Living In The Tesla Model X — Video & CleanTechnica Interview

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Do you remember that Elon Musk rap video we shared in honor of Elon’s birthday back in June? Well, Rocket the artist (Love Town Rocket) and Marshall have decided to room together — inside Rocket’s Model X. They are living in the Tesla Model X and are making a vlog about their adventures. I got to have a quick question and answer session with Rocket about his new home and his upcoming adventures. (Editor’s note: This video is amazing — a must watch. I don’t like many vlogs, but this one is really, really good. Top pick.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnmhNjJAFhc&

First, the video: On a beach by a lake in New Hampshire, Rocket gives you a quick home tour of the Model X he shares with Marshall, his roomie. Marshall points out that everything that they both own fits in the car. The frunk is their closet and the false bottom is where things like camping gear and the occasional human (just Marshall) goes. Marshall also explains how a mattress fits into the car. It’s a trifold mattress and it’s easily foldable to fit it just right.

After the home tour in New Hampshire, they break down the pros and cons of living in the Model X while in Maine.

Pros:

• Autopilot — it eases the stress of driving.
• Falcon Wing Doors — gives their bedroom an authentic roomy feel as the doors open up and give them a “window to the world” (some amazing views shown in the video).
• Climate Control — keeps the temperature comfortable without using up much energy.
• Freedom — to go anywhere they want.
• No Gas — not only do they save money by not buying gas, but Rocket has unlimited Supercharging that he got from purchasing the Model X during a promotion where you get free Supercharging for life.

Cons:

• No Bathroom — this type of lifestyle means that you have to rely on public restrooms to handle your business. Sometimes Rocket and Marshall are able to make new friends along the way and use their bathrooms.
• Charging Stations — even though Tesla has the Supercharger network, they still have to plan out where they are going to charge and make sure to get there on time. Otherwise, running out of the battery can be costly.
• Tight Space — at night it can be crammed, but they usually sleep pretty well.

Q&A With Rocket

1. What made you want to live out of your Model X?

In short, I was living in Los Angeles and fed up with dragging my way through traffic in a gas car, meanwhile paying too much for rent. I did the math and realized, down payment aside, monthly loan payments on a Model X were cheaper than my rent + ICE costs!

Since, in past years, I’ve seriously considered van life anyway, I figured I’d swap lifestyles and get a Model X. If times were great, I’d keep an apartment and the car. If not, I’d simply live out of it. I’m a minimalist and am generally known in my social community to be “that kinda guy” to walk the less tread path. Funny enough, I was working a relatively serious corporate job at the time. I was worried my boss would find out and disapprove/fire me(?), but I went ahead with the decision and hit “buy.”

I’m no longer working there — just out on the road with my best friend Marshall filming and producing a new YouTube channel called Love Town. So, to that end, so far no regrets!

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2. Why did you choose a Model X instead of an S or 3?

I originally purchased my Model X with the specific intention of living out of it. So while I actually prefer the drive of the Model S and the interior of the Model 3 better, I figured I’d need the largest possible interior space so chose the Model X. Ultimately, that turned out to be a great decision, because I didn’t anticipate that I’d end up having a roommate (my best friend Marshall) who’s a pretty big guy at 6’3”!

Now that I have and live out of the Model X, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. The ride height, falcon wings, and extra space definitely make it the best of the three Tesla models to live in. I will say, though, that my goal in a couple of years is to live in a custom-built tiny home on the back of a Tesla Semi.

3. In the video, you talked about travel. What cities would you love to explore?

Well, Marshall’s definitely looking forward to going overseas, since he’s never left the USA besides a couple of quick visits to Canada. On the other hand, I’ve been lucky enough to have visited 30 countries and all 50 states (each more than one time). With that said, there’s always so much more to see!

We’d definitely like to visit the following cities in the next few months: Houston, Indianapolis, Portland, Baton Rouge, Richmond, Fayetteville, and Boulder. We’re not sure if we’ll be able to hit all of these by year’s end, but we’re certainly going to do our best. We did drive over 20,000 miles just between July and September of this year, so when you do that kind of mileage … anything becomes possible!

(Note from Johnna: I live in Baton Rouge, so you guys have a place to shower and I’m five minutes away from the Tesla Supercharger! Also, my landlady has a breakfast and lunch deli next door, so there is plenty of hot food.)

4. What’s it like sleeping in a Tesla?

Our sleeping situation is really not too bad! We’ve figured out simple ways to manage the biggest factors to a good night’s sleep: light, noise, temperature, and comfort. Here’s how we did it.

We have a reflector screen for the windshield and hang a towel over the front seats for additional light protection and privacy. Our bed is a trifold foam mattress that lays flat across the trunk backseats (5-seater configuration). Marshall, being 6’3”, has to wedge his backpack in the gap between the driver seat and the folded-down backseat to create an extra platform where he lays his head. We bump a bit at night but are generally good about sharing the space. The biggest game-changing elements are (1) we made blackout curtains that adhere via a suction cup and (2) we actively utilize “Keep Climate On” to maintain a consistent temperature in the car.

Between these elements, we sleep pretty great! The trickiest part can often be finding a safe place to park. We try to avoid parking on the side of roads, preferring dark parking lots or pull-offs in quieter parks or other natural areas. We unfortunately have had our fair share of conversations with local police (a couple of times each month). However, cops have always been nothing but nice, simply checking in to see if we’re okay, or gently alerting us to the fact that we’re not allowed to be where we are before sending us on.

5. Do you have any advice for those who are on road trips or may want to live in their Tesla?

Make sure to plan! Living in a Tesla requires a lot of battery management since there’s no such thing as a “home charger” to simply plug into and forget about overnight. The last thing you want is to need a tow back to a Supercharger!

I’d also take the time to come up with a very detailed organization system. There’s really limited space to fit your entire life’s possessions, so a good system will help keep your things from getting lost or being too inaccessible. For example, Marshall and I kept our clothes in the false bottom trunk for about a month before we finally realized it’d be significantly easier to access our clothes if we kept it all in the frunk. A subsequent 5-min reorganization has made our lives exponentially easier!

I’d also encourage anyone on a road trip to get out there and talk to locals. You always get information that you simply can’t find online: secret places to eat, great hikes, local gems. Not to mention, I find it’s always the people that really make a place special. Learning to bridge cultural gaps and communicate with others as we travel has been one of the best elements of our travel.