Farmer applies for patent on do-it-yourself RV

A farmer in Shaanxi province in Northwest China spent around 300,000 yuan ($47,000) to turn a van into a recreational vehicle and has submitted a patent application for his creation.

Wang Donghu, 49, a villager in Anfeng village in Pucheng county, has studied technology since he was a teenager.

One day in January, he came up with the idea to build a recreational vehicle capable of driving around the country.

"I took my van, which was used to send fish produced in my fish ponds as the main material for my RV, and successfully realized my dream after months of hard work," Wang told China Daily on Tuesday.

Wang's van was turned into a motor home with a bed, a television, an air-conditioner, a refrigerator, a gas stove, a bath and a mahjong table.

The total area of the RV is around 20 square meters. The van's walls were specially treated, and the inside is comfortable.

A generator and battery can provide electricity for the vehicle.

"The battery can be used for five days in wild conditions if the air-conditioner is not used at the same time," Wang said.

Wang invested around 300,000 yuan in his RV. Some factory-made RVs cost more than 1 million yuan.

"I had handed a patent application to the State department concerned and hope my RV can help realize the dream of ordinary people to have a cheaper RV for traveling around in their own vehicles," Wang said.

Wang earned enough money over the last 30 years through his fish farming and restaurant businesses to support his family and his dream of building RV.

According to a traffic police officer in the county surnamed Wu, the unauthorized modification of a vehicle is illegal. The vehicle Wang modified would be banned from the road.

Wang Shengchang, professor and director of the automobile service and engineering department at Chang'an University, said there are strict standards and procedures for automobile production, and a car should only go on the road after a large number of tests.

Wang's vehicle did not receive proper tests and its safety could not be ensured, he said.

But people who have heard the story of Wang's vehicle liked the cheaper RV and hoped it would be produced at a factory.

Ma Ke, 26, a white-collar employee in Xi'an Software Industrial Park, said that his dream was to own an RV and drive it around the world.

RVs have become more popular in recent years.

On May 20, 12 young people set out from Beijing for a trip around the world in two RVs they bought with money from selling their houses and cars.

malie@chinadaily.com.cn