The modern camper van has apparently looked at our overstuffed garages, our group chat camping plans, and our heroic ability to forget one important cable, then quietly decided to become a transformer with a driver’s license. The Vantrack LightCamp is a Kia PV5 electric camper conversion that tries to pull off that exact trick: weekday people-mover, weekend tiny cabin, and rooftop hangout platform for anyone who thinks sleeping on the ground is just nature’s way of bullying your spine.
Built by Vantrack in the Netherlands, the LightCamp is being developed around the new all-electric Kia PV5 Passenger. Instead of turning the van into a permanently stuffed rolling apartment, Vantrack is aiming for a lighter, more modular setup that can move between normal city life and outdoor escape mode without making your commute feel like you are piloting a cupboard full of soup cans.
The core idea is delightfully tidy. The PV5 stays compact enough for everyday use, while the camper equipment adds sleeping space, cooking gear, storage, roof access, and outdoor shelter when the weekend decides it needs a small but dramatic production budget. It is the sort of van that seems built for people who want adventure, but also want their measuring tape, storage crates, and electrical outlets to behave like adults.
A tiny electric camper with a rooftop second floor
The most obvious party trick is the roof. Vantrack uses what it calls the SkyLight and roof platform instead of a traditional pop-top roof. That gives the van a large skylight roof window with blackout blind and insect screen, direct access to the rooftop area, and a mounting point for the ZELT rooftop tent. The listed rooftop tent measures 250 x 150 cm, with a sleeping area of 200 x 130 cm.
That means the LightCamp can sleep up high without the heavier full pop-up roof approach that usually makes camper vans look like they are wearing a hat in a wind tunnel. The red rooftop tent is visually impossible to miss, which is useful if you enjoy being found at a campground or if your entire personality has recently become “I own a tiny electric van and yes, you may ask me about it.”
Inside, Vantrack lists a slide-out bed measuring 130 x 190 cm with adjustable height, plus two 65 x 190 cm Luxemat air mattresses with an electric pump. The sleeping setup is not pretending to be a rolling hotel suite, but it does seem engineered for the kind of compact efficiency that makes small-space design people suddenly whisper the word “clever” at furniture.
The kitchen can leave the van, which is emotionally healthy
One of the more practical pieces is the removable cook station. Vantrack lists the cook station at 33 x 90 x 15 cm, with an induction cooking surface and modular storage units. There is also an 18L compressor coolbox in the same listed footprint, plus an 11L portable water system with an integrated tap.
This matters because van cooking is charming right up until steam, crumbs, and one suspiciously enthusiastic onion turn your sleeping area into a diner booth. The LightCamp’s modular kitchen can be used around the rear of the van or carried to a better camp spot, which is how civilization began: someone moved the hot pan away from the bedding.
In practical terms, the LightCamp layout appears to focus on gear that can be packed, removed, rearranged, and used outside the vehicle. That makes sense for a compact electric van. You do not need a full rolling studio apartment if what you actually want is a clean base camp for biking, paddling, hiking, wandering around with a mug, or telling everyone you packed light while standing beside a van full of carefully labeled equipment.
- It is based on the Kia PV5 Passenger, not the PV5 Cargo.
- The camper package is designed around complete LightCamp conversions rather than one-off custom builds.
- The rear cooking module includes induction cooking and modular storage.
- The roof setup combines a large skylight, roof rack, and rooftop tent access.
- The van keeps permanent cargo space and flexible storage instead of committing every inch to built-in cabinetry.
Specs for people who pack like they are crossing a continent
The LightCamp’s spec list is where the whole thing starts looking less like a cute concept and more like a very organized person got trapped inside a van brochure. Vantrack lists a 195L rear cargo rack with storage bags and dividers, a slim cargo slide designed for 30 x 40 cm Euro crates, cargo rails for securing luggage and outdoor gear, and a 130 x 250 cm lightweight roof rack optimized for the PV5.
