My fully electric campervan build
Discussion
Thought I'd post up my current project that I started just before Xmas & plan to have finished by the end of Feb. A fully electric van into a campervan. The base van is a lwb 88kwh Maxus e Deliver9 which I bought just before Christmas, it's two years old & 20k miles. 200bhp too. Bargain considering how much it was new! £70k, thank you depreciation, I paid 20% of that including vat
Bargain of the year, arrived at home after the epic trip from down south.
It was previously a clean room medical supply van, was wrapped too so the paint is great. The rear is/was lined out with this 15mm honeycomb fibreglass board fully sealed, it's is super tough, very light & I'm keeping it for the floor base and the rear end where I plan to store stuff & the showeroom is making use of it. I'm repurposing some of it as it's great for building interior internal stuff, it's used for building boat bulkheads & marine stuff.
I'm sure you're all ask what's this real world range? Well reality is about 160 miles in the winter. I drove it back from London to Scotland which was a fairly epic 450m trip. It charges at 80kw which is an hour to recharge to full in reality on a rapid. Thankfully the Rangeometer is accurate! Unlike 90% of other brands it doesn't goad you with wltp numbers at full with a range of dissapointment meter. Now it is a 4.2ton van, which is actually a bonus as it has a 1200kg payload which should be more than enough. It's got all the modern stuff but has real buttons to turn stuff off. It went for its first service just before Christmas which means it has the balance of its five-year warranty still and balance of that eight year warranty for the drive train.
Having owned several motor homes, including 3 Hymers, currently have an Adria Compact & a couple of self build vans I have a good idea of what I do and don't want. Rattles is won't thing I hate & this new van is remarkably quiet & completely rattle free to start with. Unlike all my previous off the shelf vans. It's getting built so nothing will rattle! Glued and screwed. The other thing I detest is the Fiat/Peugeot base vans, just dreadful things having owned three of them I was never getting another.
Primarily the van is used for many trips away, often extended, living in Scotland there are endless places to make an excuse to use it, which either involve bikes, windsurfing or ski kit. So I want full length internal storage if possible, adjustable bed height that also tilts away for walk through space, compact shower toilet combo. A week's worth of water storage. Lots & lots of insulation as plan to use it for ski trips& it's always cold in Scotland. Going electric means going gas free which saves 50kg (no double gas tanks at £50 each a fill). So it's getting 3x105ah lifepo4 batteries, 1200w inverter & this new Maxus has a 210ah 12v output to charge the batteries yay, (though I've not found exactly where the output it is yet...) I'll add solar at a later date.
First job was to strip out an investigate what I've got, first impressions are it's a bloody well built van. Every panel has internal support panels with foam goo to stop any noise, even after taking the bulkhead out there was not a single squeak from this van. Found a neat storage area above the cabin which was closed off, no longer is.
I'm adding insulation as I go any of the internal voids are getting stuffed with the recycled plastic insulation.
Then it's getting this foam stuff which has a foil backing and his self adhesive, it's great for sound deadening and eliminates condensation multiple layers where possible. Used this extensively on our boat it's brilliant stuff. There will not be a single bit of exposed metal on display or anywhere left uninsulated.
Then a layer of stretch carpet and then a final layer of this rather brilliant stuff which is adhesive fake suede. I decided on the colour options prior so make of it what you will lol. One bonus of this insulation stuff especially on the roof rafters is you can bump your head on it and it's not problem yay.
As it doesn't use the diesel or Def tank there was a blanking plug which once pulled off revealed a hole and the perfect location for the 240 volt input for the camper supply. Saves drilling holes in the side of the metal work!
I ordered three windows complete with blinds and Scottish midge screens. They duly arrived followed by the terrifying experience of cutting the holes in the side of your van, on Christmas Eve, in and fitted.
I'd had the van for about a week and I've been working on it in the cold Scottish weather outside with the heating on medium warm just keeping the van toasty it will actually sit for an entire week on one battery charge with the heating on!
