New ‘car-camping’ trend in China, high-tech EVs become ‘bedrooms’:Young people saving hotel expenses; cars with TV, kitchen, and AC with V2L technology

Amidst an economic slowdown in China, young people are considering car-camping on weekends as a cheaper and more exciting alternative to expensive foreign trips or 5-star hotels. This trend has given birth to a new multi-billion-dollar camping economy in China. Budget-conscious Chinese tourists are now car-camping by turning high-tech EVs into ‘bedrooms on wheels’ instead of paying hefty rents in hotels. The couple Junya Zhen and Ji Kui, residents of Hebei province in northern China, quit their teaching jobs in 2023 and embarked on a journey across the country. The couple spends months sleeping and traveling in their hybrid SUV, the ‘Wey Lanshan’ from Chinese car manufacturer Great Wall Motor. They also share their unique road-trip and car-camping adventures on social media.

During the day, the couple is constantly on the move. They livestream while driving, cook lunch on the way, and take naps by flattening the car’s back seats into a comfortable bed. Their journey extends from Yunnan province, a very popular tourist destination in southwest China, to the remote and desolate areas of nearby Tibet. People love their lifestyle. The couple has garnered over 570,000 followers on platforms like ‘Xiaohongshu’ and ‘Douyin’, which are considered China’s Instagram and TikTok. This rapidly growing culture in China has not only created an alternative to expensive hotels but has also established a new selling point for car sales in the automobile sector. Chinese EV manufacturers like BYD, Li Auto, Nio, and Xpeng are offering V2L (Vehicle-to-Load) features in their cars. This allows the car’s large battery to act like a giant power bank. Car owners can easily power induction cooktops, coffee makers, mini-fridges, projectors, and electric grills from their EVs’ battery. Surge in sales of car tents, custom mattresses, and outdoor cinemas With the dedicated ‘camping mode’ found in electric vehicles and the help of large batteries, it has become possible to use AC and heaters all night long without running the engine. This trend has created an entirely new ecosystem.
Custom-fitted mattresses for cars, tents that attach to the back of cars, outdoor cinema projectors, and foldable kitchen kits have seen a surge in sales.
Now in China, cars are not just selling based on range or speed, but on how helpful they are in ‘lifestyle and adventure’. Chinese EV companies are making this ‘car-camping’ culture a central part of their advertisements.