The electrical side also leans into the advantages of starting with an EV. Vantrack lists a 230V AC Vehicle-to-Load output up to 3.6 kW, USB-C charging, ambient lighting, and a camp mode for climate control and power supply while parked. That is useful if your idea of roughing it includes clean air, charged devices, and refusing to become a damp sleeping bag with opinions.
| Feature | Listed Detail | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Base vehicle | Kia PV5 Passenger | Compact electric platform for daily driving and camping |
| Slide-out bed | 130 x 190 cm, adjustable height | Sleeping space without permanent bulky furniture |
| Rooftop tent | 250 x 150 cm, 200 x 130 cm sleeping area | Adds a second sleeping zone above the van |
| Cook station | 33 x 90 x 15 cm induction module | Lets the kitchen work inside or outside camp |
| Coolbox | 18L compressor coolbox | Keeps food handled without a giant fridge cabinet |
| Water system | 11L portable tank with tap | Simple washing and camp prep without fixed plumbing |
| Power | 230V V2L output up to 3.6 kW | Runs useful camp gear from the electric van |
The storage approach is also refreshingly honest. Small camper vans succeed or fail based on what happens after the first hour, when everyone has unpacked jackets, snacks, shoes, cables, camp chairs, and that one bag nobody admits bringing. A rear cargo rack, cargo rails, bags, dividers, and crate-friendly slide system are not glamorous, but they are exactly the kind of boring magic that keeps a tiny camper from becoming a soft-sided avalanche.
Not every PV5 gets to join the tiny van club
There are a few boundaries here, which is good because a product that claims to do absolutely everything usually also claims to improve your posture and change your life. Vantrack says the LightCamp conversion can be installed in a customer-supplied PV5 Passenger, but it does not convert the PV5 Cargo and is not offering custom conversion work. The company also says there is currently no demo vehicle available for viewing during development.
At launch, Vantrack plans to focus on complete LightCamp conversions for the PV5 Passenger. Individual parts such as the roof rack or SkyLight may be offered later, but the initial focus is the full build. That makes the LightCamp less of a buy-one-clever-drawer situation and more of a complete camper system for people who want the whole tiny electric adventure sandwich assembled by professionals.
The camper also has a layered awning system listed for flexible outdoor shelter, window frames with ambient lighting, covers, USB-C charging, and storage pockets, plus a camp mode for parked climate control. Those are the details that make it feel like Vantrack is thinking beyond the photo shoot and into the part of camping where the weather changes, someone needs a charger, and everyone suddenly believes they are the only person allowed to use the good pocket.
Who this electric camper is actually for
The LightCamp seems best suited for people who want an electric everyday vehicle that can become a polished base camp without hauling a giant RV through narrow streets like a confused apartment building. It is especially interesting for active outdoor types who need storage for gear, want cooking outside the sleeping zone, and appreciate the ability to return the van to a cleaner everyday layout after the trip.
It is probably not the right fit for anyone who wants a full bathroom, a standing-height interior, or a camper conversion built around custom one-off requests. This is a compact modular system, not a mansion with tires. But for people who think the ideal camper should be smaller, lighter, electric, and oddly well-behaved, the LightCamp has the personality of a design student who learned wilderness skills and now labels every crate.
Vantrack lists the LightCamp as coming in September 2026, with the LC LightCamp launch planned for that month. The listed starting price is €65,000, based on the Kia PV5 Passenger Essential. When reservations open, Vantrack says it will discuss available options including the desired PV5 Passenger specification.
- Product: Vantrack LightCamp Kia PV5 electric camper conversion
- Base: Kia PV5 Passenger, with complete LightCamp conversions planned
- Launch timing: September 2026
- Starting price: €65,000, based on the Kia PV5 Passenger Essential
- Sleeping: slide-out bed plus rooftop tent sleeping area
- Cooking: removable induction cook station with modular storage
- Power: 230V Vehicle-to-Load output up to 3.6 kW
If you have been waiting for an electric camper van that feels less like a rolling renovation project and more like a neatly packed outdoor toolkit, the LightCamp is worth watching. It has the tiny-home energy, the EV power tricks, the rooftop drama, and the kind of modular storage discipline that makes your current trunk look like it was organized by a salad spinner.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compact Kia PV5 electric base keeps it useful beyond camping weekends | Built around the PV5 Passenger, not the PV5 Cargo |
| Rooftop tent and SkyLight create a clever second sleeping zone | No demo vehicle available during the current development phase |
| Removable induction cook station can be used away from the bed area | Initial focus is complete conversions rather than individual components |
| V2L power up to 3.6 kW supports real camp equipment | Compact layout will not satisfy buyers wanting a full-size RV interior |
| Flexible storage, cargo rails, and crate-friendly slide system look genuinely practical | Launch is planned for September 2026, so buyers still have to wait |
| Starting price includes a complete electric camper concept rather than just a kit | Starting at €65,000 places it firmly in serious purchase territory |