Tucked away on the island of Värmdö, Sweden, sits one vision of sustainable living's future: a plug-in, off-grid cabin powered entirely by Hyundai's new electric IONIQ 5. The project, dubbed "Today’s Office," is a collaborative effort between Hyundai Sweden and Finland’s Studio Puisto Architects and aims to further expand on the possibilities of remote living in a (hopefully) near-off future where we're all driving around with reachargeable vehicles.
Key to the cabin design concept is the recently released Ioniq 5, the first model in Hyundai's new Electric Vehicle (EV) line. The car is available in two battery sizes, either 58,00 watts or 72,600 watts and features a 300-mile range, ultra-fast charging, and a vehicle-to-load function that allows the car to function as a power bank for charging larger devices and appliances. It's this mode that connects car to cabin, providing enough juice to make a week of off-grid living possible—that includes powwering WiFi, lights, heat, a sound system, TV, and more.
The cabin is a follow-up version of Studio Puisto’s Space of Mind prefab home, which the studio produced with Protos Demos and the furniture manufacturer Made by Choice. At release, the project earned acclaim for its flexible and modular design, which grants complete control over each build. Case in point: this version of Space of Mind hooks up to Hyundai.
At 97 square feet, the Hyundai-powered cabin can serve a variety of uses—it could be an off-grid dwelling, yoga studio, or in this case, a home office (hence the name). The structure itself is a compact build made entirely from locally sourced organic wood that's CNC-machined prior to construction. But don't let that fool you into thinking it's fragile—the design is durable enough to withstand even the harshest of winter conditions.
Inside, a wall-sized window allows for plenty of natural light to enter and provides views of the surrounding meadow and forest. The space is outfitted with a coffee corner, a desk, a closet, and even an electric toilet, ie everything one needs for a fully functional remote office.
The bad news? There's currently only one Today’s Office cabin in existence. But the design concept is reportedly free to use by creatives and entrepreneurs and will eventually move to other parts of Sweden so others can enjoy it, too.
If you'd been thinking that the electronification of everything would only further tie us down in a tangle of cords, then let Hyundai's minimalist EV-cabin serves as a reminder that that doesn't have to be the case.
Published 03-01-2022