It will also have diesel powered heating, as these things are brilliant with some upgrades, cheap & easy to repair. A 20l fuel tank gets you two weeks heating in the Alps in the winter. Tank will be underslung eventually. I've already improved the range with the addition of a diesel heater for the front cabin which seems to have miraculously added another 20-30 miles as opposed to using the electric PTC cabin heating. It's when do the bonnet ducted directly into the air intake for the cabin heating, has remote control to so I can preheat it on a cold winter's morning. Great for being sat at the charging station lol. It's getting another for the room of the van too.
There's plenty of space underneath for tankage and there's even a spare wheel under there. The battery is massive in a big aluminium box and is on great big aluminium hangers in the main centre of the van it says on the label it's 600kgs & LFP too which is a bonus. One Downside of this van is it has a raised floor much like the rear wheel drive version and I'm six foot one and the van is pretty much that. So I've come up with the solution which means I don't have to bend down too much! I'm building the roof into support the rafters to keep as much headroom as possible.
First section of the roof insulation with an air gap & insulated headlining done and my little cubby above the cabin. With this in place you literally cannot hear it raining on the roof unlike our Adria motorhome which is like being in a metal drum when it rains!
The furniture and main bulkheads boarding is being done in 15mm phenolic birch ply which is remarkably light but also very tough & waterproof which I like the idea of. None of the local suppliers stocked it or supply it. I found some Amazon hey presto free delivery which saves me a very long trip to go and get some there's no one else would deliver it to remotest Scotland. (4 days later in brackets)
Also a great excuse by more tools one of my new favorites is a palm router.
Under the bonnet is this device which converts the 400 volts to 12 volts there's various outputs on it one of which is the 210ah epto or power take off, this is a picture of one that's been wired up didn't think my van had one at first but it transpires it does. So one of my next jobs after I get the seating area in just is to get the batteries in and wired up to a b2b charger.
Tambour shower door arrived too, need to trim that and fit it.
I'll get some more pictures tomorrow and updated with progress as we go.
Bargain of the year, arrived at home after the epic trip from down south.
It was previously a clean room medical supply van, was wrapped too so the paint is great. The rear is/was lined out with this 15mm honeycomb fibreglass board fully sealed, it's is super tough, very light & I'm keeping it for the floor base and the rear end where I plan to store stuff & the showeroom is making use of it. I'm repurposing some of it as it's great for building interior internal stuff, it's used for building boat bulkheads & marine stuff.
I'm sure you're all ask what's this real world range? Well reality is about 160 miles in the winter. I drove it back from London to Scotland which was a fairly epic 450m trip. It charges at 80kw which is an hour to recharge to full in reality on a rapid. Thankfully the Rangeometer is accurate! Unlike 90% of other brands it doesn't goad you with wltp numbers at full with a range of dissapointment meter. Now it is a 4.2ton van, which is actually a bonus as it has a 1200kg payload which should be more than enough. It's got all the modern stuff but has real buttons to turn stuff off. It went for its first service just before Christmas which means it has the balance of its five-year warranty still and balance of that eight year warranty for the drive train.
Having owned several motor homes, including 3 Hymers, currently have an Adria Compact & a couple of self build vans I have a good idea of what I do and don't want. Rattles is won't thing I hate & this new van is remarkably quiet & completely rattle free to start with. Unlike all my previous off the shelf vans. It's getting built so nothing will rattle! Glued and screwed. The other thing I detest is the Fiat/Peugeot base vans, just dreadful things having owned three of them I was never getting another.
