Nimbus E-Car: the Future of Van Camping is Cute
For the last 40 years, the iconic Volkswagen Camper Van has ruled supreme as the only small-profile all-in-one RV alternative, but designer Eduardo Galvani has plans of his own to unseat our beloved VW Bus with a concept vehicle he’s calling the Nimbus E-Car.
Whats neat about his idea (beyond the look of it) is a hybrid engine using lithium batteries and a generator to get the E-Car from place to place. Solar panels on the roof will help keep the vehicle or shore power topped off given a nice sunny day, and will also help for those longer off-grid excursions. Four-wheel drive is his expectation we gather from the profile of the suspension system along with regenerative braking to recharge the batteries.
It would need to use lightweight materials in order to overcome the lack of a fossil-fueled powerhouse, so Galvani considers aluminum, carbon-fiber, and titanium his materials of choice. Light weight also means easier to drive over sand and other types of off-road terrain, but heads up if you take one through a raging river!
Although his concept doesn’t show a camper conversion one can easily imagine it to be so. Even a rooftop tent could work and we’ve seen those on everything from Range Rovers to Subaru Outbacks. Adding a propane system ala the VW’s would allow a kitchen to function quite nicely, at the risk of losing some of the seating. Or maybe you can just tow a Conqueror Trailer to the back of one instead 😉
Like any modern vehicle it would come with all the modern technological bells-and-whistles like GPS and USB and touch-panel HUD’s. But who care’s bout all that when this thing just looks so funky? Put down that iPhone and drive buddy!
Seriously though, this is the future and one we can’t wait to get to asap!
