The leisure vehicle manufacturer Bürstner from Kehl am Rhein recently presented the prototype of a purely electric motorhome, which is to be launched on the market at the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf in September. That would be a first. The base vehicle is an electric Ford Transit with a high roof, and there is everything on board that a camper's heart desires. The only problem is the range.

There are the same difficulties that the first marketable electric cars used to have. A 68 kWh battery is at best mediocre in terms of capacity, and although the top speed is limited to 90 km/h, Bürstner only specifies 317 kilometers. However, the prototype consumed just under 40 kWh per 100 kilometers on initial test drives, so that a maximum radius of action of 180 kilometers is more likely to be expected. In addition, the charging talent is quite modest with a maximum of 115 kW at the DC column. "The holiday is already half over by the time you are in Italy with such a car," a colleague frowned.

However, it is also beautiful on the Moselle, for trips over the weekend it could be long. What is important is the signal that the industry is thinking beyond 2035, although it is not yet so clear whether motorhomes with combustion engines will then also be banned as new vehicles. But the electric drive in motorhomes will only become competitive when a range of 400, or better 500 kilometres, is safely possible. Then the trip to Italy takes a little longer. There would still be the price problem. The counterpart with diesel engine, the Bürstner Lineo C590, costs 54,280 euros, with electric drive it will certainly be at least 20,000 euros more expensive.