With the trend in glamping and remote working intersecting with concerns about social distancing, luxury trailers have become the latest must-have for discerning travelers. Even Airstream has partnered with Pottery Barn on a chic camper. But the most luxe trailer has to be the new 2022 Pro-EV from California-based Living Vehicle , which offers compact mobile living without sacrificing luxury touches like a chef’s kitchen, spa-style shower, and even a washer/dryer. Husband-and-wife team Joanna and Matthew Hofmann launched Living Vehicle in 2017. Theirs is no assembly-line affair: Only 25 custom models are produced a year.
“People are becoming more wary of commercial air travel and vacationing in highly trafficked areas that require staying at hotels,” Joanna, who oversees sales and marketing, told AD. “Mobile living offers a unique and perfect alternative to traditional travel—the whole point is to be outdoors.” Matt, a licensed architect, brought his expert eye to the trailer’s design, which features an anodized aluminum frame that’s far more durable than that of most campers and ages more gracefully, with no peeling, chipping, or flaking.
The 2022 model further blends the indoors and outdoors with skylights, oversized windows, and an eight-foot sliding glass door. An automatic drop-down deck with enclosed patio is available at the push of a button for entertaining, yoga, or just relaxing.
An aerial view of the trailer shows the eco-friendly features of solar paneling.
Inside, approximately 232 square feet of interior space offers all the comforts of home, including a master bedroom with a fold-up queen-size bed that can easily convert into a home office or entertainment space with an optional 70-inch 4K HD home theater and Sonos surround sound.
The bathroom includes a spacious shower with rainfall showerhead and walnut finishes (with upgrades including an electric toilet with bidet attachment), while the kitchen sports a solar-powered refrigerator, removable cooking island, and a European-style three-burner oven. “Everything you would expect in a high-end New York apartment you can find inside Living Vehicle,” Matthew told Wallpaper.
An island in the center of the kitchen makes hosting easier.
The 2022 LV even takes your four-legged companion into consideration, with a dedicated pet food area, scratch-resistant flooring, and an enclosed outdoor “den” on the deck. A major element of the ethos of the Living Vehicle is self-sufficiency: Models come with compostable toilets, oversized freshwater tanks, and a built-in energy supply from solar panels providing 14.4kWh to 57.6kWh.
The Pro-EV inches closer to the Hofmanns’ goal of a net-zero vehicle that’s better for the environment and free from an increasingly unreliable utility grid. Energy-related enhancements from the 2021 model include upgraded solar panels and nearly twice the energy storage. “We’ve increased the amount of solar, inverter size, energy storage, and inverter power on all models and switched to European battery storage with advanced LiPo chemistry,” says Joanna.
The spa-like shower is a luxe addition to the trailer.
With enough reliable sunlight, the 2022 LV can sustain power indefinitely—even charging electric vehicles using an integrated 240V level 2 charging station. All of which means the Living Vehicle isn’t anchored to traditional campgrounds or RV parks.
The space offers the possibility for an entertainment space with an optional 70-inch 4K HD home theater.
“After spending the greater part of the past year and a half in isolation, people are craving wide open spaces and there’s no better solution than the great outdoors,” says Joanna. “Whether you desire to explore the great public lands or purchase your own little slice of heaven and use it as a semipermanent getaway on raw land, LV offers you the greatest amount of freedom and independence.”
Prices for the four available LV models range from $249,995 for the base CORE edition to the mid-$500s for the Pro-EV, with up to $150,000 in available options.
