5 reasons to (not) buy an electric motorhome
Electrification is not only popular in the world of cars, vans and mobile homes also have to believe in the trend. We give you five reasons to (not) buy an electric motorhome.
Photography: Martijn Bravenboer
The electric motorhome is becoming more and more popular. On the one hand, because manufacturers are increasingly offering electrically powered versions of their delivery vans, and on the other hand, because customers prefer to drive electrically. Autovisie recently set out with one such electric camper: the e-Fixxter. It’s basically a Peugeot Expert that’s been converted into a fully-fledged camper van by Dutch companies Camperfixx and VDL. But why should you (not) buy an e-camper?
Cons: An electric motorhome is expensive!
Electric cars are significantly more expensive than petrol or diesel variants, and this also applies to electric mobile homes. As mentioned, they are based on a fully electric variant of a van, which is also more expensive than a variant with a combustion engine. However, the difference for individuals is not large. After all, as a private consumer you have to pay a high BPM amount for a new diesel bus and this does not apply to an electric bus. The net price of a new electric or diesel bus is therefore not that different. However, since used electric buses are still young and fairly new, one is often forced to buy a new or recent used model in order to convert it into a camper. And then you are also forced to buy an expensive bus.
Plus: wonderfully quiet
One of the biggest advantages of an electric motorhome is the low noise level. Are you arriving late at your campsite address or do you have to leave early in the morning? Then you don’t have to worry about the sound of a noisy diesel engine waking up your camping friends. In an electric mobile home you drive away from the campsite silently and unnoticed and are no burden to anyone.
Plus: stands like a house
Manufacturers of electric buses mount the large, heavy battery between the axles and thus deep in the vehicle. Not only is this good for handling such a moving sea container, but it also ensures your camper is rock solid on a turbulent night. Due to the low center of gravity, you are less affected by gusts of wind and a choppy cabin in an electric motorhome.
Min: the range of an electric camper
You buy a camper for freedom. You can travel wherever you want and cross all of Europe from the Netherlands. You probably also drive many kilometers on the Autobahn. And an electric motorhome doesn’t like that so much. It is a well-known fact that electric cars do not get on the motorway very well and the range depends heavily on the weather conditions, which is particularly true for a large electric bus. An electric mobile home often has an additional pop-up roof, which does not benefit the aerodynamics at all. The e-Fixxter we drive can travel about 250 kilometers on one charge. If you can’t handle that, then an electric camper isn’t for you.
Plus: very low maintenance
An electric drive train requires little maintenance and is not susceptible to faults. It’s nice with an electric motorhome that you don’t use every day and that probably stays parked a lot. The purchase is expensive, but the operating and maintenance costs are significantly lower than for a motorhome with a diesel engine. You simply don’t have to worry as much whether it’s in the garage or driving through the mountains of southern Europe. Then you have more time to enjoy your vacation.
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