Primarily the van is used for many trips away, often extended, living in Scotland there are endless places to make an excuse to use it, which either involve bikes, windsurfing or ski kit. So I want full length internal storage if possible, adjustable bed height that also tilts away for walk through space, compact shower toilet combo. A week's worth of water storage. Lots & lots of insulation as plan to use it for ski trips& it's always cold in Scotland. Going electric means going gas free which saves 50kg (no double gas tanks at £50 each a fill). So it's getting 3x105ah lifepo4 batteries, 1200w inverter & this new Maxus has a 210ah 12v output to charge the batteries yay, (though I've not found exactly where the output it is yet...) I'll add solar at a later date.
First job was to strip out an investigate what I've got, first impressions are it's a bloody well built van. Every panel has internal support panels with foam goo to stop any noise, even after taking the bulkhead out there was not a single squeak from this van. Found a neat storage area above the cabin which was closed off, no longer is.
I'm adding insulation as I go any of the internal voids are getting stuffed with the recycled plastic insulation.
Then it's getting this foam stuff which has a foil backing and his self adhesive, it's great for sound deadening and eliminates condensation multiple layers where possible. Used this extensively on our boat it's brilliant stuff. There will not be a single bit of exposed metal on display or anywhere left uninsulated.
Then a layer of stretch carpet and then a final layer of this rather brilliant stuff which is adhesive fake suede. I decided on the colour options prior so make of it what you will lol. One bonus of this insulation stuff especially on the roof rafters is you can bump your head on it and it's not problem yay.
As it doesn't use the diesel or Def tank there was a blanking plug which once pulled off revealed a hole and the perfect location for the 240 volt input for the camper supply. Saves drilling holes in the side of the metal work!
I ordered three windows complete with blinds and Scottish midge screens. They duly arrived followed by the terrifying experience of cutting the holes in the side of your van, on Christmas Eve, in and fitted.
I'd had the van for about a week and I've been working on it in the cold Scottish weather outside with the heating on medium warm just keeping the van toasty it will actually sit for an entire week on one battery charge with the heating on!
It will also have diesel powered heating, as these things are brilliant with some upgrades, cheap & easy to repair. A 20l fuel tank gets you two weeks heating in the Alps in the winter. Tank will be underslung eventually. I've already improved the range with the addition of a diesel heater for the front cabin which seems to have miraculously added another 20-30 miles as opposed to using the electric PTC cabin heating. It's when do the bonnet ducted directly into the air intake for the cabin heating, has remote control to so I can preheat it on a cold winter's morning. Great for being sat at the charging station lol. It's getting another for the room of the van too.
There's plenty of space underneath for tankage and there's even a spare wheel under there. The battery is massive in a big aluminium box and is on great big aluminium hangers in the main centre of the van it says on the label it's 600kgs & LFP too which is a bonus. One Downside of this van is it has a raised floor much like the rear wheel drive version and I'm six foot one and the van is pretty much that. So I've come up with the solution which means I don't have to bend down too much! I'm building the roof into support the rafters to keep as much headroom as possible.
First section of the roof insulation with an air gap & insulated headlining done and my little cubby above the cabin. With this in place you literally cannot hear it raining on the roof unlike our Adria motorhome which is like being in a metal drum when it rains!
The furniture and main bulkheads boarding is being done in 15mm phenolic birch ply which is remarkably light but also very tough & waterproof which I like the idea of. None of the local suppliers stocked it or supply it. I found some Amazon hey presto free delivery which saves me a very long trip to go and get some there's no one else would deliver it to remotest Scotland. (4 days later in brackets)
Also a great excuse by more tools one of my new favorites is a palm router.
Under the bonnet is this device which converts the 400 volts to 12 volts there's various outputs on it one of which is the 210ah epto or power take off, this is a picture of one that's been wired up didn't think my van had one at first but it transpires it does. So one of my next jobs after I get the seating area in just is to get the batteries in and wired up to a b2b charger.
Tambour shower door arrived too, need to trim that and fit it.
