A new hazard for unwary touring travelers in Europe is finding the nearest electric charging point for their vehicles. Yes – the electric camper van has arrived.
The European Union has been very active in promoting the growth of electric vehicles as they are regarded as more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Electricity is a clean, non polluting fuel. There have been increasing demands to call an end to all new petrol and diesel vehicle car sales by 2040. Germany is one of the most proactive in this respect. It is aiming to have over 1 million electric cars on the road by 2020.
Last week, the very first purely electric campervan was launched at the CMT Holiday Travel Fair in Stuttgart, Germany. The Iridium Electric Vehicle (EV) is a joint venture between two German companies, EFA-S and WOF. Both companies are based in the heart of the German car-making territory. EFA-S has made a name for itself as a developer and retrofitter of passenger cars, trucks and buses into purely electric vehicles, while WOF has been selling campervans throughout Europe since 2012. WOF’s Iridium brand is well known for its upmarket campervans and motorhomes.
WOF has built the chassis using one of its tried and tested wider commercial vehicle bases. Swiss campervan manufacturer Maurer Fahrzegbau provided the bodywork. EFA-S has created the powertrain and batteries. EFA-S’s drive solution for the camper van has already proven its worth with trucks from UPS parcel service. The core component is a synchronous motor including a control unit from Aradex. For the rechargeable batteries, the company relies on lithium iron phosphate batteries which are linked to the EFA-S’s own battery management system.
In addition, the new all electric van is provided with an integrated charger. This means the vehicle can be charged anywhere- at conventional sockets, at wall boxes with up to 22 kW, or via a CCS connection at fast-charging stations with up to 50 kW. Charging times depend on the mode being used. The vehicle is able to be charged using all the charging modes possible today and is said to be ready for even higher streams. As the battery capacity is 106 kW, it takes two hours of fast charging to almost totally refill it.
The Iridium EV campervan at the CMT Show in Germany.
EFA-S says that the van has a range of about 186 miles without the need for recharging, and that this range will increase in the future. Bastian Beutel, EFA-S Managing Director, comments, “Iridium customers can benefit from the fact that battery capacity is rapidly increasing. The same vehicle can, therefore, more than double its range in the near future with the same battery weight by replacing the battery.”
The new all electric van has a length of almost 23 feet and is about seven and a half feet wide. At about 10 feet high, the permissible total weight comes in as about four tons. Décor within the standard version is a combination of cream and brown plus wood effect flooring and furniture. The standard version contains two single beds, bathroom and turntable front seats. It can also be provided with a totally individual interior made by Maurer Fahrzeugbau. Individual prices for such customization are provided on request.
During the first year, EFA-S and WOF are planning to produce a maximum of 30 vans. The first campervans are planned for delivery in July/August this year but will initially be sold only in Germany. Thomas Gräter , CEO of WOF GmbH said, “The first customers who order a vehicle at the fair can go on vacation in it this year.”
Two models are being made available: 1) A Customized Version with a price tag depending on chosen interiors; 2) The Standard model costing around $192,500 (Euro 169,000). Visitors to the CMT Show are said to have been impressed. According to a company spokesperson, “Reactions have been simply overwhelming. They congratulate us, saying: ‘You did it. Can we do a world tour with it?’”
Until now, campervans have been either gas, or a petrol/electric hybrid. More electric versions are anticipated. Nissan, for example, is introducing an all-electric NV200 campervan exclusively for the Spanish market. VW is also introducing an all new electric campervan said to be able to travel up to 600 miles on a single charge. Known as ID.BUZZ, it accelerates from 0-60mph in around 6 seconds and includes intelligent Co-Pilot capabilities enabling it to assess dangers before you do! The interior incorporates eight seats that can swivel and change direction, or be turned into sleeping accommodations. It is also very spacious as the electric drive takes up minimal space, thus allowing the front and rear axles to be spaced much further apart than usual. A removable tablet allows passengers to operate the info-tainment and air conditioning anywhere within the vehicle. Launch dates are set for 2020.
For most electric vehicle owners, the issue is still very much one of finding charging points. It is not always easy. Most garage forecourts still do not have electric charging areas. Some campsites and caravan sites may have suitable points, but they are less likely to be found in more rural areas. In general, most drivers hunt down supermarket chains such as Tesco and Asda where there is usually a couple of charging points. But confusingly, such points are not located in the garage area, but instead within the main shopping car parking lots.
To find electric vehicle charging points you really need to go on the internet and identify locations close to where you are planning to tour. For example in the UK, you can go to Go Ultra Low to identify charging points on a map. On a wider European basis, Chargemap.com claims to possess the largest map of charging points, while EV-charging.com will display your nearest charging station on an iPhone even when you are on the move. Also worth considering is an open registry called Open Charge Map, which claims to be the global database of EV charging stations.
According to research undertaken by the ACEA, the majority of these charging points are located in the Netherlands, Germany, France and the UK, with a smaller number in Spain, Sweden, Austria Italy, Belgium, Portugal and Denmark. Drivers may need to go long distances to find a station in most other European countries. The further east you travel, the less likely there will be any recharging stops.
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