Renewable energy nerd and ex Tesla employee here. Actually relative to total consumption of the whole setup it doesn‘t make sense at all. I like it to but it‘s just wasted money. Just sentry mode mode uses a multipe of the Ecoflow turnaround consumption. Just the Roofbox increases the consumption by like 15-25 % relative to your average speed. Roofbox alone cound use more than 100 kWh a week based on the following calculations. In an nutshell if he travels worth of 5-15 Tesla Battery packs on average a week while hes is traveling what I would approximatley say he is using, ditching the load of the eco flow by having it solar fed saves him maybe 2-4 kWh of the 390-1170 kwh he needs so 0,17%-1,07% of his total energy consumption. In a week he saves 14cents to 2 dollars per week depending where you live, charge or how mus the super charger is. Even without a roofbox. Just a Solar Module mounted the roofrack would compromise the aerodynamic far more than the energy you could ever supplement. Look into the Aptera Car. Its crazy efficient because it hat an extrem aerodynamic case and the solar modules are inside the glas fo the roof. There and only there solar on an EV makes sense. Apart from that you need a whole roof of solar to charge properly. Or a crazy trailer with extending Solar Modules and an inverter inside, better it has its own battery in addition.
It would be such a better option to buy one of the cars that has free supercharging. My understanding is that it's hard to know if it will transfer, though.
@@joe55514 I don't get the sense that he installed the roof box to support the solar panel. It looks like he already had the roof box to store his gear. Though the roofbox does add drag and reduces the efficiency of driving, if he made that trade off because he needs the storage space, then it's already a sunk cost. The flexible solar panel on top of the roof box makes almost no difference to the drag. Considering that he lives in his car, he may spend lots of time parked (potentially days at a time) and he wants to keep his fridge running all the time. If he's not parked while plugged into a charger, he'd drain his main battery if he needed to keep his car powered on just to keep his ecoflow and fridge topped up, so I assume the solar panel extends the amount of time he can stay parked with his car completely off and unplugged and still keep his fridge running. Let me know if I'm missing something or if you see it differently!
Back in the mid-2000’s I lived out of my old Honda Accord post-Army. I was enjoying life living in Seattle but playing in the mountains a ton. I wish I had as nice a setup as this!
I never understand it when telsa people (and nice carlifers in general) dont sell their extra seating and make better use of their space. Its one of the most beneficial changes you can make in smaller builds. How often do you actually need 4 seating, you could rebuy when you sell, and imagine taking out the passenger seat & center console too.
@@awmmuc James wanted to ability to take it out so that he could drive people if he wanted too. He also just SOLD his mobile home and is traveling the world
@@EverydaySandro idk, just seems like people want to have their cake and eat it too. If you're living in a car, its no longer your job to transport more than 2 people, and there's no situation where 5 ppl don't have 2 cars to choose from. Every square inch makes a major difference at that size.
@@EverydaySandrobecause when you sell your Tesla (bc it last forever) you want to sell it in perfect shape. Not easy to replace tesla seats. Also, when you remove something, it may hinder the warranty. In my X I kept my seats bc i dont want to pay for them later…no savings there or hassle.
Cool. Pretty serious if it's already been a few months. I've tried it on-or-off when traveling, it's not easy. Freedom ❤. I guess that's one of the reasons?
I don’t think there is nothing wrong living out of your car as long as you don’t litter, respect certain spaces and always be mindful of others. Aside from that, it seems like a lot of fun.
Yakima EXO Swing Away Cargo Carrier x2, has a double storage for top and bottom for your Model Y rear hitch receiver, allows more storage and frees up space for front passenger seat.
@@EverydaySandro To be honest, the best panels usually are those glass encased metal frame panels. Those will easily last 10+years. The question there would be, finding a sturdy way on bolting it down to your top carrier. That could be done maybe with some some sort of metal strips inside the carrier and then picking holes and screwing and attaching it to the panel via brackets. The even bigger question would be how much would that effect your range i guess.
