What's an electric VW Camper really like?

We take an electric VW Camper out for a weekend of outdoor fun and test what it's really like to live with on a family jaunt. Is it really a practical alternative to petrol and has converting it to electric provided some additional benefits?
naturalresources.wales/bwlchn...
meadowsprings.co.uk/
www.electricclassiccars.com
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/ elecclassiccars

[@seattlebeard]

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)

[@jimcabezola3051]

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!

[@luc_libv_verhaegen]

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

[@WhamBang]

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

[@ElectricClassicCars]

I wish they would pull over. 😆😂😁👍

[@andrewgrenville5330]

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

[@circusfactory]

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

[@georgedaville4662]

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 👍😎

[@spudproductions7606]

Thanks George 😀

[@eekee6034]

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

[@ianross5019]

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.

[@silliestduffer]

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.

[@billmorr65]

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

[@dlittlester]

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.

[@urosrozman1116]

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

[@arthemis1039]

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 !

[@olik136]

it will be rediculously expensive though... the buzz already STARTS at 54k€ the camping version will be at about 70k€... those are 3 entire years of net earnings (average income is about 2k€ here) for an incomplete small camper that was supposed to be a budget alternative for big campers..

[@stevezodiac491]

At Caravan and Motorhome camp sites, it is £12 to charge your vehicle abd only through your rig. Not cheap.

[@stevezodiac491]

The id buzz is tiny and not a practical vehicle to convert to a camper van like the Transporter.

[@TheHkluivert]

​@@stevezodiac491 are you suggesting this T2 is big?

[@xxwookey]

@@stevezodiac491 £12 doesn't sound expensive to me and I'm tight.

[@nicolasbernier6151]

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…

[@nr619]

no problems, take a big petrol generator to recharge your van at night. will not disturbe in the forest... !

[@marcofecteau]

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.

[@milescoleman910]

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.

[@MrBigal451]

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!

[@predragv.365]

This is the Best Electric vehicle. I love vw camper

[@waynethefridgemanosborne8984]

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

[@howdy7359]

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).

[@janewenderby9575]

Brilliant camper. I would love one myself.

[@rolandmogle9671]

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 .

[@spudproductions7606]

Thanks Roland😀

[@robertallgeier2109]

I enjoy your shows, SO much. Thanks.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching. 😎👍

[@mrmawson2438]

Great video mate 👌

[@EdWelch100]

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

[@spudproductions7606]

Thanks 👍

[@andytang04]

That range is nice 👍

[@choice9572]

Great video thank you!

[@Mike_Costello]

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.

[@danielkelly8756]

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

[@SusansRoadLessTraveled]

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.

[@paulmillard9535]

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

[@chrislambert4885]

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

[@davidhunternyc1]

Happy Days !!! 😆

[@xyredmax]

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 :)

[@TheWinjin]

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.

[@vincentrobinet2713]

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

[@cosgraham534]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqerpp-ai9GjfKM

[@markreed9853]

It looks very limited for solar on the roof especially with that pop top but maybe you could add some foldout plugin ones?

[@stevehanlon7627]

@@markreed9853 150W per square meter is the BEST solar can do. a 12kW battery will need roughly 80 square meters of solar.

[@AleOle]

I am thinking of doing this to my camper bus. I can easily install 500W solar panels in my VW T2 camper roof or maybe more...( i currently have 200W). The point of having solar panels in the roof isn't about travelling entirely on solar energy but saving a loooot of energy that you are obligated to pay in a charge station.

[@markreed9853]

@@stevehanlon7627 to power the stuff in a camper fine but not to drive the wheels as these guys show how many panels you need and still only got around 100 miles of range in a full sunny day in South America! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppTNY5-HrK1qhJY

[@cristianfederico2411]

Brilliant!

[@Noukz37]

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.

[@mike_reves]

I would love to convert my 72 Westy!

[@mattb8734]

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

[@somecallmetimelderberries432]

love it!

[@edenviews]

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!🤩

[@BURNOUTBMX]

Bro love It need one in colombia jeje :(

[@terminalpsychosis8022]

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?

