A smart home on wheels.
Mike Elgen, Computerworld, USA
Unicat is releasing a series of expedition vehicles that combine the cross-country ability of an SUV and the luxury of a limousine and are designed for those extreme sports enthusiasts who cannot imagine their lives without high technology
The economy is in the midst of a crisis. Production volumes are falling. Companies are closing. Unemployment is coming. Perhaps it is time to leave civilization and wait out this nightmare?
While digital mobile technology allows us to work from anywhere, most of us don’t take advantage of this freedom, in part because we are tied to our homes. But imagine breaking those chains. What if your home was as mobile as your work?
No, we’re not talking about the rigors of traditional RV life. Who wants to drive a bulky, clunky ‘RV’ and live in a noisy camper. We’re talking about the amazing new thing: a car that allows you to travel, live and work almost anywhere you want. We’re talking about true digital nomadism.
The German company Unicat produces a series of vehicles called «expedition vehicles» that combine the cross-country ability of an SUV with the luxury of a limousine and are designed for the new extreme sports enthusiasts — high-tech enthusiasts.
Unicat vehicles provide living conditions that are the exact opposite of those preferred by «motorhome» enthusiasts.
Owners of conventional car-trailer combinations are always dependent on infrastructure (camping sites, power grids, etc.). They need gas stations, good roads, and laundries. On the other hand, the Unicat frees you from all this. Such a vehicle can go anywhere — both on and off-road. It carries everything you are accustomed to in civilized conditions and provides the energy to use them.
The company calls the Unicats «land yachts» because they are designed to provide luxurious living conditions without access to civilization — like a yacht when it sets off on a long voyage across the ocean. Avi Meyers, the owner of an authorized Unicat dealer, personally crossed the Sahara Desert alone.
One blogger, appealing to participants in the survivalist movement, called the Unicat a «shelter on wheels». When the situation worsens, modern man, who cannot imagine himself without the digital world, also wants to hide — to go far away from civilization.
Safe Life
First, the bad. Unicats are expensive. Much more expensive than a regular house. You'll be looking at half a million to a million dollars once you've customized and outfitted your home.
Now, the good. Unicats are mind-blowing.
The standard model comes with a gas generator and solar panels on the roof, so you won't have to worry about finding a power source to run your business or connect to the Internet from the desert. Satellite connectivity provides Internet, phone service, and satellite TV for the big-screen TVs that most owners of these cars have.
The driver's seat has three GPS units, a laptop stand, and an iPod dock.
Inside, Unicats typically come with all the trappings of a city home: microwave, toaster, coffee maker, fridge and freezer, electric stove, dishwasher, air conditioning, large-screen HDTV with satellite channels, king-size bed and more. A 1,000-litre water tank allows for hot showers and provides enough water for the washing machine and dishwasher. Another option is a household desalinator, which can turn seawater into fresh water. Everyone wants to live by the sea.
These vehicles are elegantly minimalist and built to last. The floor is made of teak, which looks great and is also hard-wearing. Specially made drawers will keep all your china and silverware safe while you navigate steep mountain slopes.
Unicat offers a wide range of models, so you can customize them to your taste. Each model is a successful combination of power, off-road capability, luxury and flexibility. In the United States, the most popular model is the Amerigo, which is available in 4-4 or 6-6 configurations (four or six driven wheels) and in four different body sizes.
One popular model has a 480 horsepower engine and a 16-speed ZF gearbox. It also has two 450-liter gas tanks, meaning you can travel over 3,200 km without refueling. With that amount of fuel, you can travel 1,600 km from civilization, live there for three months, and still have enough fuel left to get back.
There's even a Unicat model, based on a German military vehicle. It's virtually bulletproof, which is a good thing if your family is vacationing in Somalia or Mexico City.
Some models can climb 45-degree slopes, ford 1.2-meter-deep waterways, and get into places a Hummer can't go.
Unicat recommends equipping each vehicle with a means of transportation, such as a life raft or emergency gondola. Unicats have special mounts for motorcycles in the front and rear. One model in the series has a lowering platform that takes the four-wheeler from the completely hidden «garage» to the street. My favorite model can carry an entire Smart, which is mounted about five feet above the ground. The retractable ramp allows you to drive it straight out of the garage where it is stored.
Unicat introduces a whole new category of vehicle that combines a smart home with an SUV, and like nothing else allows the inveterate digital traveler to lead the lifestyle he or she is accustomed to.