Lightship unveils L1 electric RV trailer, capable of maintaining the full range of the EV towing it
A young all-electric RV startup called Lightship looks to turn a lucrative yet stale segment in recreational mobility on its ear beginning today with the official debut of its L1 electric travel trailer. This purpose-built design is loaded with modern day innovations in aerodynamics, electric efficiency, and renewable energy could not only disrupt the RV industry, but truly change the way we approach the camping experience using an all-electric, sustainable eco system. Not to mention it looks sleek as hell. Be sure to check out the full launch video from Lightship below.
Lightship is a San Francisco, CA and Boulder, Colorado-based startup that describes itself as the first all-electric RV company designing battery-powered trailers for the inevitable electrified age of mobility. It was founded in 2020 by Ben Parker and Toby Kraus – two industry veterans with notable tenures at Tesla as well as other electrified innovators like Proterra.
The original premise of a complete ground-up redesign of the RV for the electric age started where many great ideas stem from, the stomach. Cofounder Ben Parker was frequenting the food trucks outside of Tesla while working as a battery engineer on the Model 3, and noticed the nasty emissions from gas and propane generators pouring out of each truck and into the next.
It was there that the idea for an electric RV was seeded, as Parker left Tesla at the start of the pandemic to embark on a 6,000 mile journey across the US to soul search and speak with RV owners along the way to identify the current wants and needs of a $140 billion a year industry.
After incorporating the Lightship brand from the road, Parker soon connected with Kraus, who had also worked extensively at Tesla and shared an interest in bringing similar, environmentally conscious technologies to new industries in support a cleaner future for his children and beyond.
From there, the cofounders sought to take their knowledge of disruption and holistic design learned at companies like Tesla in order to apply it to the RV industry. Parker explained:
One in 10 American families own an RV, but the RV industry hasn’t experienced innovation for decades. Inefficient, unreliable product designs and a power experience that relies on smelly, noisy, gas or propane generators fundamentally hinder the amazing experience of traveling in the outdoors.
Lightship looks to change all that beginning today with the official unveiling of its L1 electric RV trailer at SXSW. This travel trailer is not only unique its aerodynamic modular design, but is also equipped with its own all-electric powertrain and battery pack, alleviating the towing capacity for the vehicle in front it, allowing owners to driver further and more efficiently without having to recharge as much.
Lightship’s electric trailer could revolutionize the RV industry
After three years of development, Lightship officially shared its flagship L1 electric RV with the public this morning, kicking off the potential dawn of a new age of recreational mobility should the travel trailer reach production.
As you can see in the images above, the L1 is a clean-sheet approach to the traditional RV, focusing on hyper-efficiency while being towed before transforming into a spacious camping space offering complete ecosystem of battery powered amenities.
The 27-foot trailer measures 8.5 feet wide and can power its height up and down from 6 feet 9 inches in road mode to ten feet tall when parked in camp mode, offering the capability to sleep 4-6 people. Being sleek and spacious is one thing, but the performance of this electric RV is truly unique and should be an enormous selling point to consumers, whether they’re towing it with an EV or a combustion vehicle.
The L1 itself is equipped with its own electric powertrain and 80 kWh battery pack (Lightship is not sharing its battery supplier at this time). As a result, the trailer propels itself behind the towing vehicle, offering near-zero range loss. That means a 300 mile range electric pickup towing the 7,500 pound (when fully loaded) L1 will maintain near full estimated range. In fact, Lightship’s cofounders told us that combustion trucks towing the L1 actually gained fuel efficiency in certain cases thanks to the trailers advanced aero. Score! (Those drivers still should go all-EV though, just sayin’.)
A huge thorn in the side of current electric truck owners is the extensive range losses when towing – up to two-thirds in many cases. By keeping the force behind the towing vehicle near-zero as much as possible, Lightship owners will someday be able to take longer road trips without stopping to recharge, or reach their destinations with even more power to spare when camped. Lightship cofounder and CEO Ben Parker elaborated on this design approach in an interview with Electrek:
It’s a pretty rare and awesome chance we’ve gotten where there is an industry that hasn’t changed a ton for a few decades. It’s huge. There is the sort of product opportunity where given the state of the technology, if you don’t do a from-scratch approach here, you can’t make a product that meets all the specs you need it to. It can’t be long range enough, it won’t be lightweight enough. Only through a ground-up approach can you make an efficient enough product for it to also be cost effective enough that you can sell it at any volume.
