Tesla Model S-based electric motorhome unveiled – disappointment?

The idea of an all-electric Tesla motorhome is getting a lot of people excited and inspired an entrepreneur to build Tesla Model S-based electric motorhome.

The prototype vehicle was unveiled and it is somewhat disappointing.

Earlier this month, we reported on Travis Rabenberg’s project to modify a Tesla Model S into a motorhome.

At the time, he released some interesting renders that looked encouraging.

The backend of the electric vehicle had been completely modified to fit a camper box, which can open into a tent with the roof made of a large solar panel.

It was announced that a prototype of the vehicle, called the ‘Tesla Roamer’ electric motorhome, would be unveiled during a Michigan Energy Office’s EV ride and drive the following week.

The vehicle has now been unveiled and it looks nothing like the original render:

It doesn’t appear to have any of the functionalities shown in the original render other than the larger box.

Furthermore, Rabenberg didn’t release any images of the interior of the vehicle to show the new space in the back.

In an interview with Michigan Agency for Energy, Rabenberg explained why he decided to use the Tesla Model S:

“Tesla is the largest electric car brand in the world, and the Model S has a large amount of parts available. And it has the performance we were looking for.”

He wants to use Tesla’s top speed of 155 mph to attempt to break the record for fastest motorhome and bring the vehicle on a European road trip:

“The cross-country trip will start in October at the latest. In England, we will start at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex on July 4th and finish in Dubai in December 2020. The world’s fastest motorhome and Goodwood Festival of Speed is a perfect match of the evolution of EV bonded with performance and racing. And with the invite to World Expo, why not make it a road trip from one event to the next?”

The Michigan Agency for Energy said that the Tesla “Roamer” motorhome prototype got “a lot of attention at the electric vehicle ride and drive.”

Electrek’s Take

Well, that’s kind of a disappointment. The renders showed some promises, but the actual prototype looks like a half-baked project in my opinion.

At that point, I feel like you are killing the aerodynamic performance of the car for almost nothing.

Instead, I’d recommend simply carrying a setup with a tent that you attach to your hatch like this:

You can combine that with a portable solar panel system to power some camping equipment.

Tesla also plans to release a “party and camper mode” through a software update to “maintain air flow, temperature, selective lights, music and power devices while parked”, which would be particularly helpful for a setup like that.

What do you think? You see any potential in this Tesla “Roamer” motorhome prototype or you’d prefer to use a tent setup like shown above with a regular Tesla Model S? Let us know in the comment section below.