With more people working remotely than ever before, several RV manufacturers have started offering mobile office solutions for digital nomads.
The latest company to join the party is Germany-based Sunlight. The progressive motorhome maker has introduced the Home Office on Wheels, a prototype foldable workstation that could soon be available as an option in its line of RVs, vans and trailers.
The clever concept, showcased in Sunlight’s Class C T68 RV, lets digital nomads transform the motorhome’s dining table into a functional office cubicle, complete with a desktop, a wireless charging pad, extra power outlets and storage compartments.
It also features a flip-up front wall capable of supporting a second digital display and handy side bumpers that prevent work accouterments, such as pens, notebooks and coffee cups, from tumbling to the floor.
Airstream introduced a 30-foot trailer with a built-in office earlier this year, but it had to remove sleeping space to jam it into the existing floor plan of its Flying Cloud model.
In contrast, Sunlight’s workstation doesn’t require any spatial sacrifices, allowing remote workers to convert the cubicle back into a dining area with a simple flip.
The prototype was developed after Fabian Schweikert, a digital media designer, approached Sunlight and pitched the potential of location-independent workplaces.
While earning a marketing degree at Fontys University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, Schweikert conducted a study that found that 76% of employees were working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 45% before the pandemic.
In addition, the Accenture Future of Work Study 2021 revealed that two-thirds of people who work remotely would embrace a hybrid work model in the future, and a study by German health insurer DAK found that 56% of employees felt they worked more efficiently from home.
These trends convinced Sunlight to team with Schweikert to create flexible office solutions that can meet the needs of traditional digital nomads, such as graphic designers and writers, as well as part-time remote workers like salespeople, architects and scientists working in the field.
Schweikert said that the digital nomad market will continue growing, and Sunlight’s Home Office on Wheels design offers mobile workers a “flexible, professional and comfortable” alternative to staying cooped up in a home office or hotel room.