Jucy goes electric

Electric cars are all the buzz in the motoring world, but until now it’s mainly been battery-powered tow vehicles that have taken the limelight when it comes to the RV market.

But now a New Zealand operator of rental campervans is planning to roll out a a new fleet of battery-powered campervans by as early as 2020.

Jucy Rentals, which also operates in Australia, is currently running an electric campervan trial in New Zealand. The business converted a camper to battery power and has lent it to a couple of French tourists for a three week tour of the North Island.

If it all goes to plan, Jucy CEO Tim Alpe said a fleet of electric campervans would be available for rental to tourists within two years.

“Electric vehicles are the future of the Jucy campervan fleet and this trial is the ideal platform to test our product offering for customers,” Alpe said.

“This market segment, in particular, wants more environmentally sustainable travel options, at the same time this gives our tourists more choice and cheaper running costs.”

He said campervans were the ideal electric vehicle as most tourists drive during the day and then camp at a powered site overnight, where the electric camper can be plugged in and recharged.

“One of the biggest barriers we will face in the short term is lack of infrastructure to support EV charging," he explained.

“We are working with camping grounds to introduce suitable facilities for overnight charging but there is also a need to bring in rapid chargers on the roads between main centres.

“At the same time, there are range limitations of the vehicles that need to be overcome to ensure tourists can travel long distances across the country, without the need to constantly recharge their battery.”

Alpe says Jucy also plans to introduce charging stations at their branches as well as Jucy-run hotels across NZ and Australia.