Can you feel the buzz? We try out one of the first campers based on VW’s new all-electric van
Words & pictures ❚ Iain Duff
NEW CAMPERVANS
I’ve never been cool in my life. The only time I ever got close to it was when I played football with Oasis and Robbie Williams backstage at Glastonbury in the summer of 1995.
But when I got behind the wheel of this Volkswagen ID Buzz campervan conversion, it felt like I was making a slight return to those heady Britpop days – without the mud or beer, obviously.
The admiring glances, the pointing, the headlights flashing; as I zipped along the Sussex coastal roads, for a while I really did feel like I was the centre of attention. Of course, all this had nothing whatsoever to do with me and everything to do with the ID Buzz.
What’s the story?
If you've been living under a rock this past year, the ID Buzz is VW's long-awaited new electric van and it’s fair to say there’s been a bit of a, ahem, buzz about it. Taking its inspiration from the classic VW Type 2 camper, it combines retro styling with the most up-to-date EV technology.
Volkswagen has promised there will be a California campervan version, but it seems likely to be another couple of years at least before it comes to the market.
Of course, it wasn’t going to be long before someone came up with an ID Buzz conversion and this one, from East Sussex-based Love Campers, is the first we’ve seen and it certainly catches the eye.
The exterior is a vibrant yellow and white two-tone finish, achieved with a wrapped lower half. It’s sunshine on wheels.
This model was built for campervan hire company, Wild Drives, and it fits perfectly with the rental company’s eco-friendly ethos.
Based on the ID Buzz Cargo, the van version rather than the people-carrier, the conversion offers a fully off-grid experience with a solar panel on the roof that powers the campervan's 12V systems. It’s totally gas-free, with electric cooking and heating on board. So no burning of fossil fuels whatsoever. The ’van is also fitted with natural fibre insulation and sustainable materials are used wherever possible – the worktops are made from bamboo and all the wood is FSC certified.
Making the most of…
Before going any further, there’s one significant issue that needs to be addressed, and that’s the amount of living space inside the ’van. First of all, the ID Buzz is strictly for two people at most – determined by the fact that there are only two belted seats on board – so you can rule out any big family holidays.
But even taking that into consideration,
