We hear a lot about the new green economy, how it will transform the economic landscape worldwide and the new opportunities in more sustainable occupations. There is a lot of rhetoric and position papers but few practical examples where you can go and talk to people working in this new green future we all hear so much about.
That all changed in mid-October when David Middleton-Brown, founder and CEO of the EV Camper Company, agreed to talk to Bylines Scotland about their venture into electrifying their campervans, thereby making the whole campervan experience much greener and more sustainable for future visitors to Scotland.
Transitioning from diesel and petrol to EV
The problem with traditional motorhomes is that most of them are diesel-powered. Diesel engines emit 15% less carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, but they can emit four times more nitrogen dioxide and twenty-two times more particulate matter. Nitrogen dioxide is toxic to plants. It reduces plant growth. Along with sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide can also cause acid rain. There is an association between concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and hospital admissions for respiratory disease. In short, diesel-powered camper vans are not good for us or our environment and we need to be looking at alternatives as quickly as possible.
Auto finance online has reported that diesel motorhomes in the UK are going to be banned from 2030. Manufacturers will have until 2050 to change their production lines from diesel and petrol to motorhomes that give off no carbon dioxide emissions. This all helps to ensure that the global temperature rise is limited to below two degrees Celsius.
Leading the way – the EV Camper company
Based at Stirling University Business Innovation Centre, the EV Camper company is getting ahead of the game. They plan to convert a fleet of diesel campervans to run on electricity. These vans will enable customers to continue to enjoy the freedom of a road trip but without the negative downside of emitting greenhouse gases as they travel round.
David Middleton Brown, the founder of EV Camper Company stated,
‘’We have one van at the moment our prototype. It has a 75kW battery on board. This gives the van approximately 150 – 200 miles of range on a full charge. That depends upon outside factors like weather, hills and so on. We provide customers with an app that allows them to recharge the van across the UK. So route planning, where to recharge and how long to recharge for is taken care of for all our customers.
We provide everything the customer needs, sleeping bags, cups, crockery. All you need to bring is your food and your clothing. Most of our customers have never driven an electric vehicle before. We have a handover period of 45 minutes to an hour to explain everything to the hirer. 99% of our customers who come back are in love with driving electric.
My dream would be to wake up tomorrow morning and the whole camper van industry in Scotland and the whole of the UK had turned electric.’’
University of Stirling Innovation Park – nurturing a green economy
The EV Camper Company is a startup that is being nurtured in the University of Stirling Innovation Park. Started in 1986 the Innovation Park seeks to ‘create an environment that will nurture the development of businesses with high growth potential in a new era of converged technologies.’
The University has been focusing on attracting tenants in sectors seen to offer ‘’significant commercial opportunity’’ while being seen to be a sustainable enterprise that is going to be a natural fit in a green economy.
David Middleton-Brown is optimistic about the future of his company
‘’We’ve proved now in the first two years of operation that the model works and that there’s definite demand there for electric campervans. Over the next five year, we hope to expand across the rest of the UK. We’re in discussions with the Innovation Centre and are looking at a franchising model for the future. We want your readers to see EV Camper depots across the country.’’
The Hive doesn’t take equity in any of the businesses it tries to nurture and grow on campus. This enables entrepreneurs, like Middleton-Brown, the freedom to test their business ideas to see if they will work in the real world. It also creates an ideal network for young people to share ideas with each other and to benefit from the wisdom of more established business leaders in Scotland and further afield.
The news from Stirling is good news. The green economy is taking off in Scotland and will bring environmental and economic benefits to the whole of Scotland.
The last word belongs to David Middleton-Brown:
‘’There is no reason why every campervan on these islands should not be electric, from the remotest Scottish island to Cornwall. The technology and infrastructure are there.’
Listen to a conversation between Charlie and David on our podcast episode below.
More in environment.
