This Tiny RV Is The Perfect Home Away From Home—On Your Home’s Driveway

• A German company is selling a tiny electric camper.
• Based on the same underpinnings as the Ari 458 Pro, the RV is just 150.4 inches long.
• The living space features household sockets and a water system, but that’s about it; customers will need to figure out furniture on their own.

The RV world is all about exploring the great outdoors, with long-distance driving between destinations and well-needed relaxing days in between. But if neither of these selling points tickles your fancy, then you might want to take a look at one of the world’s smallest and shortest-range campers.

Built by Germany’s Ari Motors on its 458 Pro chassis, the diminutive electric camper is categorized as an L7e vehicle, which is the European rough equivalent of America’s Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV). In other words, it packs a single electric motor that makes around 20 horsepower, and its top speed is limited to 44 miles per hour (70 kilometers per hour).

The vehicle on which the camper is based was originally designed for urban logistics, so its 150.4-inch length and limited power output are adequate. For camping, though, they will surely limit drivers’ adventures to the areas that are near their homes, as this is strictly a local road machine.

Two lithium-iron-phosphate battery options are on offer, with a 15-kilowatt-hour pack enabling between 75 and 112 miles of range, while the larger 23.5-kWh option is quoted at up to 143 miles. Charging the Ari 458 Pro can be done through a proprietary 220-volt inlet, so there’s no fast-charging here.

Up front, the cabin is identical to the 458 Pro commercial model, with a pair of seats, a cup holder, a digital instrument cluster, electric windows, a manual handbrake, a reversing camera, and Bluetooth connectivity. Air conditioning is optional.

For what it’s worth, the custom-made RV box at the rear makes perfect use of what little space is available on the vehicle’s platform. Ari claims the cabover has a 30 square feet usable area and a maximum interior height of nearly 6.1 feet, so even tall people can stand up straight in the ultracompact RV.

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Source: Ari Motors

All this being said, the tiny camper comes without any furniture, so customers will need to source everything on their own, while making sure everything fits. Ari Motors fits a few 230-volt household outlets, as well as fresh and wastewater tanks, but that’s about it. The company claims that it will sell a “minimalist” interior built at its Borna facility near Leipzig, but there are no photos of what that would look like.

Pricing starts at €30,381 ($35,100) for the barebones camper version, making it one of the cheapest electric RVs out there, but it’s not without limitations. There’s also the option to buy the flatbed version for €15,790 ($18,200) and then go full DIY with the camper box, but the base vehicle will still be the same short-distance neighborhood EV.