Maxwell Vehicles, Rossmönster offer a new era of van life with bespoke solar electric camper
Ahead of its public display at the Adventure Van Expo in Oregon this weekend, EV specialist Maxwell Vehicles announced it has teamed up with premium van-builder Rossmönster to create a purpose-built electric camper that fans of this site are going to eat up. Complete with a solar roof, adequate range, and eventual access to Tesla’s Supercharger network, this electric camper van will be available to test out soon. Check it out.
Maxwell Vehicles is a young company specializing in EV conversions and purpose-built electric vans it has been delivering to customers since 2019. They’ve been on my radar since 2021, when I ran into them at a farmers’ market in Los Angeles and got to talking with their team.
I got an up-close look at an early iteration of Maxwell’s Vanacea electric camper, and although its interior was a little rough around the edges, the prototype showed a lot of promise, especially from an EV platform and technological standpoint.
Parked next to Maxwell Vehicles was another van specialist – Colorado’s Rossmönster, which specializes in van conversions into campers – so naturally the two decided to pair up and bring the EV community something it is constantly sharing its hunger for: viable electric camper van options.
Today, the two companies have unveiled their first purpose-built electric van, designed for road trips and off-grid living. Before it goes on sale, you will be able to rent it out and try it… depending on where you live.
Maxwell looks to bring new electric camper van to market
According to today’s press release, this purpose-built electric van conversion sits atop Maxwell Vehicle’s Vanacea EV platform, complete with an 80 kWh traction battery and features a custom-built interior from Rossmönster you can view in the images above.
The battery delivers a whopping 7,800 watts of available power supplied at either 120V or 240V – more than enough juice to effectively power the van’s compact instantaneous hot water heater, 9,000 BTU heat pump, or its kitchenette’s induction cooktop. Maxwell founder and CEO Max Pfeiffer also shared that the electric camper has bi-directional charging capabilities, allowing the van to power your home during outages.
In addition to the technology the electric camper van sits upon, Maxwell’s innovation is also present on the roof. The company has developed and implemented a “FreeRange” solar roof with 1,560-watt capacity, capable of charging the vehicle while parked or in motion. The company also developed a proprietary solar controller that charges the vehicle’s high-voltage battery directly. The result is maximum output and efficiency throughout a given trip.
To begin, Maxwell says the new electric camper offers 150 miles of real-world range – not ideal for road trips, but on par with most options we’ve seen from other companies developing similar vehicles. However, the company says a dual-battery option is coming in 2024 and will offer 250 miles of range – it is available for pre-order now.
Additionally, the electric van features a CCS plug that can replenish its battery in 30 minutes on a DC fast charger. However, Maxwell Vehicles says it is implementing the NACS in the future, enabling its drivers to access Tesla’s Supercharger network… but probably not until 2025.
You can configure an electric camper build from Maxwell Vehicles and get a price quote here, whether it’s the EV platform, a custom build with Rossmönster, or a conversion of your existing van. As for the new Vanacea electric camper seen above – it will be on display at the Adventure Van Expo from September 30 to October 1 in Redmond, Oregon, and Big Bear, California, October 14-15.
Lastly and possible most importantly, Maxwell shared that beginning in late October the van will become available for rentals and test drives in partnership with GoCamp. What do you guys think?
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Tesla has opened orders for the Model Y Long Range RWD for $45,000 in the US. It’s the new entry-level Model Y following the design refresh earlier this year.
Since launching the updated Model Y earlier this year, Tesla has only offered the best-selling electric SUV in a single Long-Range AWD configuration.
First, it was as a fully-loaded $60,000 Launch Edition, and last month, it started deliveries of the regular Model Y AWD starting at $49,000.
As we recently noted, Tesla didn’t have much of an order backlog for the new Model Y in the US, and it has already started gathering new Model Y AWD in inventory just weeks after launching the vehicle.
Tesla even started offering subsidized financing rates on the new SUV this weekend.
Now, the automaker is starting to take orders for the new Model Y Long Range RWD
The new trim starts at $44,990 and enables 357 miles of range – an extra 30 miles over the AWD version.
However, due to its single motor powertrain, the lower-priced version is slightly slower with a 0-60 mph acceleration in 5.4 seconds rather than 4.6 seconds.
The automaker says that deliveries of the new version will start in the US in the next 3 to 5 weeks. It launched the new Model Y RWD in Europe weeks ago.
Tesla also offers a Standard Range RWD in Europe and China for even cheaper, and deliveries have already started in China.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla appears to have waited to open orders for the Model Y RWD in the US to optimize demand for the Long Range AWD.
But now it needs a cheaper model to sustain demand at the current production rate.
In the coming weeks, it will start building a mix of RWD and AWD in Fremont and Austin to
Interestingly, Tesla currently only offers the subsidized 1.99% financing rate on the Model Y Long Range AWD. I would assume that Tesla plans to take advantage of the boost in demand that the cheaper model will create.
However, US buyers probably won’t have to wait more than a few weeks before Tesla starts to offer lower interest rates on all versions, like it already does in Europe and China.
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![Big Mack, hydrogen Honda, and a ride in the Tesla Semi at ACT Expo 2025 [part 6]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/act-2025.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
On today’s thrilling episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got some of the highlights of the 2025 ACT Expo, including the all-electric Windrose and Mack Pioneer Class 8s trucks, a hydrogen fuel sell [sic] from Honda, a fun charging surprise, and – after an eight year wait – we finally get a ride in the all-new (in 2017) Tesla Semi!
ACT Expo is North America’s premier clean truck and transport trade show – and for 2025 it was bigger than ever, with more exhibitors and more, more capable battery electric vehicles than ever. The downsides? NACFE have scored with their “messy middle” messaging, and the return of “clean diesel” talking points. We’ve got a brief rundown and links to all the details, below.
Source Links
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