system or refrigerator) was not provided. The only detail is that the kitchen is electric and that the front seats rotate 180 degrees to form, as usual, the living area.
Since the e-Camper derives from the VN5 van, we have obtained some technical data from there. The length is 523.3 centimeters, the height (without the pop-up roof) of 199 centimeters and the width of 194.5. The electric accumulator consists of 3 lithium-ion modules for a total of 96 cells and 31kWh. The on-board charger handles 11 or 22 kW AC and 50 kW DC, which results in charging times ranging from 30 to 225 minutes (with a 7 kW charge). The internal combustion engine is a 1,477 cc 3-cylinder in-line petrol engine with turbo and direct injection. The fuel tank is 36 liters.
LEVC is confident, seeing great potential for this vehicle both in Great Britain and in Europe. We are waiting to see if the promise to see him on the street by the end of the year will be kept.
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