[Chhanda Das]

With the global push towards electric vehicles (EVs), one of my friends asked "whether EVs are good enough for car camping or overlanding ? " and that got me thinking.

Sadly, there is no yes or no answer to that question because it depends on a lot of factors. If the camping location is "close" to our home or "close" to even a basic charging station then car camping can be definitely considered in an electric car. By "close", I mean within 25-40 % of the EV's range based on the other factors like ambient temperature, the gradient of the roads, AC usage, etc. And this is applicable to all EVs irrespective of the number of wheels it has.

Additionally, there is one more issue. If we want to preserve the longevity of the battery then we would want slow charging from a 15 ampere plug point. Although, this is generally available in major areas of India a substantial portion of our country regularly suffers from intermittent lack of electricity and/or lack of high ampere sockets like the 15 ampere ones (forget fast charging).

Also, it would take atleast around 8 hours to charge the battery of the electric car from the 15 ampere socket. Technically we can get a good sleep with the AC on in electric cars but doing so would drastically increase the charging time. Also, most charging stations do not allow people to be inside the electric cars while they are being charged and this is due to safety reasons. In fact, electric two-wheelers are not safe either as one family found out (video below) which makes camping in a tent near the electric two-wheeler not a feasible option either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7R-CIGGK0w

So we still have to find/make a separate accommodation for the night irrespective of the number of wheels on the electric vehicle.

If the camping location is remote and is more than the 25-40 % of the EV's range of the charger then camping with that EV is a big NO. However, there can be exceptions to this. For example, the Ioniq 5 (unavailable in India as of now) has a high-efficiency solar panel on its roof that can help recharge the car under the Sun which makes it very suitable for camping.

But even then, we cannot spend more energy than what is produced by the panels during camping because range anxiety is a justifiably existing thing and such cars are not exactly cheap. We can go for recharging regular electric cars after fitting them with roof-mounted solar panels but that can be fraught with legal hassles and vehicle stability issues especially at higher speeds.

In summary, the hassles of EVs with respect to car camping or overlanding are quite substantial to ignore but if someone can live with them then why not ? What do you think ?

[GTO]

Not yet, not yet. Not unless you have a power socket close by to keep it plugged in. Because of their modest range & long recharge times, EVs cannot be all things to all people today. We must accept them for what they are = clean urban commuters. But they will get there eventually . In fact, because of zero pollution & zero noise, EVs are better suited to wildlife areas than petrol / diesel cars.

Main camping & overlanding thread at this link (Indian cars modified for camping & overlanding).

[Chhanda Das]

Maybe hybrid vehicles like the Prius are more suitable for car camping. Apparently, the hybrid Prius has a very nifty feature where the engine automatically starts for around 20 minutes to recharge the battery when low and then turns off automatically. This makes keeping the AC on while sleeping very attractive. Generally speaking, the engine of the hybrid Prius starts for only 2-3 times during an 8 hour period which is enough for a good night's sleep. However, our Indian tax structure makes such vehicles financially unattractive even if we were to ignore the improper (for car camping) shape of the car

[SKC-auto]

Agree that we need to have a charging station near to the camping site, or at a distance which allows you to camp. The infrastructure is not there yet, with good infra, camping with an EV is more fun than an ICE. Ioniq 5 comes with a 240V 16A plug, you can easily plug in a electric barbecue or an induction stove.

Originally Posted by Chhanda Das

Also, most charging stations do not allow people to be inside the electric cars while they are being charged and this is due to safety reasons. In fact, electric two-wheelers are not safe either as one family found out (video below) which makes camping in a tent near the electric two-wheeler not a feasible option either.

I don't know which charging station does not allow people inside their cars, it is just ignorance and nothing to do with safety, it is totally safe to sit inside and plug in your car. How do you use a 2W for camping, even if you want to use for camping how hard is it to park 2meters away from the tent.

[amol4184]

We need long range wireless charging. Possibly thru satellites like the internet as the best case scenario however something like a pole that sends electricity around 15meter radius will also work.
A man can always dream.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by amol4184

We need long range wireless charging. Possibly thru satellites like the internet as the best case scenario however something like a pole that sends electricity around 15meter radius will also work.
A man can always dream.

Even if technologically achievable, it would be a disaster - imagine any living creature coming in the path of your remote charging apparatus!

[GForceEnjoyer]

Pure EVs? No. PHEVs? Only if they also have self-charging capability (regenerative braking). If overlanding capable vehicles with some form of electrification are really needed, hybrids would make the most sense. The additional low-end torque can help in tricky situations too.

However as GTO said, we will definitely get to the point where pure EVs can be used for more than urban commuting and short highway runs, so electric cars will be able to be used for camping and overlanding in the long run.