This Is the World's Fastest Tiny House and It's Built on Top of a Tesla Model S

Wonder no more, because this tiny house is it. It's not a complete build yet, but it has reached first prototype stage, it's fully functional and, as of this writing, it can safely claim to be the fastest in the world. That last part is possible because it's built on top of a Tesla Model S.

Gruber Motor Company is a name that hardly needs an introduction with the Tesla community, as it's one of the handful of specialists that do engineering and aftermarket Tesla support and the first commercial independent shop to do so.

As the company's CEO Pete Gruber points out in the video at the bottom of the page, they got the idea for this rolling tiny house when they realized that too many Teslas were being totaled for the mere reason that putting them back on the road was not a financially viable option.

So, why not turn part-cars into something else, something that would be put to everyday use and have even more functionality than before? A tiny house would be one such thing, and Marcus, who also works with Gruber Motor Company, set out to design and build a first prototype.

The undamaged chassis of a Tesla Model S 75 was used for this, with the entire upper frame built out of plywood for the prototype. To shave off as much weight as possible, every bit of plywood has holes in it for extra lightness.

The plan is to make the production vehicle with a steel frame and a skin of aluminum and carbon fiber combined. CNC machining will be used to cut each piece, which will also have holes drilled to be lighter without compromise to strength.

The layout puts a kitchen on the driver's side and a dinette slash daytime couch slash bed across from it. The entire rear section is taken up by the bathroom, but the layout here is unlike what you'd find in equally compact conversions. It's this kind of ingenious thinking that allowed Marcus to fit in there every basic convenience, including a washer-dryer unit.

The toilet is on the driver's side and the sink with a very small vanity is tucked right next to it, against the wall. The shower basin is dropped, and the shower head hangs above the toilet. The washer-dryer unit is on the opposite side and, we assume, will be covered by a waterproof shower curtain when you use the shower.

Appliances onboard are all electric, allowing for maximum autonomy on the road because the future tiny home will have 1,000W of solar on the roof. The kitchen in the prototype unit is specced with an oven, a medium-sized fridge with freezer and, of course, an induction cooker. It's not much if you compare it to a larger RV, neither in size nor features, but it's more than what you'd get in a van conversion.

Because the couch can only fit one person on account of space, the tiny house will have a pop-up roof with sleeping for two. Access to this area will be done through the cab by means of a folding ladder that when not in use, sits mounted to the ceiling. Marcus admits that the rooftop tent will be a squeeze, but it will be comfortable.

The same Marcus compares the Tesla tiny house to a Westfalia camper but highlights that it will be more than a standard RV. The reason why both he and Gruber refer to it as a "tiny house" is that it will be tailor-made for full-time living, offering just the right combination of functionality, autonomy, and comfort.

As a bonus, being built on top of a Model S, it might be the fastest tiny house in the world. It won't have the same 0 to 60 mph acceleration time as the donor vehicle given the added weight, but it will still be faster than any other tiny house out there.

Features will include panoramic windows, a solar array that will ensure one-week autonomy at camp, and a length of just 16 feet (4.8 meters) long, with overall compact dimensions that will enhance garageability and maneuverability. Chances are they won't change as the prototype goes into the next stage, but we'll see how this plays out.

The video presentation below is the first one in a promised series. Gruber Motor Company says that they will keep followers up to speed with the progress, but the project can also be followed online on the NomadMobility account, where it was first teased earlier this past summer.

All in all, even though this Tesla tiny house lacks wall panels and many home-like finishes, it's definitely a promising project. It's also a more innovative way of upcycling a totaled Tesla with just 11,000 miles (17,703 km) on the odometer, which would have otherwise been stripped for parts. We'll keep an eye on it.

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