We interviewed Nico, the man who left his job at Tesla to live in his Tesla Model X.

You can bet he’s loving every minute of it. We asked him a few questions to see why and how he does it.

What inspired you to leave your job at Tesla and pursue van life?

The idea of being able to travel (live) anywhere, at any given moment, for FREE (unlimited supercharging), seemed like a fantasy. But that fantasy is reality and there won’t be another moment in history where you will be able to travel for free…let alone SUSTAINABLY.

No matter how much I loved working at Tesla, I knew there was something else out there. People ask me all the time, “why on Earth would you leave Tesla?” For one, I felt compelled to shake up the norm (9 to 5) and go anywhere, do anything, and create content. But looking a little deeper, I’m hopeful this will enable my ability to enlighten and inspire more people to join the electric vehicle revolution.

That is why I left Tesla to live out of a Tesla.

What are some challenges that come with living out of an electric vehicle? Is it difficult to find charging stations?

Electricity is everywhere. Not to mention the Tesla Supercharger network is quite expansive and growing rapidly. One might even consider the Supercharging stations as my “real home.”

My Tesla Model X does yield the second lowest amount of range due to having the smallest battery pack in addition to having 22” wheels. This does require a little more mindfulness upon traveling, however, I have yet to run out of range after 8 months of living in my Model X!!

I had the chance to live in a Model 3 for one month and realized I didn’t have to be as mindful when traveling due to the added range. Battery and charging technology will only get better over time; I have no doubt that the electric vanlife movement will soon overtake ICE (internal combustion engine) vanlife.

What has been the biggest surprise about van life? (good and/or bad)

I have a hard time coming up with any negative aspects of vanlife, however, I noticed that I must be extra careful about my personal hygiene. When living and sleeping in such a small corridor, the slightest of scents will linger… I can’t have that if I’m expecting company. ???? And sometimes it’s the little things that have surprised me the most, for example, I don’t have to clean-up after using amenities!! 24/7 gyms are lifesavers.

What advice would you have for someone who wants to live in a Tesla or other small electric vehicle?

Prepare yourself for an experience of a lifetime.

How long do you plan on living in your Tesla? Are there any other vehicles that you have an interest living in?

There is no deadline so long as I can continue paying my “rent” aka monthly car payments. I most certainly want to test the livability of future electric vehicles (SUVs, vans, trucks, etc) as they become more common place. But thus far, my Tesla Model X is by far the best home I have ever lived in.

Nico made this kickass promo video for his Youtube Channel:

You can check out Nico on Instagram @teslavanlife and YouTube at TeslaVanLife.