XBus electric campervan launches in the UK
Just two years ago, Electric Brands launched the modular XBus concept to the world. It was designed to be an electric vehicle that had a wide range of variants to suit almost any need, from tipper to van and also a campervan. The company also claims that the modules can be changed over from one variant to another without special tools
Some concepts come and go without us ever seeing one in the flesh but this one is different. At the recent UK event in London, we managed to see the campervan in the flesh and talk to some of the team behind this vehicle.
There have been nearly 17,000 pre-orders for this vehicle across Europe, with the majority being campervans, we are reliably informed. So, what’s the stats for the campervan?
There are two variants – standard and off-road – but both come with all-wheel drive, pop-top roof, slide-out extension at the rear, portable coolbox, TV, portable single-burner hob, fresh water container, sink, seat that converts to a bed and solar panels on the roof. However, the off-road version gets chunky trim, off-road tyres and about 4-6cm more ground clearance.
Both variants come with a 15kWh battery as standard, which offers around a 124-mile range, but we reckon most customers will order the optional extra 30kWh battery pack to take this up to around 370 miles. Obviously this all depends on loading and, more importantly, temperature – overly warm weather means you’ll use the air-con and the battery will need cooling, while cold temperatures are proven to affect battery life, too. However, the lightweight design and drive concept makes sure the range is as high as it can possibly be.
These batteries, although recharged only initially, have been designed to allow them to be swapped out at exchange stations. The company is hoping to establish a network for this.
The batteries can also be recharged by the solar panels on the roof, offering about 6-8kWh.
The motor offers 1,000Nm of torque.
The vehicle is small: 3.95m long, by 1.69m wide and 1.93m tall. However, this does mean it can double as your everyday vehicle, easily fitting under height barriers and in car parks.
The company also claims the vehicle is 95% recyclable, too.
Inside the XBus
Inside, the cab is separate from the rest of the living area – a tell-tale sign of that modular approach to the design. The kitchen unit has storage and can be moved to various positions on the bulkhead. It could restrict travel seating on the bench, but, although there are two seatbelts here, the vehicle is currently only homologated for three people to travel. It is hoped the fourth travel seat will be approved in around six months. It is also expected that Isofix will be available, although there is no indication of whether this will be standard or an option.
The pop-top provides standing area above the bench seat – with a headroom of around 2.20m. Then simply depress two catches to drop the bench seat to make the bed. This bed is around 2.10m long thanks to the slide-out bed mechanism – the current bed on the prototype is 1.40m wide, but the company is increasing this to 1.60m in production models. This slide-out is wonderfully smooth and can be deployed from inside by releasing a catch in the floor.
Electric Brands is currently signing up dealers across the UK. These will be car dealers with other franchises, but we can confirm that there are already 19 dealers in England (soon to be 21); there are also three in Northern Ireland and 18 in Ireland. You can buy through a dealer, or just order on the website and this will be processed through a local dealer. We expect to see demonstrators in 2024 with first customer orders arriving in early 2025.
Prices start from £29,727.73 for the standard version and £31,946.22 for the off-road model. Final prices for the extra battery packs are expected to be around £1,700, but watch the website for more details. The online configurator, electricbrands.de only currently lists the option for the light 15kWh version, but you’ll be able to reconfigure your order with options once the full website is up and running.
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