Forget all about the Tesla Cybertruck camper because there's an even stranger electric pickup camper roaming the world. The Elektro Frosch camping scooter explores the outdoors one charge at a time, sending the worlds of truck camping, motorcycle camping and EV camping into a fantastic collision. If you're serious about protecting the outdoor spaces you enjoy while camping, this little German rig seems like the best vehicle with which to explore your local campsites ... and it'll cost you less than many a caravan or mountain bike.
Berlin-based Elektro Frosch (Electric Frog) fills the space between two-wheeled electric scooters and full-blown electric cars and trucks with a lineup of all-electric, short-range minis ranging from cab-less three-wheel pickups to fully enclosed bubble cars. Its ultralight pickup camper really caught our attention, an L2E (three-wheel moped) mini-camper built to whisk driver and passenger off into the wilderness for a short stay.
Elektro Frosch's camping kit includes a two-person roof-top tent, sun shade, and a fully equipped expandable kitchen set that packs in the truck bed. The outdoor kitchen features a sliding and folding design that provides plenty of cooking space at camp. It comes complete with a stove, dishes and cutlery and appears to effectively double as a small dining table.
The road-legal pickup scooter relies on a 3.4-hp electric drive powered by a 4.3-kWh deep-cycle gel battery and features handlebar steering and a combination of hand and foot controls. It has a range of 37 miles (60 km) and a top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h), so it's really only optimized for local camping. Elektro Frosch does say customers report racking up around 62 miles (100 km) per charge.
The range and speed limitations really restrict the Elektro Frosch's camping ambitions, especially with a six- to eight-hour charging time. In fact, it'd be easy to dismiss the vehicle altogether, given that camping holidays tend to extend beyond that very limited mileage and include higher-speed roads and highways. But we have seen signs that urban camping is gaining in popularity, and Europe has many campgrounds inside and on the outskirts of cities and other population centers. So if you have a campsite or two within 37 miles (or 18 miles, if there's no electrical hookup in or around the campground), the Elektro Frosch might be the perfect little micro-adventure machine. It'd sure look natural parked in a spot at KOA's urban campground of the future.
Another benefit working in Elektro Frosch's favor is that its camper kit is lightweight and fully removable so buyers get an everyday electric mini-pickup along with their tiny motorhome. The two-seat pickup has a payload of 1,157 lb (525 kg) so can be a capable, little zero-emissions transporter for hauling tools, packages or cargo around the city center or neighborhood.
At 109 in (274 cm), the Elektro Frosch is roughly half the length of a typical camper van. Its pickup bed stretches 4.8 feet (145 cm) and weight lists in at 529 lb (240 kg) for the Pro model before loading on the camper equipment.
The Elektro Frosch base "Big" camper, ideal for summer holidays due to its open-air doorless cabin, prices in at €3,990 (approx. US$4,400) for the vehicle and full camping kit. The "Pro" camper model brings a full driver cabin enclosure with a ceramic heater for a turnkey price of €4,990 ($5,500). The vehicle's appeal may be as limited as its range, but you'll be hard-put to find a cheaper brand-new motorhome.
Without the camping kit, the open-air Big pickup costs €2,590 ($2,850) and the Pro €3,590 ($3,950). All prices include 19 percent VAT.
Source: Elektro-Frosch
