Sandro van Kuijck has been living in his Model X for a year now.
He’s taken the van life trend and given it an EV update.
The YouTuber converted his Model X into a mobile home and has been on the road ever since.
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He has the minimalist mindset needed to make mobile living possible so rather than splashing out on fancy mods, van Kuijck kept it simple.
But what he’s managed to achieve in just a year is really impressive.
After his career as a football player ended, van Kuijck found himself at a crossroads.
A series of realizations led him to the unconventional life he leads today.
He learned the life expectancy for the average American is 78 years, while the age of retirement is 66.
“To work all your life and then only enjoy 12 years of it, if you are lucky, is not something I want,” he said.
His father’s death cemented his decision to make a huge change in his life.
Today, van Kuijck has spent nearly a year living in his Tesla and so far he’s been to 49 states.
His first car was a model Y, which is not a particularly roomy vehicle, so after one too many nights spent cramped up and knocking his knees in his sleep, he upgraded to a Model X which he calls ‘Beluga’.
He’s divided the back into two: one side is for sleeping while the other half holds his kitchen set-up.
It’s an inexpensive solution, too, as he says he’s only spent $1,200 on car mods so far.
In his frunk, the YouTuber keeps his emergency gear including a backpack that is ready to go if he needs to ‘abandon ship’.
His kitchen is essentially a really long drawer that pulls out to reveal storage compartments and his induction stove.
To preserve precious car battery life, he keeps a separate, solar-powered battery for all of his appliances.
And on days where the weather’s not good enough to stand outside and cook, he orders takeaways.
Not only is the Model X his home, but it’s his source of income too.
While van Kuijck makes some money as a YouTuber, he supplements his income by working for companies like DoorDash and Uber Eats.
To van Kuijck, the perks of living this way far outweigh the negatives.
He can charge his car for free, meet other like-minded people on the road, and has been able to explore more places in a matter of months than most people could hope to during their entire lifetimes.
This life does come with its downsides though.
One is that a Model X is pretty eye-catching, and people will often peer inside while he’s trying to sleep, and range anxiety is also an issue, because he sometimes struggle to find chargers for his car.
Van Kuijck is currently exploring Alaska, where there are only six superchargers in the entire state.
He’s got an adaptor that makes it possible to charge using a regular outlet.
A full charge using this method can take up to four days.
That’s a long time for a kind stranger to let you park outside their home and use their plug point.
