Why B.C. man drives a Tesla but lives in a van
Global News
Lucas Philips is one of many Vancouverites who avoid the city's sky-high housing costs by living in vans, trailers and other recreational vehicles parked across the city.
At the end of his day, Lucas Philips drives to his home overlooking Spanish Banks Beach in Vancouver, near some of the most expensive real estate in Canada.
He climbs out of his black Tesla and soaks up what he calls his “million-dollar view.”
But Philips is no wealthy property owner. His home is a Vanguard campervan berthed in a beachside parking lot.
He spends most of his life on wheels, working as an Uber driver in his leased Tesla. He’s trying to get ahead, and lives in his “sweet motor home” while taking online courses in the hope of getting a job in computer science.
Philips, who immigrated from Turkey five years ago, thinks himself lucky to share the view with mansion owners without draining his savings.
He’s a member of a community of Vancouverites living in vans, trailers and other recreational vehicles parked across the city.
Some, like Philips, use it as an economic strategy to cut costs as they plot a course to prosperity.
Others have opted for a nomadic lifestyle, and plan to move on.
