Conversion vans for medical purposes go far beyond a DYI project to build a weekend getaway van. So, what’s so different about it?
Health Clinic in a Van
Well, let’s start with cleanliness. It’s a medical facility that Odulair provides you. It’s there to receive and host patients, and hold medical treatments and consultations. Patients that come in, seek medical care. Many of them will be sick. Therefore, the interior of the mobile clinic needs to be built with that in mind. Therefore, surfaces inside an Odulair conversion van aren’t the DYI materials one would otherwise pick up at HomeDepot for a weekend build project. These are materials that have been selected to be able to withstand being constantly bleached. There’s no wood anywhere so there will never be mold in your mobile clinic. That’s very important.
Everything is Great
That’s right, we are proud of it. Every detail has been thought out. Like the cabinetry, for example. Purposely designed, purposely built for the perfect fit even inside a sprinter van that has curved walls. Power-coated high-quality aluminum, stainless steel countertops, touchless paper towel dispenser, touchless soap dispenser, and touchless water faucet. Oh yes, trash chute incorporated.
So you know, the cabinetry you have a home in your kitchen doesn’t even come close. This is really good stuff. It’s not luxury, it’s standard.
Peace of Mind: Noise-Free, Vibration-Free
The solar system isn’t made out of one solar panel on the roof that is put there to make it look environmentally cool on Instagram, or for you to be able to run the coffee machine once a day on green energy. It’s there to provide you with long hours of sustained energy usage inside the clinic, vibration-free, smoke-free, and as quiet as possible. That means powering all the medical equipment, and the HVAC system. And, let’s not forget the insulation that Odulair provides, designed like no other, and ready to insulate you from the harshest weather conditions. You can be sure that you can work in this Mobile Clinic Van during winter in Alaska or in the summer in the Sahara desert.
Things to consider when budgeting your mobile health clinic in a van:
Should you opt in for solar power?
The short answer is an absolute yes. Yes, if you can afford the initial investment difference, you definitely should have your mobile medical vehicle to be solar-powered. The solar energy and energy-storage package will quickly pay itself off just based on the savings these changes bring to the budget of a mobile clinic operation. Now the details.
Cost Benefit Analysis of a Solar-Powered Mobile Health Clinic
Although any generator-powered mobile clinic is initially a cheaper solution than its equivalent powered with solar panels and battery packs for energy storage, the price of fuel, how much fuel you need to run the generator, and generator maintenance costs with plenty of hassles assured, will quickly become a major pain point in your finances. And if you run the generator 8 hours a day, its maintenance demands quickly pile up, and so will the costs.
Every generator doesn’t matter the brand or model, requires systematic and periodic maintenance. Every 80 to 100 hours of operation. It’s the filters, the spark plugs, the timing belt, it’s the oil that needs changing, It’s a high-maintenance, attention-seeking machine, that’s what it is.
How Many Solar Panels in a Van?
The size of the available space in the roof of your van ultimately dictates how many solar panels can be installed. Keep in mind, that other equipment will be installed on the roof, like the roof-top HVAC unit so not all the roof real-estate will be there to fill with solar panels. Nonetheless, what actually matters most, what actually makes sure you will have enough power is the battery pack, its size, and how much energy it can store.
Let’s think about electric cars for a second. Electric cars don’t have solar panels, but they all need to have a generous battery pack. The battery pack is like the fuel tank in petrol-powered cars, the more fuel you can carry, the longer it can drive. How those battery packs are recharged or how you fill that tank of gas, that’s a different story. An electric car needs to be plugged in to charge its batters. A mobile clinic by Odulair can charge its battery pack from solar panels, shore power (plugged in like a car), or even in certain models have the engine of the vehicle be the source of replenishing power. And is trust in Mobile Clinics in Sprinter Vans, where the battery pack of an Odulair mobile health van can be powered from the actual engine of the sprinter van. So, even in the total absence of daylight, you can power your battery packs.
How Much Does a Mobile Health Clinic Van Cost?
The investment in a mobile health clinic van by Odulair in early 2021, before historical worldwide supply-chain issues and inflation, started at $295,000, with most customizations at $350,000, and luxury units built to an average budget of $500,000. The final cost of the investment in a mobile health van will ultimately depend on a combination of factors that includes: vehicle base model, medical specialty, design options, chassis availability, choice of components, choice of medical equipment, delivery, and transport costs. All mobile medical vehicles are made to order.