So a Tesla Model S RV is now a real thing and we’re unclear as to why.
We know how this thing has come into being. It’s the creation of Travis Rabenberg, a Twitch TV show host, author, and self-styled adventurer. He’s apparently been teasing it on social media for months now, and we’re going to get to see it in the flesh at the Michigan Energy Office electric vehicle ride and drive event in Lansing on April 17th.
We just don’t know why. Why a Tesla Model S? Why not a Rimac, or a Chevy Bolt? Why not a Model X, which at least has some semblance of a larger body style suitable for camping?
Travis calls it the Tesla Roamer motorhome, and it’s based on the bones of an old Model S 70D. That’s the one that came with 309 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. It then had most of its rear cut off and replaced with a platform that supports a custom camper module that integrates with the Model S’s electrical architecture.
The camper’s specs are unknown, but Travis’s website says it will have a toilet, sink, bed, 76 liters of water storage, and a combined 350-watt roof-mounted solar panel. Presumably, this will recharge the Tesla’s battery when it’s not near a charging station. It’ll still have an all-battery range of 200 miles, so we don’t expect it to have too much trouble getting to a quick-charge station.
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The camper adds a good 550 lbs to the Model S, so we expect the suspension has been upgraded to handle the additional strain. Renderings seem to show a bit of a lift along with some beefier all-terrain tires too.
In addition to showing off his creation alongside a bunch of other EVs in Michigan, Travis plans to set a land speed record for the world’s fastest motorhome. His aim is to hit 150 mph with a Guinness representative to confirm the feat. The current record is 141.3 mph set by a Fiat Doblo van conversion back in 2014.
Travis also wants to drive his creation all the way from England to Dubai for the 2020 World Expo. That’s a long way to travel in a tiny camper van, but we wish him the best of luck.