I think it looks large enough to camp out of, but not large enough to camp inside. Perhaps a cargo version with pop-up roof could work OK, but size looks no larger than my Honda Odyssey minivan. Obviously you can sleep comfortably on a mattress in a large minivan, and we have, but in my opinion it wouldn’t make a practical Class B motorhome. Headroom appears way too limited.

It would be better than sleeping on floor in a tent, but for a camper build its size would need to be similar to 136” LR ProMaster at a minimum for me to even consider.

 

Hi Chance,
The pop top would be a nice change - after the ProMaster, I'd hate to give up standing.

But I guess it all depends on the person - there are now a lot of people who camp in the back of a Tesla model Y with the back seats down and a mattress using "camp" mode for hvac. There are tons of accessories out there for Tesla campers.

The geometry is challenging, but the idea of an EV camper van with descent range is appealing.

Gary

 

Partial inside view.

 

This makes me think back to my very first newish car back /vanin the 60's, which was a VW microbus. It was not a very good car/van, but I did do a lot of camping in it. It looks like the Buzz is better designed than the old microbus.

Our 1974 VW Bus was a good "Adventure Wagon", but it was underpowered, terrible in cross winds and it didn't have a heater. ;-)

 

Mine had the optional gasoline powered heater mounted right under the dashboard - it heated with a vengeance, but also roared like a lion - it was a bit scary.

It had a package shelf the full under the dashboard and the full width of the dash, and the suspension was so stiff that if you hit a good bump on a back road that everything stowed on the package shelf would come flying out into the cabin.

The best speed it could make up the long east slope of Snowqualmie pass was 35 MPH.
Engine overhaul at 30K miles.

We really do demand more of vehicles these days

Gary

 

My 1976 had a 1970cc efi engine which cranked out a ‘whopping’ 72HP. Not a camper but the front seats and rear bench folded flat so we used it as one. It looked just like the one in this article except it had the spare tire mounted on the front.

Rolling Classic: 1976 Volkswagen Type II with Type IV Power – "It Is Floored!" - Curbside Classic

On my way out of town yesterday, I spotted a very familiar profile in the traffic up ahead, and was able to catch up within a few blocks. I then […]

www.curbsideclassic.com

He says that although the 914 Porsche used the same engine it was more a case of it having a VW engine rather than the other way around. Whatever the case mine felt pretty peppy and even had AC that worked well for those in the front seats.

 

I had a '74 and a '76. I'm not sure which was worse: stalling across two lanes of traffic or dropping a valve before we get out of town trying to take 3 kids on vacation. The PM is my VW that runs.

 

ID. Buzz range
Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure or the WLTP = 263 miles
Real world test at 56mph =225 miles, at 75mph =154 miles
It hasn't gone through epa testing for range but will be lower than the WLTP

 

Interesting test data confirms how driving speed affects economy, whether gas or electric.

TFL also reviewed ID Buzz and mentioned longer-wheelbase USA version would have 91 instead of 82 kWh battery. With that extra 11% capacity the van should be capable of close to 200 miles at around 60 MPH, maybe better.

A couple of young guys got to test a Euro variant in California and reported averaging 2.8 miles per kWh which suggest well over 200 miles of normal local driving. Their review did show the Buzz is fairly small compared to my Honda Odyssey. It may be taller but appears narrower and shorter.


Driving range test data you quoted may have been a little higher if temperature was a little warmer, though I suppose it could have been lower if much colder. Anyway, van isn’t very large but is quite heavy.

Volkswagen ID. Buzz Range Test Reveals Very Good Results

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is one of the latest all-electric vans, available in Europe. It has a relatively good efficiency and range as to its size.

insideevs.com

 

This might be OK for camping in areas without bugs, maybe, with poptop, and for someone younger-ish than my spouse and I--but then, if you're willing to endure that level of discomfort, you could also camp out of a Tesla. (First camper was a '65 VW Westfalia with the teeny engine; first spouse and I and our first child did have some nice travels in that, albeit slowly and at constant fear of yet another breakdown. The revised version, an '87 waterboxer Westy, was much worse--more power, yes, but even more constant and expensive troubles; Germany didn't figure out how to engineer a vehicle for the US until the 90s.)