The CIGS ones last a lot longer (25yrs), have diodes to make them extremely shade tolerant, are more flexible than standard flexible panels and are very light weight. They are expensive. He probably used a CIGS based on his other equipment choices.
you are absolutely correct. I must have missed when he mentioned it. But I was unaware of this technology until you mentioned it.. Appreciate it though, because now I might just buy some lol after checking out the specs. @@dvwatts
Hopefully one day you'll be a huge UA-camr as well so you can double fund yourself and get a place to stay with no costly issues that the world is facing today. And still enjoy yourself maybe even more.
Howdy! There are two superchargers in Alaska, but weirdly located near Anchorage. The Alcan, I use the FLO charger network and Plugshare! I have a video here - ua-cam.com/video/cTFYAeasqOk/v-deo.htmlsi=dAP4aVHbTnbmGKWR
I got a 2025 m3 RWD LR and it gets 363mi range but now after a month I'm realizing that I need more room and cargo space and the power. I want to get a model Y performance since only $40k right now (same price as I got my m3 rwd for) but trading in my m3 after a month I've already lost $9k. Your videos got me realizing I need an AWD at least and MY
Exciting to hear you got a M3. Yeah, residual value is hard to keep when you buy a Tesla as they the average costs continues to drop. It all depends on what you decide to do with your car. I love the extra space and additional features of the X, so for me it made sense to upgrade. Try an overnight demo drive with a Model Y to see if you like it or not before upgrading permanently
This is legit my biggest dream …… my only problems is the financials ! I have almost everything I need as far as power and sustainability . All I need now is a wad or 4wd suv , and I guess a remote job that I can do while traveling so I can ditch the 9-5. Anyone have any suggestions?👌🏾
sorry but it's a pipe dream. I have a remote job and there's just no way that they would let me do it remotely from a car, it's not realistic if you have to rely on employment
What Model Telsa do you have Is it the Model x That's what i would love to get. and For me I would prefer to have a RV motor home if i didn't have a House or Apartment.
@@EverydaySandro Possibly because parking anywhere is super expensive, so whenever you're charging anywhere you're paying like 10% for the elctricity and 90% for the parking fee. Even rural land in New Zealand is expensive
I don't understand people who use solar with a Tesla. Why? The Tesla has 80kw of electricity accessible via 12v, you would be lucky to get half a kilowatt of electricity via solar from a sunny day.
Fair point. He sometimes like to travel out of the country for an extended time and it would keep his fridge running as once he powers off his car, it stops charging the fridge from the 12V DC outlet
@@EverydaySandro But why would you need to turn the car off? Camp mode gives you access to the battery but doesn't drain much extra power (by design- kind of the entire point of camp mode is to provide electricity for when it is stopped). In fact the main reason I would even buy a Tesla is the ability to have access to a huge battery to run climate control and electronics off of when stopped. Even with hybrids, the motor comes on every 30 minutes or so to recharge the battery, which is bad when youre trying to sleep.
@@EverydaySandroIt still doesn't make sense. The same battery you use for solar could be charged using the tesla when you're driving or sitting. Not trying to be argumentative or anything, but solar makes zero sense whatsoever in all usage scenarios I can imagine. I would be surprised if you get more than 200 watts of power per day with solar on the roof. For an 80 kilowatt battery it would take 400 days to deplete the battery @ 200 watts per day.
It's sad that veteran who protected his country and LAND now are homeless and must live in a **** car. Everyone cheering how cool his lifestyle is just adds to the insult. Very sad.
Surviving the Arctic - Tesla Expedition ua-cam.com/video/ZWblrmxYEs4/v-deo.htmlsi=veXm6y5wqWa5z1WM
The highlight of this video for me was just how kind and respectful this guy is.
Same thoughts here. One of my favorite interviews so far. Thanks!
@@grueneauenin a world overflowing with hate this is very refreshing.
That solar set up on the roof is just genius 👏
Such a legend !
Renewable energy nerd and ex Tesla employee here.
Actually relative to total consumption of the whole setup it doesn‘t make sense at all. I like it to but it‘s just wasted money. Just sentry mode mode uses a multipe of the Ecoflow turnaround consumption. Just the Roofbox increases the consumption by like 15-25 % relative to your average speed. Roofbox alone cound use more than 100 kWh a week based on the following calculations.
