Tourists looking for sustainable, cheaper-to-run transport options will have another electric campervan option on New Zealand’s roads from July.
The zero-emission, Auckland-designed and manufactured Jucy campervans are part of a new EV fleet to be developed with a larger range after a nationwide trial involving French ecotourists last year.
Over five months, two tourists drove more than 13,000km across New Zealand recording data on the cost and availability of charging infrastructure as well as local attitudes towards, and awareness of, EVs in a prototype electric-powered campervan.
The trial found it was feasible for tourists to traverse the country, but identified gaps in parts of the South Island’s fast-charging network.
Jucy chief executive Tim Alpe said those issues had been addressed with longer range batteries and redesigned interiors.
‘‘We have since been able to analyse the data from their experience and incorporate it into the new vehicles, which have lightweight interiors and can travel significantly longer on a single charge.
‘‘This allows tourists to travel 180km-200km — around twice as long as the prototype — with each charge.’’
The fully self-contained vehicles are equipped with a roof-top solar panel, which charges a secondary or domestic battery while driving, a router for wireless internet, charging ports, an electric blanket for the sleeping area and induction cooking. They also come with a mobile app that advises the passengers when battery levels are low and plots a course to the nearest fast-charging facility.
- by Catherine Pattison
Photo: Supplied
