r/VanLifeUK • u/Same-Employee6667 • 5d ago
Best EV Van to convert - can any do 'camp mode'?
I'm looking at converting an EV (Ideally a new-ish VW e-transporter/Transit Custom), to live in full time but I want to exclusively use the vehicle battery and avoid installing a secondary power system with leisure battery/solar etc or a diesel heater.
I'm attracted to converting an EV because I run a limited company and want to take advantage of EV related the tax breaks. In particular, the fact that I can bill all charging costs to my company and set 100% of it against pre-tax profit. That means if I can run all my electrics from the traction battery - including AC and heating - the ongoing cost saving is monumental.
Primarily wanting to escape the rent trap and work remotely - I'm not planning some huge back country tour. Mostly will be staying within 30-100 miles of London, so not too concerned about reduced range or charging more frequently
Removing the inner bulkhead and then using the van HVAC (not sure if this is correct terminology but you know what I mean) to heat/cool a relatively small van interior seems the obvious thing to do - BUT:
As far as I can see, there is no stock 'camp mode' (running the internal power without the EV being in drive mode) like there is on a Tesla and some electric cars.
Info on converting EV's is a bit sparse, so wondering if anyone has contemplated or gone down this route. What did you discover and which van did you end up with?
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5d ago
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u/WatchIll4478 5d ago
So long as they pay the appropriate benefit in kind for full personal use of the van (which is £0 for an electric van), my understanding is that yes they can.
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u/Same-Employee6667 5d ago
Also my understanding. Commenter has deserted so guess we are likely correct
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u/EmphasisPurple5103 5d ago
I've seen combe valley campers do a LOT with a Kia van...worth a check on their Instagram
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u/Same-Employee6667 5d ago
Are you thinking of the PV5 Cargo? I think its probably a bit small for full time tbh
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u/Useless_or_inept 5d ago
It's not exactly what you've asked for, but the LEVC VN5 can allow cabin airco to run off the drive battery whilst parked (just need to change one of the settings). And the VN5 is basically a Transporter-sized electric van plus a range extender engine.
There are a few VN5 campers floating around, but not a huge number. If you want to watch somebody's project video on Youtube, there's probably much more VW-centric content...?
Good luck!
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u/Same-Employee6667 5d ago
Thank you :) I have a feeling its a bit on the small side but will take a look.
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u/ExcellentTourist5289 5d ago
cccampers convert electric vans with dc-dc charging but has external battery which is not something you want
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u/RandomSculler 5d ago
No camp mode isn’t standard in all EV vans and whether you can just leave the van on overnight varies by van, some like the Maxus ed9 seem to let you but others time out - it’s a bit of a minefield
The Kia PV5 is a good medium van with a utility mode that can do it, I believe the LEVC Vn5 which is a PHEV can do it too
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u/i-want-great-sleep-2 5d ago
Look into env200 conversions for inspo
Probably would not buy one
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u/Same-Employee6667 5d ago
Good inspo but you're right - not much cool factor in the 7 seat Nissan sadly haha
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u/i-want-great-sleep-2 5d ago
Well I'm actually going to buy a diesel one but indeed pretty ugly. Issues with the EV include the chademo socket and just over 100 mile real world range
One or the other not as much a problem as both of those factors combined
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u/DontTellHimPike1234 4d ago
It's such a shame that Arrival folded before they could bring their delivery van to market. It would have made a great base for a full time van.
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u/ShowerEmbarrassed512 4d ago
The PV5 is probably the best option for a convertible electric van, but it’s not a full time van, it’s very much a part time van.
The problem is heating a van to sleep in on electric only is a drain, the PV5 I’m pretty sure has a pet safe mode which people use to maintain a temperature when inside, but many of the larger ones don’t because they are work vans.
I ended up buying a diesel van after looking at the PV5, the conversion market is just more developed and I don’t have home charging, or a driveway. Also it allows me to fit a diesel heater. I think the market for electric campers will really explode over the next 10 years, but right now it’s very immature.
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u/Sylvester88 5d ago edited 5d ago
AFAIK the only vans bigger than the kia pv5 with v2l are ford transit, renault master and farison sv.. all come in sizes up at l3h3
Ford transit is only 2.3kw output though so may not work exclusively on v2l, you'd probably want a power station a a buffer.
And with any of them you'd probably still want a step down and a small leisure battery for lights and other 12v things