Your Car, Your Office: How To Transform Your Car Into A Mobile Office Space
Working on the go can be tough, but many don't know how many great inventions have come out just in the past few years to make working away from home and office so much easier. Business class has all the amenities to make working comfortable, so why shouldn't your car? Most spend so much more time in their vehicle than short stints on airplanes.
Ultimate Worktop
What's conducive to a good working environment? Keeping things off of your lap and hot, charging computers away from bare skin are probably viable answers. However, one doesn't need to be an officer of the law to take their work into their car. Police-style laptop mounts are available all over the internet for civilian use.
As opposed to officers, everyone should be using the mount while in the passenger seat as opposed to the driver's spot. Most are rotatable so an easy spin can be done to show the driver maps on where to go.
Wifi Workspace
If you're using a laptop in your car, you probably need wifi to keep in touch, check-in and conduct research. Brand new GM vehicles like the Chevy Impala, Chevy Malibu, Buick Verano and the ever-dreamy Corvette come with built-in 4G LTE wifi hotspots which can be used to connect multiple devices to the internet at once. If you're sporting a vehicle with a bit more character (a nice way for saying older) an aftermarket wifi hotspot is a great investment. Using the power of you car's antenna, wifi boosters can take the 4G signal from your phone, amplify it and be used as a hotspot for your laptop far beyond the reaches of populated areas.
Pretty Printers
Want to get crazy with turning your ride into a mobile office? Stick a battery-powered wifi printer to pop documents out while on the road from Detroit to Los Angeles and everywhere in-between.
Multi-Port Charger
The worst thing about travelling is having to keep everything charged. Multi-port power plugs exist for this exact reason. Older vehicles will need a plug which can take a USB input and get power from the cigarette lighter. Newer cars will allow these ports to slide straight into the USB port of the dashboard to make a plug for one into a plug for 7. However, there are plenty of multi-port USB chargers which are able to plug straight into the lighter. Their cost to keep you connected to tech is minuscule, too. Starting at $10 and going upwards, this small investment will pay back with infinite added productivity while on the road.
A Real Office
There are companies like Becker Automotive which specialize in building, designing and selling actual mobile offices. These mobile office suites are decked out with everything in a real office and more. Leather seats are cushioned for long rides and generally are set up like a booth with a table in the middle and armchairs on the other side. On the other hand, Mercedes Sprinter Vans make good mobile offices and there are several companies which create offices fit for 7 workers in the rear. With luxury in mind, the outside can look as strange or as unassuming as the buyer wants.
This disguises the inside which has flat screen TV's, wifi connections, power outlets, refrigerators, landlines, surround sound and more. The best part is, the asking prices aren't even outrageous, especially if you spend ample time on the road. Sending an entire office department in these vehicles instead of business class may even save money. The vehicle pictured is a Yukon Denali XL with an asking price of $80,000. More posh models go for more and used models go for much less with price ranges starting at $50,000 for a used Ford Excursion mobile office and upwards of $250,000 for a completely decked out Sprinter Van.
Robert Mathius is a Chicago suburb native who currently lives in Tinley Park. He has a passion for the automotive industry in addition to journalism and works to blend his two passions in his writing. Additional automotive reporting by Robert can be found on Examiner.com.
