The problem with most motorhomes is that while they free you from the confines of urban living to a certain extent, they’re still reliant on some bits of infrastructure of modern society — even if it is just a road that gets you to a pitch.

Not so the EcoRoamer. This heavy-duty four-wheel drive motorhome is built to be as self-reliant as possible and, when it does need something from the outside world, it’s designed to be just as easy to supply.

The EcoRoamer is the pet project of Jay Shapiro and the plan is to drive it around the world from West to East, starting in Alaska. The idea is to make as little impact on the planet on the way as possible, and to that end, it’s been built largely from recycled parts, uses 2kW solar panels for power and runs on a biodiesel engine that draws fuel from an onboard 130 gallon tank.

The truck is 17-feet long and packed with technology to keep the four occupants entertained and connected to the internet wherever it goes. The interior packs a combination of computer and eco technology too, from its own Wi-Fi network to a composting toilet. The EcoRoamer carries its own 150-gallon water supply too, and uses a similar water filtration as that developed by NASA for space missions. That’s something best saved for emergencies, we suspect…

You can read more about the EcoRoamer at the project’s blog, but if you fancy building one of your own, it’s reckoned that a model with a similar specification to this will set you back a cool $275,000 (about £172,000)…

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[EcoRoamer via Jalopnik]