Pint-Sized RV Hupi Is Tailor-Made for e-Bike Towing, With Every Possible Feature Inside

The e-bike bubble might be bursting, but e-bikes won't be going anywhere. Hailed as the perfect companion for the daily commute, a greener, more efficient, and more convenient mode of transport around the city, the e-bike is here to stay. We might as well make the most of it, then.

That's what Finnish inventor Urpo Merranmaa, aka Upi, thought. He was never much of a cyclist, but he loved exploring the great outdoors whenever he got the chance, so when he was gifted a fat-tire e-bike, he wanted to take it out. The idea of camping in a tent was the least appealing to him, and, as he puts it, that only left him with one choice: build for himself a trailer he could tow with his new e-bike.

The story plays out like most inspirational tales of the modern age and will ring familiar, especially with digital nomads, which is probably not a coincidence. This e-bike trailer is being sold as the perfect mobile office for today's work-from-home employee or the perfect if pint-sized downsizing solution for a short but adventurous vacation.

Since Upi started the project thinking he was building a trailer for personal use, he designed it to include features of a larger towable, and he worked almost 6,000 long hours to make it real. But it's mission accomplished for this little trailer that can.

The trailer adopts a higher profile, riding on larger 10-inch wheels and beefier tires in order to offer more interior space. It's also heavier than other e-bike trailers available today. Because of this, it's meant to be towed only by an electric bike, as a traditional pedal-powered one will simply not do.

Inside, Upi integrated a large one-person bed (though we assume two people could squeeze in if need be), a dinette, LED lights, an outlet, a mini-fridge, and storage space under one section of the bed. The other section – the foot of the bed, that is – flips up and lies flat against the wall during the day and has a fold-down table underneath. This allows the use of this space as a dinette or an office, with the occupant sitting on the other half of the bed as on a couch.

Again, because he was building this trailer for himself, Upi made sure to include everything he might want or need, turning it into a perfect RV for solo and short trips and a good mobile office. Unlike other DIY-ers, he didn't stop here, though.

Upi started showing his unique e-bike caravan to industry players and at local trade events in early 2022. Back then, it was called the UpiCara, a combination of his nickname and "caravan." In the fall of that same year, Upi partnered with FCVC, a local distributor of towables and parts, to bring his idea to the wider public. It's now called the Hupi, and it can come equipped with everything you'd need for an extended stay, provided you're willing to pay extra.

The Hupi was shown at the 2022 edition of the Lahti Caravan and, according to FCVC, immediately became a hit with the public. It's still in late prototype stage as of the time of press, but FCVC feels confident enough in it to start taking pre-orders, so the production-ready version won't bring too many differences in design.

The Hupi measures 200 cm (6.5 feet) in length and 106 cm (3.5 feet) in width, so it's still legal for cycle paths. Interior space is 195 cm by 100 cm (6.4 by 3.2 feet), with a height of 125 cm (4.1 feet) – not enough to stand up, but considerably more than what you'll get in most trailers towed by bike.

Without accessories, the Hupi tops the scales at 65-70 kg (143 – 154 lbs). FCVC doesn't mention a maximum payload, but it lists the weight of every accessory available, from the different options for solar packages to the mini-fridge.

The trailer is made of aluminum with 20-mm insulation and windows on all sides to get as much natural light as possible. Optionally, you can add a skylight for even more light and improved ventilation.

Options include the teeniest-tiniest fridge, solar packages to run it on and charge devices (including the towing bike), a spare tire, a portable gas stove, interior lights, an upper cabinet for even more storage, and a TV set, in case watching movies on a laptop or a projector is not your thing. All these will add to the final tally, which, to be honest, isn't exactly cheap.

The Hupi starts at €5,990 (approximately $6,720 at the current exchange rate) and could end up costing close to €10,000 ($11,200) if you also need a towing bike and will want the extra accessories that extend autonomy and comfort at camp. The Finnish retailer repeatedly stresses that it's affordable and green, but we assume they mean that comparatively to what you'd pay for a larger, brand-new RV. Hupi is definitely greener than one of those, no argument here.