In an nutshell if he travels worth of 5-15 Tesla Battery packs on average a week while hes is traveling what I would approximatley say he is using, ditching the load of the eco flow by having it solar fed saves him maybe 2-4 kWh of the 390-1170 kwh he needs so 0,17%-1,07% of his total energy consumption.
In a week he saves 14cents to 2 dollars per week depending where you live, charge or how mus the super charger is.
Even without a roofbox. Just a Solar Module mounted the roofrack would compromise the aerodynamic far more than the energy you could ever supplement.
Look into the Aptera Car. Its crazy efficient because it hat an extrem aerodynamic case and the solar modules are inside the glas fo the roof. There and only there solar on an EV makes sense. Apart from that you need a whole roof of solar to charge properly. Or a crazy trailer with extending Solar Modules and an inverter inside, better it has its own battery in addition.
It would be such a better option to buy one of the cars that has free supercharging. My understanding is that it's hard to know if it will transfer, though.
@@justinkase1360 sometimes there are incentives
@@joe55514 I don't get the sense that he installed the roof box to support the solar panel. It looks like he already had the roof box to store his gear. Though the roofbox does add drag and reduces the efficiency of driving, if he made that trade off because he needs the storage space, then it's already a sunk cost. The flexible solar panel on top of the roof box makes almost no difference to the drag.
Considering that he lives in his car, he may spend lots of time parked (potentially days at a time) and he wants to keep his fridge running all the time. If he's not parked while plugged into a charger, he'd drain his main battery if he needed to keep his car powered on just to keep his ecoflow and fridge topped up, so I assume the solar panel extends the amount of time he can stay parked with his car completely off and unplugged and still keep his fridge running. Let me know if I'm missing something or if you see it differently!
This is insanely sick. What a great job he did with this. I hope he enjoys his time.
I agree. Thanks for tuning in!
We need a Tesla Van! One medium and one extra large
Indeed!
VW ID Buzz maybe?
I hope we see the van on August 8.
Telsa Cargotruck lol - I'd buy one
@@eli_d Need it to support Tesla supercharge and FSD. Supercharge is already happening but FSD is still missing.
Thanks for showing us your adventures to Alaska and interviewing random strangers!
Thank you for supporting the channel! I could cry! :)
It’s fantastic that you randomly met a kindred spirit while on the road. Brilliant!
For sure, talk about timing! Thanks for watching🔥
Back in the mid-2000’s I lived out of my old Honda Accord post-Army. I was enjoying life living in Seattle but playing in the mountains a ton. I wish I had as nice a setup as this!
That’s awesome! He is giving it away to one of my subscribers if you are interested it DM me on Insta
Good to see a Vet living wild and free in AK.
It was awesome, thanks for watching
“I bought a Tesla, and help me god, I’m going to use it!”
What a cool character though, and technical n his humble appearance.
He’s awesome, as we have become super close!
Next project will be a cybertruck. with a trailer
Potentially😉
But with the Cybertruck you cannot take advantage of the HVAC
when sleeping in the truck bed, and you cannot sleep flat in the cabin.
@@nihongobenkyoshimasu3190Yes, you can. Flip the back seat up and plop down a mattress.
Might wanna hold off till the hitch issues are addressed.
I can't wait for the CyberVAN!
Electrify a RAV4. I'd love that! (If Tesla did it.)
Holy crap
This is my new favorite station
Keep the content coming
Thank you, thank you thank you❤🎉
Thanks for being here and enjoying the content! More coming your way
WOW, incredible car incredible man and thank you for your service!!!;)🎉🐶
Awesome setup dude! Thanks for the inspiration
He’s awesome. So glad we crossed paths
I never understand it when telsa people (and nice carlifers in general) dont sell their extra seating and make better use of their space. Its one of the most beneficial changes you can make in smaller builds. How often do you actually need 4 seating, you could rebuy when you sell, and imagine taking out the passenger seat & center console too.
