Camp-let: a great choice for holidays with an electric car
New opportunities for eco-friendly camping holidays
Sales of electric cars in Europe continue to rise as we move towards 2035, when the EU has banned the sale of new diesel and petrol cars. The ongoing switch from diesel and petrol to electricity will undoubtedly have a big impact on the way we go on camping holidays. Camping has boomed across Europe in recent years, and it's now time to consider a camping holiday in an electric car.
Most people will wonder if that’s even possible! This is where the Danish Camp-let trailer tent comes into play, which, with its low weight and minimal wind resistance seems like an obvious candidate to solve the problem of camping holidays with an electric car. So what does hooking up a Camp-let mean for the electric car's range? We have tested this at Camp-let.
Low weight, aerodynamic design and minimal wind resistance
A Camp-let weighs just 270 kg and can be loaded up to 500 kg. It has an aerodynamic design that provides minimal wind resistance while driving. These features are important when going on holiday with a Camp-let, whether driving a petrol, hybrid or electric car.
Most surprising test results with and without Camp-let
To give a clear and nuanced picture of how a Camp-let affects the range of an electric car, Camp-let/we have conducted two different test drives with and without a Camp-let trailer tent on the towbar. A combined road test with a maximum speed of 80 km/h and a motorway test with a maximum speed of 80 km/h with Camp-let and 130 km/h without Camp-let.
The test car is a Volkswagen ID.4 with a battery of 82 kWh and a rated range of 517 km.
Test 1:
Camp-let on road:
Distance: 30 km on ordinary roads at a speed of up to 80 km/h.
Consumption: 5.60 km/kWh
Without Camp-let on road:
Distance: 30 km on ordinary roads at a speed of up to 80 km/h.
Consumption: 6.20 km/kWh
Result of test 1 road:
The electric car achieved only 0.6 km less per kWh with Camp-let compared to without Camp-let on the hook. This means that on a fully charged battery (82 kWh) the range will only be 9.52% less with a Camp-let on the towbar.
Test 2:
Camp-let on motorway:
Distance: 30 km on the motorway at speeds of up to 80 km/h.
Km/kWh: 5.70 km/kWh
Without Camp-let on motorway:
Distance: 29 km on the motorway at speeds of up to 130 km/h.
Km/kWh: 4.70 km/kWh
Result of test 2 on motorway:
The electric car managed 1.0 km more per kWh with the Camp-let compared to without a Camp-let on the towbar. This means that on a fully charged battery (82 kWh) the range will be 15.86% more with a Camp-let on the back of the electric car.
Video from test 1 - Roadway
Video from test 2 - Motorway
Surprising test result
The two test runs show that a Camp-let has a minor or positive impact on the range of the electric car. This gives you the perfect opportunity to go on an eco-friendly camping holiday with a Camp-let on the back of your electric car.
On the road, the electric car managed 0.6 km less per kWh or 9.52% less on a fully charged Volkswagen ID.4 battery with a Camp-let compared to without a Camp-let on the hook.
If you're mainly driving on the motorway to your holiday destination, it's actually more economical to hook up a Camp-let (provided you drive within the speed limits). On the motorway, the electric car managed 1 km more per kWh or 15.86% more on a fully charged Volkswagen ID.4 battery with a Camp-let compared to without a Camp-let on the towbar.
How much does the energy consumption of a small electric car increase when you hook a Camp-let to it?
The Danish YouTube channel Biler.TV investigated whether it is possible to go on a camping holiday in a small, budget-friendly electric car with a Camp-let on the hook.
See the test from Biler.TV
Review: Driving on the motorway with a Camp-let saves energy
Palle Engkær - "We are going to Italy with our Camp-let after the E-Niro. The Camp-let is approved for Tempo 100. When we drive to Italy without the Camp-let, we use a lot more power, so we save power by having the Camp-let behind us, but then we only drive at 100 km/h instead of 130 km/h. The difference in driving time is about an hour."