Telescopic camper makes Tesla's Cybertruck an all-electric tiny cabin

Elon Musk has an idea of how one might transform the sharp-angled Tesla Cybertruck into an overland camper, but the breezy walls and compact interior of a small pop-up aren't for every adventurer. Las Vegas-based startup CyberLandr has stepped in to show an alternative: a telescoping camper that fits neatly in the Cybertruck's bed and grows into a little pickup-back tiny home complete with bed, bathroom and kitchen. It's a pickup camper wild and weird enough for the Cybertruck itself.

The Cybertruck presents an interesting challenge for camper makers. On one hand, developing a Cybertruck camper is marketing gold and instant fame. On the other, the truck's irregular shape trades the simple, design-friendly starting point of low, level sidewalls for a much less intuitive foundation. The typical pickup camper or bed rack-mounted roof-top tent simply won't work naturally with the Cybertruck's off-the-wall geometry, at least not without some serious reengineering.

Instead of merely adapting a typical pickup camper style to the Cybertruck's form, perhaps strapping it on like some type of parasitic being, CyberLandr takes up the challenge of redefining the truck camper as we know it. Its 1,200-lb (544-kg, dry) camper fits the Cybertruck as neatly as the Talus VenturePack fits traditional pickup truck beds, compacting comfortably below the tonneau cover and inside the tailgate. At the push of the button, the camper expands into a small but occupiable space, extending out over the tailgate and growing multiple times in height via a series of telescoping walls. The folding staircase swings and drops for easy access through the tall rear roller door.

Inside, the CyberLndr feels a bit top-heavy and claustrophobic due to the unconventional dimensions involved in packing three usable spaces and a walkway into a tiny footprint. The clean, simple kitchen block is all the way in front, where it fits snugly below the high part of the angled roof when the camper drops into drive form. It has a long countertop that conceals an integrated induction cooktop, an under-counter compressor fridge, and a sink with integrated colander, drying rack, wash bin and cutting board cover.

Between the kitchen and the driver-side rear bathroom, the small sitting area has two seats that can swivel around to face forward or sideways. At night, the seats fold and combine into a double bed. CyberLndr claims its camper can sleep two adults and two children, but that involves the two children (or a single adult) sleeping on the floor below the bed. It seems like two adults would push the usability of the space to its absolute limits during waking hours, so we think it best to view it as a two-person camper, not a family affair. Individual pivoting tables give each seat a place setting and workstation, and the seats can even be removed for use as outdoor lounge chairs.

Located next to the entryway, the rear wet bath brings a dry toilet, five-setting spa shower and fold-away sink. CyberLndr relies on four-stage filtration and water recirculation to clean and reuse water, making the most of the 151-liter fresh water capacity. The system also purifies water so that campers can safely collect and use water from available sources along their journeys.

It's safe to assume that Tesla early adopters might be looking for a little more tech and comfort than the average camper, so CyberLndr steps up to meet expectations. It starts with the inclusion of Musk's own Starlink satellite internet for go-anywhere connectivity, coupled with Wi-Fi. Despite the fact that occupants will never be much farther than an arm's length away from any given appliance, CyberLndr adds a voice-control system for temperature, lighting and the kitchen faucet. The four-sided dual-pane window array incorporates electrochromic dimming, and the tiny camper includes a 32-in 4K TV with surround sound for entertainment and systems monitoring and control.

The CyberLndr camper relies on the Cybertruck for the electrical power that runs everything including the floor heating but brings its own 500-watt expanding solar array to ensure there's always charge left to get out of the woods. The solar panels stack on top of each other in travel mode, with the top one extending down just beyond the entryway in camp mode, doubling as a small doorway awning.

CyberLndr definitely has some interesting ideas, but its camper isn't without some flaws. The one that sticks out most is the potentially fragile dual-direction telescoping construction. We've seen some expanding motorhomes and trailers, but they tend to be designed more for highway travel. The whole idea of the CyberLndr, and its four window-covered, collapsible segments, is to take advantage of the Cybertruck's onboard power and inherent off-road capability in camping off-grid, so it'll likely see some punishing off-road use. In fact, the company lays it out clearly:

"When stowed, CyberLandr disappears entirely within the bed of the Tesla Cybertruck, creating an exceptionally low center of gravity, zero aerodynamic drag and minimal effect on range. This allows you to take CyberLandr through terrain more rugged than you would dare take most overlanding trailers while still being able to take it into a parking garage at the mall or a Starbucks drive-thru.

Overland trailers don't shy away from much of any terrain, and if you're traveling those types of routes, your vehicle's likely to take a pounding. Nothing about the CyberLndr renderings, save maybe for the Cybertruck below it, looks robust enough to take that kind of abuse regularly. Even if it doesn't break outright, a little misalignment in those telescoping segments might bring on faulty operation, leaks, drafts or other problems upon arrival.

Despite seemingly having a long way to go from simple video rendering to working product (having a finalized Cybertruck, for starters), CyberLndr is already accepting orders with a pricing scheme that promises to reward higher deposits with a lower final price. Put US$5,000 down and your final price is $40,000; put nothing down and it's $50,000. Of course, the zero-deposit bracket doesn't go live until after the promotion is over. The lack of the term "refundable" anywhere affirms our thinking that, while we hope the CyberLndr camper comes to fruition, we definitely wouldn't reserve one until it gets there.

You can see more of the CyberLndr camper's operation and details in the minute-long video below.

Source: CyberLndr via Motor1