The trouble with traveling in an e-version of ANY of these things, including one of our types of vans, is always going to be range. People on this forum already complain about the "short" range of the hydrocarbon-fueled Promaster (although this has rarely been a problem for us), but in the mountains, in icy temps, and with the long distances on this continent, I just don't think we're going to see either infrastructure or battery density capable of serving our use cases, at least in my remaining 20 or so years of life. I hope I'm wrong, though. How many charging stations do you expect to find on BLM land?

All that said, the thing is danged cool-looking and I bet it will sell, which is great! Speaking of things, I wonder if they'll bring back the VW Thing as an e-Thing?

 

...The trouble with traveling in an e-version of ANY of these things, including one of our types of vans, is always going to be range...

Had serious range anxiety when towing a travel trailer with a 3/4 ton Chevy pickup @10mpg across parts of the western US back in the mid 80's. That extra stress would be a serious problem with me owning a electric vehicle today but we'll see how the tech/infrastructure grows in the next few years.

 

I could get by with 250miles at 65mph by taking The Long Way if the charge stations were in the small towns. Even though you are driving at 65 it breaks down to less than 50mph, at 50 for two hours is 100 miles, 15-20 minuets on a fast charger will get you close to that in range.

 

E technology presently is not for travel, that's the point, after ww2, nobody in Russia traveled because no maps, much less infrastructure

 

Here's a repost of the EV1000 from 2021

The EV 1000: 11 EVs Face Off in a Long-Distance Race

A 1000-mile race reveals what it's like to drive an EV long distances in 2021.

www.caranddriver.com

 

Koa has 50 amp plugs, some near the bathrooms, be sure to have cable connection

 

Not all 50a 240v outlets are compatible with EV charging EV's are a constant amp draw, other electrical appliances are intermittent. EV outlets need larger gauge wire for heat. If their is a next round of funding it should hit rural America, fast level 3 dc charger's cost $50,000 without support a small town can't afford the cost.

 

Hi,
The Tesla mobile charger limits the charge current to 32 amps.
They used to include this mobile charger with every Tesla, but now you have to buy it.
manual: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default...s/default/files/downloads/gen_2_mobile_connector_owners_manual_32_amp_en_US.pdf

People call it a charger, but in reality, the AC charger is in the car and this thing is just a pass through with some safety features built in.

At home, I use the Tesla wall charger, which allows you to set the charging current at anywhere from 12 to 48 amps. I use 32 amps. It is internet connected and supports charging off peak hours or setting a departure time when you want the car to be ready. There is nothing preventing one from using one of these wall chargers at a campground by plugging it into one of the 50 amp sockets, but as you say, you would have be careful not to overheat the wires supplying the 50 amp socket. But, the multiple AC units on some of the big RVs must run into the same problem?
Tesla recommends not drawing more than 40 amps if the breaker on the circuit is 50 amps.
This is still just a fancy pass through device with no charger electronics - it uses the AC charger that is built into the EV (and is limited by the max capacity of this onboard AC charger).

Don't know what other brands are doing for their AC chargers.

There is also the issue that if a lot of people start charging EV camper vans at campgrounds, the campgrounds are going to have to up the size of their grid connection.

Gary

 

Many campgrounds are already asking (or telling) customers not to charge their BEV toads while at campground, and a few like some KOA are adding dedicated chargers for BEVs.

When charging was being done by only a few campers it probably wasn’t an issue. However, when an EV is plugged and draws 32 Amps at 240 Volts, that’s equivalent to four (4) large RV roof-top air conditioners. And since campers then use the 30A X 120 VDC to power other loads including air conditioning in summer, the campground will soon be overloaded.

Most campgrounds will have to make major electrical upgrades, or will have to prohibit EV charging. Many campgrounds are already marginal in summer because they didn’t upgrade enough when 50A RVs became more common.

 

Most campgrounds will have to make major electrical upgrades, or will have to prohibit EV charging.

Or they will have to put a meter on all the connections and charge for actual use (in addition to upgrading the infrastructure to support it).
I've been in a few parks where the 30A service wasn't up to the task - in one, the voltage dropped significantly when I pulled 30A from it, in another the breaker kept popping, and in a third the breaker just died. I would be concerned about having my ability to continue my travels being tied to the park's maintenance....

