Tesla camper wants to be fastest RV in the world

Fans of electric-auto giant Tesla who also crave adventure, this might be your dream come true. According to a Michigan.gov press release, an upcoming event in Lansing, Michigan, will showcase a Tesla Model S-based motorhome prototype. Love campers and trailers? Come join our community group.

Before you think this is all a joke, know that Tesla and camping aren’t complete strangers. In the past, we’ve reported on individuals who camped in their Tesla Model S. I also know of several Tesla owners who successfully pull lightweight travel trailers with their Teslas. To Curbed’s knowledge, however, this camper is the first one that will be converted from a Tesla vehicle into an actual RV.

Created by entrepreneur and world traveler Travis Rabenberg, the Tesla motorhome will be featured with other electric vehicles at the Michigan Energy Office’s ride and drive April 17. Rabenberg’s goal is to make a Tesla Roamer motorhome with an expected top speed of 150 mph and a range of 200 miles. Why? He wants to break the Guinness World Land Speed Record for an electric motorhome.

The rather unique renderings of the Roamer are almost comical; we can’t decide if it looks like a micro-machine, a DeLorean time machine-inspired motorhome, or a Transformer. But we’ve confirmed with the Michigan Agency for Energy that this is happening, and Rabenberg does have a history with campers. According to New Atlas, Rabenberg has wandered the globe in a Sportsmobile camper van and motorcycle. We couldn’t confirm this because at the time of publication, Rabenberg’s website was down, although his Twitch TV page includes similar info.

The current land speed record for a motorhome is 141.3 mph, set by a Fiat Doblo van conversion in 2014. In addition to trying to hit 150 mph in his Tesla Roamer, Rabenberg says the Roamer will have a 200-mile range, which is decent for an electric motorhome. The world’s first manufactured electric motorhome debuted in Germany earlier this year with a range of 124 miles, and Winnebago recently launched a commercial electric RV with a similar range.

The Roamer will be built on a Model S 70D with—possibly—a toilet, sink, bed, water storage, and 350 watts of roof-mounted solar. Renderings show some sort of pop-top, but details are scarce. The size seems to indicate that the camper would sleep two people. Beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see what things look like this week. We’ll have photos and an updated story soon.