AUTO

In a Van by the River: Mercedes EQV Camper

June 16, 2022

With the launch of the new Tonke electric Camper conversion, the Mercedes-Benz EQV makes living in a van by the river awesome.

Tthree years after the debut of the hot-selling Mercedes’ EQV electric van, Dutch RV specialist Tonke has turned the innovative EV into a capable B-class camper with swiveling front seats, a pop-up dinette/game tabe, and a swing-out camp kitchen just as good as anything this side of a Rivian Camp Kitchen or Volkswagen BusBox.

Despite electric vans having been around for many years in Europe, this is Tonke’s first electric camper— but not because they haven’t wanted to build one. The company says they’ve wanted to build an electric camper for a long time, but couldn’t find the right mix of interior space, driving range, and cargo-hauling capability to deliver a compelling product until testing the EQV.

Once they realized that the right vehicle had arrived in the form of the EQV, they got to work making sure they got their first ever battery-electric RV absolutely right.

This Seems Familiar

If you think this story seems a bit familiar, you’re partially correct. Mercedes did indeed reveal an EQV “camper” of their very own with a pop-top tent back in January. That van, built by Swiss company Sortimo for MB under contract, is more of a casual weekender, though— but the Tonke-developed EQV Touring? It’s a complete electric RV built with long-term living potential in mind and has the ability to sleep four (two on a two-seat rear bench that power-folds down into an 80″ x 45″ double bed, and a 77″ x 43″ bed in the pop-up roof tent).

As Tonke’s flagship offering, this Mercedes EQV-based B-class is simply in another league, and the soft touch points, available two-tone metalling paint schemes, and long list of top-shelf components underscore that rich, high-end feel.

And, let’s face it, the message of that three-pointed star in the grill is this: if you save your money and make good investments, you too can afford to live in a van by the river!

Until then, though, you’ll have to settle for this quick overview video, below (it’s Dutch, but has English subtitles). Check it out, then let us know what you think of this top-shelf camper van in the comments.