Maggie — The Tesla-Powered Camper Van
You may remember the series of how the first electric VW camper van from eDub Services came to be. It was not an easy task, but like with all new endeavors, it takes practice to get better. Meet Maggie, the Tesla powered Classic Camper Van of your dreams, which you can actually rent, in the UK that is.
In a press release, eDub services explains the name of this build:
“This camper van, named Maggie, started life in the US and lived there until she was imported to the UK in 2013. In fact, Maggie originally came over on the shame shipment as eDub’s original camper: Indie. ‘After getting stuck into converting Indie all those years ago, we heard of another identical camper that had shared the journey across the pond.’ Director Kit tells us, ‘My mechanic couldn’t miss this opportunity and snapped her up.’
“She was a classic brown and orange colour originally with very worn interiors but a good shell. Nicknamed ‘Mark’ (as in Mark 2), she was intended for eDub but was sold to a local enthusiast who intended to restore it.”
In 2021, eDub found that “Mark” was still available, a deal was made, and “Mark” became “Maggie.” Maggie is eDub’s 5th T2 conversion and is packed with the latest in classic vehicle technology:
- Battery pack: 35 kWh (new cells, not reclaimed from salvage yards)
- Range: 90 miles (145 km)
- Charging: 70 kW CCS Rapid charging (available early next year with a little upgrade)
- Drivetrain: Tesla unit capable of 220 kW (270 BHP) derated to 60 kW (80 BHP compared to the T2 original 50 BHP).
The press release goes on to describe the aesthetics and functionality:
“Maggie is no longer the Brown and Orange she once was. Some of the orange remains in the upholstery inside but the paint has been swapped for a gorgeous light beige and white combo. The interiors are simple and effective. A full width bed folds out from the sofa. A custom cabinet holds a fridge, storage, a sink and an induction hob, meaning Maggie is 100% emission free! In the front, there’s no longer a gear stick or clutch. A small switch changes from forward to reverse. The throttle pedal and dials have all been replaced with replicas, that look original but perform seamlessly with the new electric drive.”
You can find out more information about hiring Maggie at edubtrips.co.uk. If you want to purchase a conversion, eDub offers the 35 kWh conversion for around £55,000. If you throw in an extra £15,000, you get a much larger 61 kWh battery with over 160 miles of range.
eDub Services have a vision to place eDubs in every national park as a franchise. You can read more about this at edubconversions.co.uk/franchise. And eDub can also help find a donor vehicle for you. On this point, I asked Kit Lacey how this will play out in the future — will there be enough vehicles to purchase, or will eDub focus on conversion kits for classics that customers bring in? Kit responds:
“Some of our customers come to us with their own camper vans that have been in their family for decades. We love taking these well-loved beauties and giving them the next stage in their evolution. The VW T2s were manufactured right up until 2013 so we don’t see us running out of them. We hope we can convert as many as possible before more end up rusting out. We will keep working on other classics too, we want to keep things interesting for our team!”
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