Solar Hybrid RV by Verdier Discontinued?

The Westfalia inspired Verdier hybrid diesel RV seems to have dropped off the map. Having enjoyed numerous media spots on several high profile websites and a flood of "I want one" comments wherever pictures are posted, now its official website now seems to be down and the buzz has cooled off. With a price range of $40K to $70K depending on the solar options and other accessories you choose, the produce certainly seems affordable. Especially compared to the Tesla Roadster or other cutting edge clean tech cars priced well over $100K.

The addition of solar panels to the roof of an RV is not a new concept. for years the availability of add on panels has sparked interest in trehuggers everywhere looking to enjoy the outdoors without spoiling them. There are even roomers that future models of the popular Toyota Prius will have built in solar panels to run the air conditioning system and already available the EarthRoamer off road RV XV-JP has an 80 Watt panel built in stock to power the refridgeration system for storing food. You can even get aftermarket solar panels for existing cars, although they are fairly weak.

We would hate to lose such an inspiring vehicle and certainly hope that Verdier is just staging some sort of press release or revamping their site. If you know anything about this amazing concept car or offer services to convert old RV's to electric or solar like our friends over at Salida Conversions please share below. The best resource we have found outlining the Verdier solar RV project can be found at here and includes a timeline and background on the concept spanning through 2006 with links to the founder's diary which is now also offline.