I have two goals sometimes when I show you RVs you can’t have. One of those is to spur ideas and different interpretations of things. The other is to encourage the many folks in the RV industry to see what’s being done and, perhaps, steal the ideas for us American RVers. Well, and there are readers of RVtravel.com outside of the U.S., too. (Hello, out there!)
Such is the case with a feature from German company Sunlight, whose products include small Class A motorhomes, Class B motorhomes and Class C motorhomes.
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Working and traveling
The realities in Europe and in the U.S. aren’t all that different in some respects. A report by Future of Work Reports in 2021 shows two-thirds of the participants in the survey stating that they would welcome a hybrid work solution.
Research by the German health insurance company DAK in 2020 revealed that 56 percent of the people believe that they work more efficiently at home than at the office. Well, duh. And even a survey by Sunlight showed that 76 percent of the 430 people asked said they were working at home compared to 45 percent before the pandemic.
As such, digital media designer Fabian Schweikert was brought aboard. For his bachelor’s degree, the 29-year-old developed and implemented a New Work project. Schweikert’s final thesis at the Dutch Fontys Venlo University of Applied Sciences explored the potential of location-independent workplaces – in particular, motorhomes.
Schweikert worked with Sunlight to develop a prototype that repositions the mobile vacation home into a mobile office. The cornerstone of this is a foldable table/desk that is equipped with a computer monitor as well as charging options for smartphones and such.
Optional features
The core of this idea is creating an optional feature that could be found in a number of Sunlight’s products.
There have been quite a few U.S.-based RV manufacturers who have adopted work surfaces. And who among us hasn’t repurposed the dining table as a terrible place to get work done? I can see just about any occupational healthy nerd looking at people hunched over a notebook “confuser” at a dining table and wondering how soon the insurance claim for back pain would be filed.
Schweikert explains: “We will see a further increase of the so-called digital nomadism and the Sunlight concept addresses all kinds of professions: those, of course, who can work remotely and will re-define their working place. But also salespeople, scientists in field work – e.g. geologists or biologists – as well as site managers, architects, etc. Instead of staying in a sterile hotel, the Home Office on Wheels provides a flexible, professional and comfortable solution.”
The desk option mobile office in a Class C
The desk option was shown fitted to a Sunlight Low Profiles Adventure Edition, a Class C based on the Fiat Ducato chassis. We know it as the Ram ProMaster in the U.S. (Stellantis owns Fiat and Chrysler/Ram.)
This is not unlike many European Class C RVs. It features a raised rear bed option which facilitates a large storage bay enabling you to carry bikes and ski gear and the like.
If you recognize this configuration it might make you think of the Winnebago EKKO – which is exactly this configuration. In fact, that’s the reason I like showing things like this. There’s no doubt that Winnebago looked at rigs you can buy at Caravan Salon when they designed the EKKO.
Now, let’s hope someone in the RV space looks at this desk and brings it to the U.S. because I literally would jump in the front of the line for this feature.
Tony comes to RVTravel having worked at an RV dealership and been a life long RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. You can find his writing here and at StressLessCamping where he also has a podcast about the RV life with his wife.
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.
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Actually now that I think about it, this would be perfect if it were on something like a Lagun table mount.
Almost there! Now if they can rotate the tray 90deg and have an adjustable height pedestal – you get pretty functional sit/stand workstation.
Or a fold-up seat bench, you might not need to rotate the workstation tray.
Brilliant! I want one, too!!