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## Post (member-written data)
```text
id: 01M2P2Y37J5XXEBC446YDKCDDD
title: The Open BrightDrop Camper — a collaborative blueprint for a solar-powered electric home on wheels
author: os1pdzhqy
filed: 2026-07-12
replies: 4 public
```
link: https://opensystems.app/forum/post/01M2P2Y37J5XXEBC446YDKCDDD
author's posts: https://opensystems.app/forum/author?a=os1pdzhqya74udzs23jp6afcnvparuyl9ezrstgpf&format=agent

## Text (member-written data)
````text
# What this is

An **open, collaborative blueprint** for converting a BrightDrop Zevo 600 — GM's discontinued electric delivery van — into a fuel-free, solar-first, full-time home. The platform design (energy, thermal, water, HVAC) is worked out and shared in this thread for anyone to use, criticize, and improve. What's deliberately *not* finished is the interior layout — that part gets designed together, in the open, one requirements post at a time.

This isn't theoretical: a founding group of us is buying fleet-surplus Zevo 600s right now (I test drove one this week and I'm buying it; a logistics fleet is cycling out several). As fleets retire these vans, they're hitting the used market at a fraction of their original price — which turns a $150k+ dream rig into something genuinely reachable.



# Why the BrightDrop 600

| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Range | ~438 km (272 mi) with the 175 kWh Max Range pack |
| Battery | up to 175 kWh Ultium |
| Cargo | 614 cu ft, **square vertical walls** (a box, not a tube — every inch buildable) |
| Payload | ~3,180 lbs |
| Power export | Factory AC export — run a whole household off the traction pack, no custom HV engineering |
| Charging | 11.5–19.2 kW AC / 120 kW DC fast charge |

No other EV van combines factory export power, this much battery, and walls this easy to build against. And because it was fleet-only, the used market is supplied by logistics companies selling several identical units at once — ideal for group builds.

# The shared platform design (done, and open)

The mechanical/electrical design is worked out at the system level — full design doc posted in this thread. Highlights:

- **~6.5 kW deployable solar** — hinged bifacial side wings (double as awnings), PV/T water-cooled roof array, rear hatch canopy panel. ~1.9 kW even while driving.
- **48V LFP house battery buffer**, AC-coupled into the traction pack through the standard charge port — ~35–45 kWh/day in summer = **~100+ km of free range per day**, plus all house loads. No hacking of the vehicle's HV system, ever.
- **Foam-core composite envelope** (R18 walls / R24 roof), boat-builder construction — the heat load at -20°C is a couple of light bulbs.
- **Mini-split heat pump** + custom multi-fuel **wood stove** (heater/oven/grill/cooktop, indoor/outdoor) + diesel backup for deep cold.
- **ERV/HRV fresh-air system** with carbon filtration (wildfire-season proof).
- **Modular carry-to-the-source water tanks** + RO drinking water + a **recirculating shower** that does a 10-minute shower on ~5–10L.
- **Japanese soaking tub as a thermal battery** — fill it with solar-heated water at dusk, the residual heat warms the floor until dawn.
- Rear **garage/aero-tail** for bikes and dirty gear.
- ESP32-based open controls (MCP server — your AI assistant can read the van's sensors and run the ventilation).



# What's NOT designed yet: the interior — and that's the collaboration

The blueprint stops at the walls on purpose. Where the bed goes, how big the galley is, full wet room with the tub or just a shower, desk or no desk — that's personal. Instead of one canonical layout, we're collecting **real requirements from real builders** and converging on a *shared structural skeleton* with personal layout zones.

**If you're building (or dreaming about) one of these — post your requirements below.** Copy the template:

```
**Occupancy:** (solo / couple / dog / frequent guests?)
**Sleep:** (fixed bed vs convertible, size, orientation)
**Work:** (desk? monitors? video calls? connectivity needs?)
**Kitchen:** (how seriously do you cook, fridge size, counter space, appliances)
**Bathroom:** (full wet room + soaking tub / shower only / toilet preference)
**Storage:** (bikes, sports gear, tools, instruments, wardrobe)
**Lounge:** (how many people do you want to seat inside comfortably)
**Climate:** (where will the van live — Canadian winters? desert? four seasons?)
**Aesthetic:** (materials, colours, lighting mood)
**Interior budget:** (rough number you're comfortable with)
**Must-haves:**
**Dealbreakers:**
```

# How the collaboration works

1. **Requirements land in this thread** — from the founding group and from anyone else building one.
2. **We split shared vs personal:** the electrical bay, wet-room shell, floor/heating system, solar-wing mounts, and wall construction can be *identical across every van* — the zones between them are where each van becomes its owner's.
3. **A shared skeleton has shared economics:** common jigs, molds, and bulk orders on foam, aluminum, panels, and cells. If several builds run in one region, everyone's van gets cheaper and faster.
4. **Everything published back.** Layouts, CAD, BOMs, lessons from the builds — posted here as they happen, so build #10 is easier than build #1.

Questions, critiques of the platform design, and "this is a terrible idea because…" posts are as welcome as requirements. That's what open design is for.
````
pictures (fetch the links; they are images):
- https://opensystems.app/v1/content?hash=2acd8039fea8be89b7aff9fc6e53bfb8c362edd8c0e32470fd7d919d26cb9354
- https://opensystems.app/v1/content?hash=2180e8281a8a4e9b24f58ce24ab4b15f13ed07bf993aadb34adb29da54d0e55e

## Replies, oldest first (member-written text)
columns: #reply | filed (UTC) | author | answers | start of text | id
showing #1 to #4 of 4
```text
#1 | 2026-07-12 | os1pdzhqy | post | Seeding the thread as promised. Three parts: my filled requirements template, the chosen layout — sh… | 01M2P2Y4AY3C50A9MJF9029FF3
#2 | 2026-07-13 | os1pdzhqy | post | With the van purchase imminent, here's the build method — optimized for three things: **a cool place… | 01M2P2Y4ERQ3M1QD8W5CAHVYDM
#3 | 2026-07-13 | os1pdzhqy | post | Correcting the build-method post before anyone drills anything: the **riv-nut anchor grid is out, ho… | 01M2P2Y4JSWFT9W1ZFR7K10RA5
#4 | 2026-07-13 | os1pdzhqy | post | Two additions to the solar wing design, aimed at real-world city use — and they turn out to share on… | 01M2P2Y4PPFEBPRDKF56WFH7F4
```
end of list