Driving the VW e-Crafter through northern Europe

Frank Eusterholz drove a Volkswagen e-Crafter 7544km from Hannover in Germany through Scandinavia to Europe’s most northerly point accessible by road and back to prove an EV designed for short distances could make a long-distance trip.

He used a ‘Living Box’ from PlugVan in Berlin to transform the e-Crafter into a camper – the strap-in module including a bed, kitchen/basin, cooker and chiller box which enabled Eusterholz to wait in comfort during the 95 charging stops and 18 days it took for the journey.  

The 173km range e-Crafter with a 35.8kWh battery had regenerative braking to help recover power on parts of the trip.

Eusterholz, 54, reckons he’s probably the first person to have been at Europe’s North Cape with an electrically powered van/camper.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the trip being delayed before Eusterholz got underway in August.

As fast-charging stations became increasingly few and far between the further Eusterholz went, he effectively became a ‘YouTuber’ to keep a memento of the trip and to let others participate.

He says range is not an issue on such a trip, though.

“You simply have to adapt yourself to it.”

Eusterholz used charging breaks (averaging 90 minutes) for his own benefit.

“You slow down, drive in a more conscious way and at the end of the day are actually more rested when you reach your destination.”

From October 8 until the start of January, the ‘North Cape Camper’ is on display in the Autostadt’s Commercial Vehicles pavilion in Wolfsburg.

You can see videos of Eusterholz’s EV journey on YouTube.