4 ms·

I just bought a VW Caddy, but was also struggling with the decision as I thought about going electric. However, what I personally need is a minibus form factor

by sveme 9y ago

I just bought a VW Caddy, but was also struggling with the decision as I thought about going electric. However, what I personally need is a minibus form factor to sleep in the back, 500km range to go to the alps and back and preferably at less than 30k Euros. Like many other city dwellers in Europe, I don't need a car in the city, prefer to take my bike or public transport, I only need it for weekend trips and vacations. I guess quite a lot of people in my part of town act similarly, even though we should be the most interested in electric cars, all being eco-minded and such.

mrweasel 9y ago
Personally I ran into the issues that to save on weight many manufacturers compromised on leg room behind the wheel. It's not physically possible for me to drive something like the Renault Zoe.
- pmarreck 9y ago
  I'm 6'3" (1.923m), get a used model S if you can, it's plenty roomy
amelius 9y ago
I'm curious: why not simply rent a van whenever you go on a trip?
- pjmlp 9y ago
  Speaking for German prices, because it eventually adds up, specially taking into consideration that to be on the safe side it is better to have full coverage insurance. With own car one pays insurance once, while renting the insurance gets payed every single time it gets rented. Not going full coverage is an open game as they will charge for any little new scratch the car might get, no matter how tiny. Meanwhile, I have been in countries where the only thing that matters is that the car is returned in one piece still.
  - willyt 9y ago
    Dont buy comprehensive insurance top up cover from the car hire company. Use a third party insurer. e.g. insurance4carhire.com Same price for a year of 'super cover' as for about 4 days cover from the car hire company.
    - pjmlp 9y ago
      I doubt any of the car dealers here work with such type of companies, and in any case I usually don't thrush they would properly handle the case when called to act upon.
      - barrkel 9y ago
        Surely that's anti-competitive behaviour; it's not up to the car rental to choose whether or not they deal with your insurers. In fact they deal with you (as if you weren't insured), and you claim from your excess insurance. See e.g. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/insurance/motorinsurance/11026566/Why-Ill-never-buy-car-hire-insurance-again.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/insurance...
        pjmlp 9y ago
        In Germany you cannot rent a car without insurance from the dealer, there is no way for them to deal with us as if we hadn't one.
        willyt 9y ago
        The car hire company never knows that you have it because the insurance you take out is for the excess only, not the full legally required car insurance. Most hire cars come with a basic insurance included in the cost, but with a massive excess charge if you damage the car. When you hire the car you accept the massive €2000 (or whatever) excess. If you need to make a claim, you reclaim the cost of the excess from the third party insurer and pay this to the car hire company. The third party insurance costs ~€40 per year. This is a much cheaper way of reducing your excess to a manageable amount than taking out the €15/day 'super cover' option from the car hire company. EDIT: The car hire companies make a massive profit on the 'super cover' optional insurance. If you are worried about the provenance of a financial services company, there are usually national regulators who maintain registers of companies that have to abide by certain standards. You should check that an insurer is on this register before taking out a policy, as well as checking to see if there are a lot of complaints about them on the internet.
- cgh 9y ago
  Because, if you frequently sleep in your van, being able to customise it to your needs is important, like building in a bed, stove, heater, cupboards and so forth. Renting a full camper van every weekend/holiday would be prohibitively expensive and not fully customised to your taste. My guess is the OP is a climber or similar and has pretty specific van needs.
- sveme 9y ago
  The idea is to go nearly every weekend - as a climber living in Munich, all those lakes and the mountains offer enormous weekend potential. As someone else deduced already, I'll be building some platform in the back and add curtains, something I can't be putting in a rented van.
ZenoArrow 9y ago
> "I just bought a VW Caddy, but was also struggling with the decision as I thought about going electric." If you don't mind doing the work yourself, and don't mind a range lower than 500km a day, you can get something like this for less than 30k Euros. For example: http://hackaday.com/2017/05/17/solar-powered-camper-is-a-magic-bus-indeed/ http://hackaday.com/2017/05/17/solar-powered-camper-is-a-mag...
cobookman 9y ago
Have you looked into a Chevy volt. 53 miles electric, 44mpg on gas (something like 400 mile range with both fuel sources). Unlike the Prius it only has an electric drive train with a gas generator. And it's a hatchback with the seats folded you might just be able to sleep.
- thatwebdude 9y ago
  Are you thinking of the Bolt? The volt is a sedan, but only 2 seats in the back split by a center console. I don't think that'd be very comfortable without an air mattress.
  - cobookman 9y ago
    Volt is a hatchback compact sedan. It has no center console splitting the back seats anymore. Here's an image of the new 2016/2017 volt with its seats folded down: http://www.tampabay.com/resources/images/dti/rendered/2016/01/BL_splitseats011616_16546495_8col.jpg http://www.tampabay.com/resources/images/dti/rendered/2016/0...
    - thatwebdude 9y ago
      Cool, thanks! That's a lot different than I remembered. Good to know.

