This is not a weekend project, but DIYer Otmar Ebenhoech has been fiddling with vans and electric vehicles since at least twelve years of age. As the title suggests, two Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia plus one Tesla Model S is his current project.
The story starts decades ago, but perhaps more currently we could talk about Ebenhoech’s stretched Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia, actually two of them put together, called “Stretch.” When he was returning from a camping trip, the old diesel engine threw a rod (read: not going anywhere) just about the same time a truckload of new Tesla Model S were heading to a dealership. Ebenhoech had an epiphany, “Why not combine the Tesla Model S with Stretch?”
The result is the “Stretchla” project, which Ebenhoech writes about in his blog, as well as talks about in this video…
The Tesla Model S that Ebenhoech ended up buying, you might recognize from another story we did about electric vehicle safety. After the bidding was done, shipping and handling included, the wrecked Tesla Model S ended up costing about $42,000, but this isn’t a restoration project. Pretty much everything that makes a Tesla Model S a Tesla Model S, except for the body, will go into the Stretch, including the battery pack, suspension, electric motors, instrument cluster, and even the door handles and latches.
The resulting combination of Tesla Model S electric vehicle technology and the uniqueness of a stretched Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia will give Ebenhoech all the benefits of both worlds. The camper is spacious and excellent for heading to his favorite camping spot at Death Valley National Park. Additionally, he’ll be able to use the Tesla Supercharger network, which just placed a Supercharger near the park. Watch Ebenhoech’s blog for updates.
Image © Otmar Ebenhoech
