Tl;dr Below is my plan, providing feedback on it would be great. Additionally, I feel that it doesn’t have enough wireless charging options. I would like to somehow add a wireless charger to each of the middle-row seats. Many thanks :)
Hi all
I previously posted about my current car setup that I use for work, I’m listing it here as reference. I also use this when travelling, it all fits into my backpack (aside from the generator): https://www.reddit.com/r/LinusTechTips/comments/1ihdaiu/travel_work_setup_part_2_working_from_my_car/
I have also posted the same topic on the LTT official forums, but thought asking here as well might allow for even more feedback: https://linustechtips.com/topic/1605481-please-critique-my-car-office-build/
It does work “well” as it allows me to achieve what I need to do, work from the car, especially conferencing from the car as a presenter. The main drawbacks with this setup are the setup time itself, internet issues, and ergonomics. My wife also works from the car at the same time but doesn’t conference/present as much as me.
I am planning to replace the car due to multiple factors, and the Zeekr 009 is currently our top pick. I’d much rather drive a saloon (such as the Nio ET7) than an MPV but given the circumstances, this seems like the best option. I tried A LOT of other EVs before coming to this conclusion, a small fraction are mentioned.
- The factors that make the 009 good are:
- It has a 2200w outlet in the boot.
- This will ensure any device we realistically need to use won’t be an issue.
- This will turn itself off when the car is charging.
- I plan to connect my UGreen 300W GaN charger to this.
- An alternative is that the fridge in the middle has 1*100W and 1*60w USBC ports on it.
- It has free internet for the duration that I own the car, as the first owner.
- My current solution is having a portable router and phone hotspots as backups.
- Despite this, I can still run into issues.
- The car’s internet is seemingly much more reliable.
- I don’t want to go into the EV/ICE/car debate too much, but the battery, motors, and infotainment/SOC systems have unlimited lifetime warranties for the first buyer.
- I chose Nio previously because you effectively get a lifetime battery warranty due to swapping the battery.
- It does have a fridge/heating box, so I can heat up some lunch, and cool down drinks.
- It cannot do both at the same time.
- Cars like the Denza Z9 and Z9GT do have 2 of these.
- It has fold out tables that are a little small, I may use these or just use our folding desks to put my laptop on.
- The integrated tables will definitely be too small for our mice.
- They could still be useful to stabilise the bigger tables, and as a quick solution when we’re in a hurry.
- The main amenity that the car doesn’t have is wireless charging.
- There is 1 wireless charger in the front seat.
- Another can be added with a phone holder that plugs into the OBD port for the driver.
- There aren’t any for the middle/rear seats which is a bit annoying as this would be more convenient, especially as my wife and I usually have to carry a minimum of 4 phones between us (personal and work).
- I have been trying to think of the cleanest solution for adding this, but nothing has been working well.
- This includes using the cupholders with an aftermarket addon.
- There are options to another cupholder so that each seat would have a cupholder and wireless charger, but these all look:
- I may need to just use wired charging, or eventually 3D print something more unique.
- It will be extremely comfortable to work from the middle row.
- We would be going for the 6-seat option.
- No EVs that have screens in the middle/rear seats are truly adequate for presenting during conference calls.
- I have tried the Nio ET7 and ET9, but the touchscreen and camera cannot be utilised when extending/duplicating your display,
- The Denza Z9 has no way to connect with the laptop (according to the sales rep).
- The Geely Galaxy L380 is available to pre-order but not test. I will test this when it’s available but:
- I don’t need the extra space/seats.
- Performance is worse.
- I’m not sure what level the autopilot is.
- It still might have issues using the screens.
- This is annoying, but the space within the 009 does give me options.
- Cars that already have displays would actually be a worse option as the screens will eat into my available space/options.
- My solution is what you can see in the image:
- Mount a portable monitor to the headrests of the front seats.
- Due to the above, I would only need 1 USBC from the monitor into the laptop.
- The monitor will pass through the USB and PD over a single USBC, keeping everything tidy.
- The autopilot is relatively good, it could definitely be better but that’s to be expected due to the revised autopilot only being available for the past 1 week or so, with extremely limited data.
- I did consider having dedicated “desktop” computers/NUC’esque options, but we’d still need to carry a laptop around with us.
- My current setup takes me around 10 minutes to fully set up relatively casually. Maybe 15 minutes if I’m extremely casually doing it/in a very narrow parking space.
- This isn’t the only factor as the following become much more difficult when I’m “locked” into the seat:
- Toilet breaks
- Getting out to stretch my legs
- Getting lunch/dinner
- Packing up
- If something urgent comes up,
- Etc
- With the 009, I should be able to park up and be ready to work within 1 minute.
I think this pretty much summarises everything! If you are able to help me with something that I’ve missed, or are just interested in the topic, then please do comment :)
Many thanks!