Best campervan innovation

WINNER Wheelhome Vikenze III-e

Base vehicle Vauxhall Combo-e Life Travel seats 2/4 Berths 1+1 Gross weight 2,290kg Payload 310kg Length x width x height 4.40m x 1.92m x 1.84m Price from £58,000

Electric campervans are still in their infancy but one small company has shown larger brands how it can be done. The Vikenze III-e might be by far the smallest ’van in our awards this year but its battery and solar capacities put larger models in the, err, shade.

The reasoning behind this electric tour de force is simple. If your camping is mostly fairly local, you don’t need to worry about en route charging – simply leave home fully charged (you don’t even need a wallbox) and recharge on your campsite pitch via the usual hook-up cable.

This is possible because Wheelhome makes its camper independent of the site electricity for cooking, lighting and even heating. Everything on the habitation side is powered by a huge bank of lithium batteries under the converter’s own cab centre console – the 640Ah capacity is six times that of a typical campervan! Then there’s a 300W solar panel on the roof (three times the usual) and a 3,000W inverter to supply mains power to the appliances and three-pin sockets.

So, with the living area taking nothing from the site, the usual orange camping cable can top up your EV batteries. Wheelhome says that you’ll be drawing similar current to a motorhome using 230V for its fridge, heating, hot water, etc, and that you’ll usually add seven miles of range for every hour hooked up.

The Vikenze III-e is Wheelhome's first fully electric campervan but it hasn’t launched the little Vauxhall without some serious testing, having taken the first example on a 2,100-mile tour from Essex to Shetland (at a ‘fuel’ cost of just £125).

Based on the Vauxhall Combo-e Life, the Wheelhome starts life as a car, rather than a van, with a spec that includes a 50kWh battery and a claimed 174-mile range. It's a delightfully easy vehicle to pilot, with no gears, of course, and decent performance from the 134bhp electric motor. Regenerative braking tops up the battery as you drive and we actually managed to exceed Vauxhall’s claimed range. Then, if you do plan longer trips, a 100W public charger can take your EV battery from 15% to 80% charge in around 30 minutes.

On site, there’s no getting away from the fact that the Vikenze III-e is a lot smaller than, say, a VW T6, but an electric elevating roof quickly adds standing room. The living area suits solo campervanners best but it is possible to add a second berth (in the pop-top) and two could sit around the dining table (which is also the cover for the sink). That’s typical of the clever design here, which also includes suitcase-style clothing storage in the roof, room for a Porta Potti (accessible at night), and even space for a dog bed! 

HIGHLY COMMENDED Bürstner Eliseo Active C 644

Maybe you’re torn between choosing a rear lounge campervan (for plenty of comfy space to relax in on site when the weather isn’t being kind) and a continental-style fixed bed model, so that you can get your expensive e-bikes on board for security? Well, now you can have both in Bürstner’s latest campervan, the Eliseo Active C 644.

Open the back doors and there’s real garage space, so the U-shaped lounge moves forward of this, while still proving generous room for a couple to unwind. Better still, you won’t have to convert the seats into a bed as a lengthways double lowers electrically from the roof.

The rear lounge even incorporates a pair of extra forward-facing travel seats, while the washroom has a swing-wall to give you a practical curtain-free shower.

Like Bürstner’s other campervans, the Fiat-based C 644 benefits from flush habitation windows, alloy wheels and a choice of six exterior paint finishes. Base vehicle Fiat Ducato Travel seats 4 Berths 4 Gross weight 3,500kg Payload 531kg Length x width x height 6.36m x 2.08m x 2.65m Price from £62,795

HIGHLY COMMENDED Knights Custom Mountain Peak

Knights Custom Conversions has been building quite a name for itself, building some the bestlooking and highest-spec VW campervans on the market. Most of its designs feature the classic side kitchen but the Mountain Peak adopts a rear galley format, with single RIB rear travel seats that convert into single beds (or slide together for a double).

Where the recently redesigned camper comes into its own, however, is the inclusion of not only a bench-style cassette toilet but also a shower at the rear. Firstly, there’s a privacy screen that pulls down from the roof bed, then you uncover a Corian shower tray hidden in the kitchen floor. The shower curtain clips into place with metal rods (to prevent leakages) and hot water comes from a Webasto Thermo Top Evo RV diesel-fired boiler. Even the fresh water tank capacity is reasonable, at 70 litres. Base vehicle VW Transporter Travel seats 4 Berths 4/5 Gross weight 3,200kg Payload 740kg Length x width x height 5.30m x 1.90m x 2.01m Price from £66,990