Just personal preference for some :). Thanks for watching
Nice build. But why not remove at least the back bench completely to increase the space and may be even get rid of the roof box
@@awmmuc James wanted to ability to take it out so that he could drive people if he wanted too. He also just SOLD his mobile home and is traveling the world
@@EverydaySandro idk, just seems like people want to have their cake and eat it too. If you're living in a car, its no longer your job to transport more than 2 people, and there's no situation where 5 ppl don't have 2 cars to choose from. Every square inch makes a major difference at that size.
@@EverydaySandrobecause when you sell your Tesla (bc it last forever) you want to sell it in perfect shape. Not easy to replace tesla seats.
Also, when you remove something, it may hinder the warranty. In my X I kept my seats bc i dont want to pay for them later…no savings there or hassle.
What a nice guy! Greetings from Denmark! Well done.
Such a great guy! Cheers
Thank you for your service and also I love your setup
Super young man .. He will have some great travels.
For sure, he’s somewhere out there!!
This is absolutely incredible and this is coming from a guy with a Ford lightning and a deck system and yet I find myself a little bit jealous
Hey! You have 2-way charging so you could be our life-line lol
Hope you're using laundry sheets! Light weight, space saving, clean well. Best to you! I also travel and sleep in my Model Y.
He eventually did change to those before selling his model y! Love that you like camping in your Tesla too
I wish I could live like this, traveling and just living simply, maybe one day.
Totally possible!
dope dude and tesla setup with all stuff in it! inspiring yeah
Thanks!
Nice setup :-) He should make a video of how he made that drawer and bed setup.
He would but he sold his Y recently and traveling the world in his backpack.
Cool. Pretty serious if it's already been a few months. I've tried it on-or-off when traveling, it's not easy.
Freedom ❤. I guess that's one of the reasons?
@@harmhoeks5996 yes indeed!
I don’t think there is nothing wrong living out of your car as long as you don’t litter, respect certain spaces and always be mindful of others.
Aside from that, it seems like a lot of fun.
Agreed!🌱
@@EverydaySandro if you ever visit Long Island New York, let me know! 😄💪
@@DavidVAmendola thank you will do
@@EverydaySandro I’m in Suffolk county. Don’t forget 🤣 Merry Christmas by the way! 💪
Best Model Y camp set up I've seen
It’s solid! Thanks for watching
Yakima EXO Swing Away Cargo Carrier x2, has a double storage for top and bottom for your Model Y rear hitch receiver, allows more storage and frees up space for front passenger seat.
Great tips! He condensed his stuff after this trip!
Q what is his power consumption with loaded Y?
@@JRCarReviews it wasn’t great. His range max was about 250miles on a good day
theissue with those flexible panels is that they do not last very long 2yrs and they begin to yellow. Other than that really really cool build
Thank you for the tip! Which panels do you suggest?
@@EverydaySandro To be honest, the best panels usually are those glass encased metal frame panels. Those will easily last 10+years. The question there would be, finding a sturdy way on bolting it down to your top carrier. That could be done maybe with some some sort of metal strips inside the carrier and then picking holes and screwing and attaching it to the panel via brackets.
The even bigger question would be how much would that effect your range i guess.
@@Mosquito3314 true true. I think he wanted to keep the overall design as easy as possible.
The CIGS ones last a lot longer (25yrs), have diodes to make them extremely shade tolerant, are more flexible than standard flexible panels and are very light weight. They are expensive. He probably used a CIGS based on his other equipment choices.
you are absolutely correct. I must have missed when he mentioned it. But I was unaware of this technology until you mentioned it.. Appreciate it though, because now I might just buy some lol after checking out the specs. @@dvwatts
Nice setup
Hopefully one day you'll be a huge UA-camr as well so you can double fund yourself and get a place to stay with no costly issues that the world is facing today. And still enjoy yourself maybe even more.
Thank you, James an amazing human being. Hopefully one day that would be possible! Thanks for watching!
With no superchargers in Alaska, where do you charge your Model Y?
