Couple converts 16-year-old van into a solar powered mobile house

With groundbreaking inventions in technology: like smart devices and renewable energy (which is getting cheaper day by day) has ignited passion for living in a tiny mobile home. As a result, an increasing number of youngsters today are replacing their conventional houses with practical mobile homes to live a nomadic lifestyle.

A Hungarian freelance photographer (and a former architecture student Norbert Juhasz) and his fiancée Dora (a writer) have joined the latter group by converting a compact, 16-year-old white cargo van into a minimalist mobile home for themselves. And they have decided to drive it from Budapest to Morocco.

Juhasz, bought this van (which they now call ‘Debella’) last spring and through his architectural knowledge gave this rotting vehicle a new life. Although the exterior of the vehicle is average looking, but on the contrary, its interior is saturated with all the basic amenities the couple would require during their dream journey.

There is a dual-purpose seat which can be turned into a comfortable bed for the couple which conceals storage and the electrical system underneath. Opposite to the couch-bed is a small kitchen, which includes a gas cooktop, gas cylinder, sink and a water tank with the storage capacity of 70-liters of water with a pressure-sensing pump.

An extra hook-up to the tank that leads to the rear end of the van conversion provides water for quick showers. An L-shaped cabinet right behind the driving seat accommodates a refrigerator and some more storing units, and another part of it features a fold-down table, used for dining or working.

The converted van home gets its electric power by a 12-volt electrical system, which is charged either by the 250-Watt roof solar panel, or by the engine’s generator. Excessive power can be stored in a 200-AH battery bank attached to an inverter.

You can follow the couple’s journey from Budapest to Morocco on Rundebella website and Facebook page, or visit Norbert Juhasz.