July brought both good and bad news for campervan fans as an exciting new electric campervan with an especially impressive turning circle was announced, along with Volkswagen revealing that they have been doing quite well for themselves. The good news was tempered by the cancellation of a popular motorhome event that many campers and manufacturers were looking forward to, thanks to confusion over Covid-19 restrictions.
Read on to see what’s been happening in the world of campervans over the last month.
New LEVC e-Camper Announced
The electric taxi specialists, the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC), have announced the preliminary details of the new e-Camper they are developing. It will use LEVC’s range extender technology to achieve an electric-only range of 60 miles, with a total range of over 300 miles.
The e-Camper will have an exceptionally good turning circle thanks to LEVC’s experience building electric taxis. It will also have a side-layout kitchen that is completely electric powered, as well as four berths shared between the pop-top roof and sliding rear bench. The cab seats will also be able to swivel around.
The Chief Executive Officer of LEVC, Joerg Hofmann, talked about the need for ‘greener mobility solutions’, saying: “The campervan market is growing rapidly and, despite these vehicles being used for coastal and countryside adventures which often include national parks and protected areas, they are still powered by petrol or diesel engines.
“This is a major conflict. We can see a shift in consumer attitudes, with demand for greener mobility solutions to help to protect and improve air quality. Our new electric, zero emissions-capable e-Camper offers the perfect solution and is well-equipped with high quality features that can be tailored to meet a range of customer requirements.”
The list price is shaping-up to be pretty steep at £62,250, with the first deliveries of the e-Camper currently on course to be ready by the fourth quarter of this year.
Volkswagen Reveal Massive Sales Increase
German manufacturer Volkswagen recently revealed they had enjoyed a 621% year-on-year increase in the amount of their California campervans being financed. The increase is likely due to the rise in holidaymakers choosing to stay within the UK for their vacations, say Volkswagen.
Research conducted by Volkswagen showed that half of those surveyed said they would be taking a driving ‘staycation’ at home this year rather than use public transport.
NEC Motorhome and Caravan Show Cancelled Again
For the second year in a row, the Motorhome and Caravan Show at the NEC has been cancelled. It is the UK’s biggest such event and was due to take place in October, but has again been shelved due to confusion over Covid-19 restrictions.
The organiser of the show, NCC Events, released a statement saying: “We have taken the decision not to go ahead as planned with the Motorhome and Caravan Show this October and instead to focus on our next show. With only 14 weeks to go until the show, which is one of the largest public events in the country, rules on large, organised indoor events continue to be unclear.”
The next show NCC Events are focusing on is the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show currently due to take place at the NEC in February next year.
