STORY ARTICLE: All-new Renault Trafic SpaceNomad - your place in the sun

“The pop top is one of the hallmarks of a converted van. It’s the symbol of holidays enjoying total freedom with nothing but nature all around you.”

Caroline, Business and Launching Manager for the Renault Trafic Range

Wanderlust through the roof

As Caroline puts it, “After the pandemic, when we were all unable to travel, many people are yearning for freedom. We are seeing that people want to make the most of their freedom, travel, reconnect with themselves, their loved ones and nature.”

Converted vans with raising roofs, as a result, are becoming more popular than ever these days. They are compact, easy to park and more manoeuvrable than motorhomes. They are as convenient as a car – but you can cook and sleep in them, even in the middle of nowhere, with no restrictions.

The pop top has an extra bed you can lower to sleep in and raise to stand in the van – to cook, for example. And All-new Trafic SpaceNomad has a special feature to get even further away from it all:

a solar panel!

A built-in solar panel for extra freedom

This solar panel comes as standard at the top of the range and meets growing demand from customers to spend more time off the grid and at the same time to travel more responsibly, Caroline adds.

“This feature is usually an accessory available from converted van specialists. But it’s built into All-new Trafic SpaceNomad because we feel people really want to do more for the environment and to preserve resources, by using renewable energies as much as possible, when they travel. It was natural for us because Renault has always changed in step with society.”

The solar panel is very slim to avoid increasing the vehicle’s height and charges the auxiliary battery that powers the fridge, water pump and lights in All-new Trafic SpaceNomad. It extends the battery’s charge from 48 to 72 hours! So there’s no problem if you want to spend a little longer touring the countryside or mountains, stay an extra day or something unexpected comes up. All you need are the sun’s rays.

A raising roof for extra living space

The solar panel isn’t the only feature in the roof that provides extra autonomy for All-new Trafic SpaceNomad users: it also has its own LED lighting to read late into the night and USB ports so that hikers and cyclists who use connected watches, satnavs and the like can set out the next morning with their device all charged up.

This extra living space makes all the difference when you’re parked – and no difference when you’re driving: as it is very slim when folded down, it does not affect the vehicle’s behaviour on the road and barely increases its consumption.

“As the roof is very flat, the van is less than 2 metres high, so the vehicle can go anywhere, you don't pay more at tolls you can access most of the parking lots.”

The extra autonomy and complete peace of mind are all you need for perfect bliss far away from it all. Plus a little sunlight.

Pilote takes on the conversion challenge

All-new Trafic SpaceNomad is made in France, at Renault’s plant in Sandouville, Normandy. Pilote takes care of the conversion – including the pop top and solar panel – at its plant near Angers.

Pilote is a recreational vehicle specialist with 60 years’ experience, and has been converting Renault Trafic vans for over four decades. It had to meet a stringent set of specifications to meet Renault’s high quality standards on All-new Trafic SpaceNomad.

“Renault challenged us with the requirements it applies in the automotive world, which are higher than the ones in the recreational vehicle universe. We worked on this van for just over two years to rise to that challenge.”

Thibaud, Sales Development Manager, Pilote

Fully converting an All-new Trafic into an All-new Renault Trafic SpaceNomad takes nine days. Besides the raising roof, it has two swivelling front seats, a rear seat that folds down into a bed, a 49 litre fridge, a two-burner cooktop with piezo ignition, a sink with a built-in tap, a drinking water tank and a wastewater tank, a foldable table you can set up inside or outside, a shower head at the rear, a large 4-sqm-plus awning and 250 litres of storage space.

In terms of production rate, Pilote has made a huge move. It could produce 200 vehicles a year four years ago and will increase to 200 per month in the next six months. Enough to satisfy the demand for All-new Renault Trafic SpaceNomad!