Camping with an electric car and roof tent – in the middle of the High Vosges, on the 20th stage of the Tour de France, a team of journalists and influencers tested how well camping with an electric car and roof tent works for car manufacturer Škoda.
And the conclusion after the road trip in the footsteps of the world’s most famous cycling race?
For the testers, this was not the last trip of this kind!
Camping Ratgeber:
Camping on the roadside: With Škoda on the Tour de France
The cars of the Czech car manufacturer and main sponsor Škoda are omnipresent at the Tour de France.
As support vehicles for the cyclists or as the lead car for race director Christian Prudhomme: 209 Škoda cars rolled in front of and alongside the professional cyclists on the 110th Tour France in 2023.
edition of the Tour de France from Bilbao to Paris.
207 of them with electric drive.
If you want to be a spectator at the Tour de France, you either have to be lucky enough to book a hotel along the route – or follow the Tour in a motorhome.
Motorhomes can therefore be seen parked in endless rows along the route.
But does this also work with an electric car and roof tent?
And even on a high mountain stage?
Strong team: through the Vosges with an electric car and roof tent
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a motorhome.
Especially on the winding and steep routes of the High Vosges, the monsters in white are not necessarily the best companions for getting to your destination effortlessly.
With a roof tent, on the other hand, you can use your own car – and always have your own comfortable bed with you on the car roof.
The sleeping area – including the best view of the surroundings – is quickly set up in just a few simple steps.
And the practical test with a Škoda Enyaq shows: Even In the e-car, nothing stands in the way of freedom of travel with a roof tent on the car roof!
Driving fun with Škoda Enyaq and roof tent on the roof
The all-electric Škoda Enyaq Coupé RS iV and nine Karoq compact SUVs served as test vehicles for the road trip with electric car and roof tent.
Both the sporty coupé and the SUVs proved to be reliable companions throughout the entire stage.
Surprising for everyone who drove with a roof tent on the roof for the first time: The driving characteristics, especially of the Enyaq, hardly changed despite the iKamper Skycamp 3.0 on the roof.
Photos: Hardy Mutschler
As reported by Autobild, which was present during the practical test, the coupé mastered even the tight serpentines so well thanks to the car’s low center of gravity that there was no feeling of insecurity.
The consumption of the Škoda Enyaq also only increased by 5-6 kWh per 100 km on the steep climbs.
Scarce roof load: ladder goes into the trunk
So the driving pleasure didn’t suffer from the 75 kg weight of the Skycamp on the car roof.
And in the evening?
Due to the Enyaq’s limited roof load, the Skycamp had to travel through the Vosges without a ladder on the car roof.
The tester simply transported it in the trunk.
Setting up the roof tent took a little longer, however, as the ladder also had to be unloaded and attached to the tent.
A small drop of bitterness, because while the wind was whistling and the temperatures were dropping, the usual Skycamp set-up time of just under a minute – once the ladder was attached to the roof tent – would have been a blessing.
However, once up in the cozy roof tent, this was quickly forgotten.
