This Compact RV Means You'll Never Have to Fuel Up Again: Meet Redfoo's Custom Solarrolla

This is Solarrolla, a solar-electric camper that can run an estimated 200 miles (322 km) on a single charge, of which 30 to 50 miles (48-80 km) a day solely on solar energy, assuming exposure is right. Depending on how much driving you plan on doing with it, you could have a daily driver that would allow you to live a life where you'd never need gasoline again.

This is actually a Solarrolla with celebrity pedigree, having been delivered earlier this year to American musician Redfoo (or Stefan Kendal Gordy by his birth name). It's a solar-electric RV custom-made for him and his family, with most of the creature comforts of a proper camper, and it has already been put to extensive use since delivery.

If the bubbly, glass-wrapped front looks familiar, it must be because this Solarrolla vehicle isn't new. Perhaps its most famous incarnation is the eStar from Navistar, which became a FedEx delivery van in 2010 under a partnership with the US Department of Energy. But the vehicle actually originates from the London-born eMercury that eventually crossed over to the U.S. as the Modec before transitioning into the eStar.

Not a single one of these iterations was successful because the battery tech was too young and unreliable, which resulted in ridiculously short ranges and a handful of other operating issues. The Solarrolla aims to tackle and solve those issues, and Redfoo's unit is a good example of that. Call it retrofitting at its best, or even upcycling, and you wouldn't be entirely off the mark.

The Solarrolla is the brainchild of couple Kira and Brett Belan and is only being offered on order, with prices starting between $125,000 and $150,000. Redfoo's is the first of its kind in that it features a completely new battery (three Model 3 packs) and solar cells totaling almost 5kW, with a full charge achieved on solar in a couple of days.

The Belans are famous online for their offgrid lifestyle and previous electrification projects, having actually started toying with the idea of EVs that run on solar as early as 2008 when they converted a golf kart. Redfoo also owns one of those, so it seems like he was what you could call an early adopter.

Before Redfoo's Solarrolla, the Belans used existing eStar vehicles for conversion using a different approach, by trying to fix whatever was wrong with them, which turned out to be quite a lot. For the star's RV, they took a more drastic approach, gutting the eStar, replacing its battery pack and improving the battery management system to do away with all the operating errors that ultimately killed Navistar's bold project.

The result is a motorhome that Redfoo is obviously thrilled with. Sure, it can still do with some improvements, particularly to the solar awnings, the lack of certain features, and access to some of the controls.

As he says in the video below, an interview with YouTuber Louis Cole, Redfoo chooses to consider his RV a prototype that can still benefit from some engineering. But overall, he's pleased with what he got.

So what he got is the custom and instantly recognizable body from eStar, with new tech. The motor is a Danfoss (ex UQM) one peaking at 350kW, with fixed solar cells on the roof and more mobile panels that he has to assemble at camp to form awnings. He carries the frames for these awnings attached to the rear of the camper, and while he acknowledges that the advantage of such a solution is that he can adjust them to the correct angle for proper exposure, he also admits the setup takes about 30 minutes. Hence, it could be improved.

All solar cells are LightLeaf carbon fiber panels.

The interior is salvaged from Redfoo's previous VW bus, which was also electric and which came to a crushing death when a tree fell on it during a storm. It has a fold-down bed at the rear, with a rather rudimentary kitchen arrangement in the center.

The space has a certain feel of improvisation, but it seems to work for Redfoo, who says he's been traveling a lot with his camper to the beach for family getaways. The fact that he can run all his appliances on solar, drive for at least 180 miles (290 km) on a single charge (actually tested), power up his house in case of an emergency, or even charge an EV like a Tesla from his camper are winning points in his book.

Indeed, for such a compact vehicle, his Solarrolla is packed with appliances: a Ninja ice cream maker, a separate freezer, a fridge, and even a professional juicer. Redfoo is a convinced vegan, which probably explains his choice of kitchen "basics."

There is no toilet onboard, but the artist says he's waiting delivery on an incinerating toilet. There's also no mention of water tanks, though we assume there's at least an exterior shower. The Solarrolla has an AC unit but probably no heating.

The vehicle tips the scales at 12,000 lbs (5,443 kg) and can be charged on a Type 2 charger in about 16 hours.

Redfoo's unit was built at the Belans' home in Wisconsin and then driven to Redfoo's home in California by the building couple. The maiden journey was also the first proper test of the vehicle's ability to serve as a reliable camper that effectively does away with the issue of range anxiety.

The Belans were obviously thrilled with how it handled, because delivery coincided with their announcement that they would be offering Solarrolla RVs on order. No word yet on whether they've already started working on another project so, until more details on this emerge, here's the one they built for Redfoo.