[@spudproductions7606]

914 episode coming soon 😀

[@benjaminroot6270]

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.

[@chrisjarmain]

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

[@mikelytou]

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

[@jeffreyrwilliams9345]

Brilliant!! Salute

[@Simonicusmaximus]

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

[@bobeden5027]

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

[@mikemchale7639]

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

[@MrMarkuk1]

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

[@tomdianaks]

Ya! I want one 🤩🤩👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@absolutelyaverage4251]

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

[@nealm1814]

Increasingly camp sites will have to re-think that or lose customers.

[@jezthomas4402]

@@nealm1814 Just what I was thinking! Will be great not to have stinky diesel and petrol fumes, and noises, all over the campsite, while you're trying to relax on your hols :-D

[@stormrunner0029]

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

[@LosZonga]

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

[@markthomasson5077]

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

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Yep. I remember those days we'll. 😁👍

[@marks-0-0]

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.

[@simonburleigh5551]

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

[@Sandmonmsn]

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.

[@xxwookey]

Yep. that'll definitely work, but those vans and big and square and heavy so the question is how much range will you end up with? Not too bad with the big (100kWh) packs. I think there is an outfit in the US that does these conversions commercially.

[@Sandmonmsn]

@@xxwookey If, for example, a Merc Sprinter 4x4 were to be converted. I would have quad motors fitted. I would have the LFP battery mounted inside the vans cargo space to be better insulated from the outside elements, allowing better ground clearance and the water tanks to be under the vehicle, below the battery. With a big high roof long wheelbase van, quad motors all the electrical gubbins for traction and house needs and an camper Interior. I would expect the van to be at or over 3500kg. From that if 100 to 130 year round miles were achievable. I would be happy. Never be able to afford the thing but that's what I'd do. Oh and stick as many thin film solar panels to the roof, back, bonnet and sides of it.

[@davesy6969]

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

[@derektierney1314]

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

[@andrewredman4551]

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?

[@wrightwells]

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.

[@sandyhagen9155]

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?

[@youxkio]

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.

[@colinherd]

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.

[@George_Salt]

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.

[@mrmawson2438]

Don't take a dog that snores 😂

[@monkeyportions1722]

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

[@IDontWantAHandle101]

You could have fitted a steam engine and improved one of these. Anything is better than the original

[@spudproductions7606]

😂

[@ctom4932]

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.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

wroñgé

[@locknut5382]

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. 🙂👍

[@dave4803]

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.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

This is a conversion we did many years ago. Most of our VW Camper conversions are now automatic, with no gears. 👍

[@dave4803]

@@ElectricClassicCars Thanks for replying and that sounds great. Can I ask, do you use an automatic style gear stick like your mini conversions or is it a push button set up like on your Defenders? I'm not a fan of the push button set up. Love your work.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

@@dave4803 There's 3 solutions we use, push button, twist knob and micro switches on the base of the original gear stick. 👍

[@dave4803]

@@ElectricClassicCars That's perfect and I like the 3rd option best. It also retains the classic look and feel but mixes the best of modern tech. Thanks for explaining it.

[@ML-jr1yz]

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

[@tbeau6663]

Love it, Richard.....I'm a VW fan too. However, the cost of the conversion makes it uneconomical. When the prices are slashed and the time it takes to charge up being no longer than it takes to fill a tank with petrol (i.e 5 mins)....then I'll consider it. Electric cars by 2030? No chance, Prime Minister!!

[@gbickell]

What's not to love about a VX camper, especially an electric one. Just lovely.

[@alastairwatson3201]

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.

[@nealm1814]

Did you watch the video? The camper in the vid has 5 year old tech and Moggy said todays conversions have more like 200 miles (320 km) range.

