Kiwi electric campervan in MOTAT display

An electric campervan developed by Kiwi car and campervan hire company Jucy features in the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) exhibition Accelerate: Driving New Zealand.

Jucy’s prototype EV will be on display at MOTAT in Western Springs, Auckland, for the next three months in the exhibition which delves into the past, present, and future of New Zealand’s relationship with vehicles.

The $35,000 electric Nissan e-NV200 was converted in early 2018 into a custom-built campervan by the company’s manufacturing plant Jucy By Design in Helensville, north-west Auckland.

It was then put to the test by French environmental students Heloise de Bokay and Solene Trinquet, who spent five months travelling around New Zealand sharing their eco-adventures in their blog www.newsandland.com

, their travels also featuring in EVtalk.

“EVs are part of Jucy’s mission to reduce our impact on New Zealand,” co-owner and chief operating officer Dan Alpe says.

“There is a growing market of visitors who want more environmentally sustainable travel options, so these vehicles give tourists more choice and offer cheaper running costs too.”

The challenges around EV range and charging infrastructure is also being steadily addressed, thanks to investment and support from Government agency the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).

Jucy is now working on extending its EV fleet driving range from 100km to more than 180km per charge and plans to roll out five more EV campervans in 2019.

“This EV campervan is a perfect example of the Kiwi innovation and ingenuity we like to highlight at MOTAT,” chief executive Michael Frawley says.

“Thanks to companies like Jucy and their innovative use of new technology, tourists can travel around our beautiful country in an environmentally friendly way.”

The Jucy EV camper delivered to MOTAT on January 21 replaces the 1908 Clement Bayard vehicle as one of the feature exhibits.

Visit www.motat.org.nz for more information.