Living Vehicle trailers have always straddled the gap between recreational campers and full-time micro-homes, and now they're taking a big step toward becoming frontier-style off-grid homesteads. The new 4-season HD-Pro hoards a Tesla Model 3's worth of battery power and backs it up with an expandable dual-awning solar charging system. So go ahead and plop it down in the middle of a snowed-over meadow like the one in the photo and stay the season ... or a lifetime.
Since Living Vehicle's launch in 2017, it was always clear the California company was chasing after a different breed of customer than the average camping trailer company. It's right in the name – an LV, not an RV. It's been working hard to push its trailers farther and farther away from the grid while keeping them loaded with the amenities any good coastal Californian demands no matter where they are. And the new HD-Pro does it better than any previous model.
We thought Living Vehicle might be content to just carry its 2023 model over to 2024, after adding impressive updates like a convertible work studio/bedroom, atmospheric water generator and up to 58 kWh of battery capacity. But it keeps right on moving with the 2024 model, splitting its series into two, led by the new 30-foot (9.1-m) triple-axle HD-Pro flagship.
Along with the added axle, HD-Pro upgrading begins with a 72-kWh lithium-ion battery bank meant to pull the trailer totally off-grid. Large as it is, that EV-size battery won't last forever when running the Living Vehicle's significant residential-style amenity set through the 18-kW inverter, so Living Vehicle also boosts the size of the solar array.
It moves the air conditioner off the roof and down to the basement, making room for a 4,400-W solar spread that stacks over the roof during the ride and expands out at camp via two deployable awnings. The HD-Pro also includes Level 2 EV charging in case the owner needs to charge up a vehicle to drive back for a visit with civilization.
The company says the HD-Pro is designed to live completely off-grid, self-sufficiently powering equipment including the 240-V dual-zone electric heating system and 24-K BTU air conditioner. To keep the interior properly isolated from exterior temperatures ranging between -4 and 120 °F (-20 to 49 °C), it relies on a rigid closed-cell foam insulation package. It says the A/C operates with a very high SEER rating of 21, ensuring the most efficient use of cooling energy.
While the LV HD-Pro is designed to operate self-sufficiently, that might not mean running 100% emissions-free, 24/7. Living Vehicle offers available backup power sources that can include a propane tank, generator, tow vehicle-installed alternator and added deployable solar panels, ensuring that LV campers/residents don't get left in the dark by harsh storms and other inclement weather that can diminish solar charging.
Living Vehicle further empowers true off-grid living with an optional water-making system that can literally pull drinking water out of the air. Capable of delivering up to 5 gallons (18.9 L) of fresh potable water per day, the integrated WaterGen system extracts water vapor from ambient humidity, runs it through a multi-stage filtration process, and transfers it to the fresh water tank. The system is designed to effectively reduce or replace the need for water delivery, well drilling or off-site water tank fill-ups.
The HD model comes standard with a front queen-bed master suite, but offers the option to upgrade to a king-size bed. The bedroom also houses a full-height closet and a shelf/dresser unit that can be optionally swapped out for a washer/dryer combo.
Living Vehicle offers several other bedroom layouts, including a bunkhouse with four single beds. The Mobile Office layout centers around a Murphy queen bed that flips away into a mobile workstation that can be fully loaded with Apple hardware.
Strolling back through the interior, the dry bathroom just behind the bedroom has a china toilet and separate shower. A composting toilet is also available. The residential-style gourmet kitchen includes standard and available equipment like a three-burner induction cooktop, electric oven, movable countertop island, 368-L refrigerator and dishwasher. The fold-out patio is located across from the kitchen, offering a 1,500-lb (680-kg) rating for outdoor dining and relaxing.
The rear of the HD is dedicated to a dining lounge with L-shaped sofa. The adjacent dining table can drop down for use as a coffee table, turning the space into a casual living room. The furniture also converts into a queen-size guest bed. Available lift-away beds give the HD a maximum sleeping capacity of eight people.
All the HD-Pro's power, off-grid capability and interior appointments will cost the modern pioneer a pretty penny, as the trailer starts at US$639,995 before one even has a gander at a long, enticing options list that counts a "zero gravity lounge," 4K home theater system, Starlink satellite internet, and all-terrain navigation package among its entries.
But that's the family flagship. Those who don't need to stock up on solar power like the sun is in its death throes can quickly shave tens of thousands off their final price. The $459,995 HD-Core scales power back to a 22-kWh lithium battery bank and 2,000 watts of solar, and the $549,995 Max has a 43-kWh battery wired to 3,000 watts of panels.
Still too rich for your blood? For MY2024, Living Vehicle will also soon launch the LT, a smaller 24-foot (7.3-m) two-axle model that comes with Core, Max and Pro packages that have the same battery and solar specs as the HD series. The LT will start at $359,995 and bring a simplified floor plan with a smaller front room that can be specced as a storage and gear room, bunk room or mobile office space. Beyond that, it has a similar layout to the HD that and includes a dry bathroom, rear sofa/bed dining lounge, island kitchen and fold-down deck.
The short intro video combines some gorgeous scenery with a closer look at many of the 2024 Living Vehicle's features.
Source: Living Vehicle
