The e-NV200 from Sussex Campervans is the ideal short-journey camper. Run entirely from electricity, this is one of the most ecological campers around. Taking it for a spin for a weekend wasn’t something I was about to pass up.
The range on a fully charged battery is just 150 miles, so stopping off to top up the charge will be a common occurrence unless you plan on camping just 75 miles away from home.
That being said, this electric campervan comes with a charging cable which you can plug directly into a household 3-point plug socket meaning you can stop off at all of your friends and charge along the way.
So, whilst wild camping in the Outer Hebrides might be off the cards as a one stop trip, it doesn’t mean that this little camper isn’t fully able to be the making of your great adventures.
As a functional campervan everything was easy to use. The lights were bright enough to be able to work without the glare of my laptop blinding me, the induction hob was incredibly powerful, so much so I had to switch it off so I could catch up with chopping mushrooms, and the swivel chair and bed were light enough for a weakling like me to manage single-handed but still have the strength to support two fully grown adults.
Everything in the camper works as it should, if not better. When I first had a poke around, I was impressed by the amount of storage space but once the table, bedding, kettle and saucepans had been packed away, that storage space is almost up to capacity.
Packing for a week’s holiday for unknown weather would be a squeeze, but it would be a whole different ball game if you were to ditch your significant other and go it alone.
5 pairs of shoes, 4 different coats and snacks to last a lifetime? No Problem.
If one of these five pairs of shoes are wellies then you can rest happy with keeping the inside of the van clean as the tap has a longer hose for washing down kit outside. If you’re really into outdoor living it could also be a shower… depending how close you are to your neighbours.
As for the interior space, I am 5’10, so have banged my head on a lot of low doorways during my life. My idea of a nightmare is staying somewhere where I know I will be stooping to avoid the ceiling for the entire weekend: back ache, neck ache, general temper-tantrums.
This was not a problem in the e-NV200, once the roof had been extended it was tall enough for me to stand with my hands over my head inside. Plus, I had swivelled the chair around so when I lay in bed there were no problems with cold feet hanging over the end.
To make it even better the heating gets hot, really hot, meaning no threat of being cold at night. All in all, I went to bed at 8pm on the first night because it was that cosy.
When it comes to drivability, quite simply, it’s a walk in the park. Being used to driving anything giant, diesel guzzling and not so eco-friendly, I wasn’t sure how I would get on with an automatic electric vehicle where I could actually hear myself think.
Turns out it’s quite nice to be able to speak to someone else without having to shout, where wearing a coat is unnecessary because the heating works, and to have a radio that tunes into something other than white noise.
In my experience of driving, this is certainly the quietest and easiest to drive. It’s small enough to drive on some of the windiest roads around, I live in the middle of nowhere and had no problem on the country lanes.
When unpacked and opened out, the inside space doubles and you wonder how you might have just driven down said lanes when you’ve just set up your double bed. I even drove it to the supermarket to get snacks for the weekend easily parking between two massive 4x4s, and as much as it pains me to say this, parking is not my forte.
Small, sleek and smart. Everything has a place and fits in where it should. It’s easy to use and relaxing to drive. All round this is a great little camper. If you can cope with the paranoia of running out of charge when you’re too far away from a charging station and enjoy journey planning, then safe to say you can be confident in the ability of this little green machine and be reassured by the lack of carbon footprint.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: 40kWh battery
Transmission: Manual/Auto
Charging Time: 0-80% charge in 45 minutes
Range: 124-187 miles
Height: Approx 1.85m
Length: 4560mm
Width: 1771mm (inc mirrors)
Price: £64,995
