There are bonkers ideas, and then there's the sCarabane: arguably the most bonkers RV concept ever to see the light of day. Not only was it self-sufficient and could expand to three times its size in camp mode, but it would rotate to follow the sun.
The sCarabane name might not ring familiar today, but back in 2017, after its debut at that year's edition of the Dusseldorf Caravan Salon, it was on everyone's lips. Or, better said, it was a name at the fingertips of every journo from trade publications covering the event, which is the equivalent of A-list exposure on the RV market.
A single look at the sCarabane prototype will explain the buzz around it. It was a trailer of road-legal dimensions that could do a lot of things at once and promised to do them excellently once it reached production stage. Not only would it be able to triple in size at camp, but it was entirely self-sufficient and, the most bonkers part of all, it would rotate constantly to follow the sun – or simply because you wanted a different kind of experience.
Designed and built by Green Cat Technologies, which had acquired the initial team from Fillon Technologies, it was the ideal, most futuristic combination of modern tech and fancy features, with a minimalist design imposed not so much by taste or the trends of the moment but by the compact footprint in traveling mode.
Photo: Green Cat Technologies
In travel mode, sCarabane was a regular trailer, 25.6 feet long, 8.2 feet wide, and 9.2 feet high (7.8 x 2.5 x 2.8 meters), with a total weight of 6,062 lbs (2,750 kg). In camp mode, once you set up the track on which it would rotate, with a 29.5-foot (9-meter) diameter, you got a fancy home with sleeping for as many as five people, a full kitchen, a bathroom, and a patio you could work on your tan on – throughout the day, given its rotating ability.
The transition from one mode to another took some 30 minutes and was a one-person job, the designers said at the time.
And that wasn't all. The sCarabane was rigged with a telescopic vertical axis wind turbine that could produce 500 W and roof-mounted solar cells that produce an additional 500 W of power. At the time of the public debut, Green Cat was looking into rainwater collection and water filtration to render the unit entirely off-grid.
Photo: Green Cat Technologies
Features also included a rotating bubble window you could control remotely and a rotating rose window in lieu of a skylight, allowing you to regulate the intensity of the light by pressing a button. Home automation would offer constant monitoring of consumption and extra safety.
At the time of the debut, there was no mention of pricing or delivery timeline for such a unicorn-y, absolutely dreamy RV. The prototype was later – and probably still is right now – offered for sale, with an asking price of €200,000 (approximately $211,000 at the current exchange rate), not including delivery or taxes.
We've reached out to Green Cat for more details on this prototype, including its whereabouts and current owner, and we'll update the story if we hear back.
Photo: Green Cat Technologies
The 2014 prototype
The biggest surprise in our research was to find that the sCarabane is still around. We're not talking about the 2017 prototype but about the first one in the series – the one that was completed in 2014. Even better, you can enjoy it tomorrow, if your tomorrow happens to include plans for a trip to Burgundy, in France.
The 2014 prototype, one of the three ever built, has been turned into a glamping unit offered for rental for €120 ($127) per night. It no longer has the original layout, the fold-up roof, or the wind turbine, but it still stands proof of the wonders of upcycling, having been turned into a one-bedroom, one-bathroom, spa-equipped tiny house.
To boot, this tiny is placed right on a farm, so you can pet ponies right from the fold-down patio. Can it be any cuter?!
Photo: Green Cat Technologies/Abracadaroom
This sCarabane is no longer mobile, but you can still see the similarities between the original prototype and its current shape, particularly in the fold-down wall that turns into a patio and the rounded windows. The other side, which was a canvas expansion originally, is now taken up by the spa area, with a two-person jacuzzi and a shaded lounge area for two.
This prototype was also smaller than the much-publicized 2017 one, which is obvious from the fact that it can only sleep two. The entire living surface is just 161.5 square feet (15 square meters). For comparison, the parents' bedroom in the 2017 prototype was 77.5 square feet (7.2 square meters), while the kids got their own room with a surface of 59 square feet (5.5 square meters).
In this truly tiny tiny house, the entire rear section is occupied by the bedroom, with a small bathroom on one side and the kitchen and breakfast bar in the front. It's very compact, minimalist living, but it must make for a nice and unique glamping experience.
Some wild dreams don't die – they're upcycled and live on.
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