These prefab solar- and wind-powered tiny dwellings are ready to order

by Jenny Xie
(www.curbed.com)

The first one was just delivered by helicopter
It’s been a while since the Ecocapsule came on the scene in early 2015. Many cool tiny, prefab homes have been introduced since, but perhaps few have the ability to draw instant oohs and aahs like this egg-shaped—and still futuristic—design from Slovakia. So it’s rather satisfying to see that its creators continue to push it toward mass production, first announcing a 50-piece limited run in December 2015 and now finally starting to deliver on it.

Late last month, Ecocapsule unveiled the debut unit of its first production series in dramatic fashion in Bratislava, Slovakia, where a helicopter dropped the micro home atop a building in the city center. Note these photos of the unit’s install process and first visitors below—the Ecocapsule is very much real.

As a refresher, the Ecocapsule is a solar- and wind-powered portable shelter clocking in at about 68 square feet of usable space. In addition to a 750-watt wind turbine (on a telescopic pole for easy transporting), 600-watt solar array, and 10-kW battery, each unit also comes with a rainwater collection system, composting toilet, built-in storage, kitchenette, folding bed, and fold-down table.


According to the company, this first unit will go to a customer in Japan. The rest of the 50-piece series are also available to order for customers in the U.S., Japan, Australia, and the European Union, with expected delivery this year. Each unit remains €79,000 (roughly $85,688). The company is still planning on launching a second series, with an anticipated increase in production volume and decrease in cost.