There are 2 Superchargers station in Alaska. We charged at free level 2’s or CCS
Tesla should hire him and fund him and his idea 💡
Excellent Tesla 👀. I recently searched Alaska for Tesla super charger but saw none . How do you drive the Alcan and change 🤔.
Good traveling to ya.
Howdy! There are two superchargers in Alaska, but weirdly located near Anchorage. The Alcan, I use the FLO charger network and Plugshare! I have a video here - ua-cam.com/video/cTFYAeasqOk/v-deo.htmlsi=dAP4aVHbTnbmGKWR
I got a 2025 m3 RWD LR and it gets 363mi range but now after a month I'm realizing that I need more room and cargo space and the power. I want to get a model Y performance since only $40k right now (same price as I got my m3 rwd for) but trading in my m3 after a month I've already lost $9k.
Your videos got me realizing I need an AWD at least and MY
Exciting to hear you got a M3. Yeah, residual value is hard to keep when you buy a Tesla as they the average costs continues to drop. It all depends on what you decide to do with your car. I love the extra space and additional features of the X, so for me it made sense to upgrade. Try an overnight demo drive with a Model Y to see if you like it or not before upgrading permanently
I would convert toyota sienna van for better room and longer range to go off road. The new hybrid van is so good for camping
That’s awesome. Why not go fully electric?
Tesla would clean up selling an aluminum body panel van like the Sprinter.
Nice. Did he consider removing any of the passenger seats?
He did but too much work. It’s easier like this
I live in my Tesla with a similar set up
Nice! Where are you traveling?
Pretty cool.
Thanks for being here
That’s so much stuff. Does it affect the mileage
Aero efficiency got hit hard :/
Solar panel doesn't overheat glued down like that?
This is legit my biggest dream …… my only problems is the financials ! I have almost everything I need as far as power and sustainability . All I need now is a wad or 4wd suv , and I guess a remote job that I can do while traveling so I can ditch the 9-5. Anyone have any suggestions?👌🏾
sorry but it's a pipe dream. I have a remote job and there's just no way that they would let me do it remotely from a car, it's not realistic if you have to rely on employment
How did he level the bed structure?
I guess he used a leveler to make the right adjustments
@@EverydaySandro yeah, I was just curious if he did anything in particular with materials or the like. Pretty straightforward though. But very cool.
Like, how did he determine how deep that drawer needed to be etc.
@@grizzlymartin1 pretty straight forward I think. He did take inspiration from Jimmy
What Model Telsa do you have Is it the Model x That's what i would love to get. and For me I would prefer to have a RV motor home if i didn't have a House or Apartment.
Hey! It’s a Model X Long Range. If they were electric, I would love them too!
Did you think about pulling a small trailer?
It would be too much. Take less, do More
What is his basic mode of charging? paid or free? Monthly cost? i use ecoflows a lot so i know all they can do for electric needs.
I charge 95% of the time free. Free Public Level 2 Chargers using the Plugshare app
meanwhile here in New Zealand charging anywhere (other than home) is ultra expensive, ruins the whole idea :(
@@Niberspace oh man. How come?
@@EverydaySandro Possibly because parking anywhere is super expensive, so whenever you're charging anywhere you're paying like 10% for the elctricity and 90% for the parking fee. Even rural land in New Zealand is expensive
Impressive !
Thank you!
zip ties in the rear hidden compartment, he has to have his tools!!!
Indeed
Slept in my car once, woke up and smashed my head on the roof and decided never again
No spare tire?
Indeed no. He did have performance tires as I have proper all-terrain tires
4:16 “Living in his Tesla” as he stores it in a garage
@@joshx413 that’s his rental property and is one reason why he is able to roam!
How can you retire soo early??? Where is the money come from?
Smart investing and served his country!
@@carlludwigsand3130 hard work and service
Did he say he’s retired?
Hé is! Served in the Military
How about going to the bathroom?
Many public restrooms
I don't understand people who use solar with a Tesla. Why? The Tesla has 80kw of electricity accessible via 12v, you would be lucky to get half a kilowatt of electricity via solar from a sunny day.