 

Our homes will be overloaded too if everyone starts charging their BEVs at the same time while running air conditioners.
One of the common configurations for domestic electrical service provision in the United States is 4 homes per 15kVA or 25kVA transformer. That is 62 or 104 amps at 240V continuous. If we all plug in and charge on level 2 chargers then even 32 amp charging for 4 houses will overload a 25kVA transformer.
We might have 200 amp electrical service on homes in the US, but that rating is strictly for short term. Most homes cannot even draw half that continuously without causing an overload.

Newer and larger homes are in better shape as they tend to be fed off larger transformers.

Our grid is just not designed for that kind of sustained loads. Its not even that easy for some systems to handle the air conditioning loads here in Texas where it was not planned for originally. My neighborhood has homes fed off 75kVA transformers which gives a lot more room for error, but homes around here easily have 8-10 tons of air conditioning capacity, drawing 25-35 amps all day long in the summer. If you add a few other loads and each had an EV, even that transformer is going to be working. It can supply 312 amps, but feeding 4 houses, would leave 78 amps each. If they all had a Tesla with a 48 amp wall connector they cannot all charge at the same time. Even more modest EV charging would overload even these very large residential transformers.

50 amp RV connections aren't 50 amps continuous any more than my 200 amp residential service is 200 amps continuous. Most electrical service can supply only a small fraction (less than half) of the service rating continuously. Campground EV charging is just not going to be feasible at any quick rate. Maybe a few thousand watts, but beyond that it will be overloaded.

 

Our homes will be overloaded too if everyone starts charging their BEVs at the same time while running air conditioners.
One of the common configurations for domestic electrical service provision in the United States is 4 homes per 15kVA or 25kVA transformer. That is 62 or 104 amps at 240V continuous. If we all plug in and charge on level 2 chargers then even 32 amp charging for 4 houses will overload a 25kVA transformer.
We might have 200 amp electrical service on homes in the US, but that rating is strictly for short term. Most homes cannot even draw half that continuously without causing an overload.

Newer and larger homes are in better shape as they tend to be fed off larger transformers.

Our grid is just not designed for that kind of sustained loads. Its not even that easy for some systems to handle the air conditioning loads here in Texas where it was not planned for originally. My neighborhood has homes fed off 75kVA transformers which gives a lot more room for error, but homes around here easily have 8-10 tons of air conditioning capacity, drawing 25-35 amps all day long in the summer. If you add a few other loads and each had an EV, even that transformer is going to be working. It can supply 312 amps, but feeding 4 houses, would leave 78 amps each. If they all had a Tesla with a 48 amp wall connector they cannot all charge at the same time. Even more modest EV charging would overload even these very large residential transformers.

50 amp RV connections aren't 50 amps continuous any more than my 200 amp residential service is 200 amps continuous. Most electrical service can supply only a small fraction (less than half) of the service rating continuously. Campground EV charging is just not going to be feasible at any quick rate. Maybe a few thousand watts, but beyond that it will be overloaded.

Hi,
I charge my EV in the middle of the night at 32 amps - this is less than (say) running the stove oven and dryer at the same time during the day, so no increase in peak load. I only run the charger once or twice a week.
It seems to me that the utilities can handle a lot of the increase in loads with rates that incentivize or penalize charging at the times they want or don't want.

There is also more use of the scheme where the utility can disable some loads when the local or regional grid is being overloaded, and even draw energy from EV or solar batteries when overloaded (V2G).

I'm sure some changes will be in needed, but the utilities will be making a lot more money from EV charging to fund these changes. Most businesses like the idea f seeing demand grow and making more money. And, its not like we have a choice.

Gary

 

maybe each house should start claiming their "electricity rights" similar to "water rights"

 

Or, adding solar and a battery.

 

Curious so I checked my provider, they have a rebate for using their EV managed charging station.
Apparently $250 instant rebate, plus a $25 gift card for every season (summer and/or winter) you sign up for.
I see managed charging stations in the future, cheaper than replacing transformers.

 

There be a lot coming soon for city use.
Merchants Fleet to purchase 12,500 Ram ProMaster electric vans | FleetOwner
Also the $85000 gm Bright Drop is ramping up in Canada at 250miles per full charge close to a travel van
FedEx Canada Takes Delivery Of 50 BrightDrop Zevo 600 Units (gmauthority.com)