Lightship, the first all-electric recreational vehicle (RV) company in America, has unveiled its latest innovation – the Lightship L1, a battery-powered travel trailer that boasts an aerodynamic design and a self-propulsion system. This purpose-built travel trailer has been designed to offer near-zero range or mile-per-gallon efficiency loss for the vehicle towing it.
Co-founders Ben Parker and Toby Kraus identified a gap in the RV industry, which they likened to the early days of Tesla. The industry had seen little advancement, let alone genuine innovation, due to a lack of competition among a small number of large companies. “One in 10 American families own an RV, but the RV industry hasn’t experienced innovation for decades,” said Parker.
Lightship is taking a fresh approach to building all-electric recreational vehicles, similar to how Tesla disrupted established automakers. The Lightship team, which includes alumni from Rivian, Proterra, Lucid, Zoox, and Tesla, is using its expertise in automotive EV development and design to deliver a hyper-efficient design that is three times more aerodynamic than traditional travel trailers.
This new design enables longer range and greater efficiency, which means a 300-mile range EV used to tow the L1 remains a 300-mile range EV, and a 25-mpg gas truck remains a 25-mpg gas truck. The L1’s electric powertrain boasts up to 80 kWh of onboard battery capacity, allowing the trailer to propel itself and achieve near-zero range or efficiency loss for the tow vehicle.
The L1 features a no-compromise battery system that can provide a week of off-grid power without charging. Coupled with up to 3 kW of solar power, the RV can power the living needs of its occupants and eliminate the reliance on propane and other fossil fuels. The L1 ecosystem also features all-electric appliances, connected features, and modern amenities for a seamless camping experience.
The Lightship L1 has a starting price of $125,000 or $118,400 after an available tax credit and is available now for a $500 reservation at lightshiprv.com. Production is set to begin in late 2024. The Lightship L1 is a finalist in the 2023 SXSW Innovation Awards design category.
Additional specifications for the Lightship L1 include a length of 27 ft, a width of 8 ft 6 in, and a height of 6 ft 9 in (road mode); 10 ft (camp mode). The gross vehicle weight of the fully loaded L1 is 7,500 lbs., and it can accommodate between four and six people depending on the configuration.
Relate News: Bowlus Volterra All-Electric RV
