Everything you need to know about EV campervans and battery-powered motorhomes

There's no doubt high fuel prices are driving demand for EV passenger vehicles in Australia, but what about EV battery-powered campervans and motorhomes?

Like the trucking industry, it's still early days when it comes to a positive move towards full electrification of the Aussie RV landscape.

When it comes to caravanning, that's largely because of a lack of choice at the moment, with only a handful of decent towing contenders including the hybrid BYD Shark 6, although that only offers up to 80 or so emission-free kilometres from just its 29.58kWh lithium-ion battery.

That's in stark contrast to the ever-growing number of BEV (battery electric powered) cab-chassis trucks and commercial van models now available down under, which could easily provide suitable bases for RV conversions if there were buyers out there willing to pay for them.

Most of the popular badges at the front of Aussie-built motorhomes, including Iveco, Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, LDV and Volkswagen, are either available as BEV variants now or in the near future. However, apart from some boutique offerings there's very little available from the established RV players at the moment, although that could change quickly...

There are currently at least a couple of 'turn-key' options if you're seeking a full-strength BEV campervan in Australia.

Launched in Australia in early-2025, it didn't take long for Queensland start-up AdventureEV to produce a campervan version of the Chinese battery-electric Farizon SuperVan.

The SV van boasts a range of 376km on the WLTP test cycle, along with a charge time of 26 minutes to take its 83kWh LFP battery from 10 to 80 per cent with Type 2 Fast Charging (or nine hours from 5 to 100 per cent with 7kWh AC charging).

AdventureEV has also converted another Chinese import, the Skywell EC11 E-Cargo van which gets a 73.6kWh battery that's good for a range of up to 300km.

Interestingly, local Farizon distributor Jameel Motors also had a SuperVan-based camper at the 2025 Everything Electric Melbourne show, complete with a $75K vanlife-style camper fit-out by Sydney's Vanable.

The diesel-powered LDV Deliver 9 is quite a popular motorhome base here, so it's surprising we're yet to see a professional motorhome fit-out of the all-electric LDV eDeliver 7. Launched in Australia around two years ago, it's ready-made for a camper conversion with a starting price of around $60K.

Another plug-in option comes from Queensland's Shine RV, which is offering camper-style pop-top conversions of a range of electric vans on the market, including the latest Volkswagen ID. Buzz which comes in both passenger and cargo versions.

Shine RV's Clinton Ward told caravancampingsales that the pop-tops are designed and manufactured on the Gold Coast and are the first fully engineered, certified pop-top conversions available in Australia for the ID. Buzz vans. Pricing starts at $11,000 (on top of the vehicle price), with the conversion (plus any further campervan fit-out work) outsourced to other local outfits.

"My pop-tops are compatible with every electric van available on the market," he explained.

"They come standard in white but can be matched to the customer's van colour. We also offer electric pop-tops, airbag lift options, electric fan hatches, solar setups, and Starlink connectivity."

Meanwhile, Sydney's Frontline Campervans was the first major Aussie RV brand to offer a full camper fit-out of the Ford Transit PHEV which also happens to be Australia’s first plug-in petrol/electric van.

The Frontline Transit PHEV combines a petrol engine with a plug-in electric motor and 11.8kWh NMC battery that on its own can deliver a range of up to 40km or so. 

In testing Frontline claims (combined) fuel economy of around 7L/100km out on the open road, which makes it less thirsty than the diesel version although it costs more up front with its $122,000 price tag.

For obvious reasons diesel engines still rule the roost when it comes to what's under the bonnet of larger motorhomes in Australia.

There have been some solid moves in the direction of electrified motorhomes overseas, although mostly in part-electric form like Thor Industries' hybrid A-class motorhome.

Avida is one of Australia's largest manufacturers of B- and C-class motorhomes, and while it's recently gone down the all-electric 48V route when it comes to the house-on-wheels, the prospect of electrons driving the vehicle appears a long way off.

"(We have) no plans at this stage in our model lineup (for a BEV motorhome)," Avida's Dealer Development and Sales and Marketing Manager, Billy Falconer told caravancampingsales.

There's limited demand among Avida's predominantly grey-nomad buyers for a plug-in motorhome, although that could change soon if superannuation-draining $3-plus diesel prices persist.

"Personally, I haven’t had any interest or enquiries yet on full or hybrid electric motorhomes from prospective buyers at shows or requests from our dealers," Falconer said.

"Maybe the odd question here or there to ask if anyone is doing electric, but not enquiries about asking to buy one."

AdventureEV has just taken delivery of a new 6.0m long Farizon SV high-roof van with bigger 106kWh battery and larger cargo space that will make it even more appealing as a camper fit-out. The larger body size also makes it a rival for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and VW Crafter-based diesel campervans.

AdventureRV is also spruiking the incoming Kia PV5 electric van as another decent option for a classy campervan fit-out.

EV campervan enthusiasts should also keep an eye out for the arrival of the latest battery-powered VW T7 Transporter, which offers a bit more rear cargo space than the Kombi-style ID. Buzz.

It will also be interesting to see if Jayco decides to offer an e-campervan any time soon. Australia's largest RV manufacturer currently sells a lot of entry-level campervans based off the front-drive diesel Master, and there's a new battery powered Master arriving in Australia in a few weeks' time...

In breaking news, Frontline's Jason Magee told caravancampingsales that the Sydney brand will have a 'bare' all-electric E-Transit Custom van on display for the first time at the 2026 Sydney Caravan Supershow later this month.

The new E-Transit Custom packs a singular 160kW/415Nm electric motor on the rear axle and a 64kWh battery pack for an effective driving range of up to 301-307km depending on the variant.

DC fast charging can be done at up to 125kW; something that yields a 15-80 per cent top up in a claimed 32 minutes

"We've been driving (the Ford Australia demo vehicle) around for the last couple of weeks and they've just confirmed they can provide it in the configurations we want, including tailgate and twin bucket seats, to make it suitable (for a campervan conversion)," he said.

Magee said the beauty of both hybrid and full electric versions of the compact Ford Transit campervans is that they can be recharged overnight at a caravan park, as well as at a public charging station while you're taking a coffee break.

He also said Frontline will offer VW Transporter e-campervans once suitable vans become available in Australia.

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