Lightship Energy - Tesla alums launch startup to develop RV travel trailer with electric powertrain

[firsttruck]

No prototype yet. Not even CGI renders :-(


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Tesla alums launch a new electric RV startup: Lightship
By Fred Lambert
Jul. 14th 2022
https://electrek.co/2022/07/14/tesla-alums-launch-new-electric-rv-startup-lightship/

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cofounded by Ben Parker, a mechanical engineer who worked on the Model 3 battery pack and more recently Tesla’s 4680 battery cell, and Toby Kraus, who managed the Model S program at Tesla

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When you have a 300-mile electric truck towing a trailer, it often becomes a 100-mile truck.

Lightship aims to deliver a trailer equipped with its own electric powertrain that would result in the EV pulling it not losing its range.

Lightship Energy CEO Ben Parker explained:
“I think the gravity of the problem around towing and towing range is just starting to hit home with people as more EV trucks are hitting the market. With an EV powertrain on board you can use that additional energy for the trailer to propel itself, reduce all of the load on the tow vehicle and get back to a range loss zero experience — now you have a 300-mile trailer and a 300-mile truck.”


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Lightship: a travel trailer you’ll want to tow, whether you drive an EV or not
We’re Lightship — a team of world-class engineers, designers, and doers who helped create some of the most iconic electric vehicles sold today. And we’re on a mission to reimagine the recreational vehicle experience for the electric age, starting with our first Lightship — a seamless, modern, connected, aerodynamic travel trailer.
https://www.lightshiprv.com/


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[Lives2TruckAround]

This is exactly what I said in a previous thread. They SHOULD make trailers with batteries and it would SOLVE the EV towing range problem. A guy on YouTube did it and I feel like it should be a thing 100%

 

[Quicksilver]

With an EV powertrain on board you can use that additional energy for the trailer to propel itself, reduce all of the load on the tow vehicle and get back to a range loss zero experience — now you have a 300-mile trailer and a 300-mile truck.”

If I'm reading this right they want to have a trailer with a battery pack and a drive train. This is NOT going the be cheap and you would be competing for motors and batteries needed for existing demand for the CT at least for the next few years. The trailer would have to have at least two motors per axle to keep up with the CT and not end up as a drag.
And there is keeping the CT and trailer in sync with each other. I assume it would be the same as keeping railroad locomotives synced up.
The easy solution is a battery that can be mounted in the bed like a spare fuel tank on an ICE vehicle. It could either be made by Tesla or by an aftermarket company. There would still be competition for batteries but not motors and other parts. KISS principle at work.
You would need a two headed cable that could plug into the truck's and spare battery's charging ports. I'm no electrical engineer but I would think you would have to stop and connect to the spare battery rather than having it connected while in motion.
On a side note I could see this working for Commercial Vehicles. The trailer would basically have a Tesla semi without a cab in place of the trailer tandems. The trailers would all be be rails and the cargo containers could be swapped so power units would not be idle at drop yards.
Just my thoughts for what they are worth.

 

[Crissa]

Motors are not in short supply.

Yes, you'll be competing for batteries - but you would be if you tried to put them in the truck, or for boondocking, or whatever.

No, it's not going to be cheap. But it will be easier than throwing my batteries in the truck. Any batteries in the truck will be in a less optimal weight distribution, and an added cost to the truck itself. Along with making the truck less efficient while not towing!

And taking advantage if regen will lower operating costs for the trailer. Along with putting the weight on the axle(s) exactly where it's needed to decrease sway. And when you need those extra batteries for propulsion or appliances is in the trailer, right?

-Crissa

 

[Rutrow]

EDIT: Crissa types faster than I do. This post is somewhat redundant.

I would want the battery on the trailer (RV or travel trailer) because the RV needs a good power supply while you're parked and boondocking and it would be nice to keep the fridge and climate control running even when travelling.

There'd be no need for two motors per axle, or even more than one motor for a multi-axle trailer. A single motor, sized for the weight of the trailer would suffice. Some extremely heavy 5th wheels might benefit from more than one motor, but EV trucks really don't need any help in the torque category. All EV trucks on the road and the drawing board have more power than the VAST majority of RV hauling rigs. This is the reason that I think a trailer motor is unnecessary, but increasing range and allowing for a regenerative trailer brake has value. It would strike me as unfortunate if the safety demands of a trailer brake were wasted as heat and brake wear.

The motor controller could be as complicated as you want, but a simple electronic surge brake type (but would need to actuate in both directions) would suffice. As the trailer pulls on the hitch, the trailer drive motor speeds up, as the trailer pushes on the coupler, regenerative braking kicks in to serve as a trailer brake. Connecting wirelessly to the AutoPilot computer would certainly be the ideal system, allowing A.I. to apply acceleration whenever needed and trailer brakes in the optimally safe and power efficient manner.

When I buy my retirement 5th wheel trailer to haul with my CyberTruck, it WILL have a decent sized solar and Li-ion battery bank (PowerWall?) for off grid living. I just keep thinking that it would be nice for my RV battery to be available to the tow vehicle to extend range, but size wire and coupler needed to deliver that kind of power the dozen or so feet to the motor/battery is problematic, but driving a motor directly under the center of gravity of the trailer would be simple. Every pound of force that the trailer's motor can relieve from the tow vehicle would extend range of the rig overall, and having the battery at the trailer means you don't have to unload or carry around excess battery weight on day trips from your RV site.

So, depending on the price, a battery bank and trailer motor could be well worth the cost.

 

[charliemagpie]

Tesla's after market Plug and Play 4680 option to fit in there ?

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