I'll get some more pictures tomorrow and updated with progress as we go.
bobtail4x4 said:
I take it you only plan to stay on sites with hook up? no wild camping.
how long is a charge on low power site supply?
looks a good project,
Rarely use sites in Scotland, this will be built for off grid, fully charged I reckon it'll last a couple of weeks using the main battery epto as power supply to the house battery'show long is a charge on low power site supply?
looks a good project,
I don't think we'd be planning on "charging it up" on a regular 16a campsite supply, though you could with a granny charger I guess. There's no shortage of rapid 50kw chargers all over remote bits of Scotland.
Edited by cptsideways on Thursday 15th January 22:03
Great thread, please keep it updated.
When LDV came back to the UK, must be 7 or 8 years ago I looked at leasing a couple but the prices were astronomical, like 50% dearer than an equivalent Transit/Transporter.
We used to run 20ish Convoy’s at a time back in the day, they had the Ford banana engine and you could fix them with a screwdriver and a hammer, later ones used the Duratorq which we struggled to fix when LDV went skint and their diagnostics tools stopped working.
These look way more complicated and parts will be scarce outside of warranty or is there some off the shelf part sharing with other brands?
When LDV came back to the UK, must be 7 or 8 years ago I looked at leasing a couple but the prices were astronomical, like 50% dearer than an equivalent Transit/Transporter.
We used to run 20ish Convoy’s at a time back in the day, they had the Ford banana engine and you could fix them with a screwdriver and a hammer, later ones used the Duratorq which we struggled to fix when LDV went skint and their diagnostics tools stopped working.
These look way more complicated and parts will be scarce outside of warranty or is there some off the shelf part sharing with other brands?
Ed Boon II said:
Great thread, please keep it updated.
When LDV came back to the UK, must be 7 or 8 years ago I looked at leasing a couple but the prices were astronomical, like 50% dearer than an equivalent Transit/Transporter.
We used to run 20ish Convoy s at a time back in the day, they had the Ford banana engine and you could fix them with a screwdriver and a hammer, later ones used the Duratorq which we struggled to fix when LDV went skint and their diagnostics tools stopped working.
These look way more complicated and parts will be scarce outside of warranty or is there some off the shelf part sharing with other brands?
I did have a few concerns about parts supply, did some research its certainly not an issue now. There's no shortage of dealers & one in particular has the full online system available to search and order anything that you might need. Apparently Maxus are generally very good with warranty stuff too. When LDV came back to the UK, must be 7 or 8 years ago I looked at leasing a couple but the prices were astronomical, like 50% dearer than an equivalent Transit/Transporter.
We used to run 20ish Convoy s at a time back in the day, they had the Ford banana engine and you could fix them with a screwdriver and a hammer, later ones used the Duratorq which we struggled to fix when LDV went skint and their diagnostics tools stopped working.
These look way more complicated and parts will be scarce outside of warranty or is there some off the shelf part sharing with other brands?
The electric side of things is remarkably simple, main battery, inverter charger, ECU, cooling system, motor and diff unit. Having looked online any of the individual components can be replaced. It's far less complicated than any modern diesel engine! Also looks remarkably simple to work on it should anything need to be replaced.
The service is just a checklist, there's coolant to be replaced every few years & a pollen filter that's about it. The 20k 2 year main interval service was £360. I reckon the brakes will last 50 to 100k easily.
As there's millions of them in China there's nothing you can't get online for it. I have to say it is so much better built than I was expecting and I work in the automotive industry test and development side of things. Genuinely it is as quiet as a Rolls-Royce to drive & I've driven many thousands of miles in them!
macron said:
I think you got a bargain at that price & mile combo. Can't see anything else like that on the mainstream sites, can I ask where you got it from and if you haggled?
I bought it from a small van trader in London, didn't haggle at the price. He had a couple in that the company had defleeted. Even sent his son to pick me up from Stansted after flying from Glasgow. Home London home in a day just. They've been hovering around the 15 + vat mark with usual miles for a while. There's been a few ex IKEA ones for sale that I did look at, they had them as local delivery vans not many miles.
