Electrifying future for 4WD rental campers

Recharging rather than refuelling your Outback getaway machine will soon be a reality with a new EV ute-based camper set to hit the rental market in Australia around mid-2024.

Western Australia-based 4WD rental specialist RedSands Campers and Australian electric vehicle start-up Roev have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop Australia’s first fully electrified 4WD ute camper for the recreational hire market.

With rental outlets in Perth, Broome, Darwin and Adelaide, the RedSands Campers’ range currently consists of turbo-diesel powered Toyota 4x4 vehicles, including HiLux utes and Prado wagons fitted out with camping accessories including cooking equipment and bedding for up to five people.

However, RedSands Campers Managing Director, Adam Sands, said the family-owned business is working closely with Roev to develop a “100% electric” camping solution for its rental customers.

Launching in 2022, the Aussie electric ute conversion company is planning to convert around 1000 Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger utes to electric power, as part of the Roev EV Fleet Program. The local battery-electric converted utes will be fitted with either a Standard Range (64kWh, 240km) or Extended Range (96kWh, 360km) battery pack capable of 80kW CCS DC fast-charging.

The first RedSands electrified 4WD camping utes are expected to be available for hire from July 2024.

“Partnering with Roev, we see huge benefits with not just the recreational hire market, but to dispel myths around the requirement for internal combustion engines to be the only way that more remote locations can be explored,” Sands said.

Most of RedSands customers are overseas travellers from Switzerland and Germany, and there are plans to open four additional ‘drop off’ locations along Australia’s east coast for hires exceeding 80 days.

“As personal EV ownership around the world accelerates, so will the desire for people to travel and holiday in a sustainable way, in iconic self-drive destinations, such as Australia,” he said.

Sands said the electrified 4WD rental utes will not only be cheaper to run but allow customers to cook solely with electrical rather than gas appliances.

To reduce range anxiety, RedSands is also partnering with major caravan park operator the G’Day Group which has plans to install charging infrastructure and bespoke campsites at some of its popular East Kimberley properties, including Lake Argyle Resort and El Questro Station, as part of the project.

G’day Group CEO Grant Wilckens said the holiday park ‘RV electrification’ program will also “support the WA Government’s plan to create an electrified highway from the South Australian border to Kununurra and help to unlock Australia’s northwest for the EV market”.