Possibly one of the world's most underrated camper conversion companies, British shop Wheelhome has long been designing some truly unique mini-camper vans and trailers, including cool little solo campers that might inspire you to go it alone into the wild. This time around, it's really outdone itself, building a hybrid rooftop tent/pop-up camper specially developed to hug the arched roofline of the Tesla Model 3. After a thorough shakedown around Iceland, the rooftop pod is evolving into a more practical micro-camping trailer that can be towed by virtually any vehicle.
The new Wheelhome Dashaway eCT (electric camping trailer) started life as the Dashaway eRC (electric roof camper), a unique pop-up camping box purpose-built to fit the Model 3 like a tailored vest. Having owned several Model 3s himself, Wheelhome founder and owner Stephen Wheeler was struck by how the traditional rooftop tents he saw aboard Tesla's small sedan worked directly against the natural curves and aerodynamics of the car, wasting space and denigrating aerodynamics. He felt he could do better.
What Wheeler ultimately crafted nudges its way somewhere between the rooftop tent and camper markets. Like a non-truck pickup-style camper, the eRC attaches via a combination of two rooftop crossbars and a hitch-mounted tow bar. Unlike more make/model-agnostic designs, this one was specially prepared to follow the contours of the Model 3 and mitigate negative effects on aerodynamics with a swept-back, streamlined roof design of its own.
Out of necessity, Wheeler worked to keep weight down within the Tesla's capacities. He started with a compact fiberglass pop-top construction and went so far as to replace heavier gelcoat with a two-layer bed liner-style paint application to save weight. The eRC ultimately weighs in at an estimated 330 lb (150 kg), well heavier than a traditional rooftop tent and more in line with floor-less pickup camping toppers or hard-sided rooftop tents.
As impressive as the eRC is outside, it's even more so inside. The roof lifts up extra high to create a standing-height dwelling out of the Model 3's arched back, opening up a surprisingly roomy RV cabin that steps well beyond a rooftop tent. Built for both day and night use, it includes a two-seat rear-facing sofa that converts over into a 75 x 47-in (190 x 120-cm) double bed at night.
The eRC floor plan also has a series of shelves and consoles for holding appliances, laptops, etc.; a portable power station that rides and charges inside the car before being moved to the camper upon arrival to power cooking appliances like a microwave, induction cooker and/or air fryer; and a sink basin with a shelf above it for holding a water canister with spout. There's even a portable toilet hidden inside a side cubby.
The eRC is truly a micro-camper built to fit aboard a highly unlikely camper base vehicle in the Model 3, not merely a fancy rooftop tent. It even includes a pass-through shore power setup by which the camper plugs into a campground electrical hookup for powering its onboard electrical equipment, then plugs into the Model 3's charging point to pass charge through to the Tesla traction battery during the stay.
Wheeler ultimately took a 3,500-mile (5,630-km) road trip this around Iceland, by way of Germany, Denmark and Holland, as a proper shakedown for the eRC prototype. To keep from overweighing the camper, he carried supplies like the water canister, small electric fridge and portable power station in the rear footwell of the Model 3, transporting luggage and additional gear in the trunk, which he was able to access from inside the car via the fold-down rear seats.
Wheeler planned to launch the Dashaway eRC after his trip for a starting price of £23,400 (approx. US$31,000), including VAT and the frame for mounting and demounting the unit. He took his prototype to a couple major RV shows, where it absolutely knocked it out of the park in terms of generating the kind of buzz you might expect from such a unique design for a popular EV. Unfortunately, no orders followed.
Good thing Wheeler developed the new camper to be a dual-purpose design from the beginning. Recognizing that building a camper for a small subset of owners of one specific car model would be an uphill battle, he baked the idea of a versatile, ultralight micro-trailer right into the original concept. Since he had a Model 3 that he loved anyway, building it to fit Tesla's small sedan was a passion project, but after receiving a cold response in terms of hard orders, he shifted gears to the trailer variant.
The Dashaway eCT is actually the second Dashaway camper in Wheelhome's history, following the original all-electric tumble-expanding Dashaway pop-up trailer the company launched last decade. With a base weight of 1,420 lb (644 kg), the original 13.2-ft (4-m) Dashaway e-caravan was designed specifically to be towed by hybrids and electrics, as well as a wide variety of small petrol cars. And it earned its "all electric" e-caravan designation by leaving behind the LPG tank to run on pure electric power.
The Dashaway eCT takes the original Dashaway concept to an even greater extreme. It's about half a foot shorter at 12.5 feet (3.8 m) long, but its rooftop-optimized design cuts base weight nearly in half, down to just 750 lb (340 kg). Thanks to its high-lifting pop-up roof system, it also sits much lower for travel, measuring 3.8 feet (1.1 m) high, over 2 feet (61 cm) lower than the taller-bodied Dashaway e-caravan.
The Dashaway eCT's extra weight as compared to the eRC prototype is a result not only of the trailer chassis that it now rides atop but also of the under-floor storage and additional features Wheelhome was able to integrate now that the camper is off the roof and on a 1,650-lb (750-kg, gross vehicle weight rating) trailer. Standard and optional features to be offered for the trailer build will include a lithium battery, inverter, 18-L compressor fridge and water system with 10-L canister and electric pump.
Wheelhome is still working to finalize the eCT ahead of a planned world premiere at the UK's Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show in February 2026. In a rare twist, while we'll have to wait until closer to launch for the finalized details, preliminary pricing information is available right now. Wheelhome plans to start the Dashaway eCT at a base price of £26,225 ($34,800), which includes VAT and delivery anywhere on the UK mainland.
As for the Tesla Dashaway eRC, Wheeler notes that one should never say never but he seems confident it will remain a one-off prototype. The broader appeal and usefulness of the Dashaway eCT are just too dramatic to dedicate more time pigeonholing himself into a restrictive niche.