Fair point. He sometimes like to travel out of the country for an extended time and it would keep his fridge running as once he powers off his car, it stops charging the fridge from the 12V DC outlet
@@EverydaySandro But why would you need to turn the car off? Camp mode gives you access to the battery but doesn't drain much extra power (by design- kind of the entire point of camp mode is to provide electricity for when it is stopped). In fact the main reason I would even buy a Tesla is the ability to have access to a huge battery to run climate control and electronics off of when stopped. Even with hybrids, the motor comes on every 30 minutes or so to recharge the battery, which is bad when youre trying to sleep.
@@100toeface if you are leaving the car for the day or so, then having Solar makes sense. I get your point though. Thanks for sharing
@@EverydaySandroIt still doesn't make sense. The same battery you use for solar could be charged using the tesla when you're driving or sitting. Not trying to be argumentative or anything, but solar makes zero sense whatsoever in all usage scenarios I can imagine. I would be surprised if you get more than 200 watts of power per day with solar on the roof. For an 80 kilowatt battery it would take 400 days to deplete the battery @ 200 watts per day.
@@100toeface The 12/16 volt battery automatically shuts off when the car walk away from the car
Welcome to The #TeslaVanLife Movement James!
Wow, all kinds of ways to live out of a Tesla. But that dude might need to learn some minimalism cuz with all that stuff he must get 1/2 range.
He actually minimized down after the shoot cause he was getting no range😉
combined with cold weather of alaska and vast distances, I too would be very worried about having enough range between destinations
You have no spare tire?
loooool have u ever seen a tesla? the tires are enormous, a spare one would take up the entire boot almost
Scotty doesn't know....
You need an ebike to go with all this.
For living? Wouldn’t it better with camping vehicle instead? Yeah you can camp once in a while but living I think its silly…
Why silly? It’s amazing, most underrated vehicle for camping
Not saying model y is underrated for camping. For LIVING he might be better off with regular camping van instead.
@@MC-mz7cz fair, it all depends on your personal needs. I love my X and spend most of my time outside
man some people really love being homeless
Home free :)
just get the hitch.
In SF all this stuff would be stolen in a week.
True, why I avoid big cities
White interior 🤔
Makes the interior feel bigger
@@EverydaySandro intuitively it would also seem to make it more susceptible to dirt/staining but gotta work with what you have I guess.
@@Fanzindel Its vegan leather and does clean off rather easily. Also makes the feel the interior feel more spacious
I see
I would do this if i could buy a tesla
Check it Tesla.com!!
Exactly, what are you complaining about? it's all ordered online so you don't even have to get out of bed
Travel Mexico with your Tesla and start a UA-cam channel
Don't park a car in California, it will be stripped down in a minute.
For sure! CT is Cali proof
The military definitely prepare you to be homeless
*homefree
But why?
You meant why not?
ua-cam.com/video/4vHuldVlpFA/v-deo.html I wish this was available, would be a better option.
That’s a sick setup for sure, price tag though :/
Guy sound like Elon or is it just me? 😅
1000% you mate😉
Cool stuff. But it'll be a little bit more polite to not say him/he, but introduce the guy first, I think he must have a name.
You are so right! Introducing James
It's sad that veteran who protected his country and LAND now are homeless and must live in a **** car.
Everyone cheering how cool his lifestyle is just adds to the insult.
Very sad.
Hey! He is homefree by choice and he actually has a rental property. Happiest he has ever been, to each their own
From 8:20 seems to explain partly.
It also seems more like a conscious choice to ENJOY the freedom versus 9-5 and paying the bills.
@@harmhoeks5996 indeed
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
We should
imagine building ur home in the car that can spontaneously burst into flames and lock you inside 💀
When did you hear that? Talk about an internal combustion engine
Not practical. EV won't last. It's a fad
1,200,000 km teslas exist
EV sales increasing every year. Was the horseless carriage a fad as well?
Still using your VCR?
Did you ever experience any battery problems due to the extreme cold in AK?
He said no with the heat pump! Tesla also does their winter testing in AK. Thanks for watching🔥