[@francesconicoletti2547]

Let’s see what the new government, with all those greens and teals does about the utterly pathetic Australian charging infrastructure. Not one National park I have visited has any sort of charging even at their visitors stations for instance. It really doesn’t matter what the range of an EV is outside of an Australian capital city as there are almost nowhere to charge, unless you own a Tesla of course in which case it is possible to drive up the east coast. As to feasibility there are towns less then four hours drive apart anywhere that people live everywhere in Australia. A couple of subsidised fast chargers in each town would much ease range anxiety for ev drivers. If we are actually trying to lower our CO2 emissions and not just do some handwringing.

[@nealm1814]

@@alanmay7929 So we should be developing EV campers with 700km ranges just so a few Aussies can drive about in the middle of nowhere. I wish people would stop coming up with these edge cases to somehow "prove" EVs are no good. Just stick to your ICE and leave EV channels alone.

[@nealm1814]

@@alanmay7929 Better get yourself one of these then kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqerpp-ai9GjfKM

[@HelloWorld-ns7gt]

@@alanmay7929 A bloke in the US built a kombi with 1000 mile range. It's on utube but I watched it long ago.

[@Sonnensegler.Bayern]

Lov-it. Mhhh, just thought -- maybe use a Kuckoo Camper on an electric car, with lots of batterie as an range extender maybe? Those campers are sustainable, project idea was made while pandemic for fair-trade builders to have an income by building campers. Maybe we can extend the idea by supporting an electric car tow it, no?

[@andrewallen9993]

Brilliantly, if you drive 100km into the bush with 4 solar panels on the roof in only 2 months you can drive out if you didn't take a big generator with you!

[@markbennett6658]

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!

[@xxwookey]

Except that they (US import RVs) are huge and square and heavy, so you'll never get much range out of one. A conversion would be an improvement, but I worry that you would spend a lot of money for an underwhelming vehicle.

[@markbennett6658]

@@xxwookey not great for the aerodynamics but plenty of space to fit batteries. Wouldn’t need to be ‘fast’ so the brick like shape might not be such a big deal. Just smooth and cheap to run. The hardware definitely needs to be more affordable and DIY friendly though!

[@trailingarm63]

NIce bit of evangelism for EVs and it all looks fine until you get to the price. That's probably why there is never a mention of cost in the Vintage Volt series. I read an article which said the average cost of a Vintage Volt conversion is £70k. If this is incorrect then I apologise. But for mere mortals I suspect it's going to be a diesel van until the government prohibits them. Camping was always supposed to be a cheap holiday. In my case it still is!

[@mrmawson2438]

Hello mate 👍

[@zapfanzapfan]

Very convenient since most campsites have electric outlets already.

[@NickFoster]

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.

[@xxwookey]

Buying the Buzz Cargo and self-converting is my plan. Still waiting for UK pricing but maybe 45 grand? Then it's up to you how much you spend on a conversion. My current fairly basic one (insulation, carpet, bed, cupboards, table, windows, rotating chair, central locking, leisure batts, bike racks, solar fan) (in an expert) cost maybe £1500 and has lasted 20 years. Obviously one can spend a great deal more than that, and I'd go for a pop-top this time. The main catch at this point is that they've said there will be a longer body/bigger battery version. If I'm going to spend 50 or 60 grand on a car then I might as well wait for that one. I gather ECC's conversions are about 20 grand in bits and similar amount in labour. Maybe a bit less for this one, but definitely not cheap.

[@2315mini]

How many Amp does it need to charged? 16?20?32? and was it 110V or 240V?

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Lowest is 4 amps at 240v. Highest depends on what charging system a customer goes with and wether AC or DC charging. Maximum DC CCS charging we do is 150kW.

[@mikesimmonds1916]

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

[@advanceglazingsolutionsinc5527]

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?

[@johnm.withersiv4352]

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.

[@vitovitale9867]

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?

[@ethanhawk1915]

Nice vid I’d love to have mine done but the price range was well out of my league Good job tho

[@barriepotter3753]

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

[@whu58]

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?

[@mikosoft]

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

[@jossentjens7154]

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

[@nitt3rz]

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?

[@carlwatson8748]

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

[@ThomasC951]

👍👍👍

[@lesliemeehan3724]

would not work in most of Australia no charging points in camp sites

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Roof solar. 🌞😎👍