► Camper conversion of VW’s ID. Buzz e-van
► Mobile home kit by Brighton camper firm
► Slick looks, but does camper kit work well?
Get your rose-tinted specs on man, because Britain’s first ‘rentable’ conversion of an electric Volkswagen ID. Buzz is now on the road. The retro cool two-seater has been built for Brighton-based hire company Wild Drives as the ultimate, sustainable camper.
Based on the ID. Buzz Cargo – a BEV that VW itself claims was inspired by the original Type 2 – this battery-powered vehicle was created by Love Campers in East Sussex, a company with a long history of van conversion work.
The cost? A cool £20,400, on top of the price of an ID. Buzz Cargo electric van. Worth the outlay? Check out our VW ID. Buzz Love Campers review for our full verdict…
CAR’s pick of the best campervans in 2023
Volkswagen last month officially confirmed that it would not offer its own camper conversion until 2025 at the earliest.
So, if you’re a hippy-happy traveller who has been yearning for the ultimate eco bus, the Love Campers model might be one way to beat what is almost certain to be a monster queue.
Director Clara Usiskin explains: ‘The Love Buzz camper brings together the best features of vintage VW campers, with modern design and cutting-edge sustainability. These vans are really special.’
How special? As a past owner of a 1962 ‘splitty’ VW Bus, I feel reasonably qualified to assess the Wild Drives hire model in the field – literally.
The standard Buzz is achingly gorgeous from every angle but does it work as the basis for a camper conversion?
The Wild Drives design features classic two-tone, white-over-yellow paintwork and looks the dog’s doodahs. So much so that anyone planning an illicit affair, or a swift getaway from a public charge point, needs to accept that the ID. Buzz attracts serious attention.
Just like the Type 2, the Buzz is a conduit to nostalgia for all age groups. Seniors adore the bus and will regale you with tales of how they once travelled across Europe, met their first love and spent the summer parked on a beach in Turkey. Ironically, millennials think a VW is dope.
CAR has already tested the ID. Buzz Cargo and the mechanics of the Love Buzz are the same – a real-world range of around 200 miles with a charge time of five to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.
A 77kWh battery feeds an e-motor that drives the rear wheels and, considering the VW’s not insubstantial 2.5-tonne weight, does a decent job of hauling the camper around.
The front cab of the bus is standard Cargo commercial, with acres of storage space, some van-like hard plastics and VW’s sluggish infotainment system. However, it’s the rear where this particular Buzz offers a unique selling point.
Both of the sliding side doors remain, while glass windows have been cut into the van sides. Oddly, neither of the twin rear doors feature windows, which would allow extra light into the living area and improve visibility for the driver.
A space-saving, slatted bench runs fore and aft down one side, with a kitchenette opposite and narrow walkway between. I say ‘walkway’ except the interior headroom measures just four feet. What this camper really lacks is a pop-up roof.
Without that extra headroom and potential for a roof sleeping area, passengers need to extend the side bench into the middle of the floor to create the double bed – although Mrs T would argue that it is more like a single with benefits. Her feet dangled off the end too.
The kitchen area features a fast-heating induction hob, sink and cupboard space galore, including a matching yellow kettle. Ideal for a morning cuppa, except the fridge is under the pull-out bed (see above), so to grab some milk, the bed has to be reconfigured back into a bench.
I’m no car designer but placing the kitchenette across the rear, with an old-style rock’n’roll fold-out bed would surely be a more efficient use of space.
The Love Buzz would also garner more affection if equipped with swivelling captain’s seats up front.
Verdict
After a long night in a Herefordshire field, I can honestly say this early attempt at a mini motorhome for two isn’t ideal for those with dreams of a sustainable cruise into the sunset.
We may have to wait for VW to bring out the official version on a long-wheelbase platform. Until then, finding the perfect electric camper van might be harder to find than your dad’s secret stash.
Just enough range, lashings of style and tons of feelgood factor – shame the camper conversion is lacking.