EarthCruiser announced last Fall that it would begin building its self-contained, go-anywhere, ship-anywhere trucks in the U.S., and this week the first one is ready for delivery.
In case you’re not familiar with it, the EarthCruiser is a highly capable, 4×4 expedition vehicle. The idea is that you can drive it to a remote place, pop the top, and be self sufficient. It can draw water from a stream, purify it, heat it (via the Webasto diesel heater), store it, and deliver it to you via the sink or the indoor or outdoor shower. The heater will also heat the insulated interior. There’s a stove, a fridge, even a queen-size bed.
With a little help from the solar panels topping up the house batteries, you can stay in a spot for up to ten days without running the engine. On the other hand, if you need to leave in a hurry, you can lower the top from inside the cabin and be on your way in minutes.
The EarthCruiser is built on the Mitsubishi Fuso light truck chassis. Power comes from an intercooled, 4-cylinder turbodiesel. This DOHC, 16-valve powerplant will produce 295 lb.-ft. of grunt at just 1,300 rpm. A six-speed, dual-clutch, automated manual transmission handles gear selection for you. The 4×4 system consists of manually locking hubs and single-speed transfer case. There’s no center diff. While you might have wished for a two-speed transfer case, EarthCruiser assured us that first gear is pretty low and will get you through just about anything.
Additional gear such as A/C, a winch, an extra fuel tank, driving lights, and a few other things, can be fitted at your request, although it’s ready to go in standard trim at $215,000. Give them a call. They’d be happy to build you one.
For more photos from Earthcruiser, and from our recent trip to Earthcruiser’s Facility in Bend, Oregon, see the rest of the post.
