On Saturday, our latest creation left our factory and began the long and exciting journey to Hawaii, where it will play a small part in the efforts of the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii. HMHB is a local nonprofit agency that is part of a larger network of organizations and individuals committed to improving Hawaii’s maternal, child, and family health through collaborative efforts in programs, public education, advocacy, and partner development.
As a company that started with the mission of helping people and the planet, we couldn’t be prouder to be collaborating on a project that will have an immediate and lasting impact on the people of Hawaii. We are delighted with how the G2 will enable better healthcare in the area, and we are eager to work on more projects that will help communities around the country.
Aside from the social impact this G2 will have, we were excited about this build as it required numerous new developments that we hadn’t done before in a G2. These changes included a raisable bed, an open plan interior with an aisle going the full length of the van, doors and drawers for storage that all had secure grab-latches, and a new material for all of the modules.
Raisable Bed
One of the biggest engineering hurdles of this build was the raisable bed, which uses electronic actuators to move the bed up and down. This bed lowers to allow people to comfortably get on to the bed and can then be raised up at the push of a button to give nurses better access to their patient. Having done this development work, we are now excited to take these learnings and apply them to new RV layouts, such as a raisable work desk or raisable queen bed.
Open Aisle
To create an optimal layout for the raisable inspection bed that nurses need to freely maneuver around, we completely overhauled the rear of the G2. Gone was the fixed queen bed spanning the width of the vehicle, and this now meant the large utility module housing our electronics and plumbing had to be redesigned too.
Storage and countertop space replaced the queen bed along the drivers side. This is where we concealed the plumbing utility module, creating a compact layout of the water heater, tank, and pump to maximize the amount of usable storage space. On the opposite side was the raisable bed and electronic utility module, neatly assembled in a lockable box and mounted to the wall behind the bed. Under the bed had just enough room to squeeze in our 10kWh battery, and with that, we had now successfully reduced the footprint of our electronics and plumbing and created a fully open and walkable aisle from the front of the van right to the very back.
New Materials and Modules
The modules in this G2 also have a new look in more ways than one. HMHB were big fans of the natural wood designs of our G1's, so we created all of our furniture modules in 1/2" UV coated plywood for a durable and natural aesthetic that will fit the Hawaiian backdrop perfectly.
On top of the material change, we created all new modules for this build, with a full height cabinet featuring shelving behind doors and lockable drawers that will hold the medical coolers HMHB use in the field. We also modified our kitchen module to feature a sink and fridge, but without the induction hobs on our RV builds, and paired that module with an all new cabinet module for nearly 10 feet of continuous countertop space along one side of the interior.
Doors, Drawers, and More
Since this van would be used in a medical context, we needed to have solid doors, rather than the net storage of past G2's. We used special hinges that allowed us to mount the doors to our lightweight furniture modules, and these hinges open to 110 degrees, giving users a huge amount of room and flexibility to access inside cabinets. We also used spring-loaded hinges on the overhead cabinets so they will stay open on their own whilst you reach inside, a small feature that proves to be very handy.
To ensure all the contents of the cabinets stay inside, we installed grab-latches to each door to make sure it stays securely held in place while the van is in motion. The mechanical hold is super satisfying to click shut and pull open, and the peace of mind from knowing a sharp turn won't cause all of your stuff to come flying out onto the floor cannot be overstated.
New Wrap and Perforated Windows
On the exterior, we have an all new wrap design that matches the HMHB fleet - we absolutely love the floral pattern and we may need to take some inspiration from this design for a new Grounded livery, let us know what you think! We also did perforated windows for the first time, which continues the wrap across the outside and offers more privacy to the occupants inside.
Overall, we had a blast on this build and we are pumped with the end result. We've learned a lot in a short span of time and we can now offer more modules, materials, and finishes in our G2 builds, whether they're for businesses or RVs. If something in this newsletter peaked your interest, reach out to us and we'll talk to you more about what we can do for your particular build!
Cheers, see you soon!
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