An ex-Tesla engineer heading up a zero-emission RV (recreational vehicles) company has developed the world’s first self-propelled electric RV that works equally with a conventional gas-powered SUV or pickup truck and or electric vehicle to increase overall range, mitigating concerns about “range anxiety.”
When a Tesla Model X tows a travel trailer, it typically experiences a reduction in range by about 50-60%. As for gas powered trucks, some estimates say every 100 pounds of extra weight decreases its fuel economy by 2%.
CEO of Lightship Ben Parker, a former Tesla battery engineer who worked on the Model 3, developed the next-generation RV powered by an electric motor with an 80 kWh battery pack with 3 kWh of solar on top of the trailer.
Parker designed the Lightship L1 to work equally with a conventional gas-powered SUV or pickup truck to provide the towing vehicle with “near zero-range loss.”
The next generation of RVs might be the short-term answer for those who experience “range anxiety” while towing trailers.
The trailer starts at $125,000, and production begins in the second half of 2024. As for demand for the next-gen RV, the industry is in a downcycle after an unprecedented bubble during Covid and elevated borrowing rates.
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