skrivet 2009 What with gas prices being as high as they were this summer, we didn’t go on as many road trips as we would have liked to. If we had a camper like the Verdier Solar Powered Camper, we definitely would have embarked upon more road trips to beautiful National Parks and done it in eco-style. Verdier’s eco-RV is based upon a classic VW Westfalia that has been upgraded with many green elements, like a hybrid engine, solar panels and a lot of high-tech systems that makes this bus a hippy’s Pimp My Ride dream come true.
Alexandre Verdier, a French Canadian designer, is responsible for this redesign and is a philosopher and industrial designer. Verdier believes that the solution to environmental problems “resides in smart, simple design and employing technology to make better use of natural resources.”
The Verdier Camper comes in comes in five different models designed for your own unique personality: Woody, Geeky, Ebony, Blueberry, and Purity. Each camper comes equipped with a 4-cylinder hybrid engine, powered by a 170 W solar system on the roof. If you’re driving a lot or if the sun just isn’t shining enough, you can fill your tank with normal gasoline to make it to your next sunny local. The solar panels are controlled by a GPS system to optimally orient the panels to the sun and can tilt up to 45 degrees in two directions. Two deep cycle batteries hold the charge.
This camper excels in making every space count for something, whether it is storage, beds, a fold-out kitchen or even stairs built into the back of a chair to get to the bed above. We were very impressed by the built in containers for trash, recycling and composting, as well as refrigerator/freezer combo. Our favorite feature though is the on-board entertainment center, complete with a projector, 6 speaker surround sound, and a roll down screen. You may be camping, but that doesn’t mean you can’t kick back and chill with a movie.
The most useful feature of the Verdier is probably the on-board computer built into the front passenger dashboard. The PC tablet let’s you get online to check email, listen to music, surf the web and chat online. The GPS software takes care of navigation, and exclusive software lets you find nearby activities and supplies, as well as monitor your camper’s energy and fuel supplies. Plus, you can take it with you by removing the tablet from its base. The camper’s price certainly isn’t in most of our budgets, at $129,000, but when you compare this to one of those big lumbering RV’s, it’s a steal and a lot more environmentally friendly. Verdier is currently taking reservations for these amazing campers, and should have yours ready just in time for summer road trips in 2009. Their video is pretty cool as well.
