A specially converted 1978 Mercedes-Benz bus which runs on biodiesel and solar power and is home to an Auckland family of five will be on display at the Covi Motorhome, Caravan and Outdoor SuperShow this weekend.
Campbell and Nikki Sturrock sold their house in Auckland to spend a year travelling throughout New Zealand in their sustainable bus with their three school-age children.
The converted 1978 Mercedes-Benz 0305 is called The Loop. It has a range of sustainable solutions, including the fridge compressors under the shower floor to utilise the waste heat energy, carpet tiles made from recycled fishing nets and alcohol fuelled portable Clean Cook Stove.
Campbell says the family of five’s adventure of a lifetime is an experiment in building a motorhome using sustainability principles.
Sam West and his team at Motorhome Repairs Auckland Ltd are responsible for completely rebuilding the bus. It runs on New Zealand made Biogold biodiesel.
“It’s a sustainable choice not only for us in our 1978 11-litre Loop Bus but for any Kiwi driving a diesel vehicle,” says Nikki.
“Biogold is a renewable, made from waste vegetable oil, environmentally friendly fuel that can directly replace conventional diesel and result in substantial reductions in our tailpipe emissions, our carbon footprint and greenhouse gases,” she says.
Campbell says they aim to run the bus on at least a 60% blend of Biogold although as time goes on, they hope to increase this percentage.
“We are using 100% Biogold for our water, space heating and cooking,” he says.
The couple installed additional solar panels and extra battery storage capacity to run their electronics and an electric car.
David Reid from Reid Technology, Nigel Chang from Century Yuasa batteries and Ron Gorter, an electrical wizard with years of experience on Round the World yacht races were instrumental in the bus build.
“Even though a lot of the conversations about watts, amps and voltage went right over my head, working with such smart, innovative people has been inspiring,” says Nikki.
“They were so interested in what we were doing and so helpful and determined to see us succeed. We are now driving using the sunshine.”
She also says the simple yet technologically advanced toilet from Nature’s Head produces a dry, crumbly soil conditioner instead of sewage.
“As gardeners and tree planters we have a keen interest in soil health and to use a soil manufacturing machine that does not use chemicals or pollute fresh water is something we are truly excited about,” she says.
