How Much Is The New VW Electric Campervan?

You’ve probably heard the buzz (pun intended) about the new VW Electric Campervan. It’s called the VW ID Buzz (pronounced I.D. Bus), and the marketing is being pushed hard.

So, what is the buzz around the VW ID Buzz all about? And more importantly, how much is a pristine VW Electric Campervan going to cost me on the forecourt?

No one was actually sure that VW was going to offer the ID Buzz as a Campervan, until an eagle eyed reporter spotted this comment in an official VW Press release relating to Electric Vehicles:

Buried deep inside a European press release, camouflaged under the headline, “Electrification of more European plants,” was this little snippet: “Another vehicle derivative, the ID. California, has likewise been approved for the (Hanover, Germany) site.” Source: Autoweek.com

The UK RRP if the new VW Electric Campervan is being advertised at just over £55,000, which to be fair is more than reasonable for a Campervan of this size and spec’, and for an electric vehicle, but what are we getting for our money, and is it worth the investment?

In the next few short paragraphs I’ll share with you what I have been able to unearth so far in my research on the VW ID Buzz.

Contents

• 1 How Far Can The New VW Electric Campervan Go On A Single Charge?
• 2 How Long Does The VW Electric Campervan Battery Take To Fully Recharge?
• 3 How Much Does It Cost To Recharge The New VW Electric Campervan’s Battery?
• 4 What Happens If You Run Out Of Power In The New VW Electric Campervan?
• 5 What Facilities Does The New VW Campervan Have?
• 6 How Many People Does the VW Electric Campervan Sleep?
• 7 Is The New VW Electric Campervan Worth Buying?

How Far Can The New VW Electric Campervan Go On A Single Charge?

At the time of writing this, there aren’t any VW Electric Campervans zipping around out roads. At least I haven’t seen one yet, although I am actually dying to see one. So, there aren’t any real life figures on hand for me to share.

The manufacturers, VW are giving out a figure of 250 miles for a single charge of it’s 77 kW battery. 250 miles is an acceptable figure, but it a lot less than most Campervans that run on traditional fuels can go on a single tank of fuel.

However, as we are dealing with new the new technology of Electric Vehicles here, I suppose we have to cut the manufacturers some slack.

Even though the new Electric Campervan isn’t being sold yet, there is literature stating that there is a larger 111 kW Battery upgrade to the existing 77 kW battery that will soon be available. This upgrade will extend the VW ID Buzz’ range from a single battery charge to even further, estimates are for around 340 miles on a full charge, which is a lot more comforting. Read more...

 

Where Can You Store Your Motorhome?

Sooner or later you are going to have to face the question of whether to store your Motorhome or not. When we buy our Motorhomes, we believe we are going to use them every weekend and holiday, but that generally turns out not to be the case.

So what should you do with your large, expensive and much loved Motorhome when it’s not in use? Hopefully reading through the next few short paragraphs will help you to decide on the best option.

Contents

• 1 Should You Store Your Motorhome If It’s Not Being Used?
• 2 Should You Store Your Motorhome At Home?
• 3 Can You Store Your Motorhome In The Street?
• 4 Can You Store Your Motorhome On Farmland?
• 5 Are Motorhome Covers Worth The Money?
• 6 Is It Better To Store Your Motorhome Indoors?
• 7 Should I Use A Specialist Motorhome Storage Facility?
• 8 Does Storing Your Motorhome Affect Your Insurance?
• 9 Is There A Motorhome Storage Checklist?

Should You Store Your Motorhome If It’s Not Being Used?

This is the first and a very important question that you should be asking yourself once you realise that your Motorhome is spending too much time in limbo.

The answer, of course will mainly depend on your own personal circumstances. Where you live, when you plan to use it next, if you have a large driveway or plot of land, if you have other vehicles and how many you have, or even “Can you afford to pay for storage”?

The list of circumstances and considerations is almost endless, but looking after your Motorhome and preventing it from damage, corrosion, theft or worse should be at the forefront of your mind when you make your decision.

Most people come to the sensible decision to store their Motorhomes when they aren’t in use. The next question that has to be answered is of course. Where do you store your Motorhome? Read more...

 

How Much Does It Cost To Build A Campervan Conversion At Home?

If you are planning to carry out your own Campervan conversion at home, you are going to need a rough idea of what the costs involved are going to come to before you start your project.

If you think about it, the cost of carrying out a DIY Campervan conversion will lie somewhere between an extremely low financial outlay, and up to, whatever you are prepared to spend and more. We are going to consider how much it should cost to build a Campervan somewhere close to the average of those two figures.

In this post we are going to look at how much you will realistically have to spend to build a Campervan from a class B van that is suitable to be used for a week long vacation at the very least. So no Day Vans or Surf Busses are going to be considered.

Let’s also be clear here? This is not a follow through of a build that I have done. This post is the findings from a collection of research that I have carried out after studying the details of numerous home Campervan conversions.

I an a registered Engineer with the Engineering Council here in the UK, as well as a qualified Vehicle mechanic and Electrician. I believe that I have been able to unearth a lot of helpful and valuable information. It is contained in the following paragraphs. I hope you enjoy reading through it and find it useful too.

Contents

• 1 What Are The Main Savings From A Home Campervan Conversion?
• 2 How Much Does A Donor Van For A Campervan Conversion Cost?
• 3 What Amenities Does A Home Campervan Conversion Need?
• 4 What Tools Will I Need To Carry Out A Campervan Conversion?
• 5 What Level Of Practical And Mechanical Skills Do I Need?
• 6 How Long Should A Home Campervan Conversion Take?
• 7 Where Is The Best Place To Carry Out A Campervan Conversion?
• 8 Should I Fit Solar Panels To My Campervan Conversion?
• 9 Do I Need To Register A Home Campervan Conversion?
• 10 How Does the Cost Of A Professional Campervan Conversion Compare With A Home Conversion?

What Are The Main Savings From A Home Campervan Conversion?

Without a shadow of a doubt, the largest savings when carrying out a home Campervan conversion are going to be Labour Costs. If you are doing even the majority of the work yourself, you won’t have to pay someone else to do it. It’s like money in the bank, or it can be, if you do it right the first time.

Even if you are reasonably skilled at physically working with hand and power tools, it is more than likely that you are going to come across things during your Campervan conversion that you simply don’t have the skills or expertise to do yourself. When this time comes, it is time to call in a professional.

You are going to have to accept that some specialist or complex things simply aren’t worth taking the risk on doing a bad job of, if you don’t already have the skills to do it to a good standard. Leaking windows or pop top roofs, faulty solar panels or the smell of gas when cooking come to mind!

That being said, there is very little that you can’t find a YouTube Tutorial on nowadays, so all might not be lost. You could always experiment with a few small bench sized models of what you are trying to achieve to hone your skills before taking the leap of trying it on your donor van. Read more...