Red Bulletin UK 5/21

Mine’s a Vanhattan:
quaff cocktails on
the roof if you’re not
driving – just don’t
forget the handbrake
NISSAN OFFICE POD
Roadwork
ahead
Adventure in the front, office in the back
– this kitted-out camper is all business
Traditionally, if you wanted to
travel the world and experience
the freedom of life on the road,
you’d have to save up and leave
your job behind. But the events
of the past year have almost
certainly changed that for ever.
With people working remotely
and most meetings hosted
online, jobs that were once tied
to an office can now be done
from anywhere in the world.
In response to this, Japanese
car manufacturer Nissan has
designed a new type of camper
that is part van-life, part office
space, allowing you to combine
the most radical lifestyle with
a traditional nine-to-five job.
Controlled by a mobile app,
the camper’s retractable pod is
a pop-up office on wheels. Not
only does it fit a person, a desk,
a full-size screen and an
ergonomic chair (by esteemed
US furniture maker Herman
Miller), it also has a transparent
floor to gaze through between
emails and remind yourself
that you’re on a mountain trail
or beside a beach.
When the daily grind is over,
just hop outside, tap the app
to fold away your office until
morning, and head out for
a surf or a hike; inside the
camper’s glove box you’ll find
a ‘UV antibacterial lamp’
to disinfect your personal
possessions on your return.
Alternatively, climb up onto
the rooftop deck, which has its
own sunlounger and parasol,
for après-travail drinks.
According to research
by tech solutions firm MBO
Partners in 2018, 4.8 million
American workers at the time
described themselves as ‘digital
nomads’, and the number is
growing rapidly. “Many office
workers are having a variety
of issues working at home,”
says Nissan of its invention.
“[We want] to solve this by
giving them more choice of
where and how they work.”
The Office Pod is only a
concept at present – it was
unveiled at this year’s virtual
edition of the Tokyo Auto Salon
car show – but it’s based on
a modified version of Nissan’s
popular NV350 Urvan caravan
and is something the company
is serious about. “Hopefully
this is the start of a new era
where we can design our own
outdoor-based lifestyles,”
says Nissan, “and where we
can work from wherever
makes us feel happiest.”
NISSAN LOU BOYD
18 THE RED BULLETIN