It was definitely a good buy
Before finding finding some paperwork in the van I thought it might have been an NHS stiff mobile lol, however some Google fu & hey presto this was it's original role & it's wrap that I'll need to get round to removing the remnants of bits of glue and odd corners etc.
cptsideways said:
...
I'd had the van for about a week and I've been working on it in the cold Scottish weather outside with the heating on medium warm just keeping the van toasty it will actually sit for an entire week on one battery charge with the heating on!
Haha, that's great. Certainly a significant advantage over ICE - being able to work through winter in relative comfort.I'd had the van for about a week and I've been working on it in the cold Scottish weather outside with the heating on medium warm just keeping the van toasty it will actually sit for an entire week on one battery charge with the heating on!
I'm sure there's a part of my subconscious brain that sits there endlessly planning a campervan build but I'd not really considered electric because of the range and expense. It sounds like we might be over the threshold for that though.
I've wanted to do a camper van conversion for a while but the idea of winching around Europe in a cloud of diesel smoke no longer sits well with me. For the last few years electric vans with a big enough battery were thin on the ground or $$$ but it looks like price and availability now matches my requirements.
Following with interest to see how someone with camper experience fits out his van!
Following with interest to see how someone with camper experience fits out his van!
This is the diesel engine lol
Typical Chinese diesel heater, they are £65 new! Checked the heater over before fitting too, always a good idea. Fitted under the bonnet, using all existing mounts & spare surplus mounts so no drilling. Ducting into the original van heater intake. So just run the fan for heating & intergalactic range. Works brilliantly. Temporary tank mount till I get a big one under the van. Exhaust is fitted with Mikalor clips and exhaust sealant, proper stainless clips etc lots of experience of these on boats you don't want any leaks. Fitted a better silencer that conveniently fits into the subframe shape so not exposed. Exhaust vents out Infront of the osf wheel. The controller will get mounted in the cab when I start the electrics side of things. Currently the ticking pump is the noisiest thing in the van, that'll be getting sorted.
105l water tank arrived should last a week with two quick showers a day. This is going inside by the side door always prefer them inside to stop freezing up in the Alps. This is why British built motorhomes are rubbish they often mount them underneath "to make space inside"
Tambour door for the shower arrived B&Q had them on offer with free delivery which was handy, need to trim it to fit which is easier said than done as the trim and end bits all have different lengths to work that involved some working out.
Just finished up trimming some of the head lining ply panels in the dining room, these are also insulated a well as the ceiling itself, and an air gap eliminates the noise of the rain, that's all of them done now. Yes our house has very wacky wall paper
Typical Chinese diesel heater, they are £65 new! Checked the heater over before fitting too, always a good idea. Fitted under the bonnet, using all existing mounts & spare surplus mounts so no drilling. Ducting into the original van heater intake. So just run the fan for heating & intergalactic range. Works brilliantly. Temporary tank mount till I get a big one under the van. Exhaust is fitted with Mikalor clips and exhaust sealant, proper stainless clips etc lots of experience of these on boats you don't want any leaks. Fitted a better silencer that conveniently fits into the subframe shape so not exposed. Exhaust vents out Infront of the osf wheel. The controller will get mounted in the cab when I start the electrics side of things. Currently the ticking pump is the noisiest thing in the van, that'll be getting sorted.
105l water tank arrived should last a week with two quick showers a day. This is going inside by the side door always prefer them inside to stop freezing up in the Alps. This is why British built motorhomes are rubbish they often mount them underneath "to make space inside"
Tambour door for the shower arrived B&Q had them on offer with free delivery which was handy, need to trim it to fit which is easier said than done as the trim and end bits all have different lengths to work that involved some working out.
Just finished up trimming some of the head lining ply panels in the dining room, these are also insulated a well as the ceiling itself, and an air gap eliminates the noise of the rain, that's all of them done now. Yes our house has very wacky wall paper
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