RVs Get Electrified: Investing in Lightship

Lightship is building a critical element in the macro transition to an all-electric national vehicle fleet.

For the past ten years you may have heard me opine about the near future we envision, one in which everything imaginable in our transportation ecosystem has been completely electrified.

This transition to exclusively all-electric offerings is now well underway, and it’s a one-way street.

GM has committed to all vehicles being non-combustion — inclusive of trucks — by 2035. Ford will not sell anything but electric in Europe by 2030, and is expected to announce something similar for the U.S. markets soon. VW, the largest in the world, has made similar commitments. At the same time, new electric trucks are coming on the market, with seemingly strong demand. Rivian’s production is sold out for two years (with a $1,000 deposit), the Ford F150 Lightning is getting strong reviews, and other vehicles such as the Cybertruck from Tesla, the electric Hummer, and others are on their way.

None of these vehicles can maintain an acceptable range while towing a recreational vehicle (RV).

The RV market is $26B in the U.S., with a projected 6% CAGR over the next five years. Ninety percent of the RVs on the road are towables. Two companies, Forest River and Thor Industries (owner of the Airstream), together (and evenly) split an 80% market share. With one in ten American households owning an RV, it would seem that electrification is an extraordinary opportunity for these incumbents. The R&D budgets of these legacy players just can’t get ahead of the electric transition, but start-ups can and will.

Enter Lightship.

Today we’re excited to announce Obvious’ investment in Lightship, a modern, all-electric towable recreational vehicle. Designed from the ground up for an electric ecosystem, the product will have a number of unique features including:

1. Distinct aerodynamics. Without a design maniacally focused on low drag, RVs will never be towable with an electric vehicle. Even with a diesel truck, improved aerodynamics have an extraordinary impact on fuel efficiency. The elegant but antiquated design of an Airstream today will lower the range of an F150 or Rivian truck by at least 50%, electric or not.
2. All-electric, quiet and clean. The vehicle will be designed for electric living inside and out. The roof will have PV integrated, the interior equipment will be all-electric, and there will be no need for propane or loud generators.
3. Electric drive ready. The chassis and all electric systems will be designed from the get-go to support electric propulsion .
4. All connected. The design is expected to incorporate a connected vehicle for things like over the air updates, but also for remote access wherever you travel.

The founding team has been charging up for years to seize this opportunity. Co-founder and CEO Ben Parker was a mechanical engineer on the Tesla battery team, and the leader of a title-winning, open-wheel electric race car team at Dartmouth. Co-founder and COO Toby Kraus spent five years at Tesla in finance and product management, followed by four years at Proterra ($PTRA) in finance while running the Proterra-Powered Program.

What also struck us as a team was how much time and energy Ben spent seeking radical empathy with the RV community. After leaving Tesla, Ben hit the road (literally) — driving around the country with an RV, spending months listening to and learning from RV owners. From the noise of diesel generators to the drag-magnifying cost of fuel, there are so many pain points he was able to identify that a combination of electrification and superb design could solve for. Ben and Toby are building this for all RV owners, whether you’ll be pulling them with diesel or sweet sweet carbon free electrons.

Co-founders on the road in eastern Utah.

That’s exactly what Lightship is setting out to do: solve all these problems for consumers while delivering another key solution to the macro challenge we all face in fully electrifying our transportation economy.

Let’s roll.

First order of business for this duo is to build a world-class team of engineers, designers, and creative thinkers ready to deliver a new form of freedom to the road, the campsite and the future. Join them!