American electrical leisure car firm Lightship has unveiled the Lightship L1, an aerodynamic, battery-powered, and self-propelled journey trailer (or caravan) that delivers near-zero effectivity loss for the car towing it.
Former Tesla staff and Lightship co-founders Ben Parker and Toby Kraus based Lightship in 2020 with a aim to transition “RVing” into the electrical age.
What an American calls an RV, or leisure car, is perhaps higher often called a campervan in Australia, whereas a RV trailer is best recognized right here as a caravan.
No matter you name it, although, the Lightship L1 seems to be beautiful, and has the electrical bonafides to match the EV transition.
With a hyper-efficient and aerodynamic design that enables for longer vary and larger effectivity, Lightship explains that “a 300-mile vary electrical car (EV) used to tow it stays a 300-mile vary EV, and a 25-mpg fuel truck stays a 25-mpg fuel truck.”
That is helped by an electrical powertrain with as much as 80kWh of onboard battery capability, which permits the trailer to propel itself and obtain near-zero vary or effectivity loss for the towing car.
Lightship additionally guarantees a “no-compromise battery system” that claims to have the ability to “present every week of off-grid energy with out charging” – although whether or not this is similar because the powertrain’s onboard battery is unsure.
Nonetheless, the trailer itself is coupled with a 3kW rooftop solar energy system that possible extends the vitality use choices and eliminates the necessity for added fuels for cooking.
Capable of sleep between 4 to six, relying on configuration, measuring simply over 8 metres in size, 2.6 metres vast, and a pair of metres tall in journey mode and three metres tall when deployed, the Lightship L1 weighs 3,400kg when totally loaded.
The Lightship additionally comes with what the corporate payments as “an ecosystem of all-electric home equipment, related options, and trendy facilities for a seamless tenting expertise”.
With a beginning worth in the US of $US125,000 ($A187,500) or $US118,400 after an obtainable tax credit score, Lightship is hoping to start manufacturing in late 2024, although pre-orders are actually open at www.lightshiprv.com for a deposit of $US500 ($A750).
“One in 10 American households personal an RV, however the RV trade hasn’t skilled innovation for many years,” mentioned Ben Parker, Lightship co-founder and CEO.
“Inefficient, unreliable product designs and an influence expertise that depends on smelly, noisy, fuel or propane turbines essentially hinder the wonderful expertise of touring within the open air.”
“With 90% of the market comprising of towable RVs, we started by creating an all-electric journey trailer that’s not like any RV obtainable immediately and that’s only the start,” added Toby Kraus, Lightship co-founder and president.
