Fully sustainable life? @goalzero @Atlis @tinysolar #solar #sustainability @tesla

Hi all,

I've been thinking about being fully sustainable for a while now.  I suppose many people go "off the grid" to prove their sustainability.  I'd like to stay on the grid, but I think the product I'd like doesn't exist yet.  There are a lot of van life posts on instagram and youtube, and they take a diesel or gasoline powered van and turn it sort of solar.  I'd like to take an electric vehicle, make it as solar powered as it can be, and tour as much of the country as I can during my summer break.  I think the right vehicle for this would be the Atlis truck with a camper on the back, powered by goal zero and a system by #tinysolar.  In full sun/best situation, I think the camper could fully power itself, and (MAYBE) feed some power back to the truck itself.  If my base camp has a solar bank and a solar wall from Tesla, I could get full recharges for free. 

If this is possible, then road trips would be almost free!  This triggers my cheap button . . . but also my sustainable button.  I'm sure there are some engineering problems I haven't thought about.  I also don't know what kind of camper top I'd like/need to augment the Atlis.  The best option would probably be an Atlis van, if such a thing does/could exist, which is full 4wd, dually, and looks a lot like the mercedes vans. 

I'd love anybody's take on this - I know somebody's thought about doing it before.  It's probably a pipe dream, but it seems like a nice dream.

Have a great day all,

Mark

Two phones? Weird, but still cheaper than ATT or Verizon

Hi all,

For many reasons, I left AT&T and Verizon as cell carriers.  They're the largest, and therefore their towers are better, but they are cost prohibitive, the bills fluctuate too much, and their business practices leave a lot to be desired.  I did some research, and found the following:

a) Sprint's voice is ok, but their data is not fast enough.  I couldn't get Waze to work consistently, or send texts well, or get data, in the rural areas of CT where I live. 

b) GoogleFi has some problems with voice, but their data is great!  I'm getting about twice the speed in most areas vs. Sprint.  I still have to do the tests vs. AT&T and Verizon in some spots, but I am satisfied with the speeds of data in most places. 

So.  I pay $36 a month for the sprint lines (each) with 3 note 9's and two Motorola androids (they're terrible but they mostly work), including EVERYTHING. 

I have yet to get the first GoogleFi bill, but

People	Line cost	4G LTE data
1	$20	$20 w/2GB $40 w/4GB $60w/6GB+
2	$20 + $15	$20 w/2GB $40 w/4GB $60w/6GB+
3	$20 + $15 x 2	$20 w/2GB $40 w/4GB $60w/6GB+
4	$20 + $15 x 3	$20 w/2GB $40 w/4GB $60

I have 1 line, and I haven't been restricting the data.  In fact, I even use it as a hotspot to support my sprint phone's data.  So MAX, I will pay 96 for both phones.  It will probably be less.  

In contrast, I had AT&T - Same number of lines, unlimited data (but they started throttling the data speed after 2 gigs).  Here's what they say they cost:

https://www.att.com/plans/wireless.html

So 48 per line, they say.  BUT they will add device payments for each phone, plus fees and other things, so I was paying $500 a month for 5 lines of unlimited.  I cut my bill in half (at least) and I have two note 9's for my own use.  

I admit, this is a bit weird/overkill.  But I like my flexibility.  I get good data and good voice by the phones combined, and I still pay (MAX $240 for my 6 lines with 4 note 9's, an S8 and a motorola (it still sucks)).  So far, neither google nor Sprint have been hitting me with any weird fees.  They said a number and the bill has been the same as they said.  

One Caveat: I did have a one time unlock fee for a few of the old AT&T phones.  It cost about $30 a phone at https://www.doctorsim.com/us-en/

So even with that one time fee, and a few days wait for each phone, 3*30=$90, I'm still saving a ton of money for the same or better functionality.  I get two note 9's, my fiancee gets a note 9, her son gets a note 9, her daughters get a note 9 and s8, respectively, and we still don't really use the motorola (it sucks).  

So anyway, that's why a frugal guy like me has two phones.  Hope this helps you, and I'll keep you updated if AT&T or Verizon has better speeds.  I'm not thinking they will . . . . but I'll try it and see.

Have a great day all!

~Markspark