Tesla fans have wanted a Cyber-styled van for years, and a small startup from Wisconsin just built one using a Model 3. Hoffman EV showed off its Badger at this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas, and Out of Spec Studios’ Kyle Conner called it the “coolest freaking EV at SEMA.”
The Badger looks like it could have come straight from Tesla’s design studio (well, maybe as an early prototype). It has flat, angular panels, Cybertruck-style wheel arches, and a big, upright windshield. Underneath, though, it’s a recycled Model 3.
Model 3 Inside, Van Outside
Hoffman EV takes the hardware and software from a donor Model 3 or Model Y, including the motors, battery, seats, steering wheel, center screen, wireless chargers, and even the door handles, and puts them into its own aluminum chassis. The battery sits about an inch and a half higher than in the original car, and the Badger gets eight inches of ground clearance for rougher roads.
Since it keeps Tesla’s software, the Badger still works like a Tesla. According to Conner, it retains Supercharging capability and even Autopilot features still work. He added that “FSD works,” too. Hoffman drove the prototype from Wisconsin to Las Vegas, charging at Superchargers along the way. In the photos, you can spot a Tesla charge port on the rear quarter panel and a familiar Model 3 cabin up front.
The version at SEMA is advertised as an 11-seat bus. The doors, roof, and most of the seats come off, and the back has a drop-down tailgate, a spare tire, and a hitch receiver.
Build Whatever You Want
The idea is to turn used Teslas into vehicles built for specific jobs. Hoffman’s booth showed a wall of possible configurations, including delivery vans, pickups with livestock beds, a pop-top camper, a safari-style shuttle, a snow plow, a convertible, and versions towing a boat or hauling an ATV.
Pricing is expected to land between $26,000 and $77,000, with sales planned for next year. Customers will be able to buy a finished Badger or a kit with a VIN and bring their own donor Model 3 or Model Y. Hoffman says it can build about 100 a year for now, and better aerodynamics are planned for early 2027.
Converting cars is nothing new for Hoffman EV. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, it’s best known for turning classic cars electric, and as one X user pointed out, that includes a Model 3-powered DeLorean.
Still Waiting on Tesla’s Van
Tesla has teased bigger vehicles but hasn’t built one yet. Its 20-seat Robovan was revealed alongside the Cybercab in 2024, but with the Cybercab only now ramping up, there’s no timeline for it. Musk also teased a family hauler that’s “way cooler than a minivan” earlier this year, but nothing has come of that yet either.
Until then, the Badger gives older Model 3s a second life as something Tesla doesn’t make. We’ll know more once Hoffman shares final details ahead of sales next year.
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