Polkadot LivingFree Tiny House with Starlink
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Written by Jimmy Hirst
The Polkadot LivingFree tiny house will be a star attraction at the upcoming Noosa Electric Vehicle Expo on Sunday, 19 June.
Here are a few of the features that will be demonstrated in this working prototype of a self-powered tiny house on wheels that is affordable, eco, mobile, modular, versatile, as well as off-road and off-the-grid, essentially a self-contained living biome. This tiny house may be parked anywhere without the need for a hookup. You may even stop in a national park in, say, a dried-up dusty river bed in the desert with all the mod-cons and functionality of a normal suburban house + a whole lot more.
Features:
- Electrically self-powered with over two (upgradable to three) kilowatts of panels in two solar awnings plus roof, upgradable to 12 kWh battery or more drawing over 3000 watts of continuous power (upgradable to 5000 watts).
- Air-to-water generator pulling over 30 litres of water per day from the air consuming less than 500 watts. Guttering may be added to put rainfall and dew into the generously sized expandable storage tanks located in a 150mm sub-floor. It may also be used as an internal clothes drier & dehumidifier.
- The trailer may be removed and used as a deck.
- Full hi-speed internet WiFi using Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet dish offering up to 330/500 mbps anywhere.
- Full hot shower cubicle using efficient instantaneous electric water heating system.
- Composting toilet + kitchen sink + bushman’s caravan fridge (12/24V) + washing machine (may be added) + drier.
- Combi microwave oven cooks, roasts, and bakes cakes like a normal electrical convection oven.
- The double bed folds down into a generous sofa day lounge.
- Indoor planter boxes may be added for growing micro-greens and herbs.
- Smart home assistant speaker featuring full voice control and smart full colour lighting control — even turns into a disco!
- Interconnectable with similarly built, standardised modules to build a tiny house as big as a mansion. (I know, I know.)
- Built to suit most building codes, it could legally be removed from the trailer and placed on the ground with tie-downs and stumps.
- Climatically efficient build with a full reverse cycle air conditioner for heating & cooling.
- Connectable to an electric vehicle which may be used as a battery — additional solar trailers would be helpful.
You would only need to leave the tiny house to find food (which could even be bush tucker). However, it can also grow its own indoor micro-greens and herbs.
Dimensions and specifications for the Polkadot LivingFree tiny house are:
- 3 m x 2.5 m (roughly 8 x 10 foot) — half-size shipping container standard, two could be loaded onto a standard shipping container tilt tray truck
- 4.05 m at its highest point (when on trailer)
- >3 tonnes, further weight savings may be achieved
- Curved pitch roof
- Internal 10 cm wall structure made from quality CNC cut plywood
- Polyester insulation batts
- Shadowclad exterior
- Pine interior & finish
- Making this a strong carbon-negative structure.
Approximate cost for a basic unit may be under $35,000. Using two to make up a medium-sized tiny house should be under $55,000, with the full solar and technology under $120,000.
The next prototype is being built to a more generous 5.4m length and a lower ceiling. We feel that our tiny houses on wheels combined with smart home technology, innovation, and continued R&D may lead to better outcomes for people. We see outcomes in terms of affordable housing, environmental sustainability, scalable cohousing & communities, off-grid living, as well as reducing impact on the planet by enabling more efficient infill housing and landsharing, enabling mobile and nomadic living.
This should ultimately restore a sense of connection and community for people and help lead to a more meaningful way of life.
We plan to open-source the design, and are always looking for builders and manufacturers to help make these affordable tiny houses for an exponentially growing mainstream tiny housing market.
Jimmy Hirst has been living tiny for over four years now and would never go back!
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