by sveme 9y ago

mrweasel 9y ago

Personally I ran into the issues that to save on weight many manufacturers compromised on leg room behind the wheel. It's not physically possible for me to drive something like the Renault Zoe.

pmarreck 9y ago
I'm 6'3" (1.923m), get a used model S if you can, it's plenty roomy

amelius 9y ago

I'm curious: why not simply rent a van whenever you go on a trip?

pjmlp 9y ago
Speaking for German prices, because it eventually adds up, specially taking into consideration that to be on the safe side it is better to have full coverage insurance. With own car one pays insurance once, while renting the insurance gets payed every single time it gets rented. Not going full coverage is an open game as they will charge for any little new scratch the car might get, no matter how tiny. Meanwhile, I have been in countries where the only thing that matters is that the car is returned in one piece still.
- willyt 9y ago
  Dont buy comprehensive insurance top up cover from the car hire company. Use a third party insurer. e.g. insurance4carhire.com Same price for a year of 'super cover' as for about 4 days cover from the car hire company.
  - pjmlp 9y ago
    I doubt any of the car dealers here work with such type of companies, and in any case I usually don't thrush they would properly handle the case when called to act upon.
    - barrkel 9y ago
      Surely that's anti-competitive behaviour; it's not up to the car rental to choose whether or not they deal with your insurers. In fact they deal with you (as if you weren't insured), and you claim from your excess insurance. See e.g. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/insurance/motorinsurance/11026566/Why-Ill-never-buy-car-hire-insurance-again.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/insurance...
      - pjmlp 9y ago
        In Germany you cannot rent a car without insurance from the dealer, there is no way for them to deal with us as if we hadn't one.
        willyt 9y ago
        The car hire company never knows that you have it because the insurance you take out is for the excess only, not the full legally required car insurance. Most hire cars come with a basic insurance included in the cost, but with a massive excess charge if you damage the car. When you hire the car you accept the massive €2000 (or whatever) excess. If you need to make a claim, you reclaim the cost of the excess from the third party insurer and pay this to the car hire company. The third party insurance costs ~€40 per year. This is a much cheaper way of reducing your excess to a manageable amount than taking out the €15/day 'super cover' option from the car hire company. EDIT: The car hire companies make a massive profit on the 'super cover' optional insurance. If you are worried about the provenance of a financial services company, there are usually national regulators who maintain registers of companies that have to abide by certain standards. You should check that an insurer is on this register before taking out a policy, as well as checking to see if there are a lot of complaints about them on the internet.
cgh 9y ago
Because, if you frequently sleep in your van, being able to customise it to your needs is important, like building in a bed, stove, heater, cupboards and so forth. Renting a full camper van every weekend/holiday would be prohibitively expensive and not fully customised to your taste. My guess is the OP is a climber or similar and has pretty specific van needs.
sveme 9y ago
The idea is to go nearly every weekend - as a climber living in Munich, all those lakes and the mountains offer enormous weekend potential. As someone else deduced already, I'll be building some platform in the back and add curtains, something I can't be putting in a rented van.

ZenoArrow 9y ago

> "I just bought a VW Caddy, but was also struggling with the decision as I thought about going electric." If you don't mind doing the work yourself, and don't mind a range lower than 500km a day, you can get something like this for less than 30k Euros. For example: http://hackaday.com/2017/05/17/solar-powered-camper-is-a-magic-bus-indeed/ http://hackaday.com/2017/05/17/solar-powered-camper-is-a-mag...

cobookman 9y ago

Have you looked into a Chevy volt. 53 miles electric, 44mpg on gas (something like 400 mile range with both fuel sources). Unlike the Prius it only has an electric drive train with a gas generator. And it's a hatchback with the seats folded you might just be able to sleep.

thatwebdude 9y ago
Are you thinking of the Bolt? The volt is a sedan, but only 2 seats in the back split by a center console. I don't think that'd be very comfortable without an air mattress.
- cobookman 9y ago
  Volt is a hatchback compact sedan. It has no center console splitting the back seats anymore. Here's an image of the new 2016/2017 volt with its seats folded down: http://www.tampabay.com/resources/images/dti/rendered/2016/01/BL_splitseats011616_16546495_8col.jpg http://www.tampabay.com/resources/images/dti/rendered/2016/0...
  - thatwebdude 9y ago
    Cool, thanks! That's a lot different than I remembered. Good to know.