There’s a catalyst too. Electric trucks are taking off. What do people do with trucks? They do truck stuff – they go towing. You literally can’t tow a traditional travel trailer for more than about 100 miles right now. People are not going to stop RV’ing, this is a massive pastime. So it’s the convergence, the sort of the confluence of a few things that makes this so cool.
Cool indeed. Know what else is cool? The power in the electric RV itself is further bolstered by solar panels across its large roof, offering up to an additional 3 kW of renewable power to support the amenities and appliances within the L1 without any reliance on gasoline or propane generators. Below are some renderings of the interior of Lightship’s L1.
When scheduled production begins in late 2024, Lightship expects to sell the L1 electric RV trailer at a starting price of $125,000. The cofounder shared this price point is by no means the top tier level in RVs and they are instead targeting consumers interested in a travel trailer similar to an Airstream. Lightship will instead offer a similarly priced, all-electric option that is three times more aerodynamic than the next best traditional trailer.
Furthermore, Lightship’s cofounders explained to us that the L1 can be sold for $118,400 after an available tax credit. Due to its price point, the L1 currently does not qualify for the traditional federal EV tax credit revamped in the recent Inflation Reduction Act.
It does, however, qualify as a dwelling. If you add solar and an electric battery to that dwelling, it can qualify for a separate program called the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) that usually applies to your house rather than the EV in your driveway. A nice little loophole there for Lightship and yet another huge selling point for potential consumers.
Lightship completed a Series A funding round last summer after an initial seed round before that, but cofounder and President Toby Kraus explained the startup will need more funding to get the L1 into scaled production:
There’s no doubt that we’re launching a complex manufactured hardware product, but we’ve been very capital efficient to date. We’ve spent less than 10 million dollars to get to the point we’re at and we’re very confident in our runway and we’re feeling good, but I think definitely, to get to capacitized production we will raise more money.
With its official launch today, the L1 electric RV trailer is available for reservations on the Lightship website for $500 down. Again, production is scheduled for late 2024. As we look to learn more about this exciting new spin on the RV industry, you can learn more about the Lightship L1 in the full launch video below.
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Believe it or not, you can lease an EV for under $200 a month. New deals on models like the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6 are hard to pass up this month.
Electric vehicles have been all over the news lately, with the Trump administration threatening to end federal incentives and introducing new tariffs that are expected to lead to higher prices.
On the positive side, new EV models are arriving, giving buyers more options and driving prices down. Many automakers reported record US electric car sales in the first three months of 2024.
GM remained the number two seller of EVs behind Tesla after sales doubled in Q1 2025. With the new Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs rolling out, Chevy is now the fastest-growing EV brand in the US. Ford’s Mustang Mach-E is off to its best sales start since launching, with over 11,600 models sold in the first quarter.
With the 2025 models rolling out and about 15 new EVs arriving this year, many automakers are introducing steep discounts to move vehicles off the lot.
EVs for lease for under $200 a month in April
Although the decade-old Nissan LEAF remains one of the most affordable this April at just $149 per month, there are a few EVs under $200 right now that are worth taking a look at.
The new 2025 Hyundai IONIQ might be the best EV deal this month, with leases as low as $199. Hyundai is currently promoting a 24-month lease deal with $3,999 due at signing.
Hyundai upgraded the electric SUV with a bigger battery for more range (now up to 318 miles), a sleek new look inside and out, and it now comes with an NACS port so you can charge it at Tesla Superchargers.
The offer is for the IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range, which has a driving range of up to 245 miles. For just $229 a month, you can snag the SE RWD model, which has a range of up to 318 miles and a more powerful (225 horsepower) electric motor. It’s also a 24-month lease with $3,999 due at signing.
To sweeten the deal, Hyundai is offering a free ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 EV charger with the purchase or lease of any 2024 or 2025 IONIQ 5. If you already have one, you can opt for a $400 public charging credit.
After slashing lease prices this month, the 2025 Nissan Ariya is actually cheaper than the LEAF in some regions. In Southern California, the 2025 Nissan Ariya Evolve AWD is listed at just $129 per month. The AWD model has a range of up to 272 miles.
The deal is for 36 months, with $4,409 due at signing. In April, Nissan cut Ariya lease prices to around $239 in most other parts of the country.
Kia has a few EVs available to lease for under $200 a month in April. The 2025 Kia Niro EV Wind is listed at just $129 for 24 months, with $3,999 due at signing. Kia’s crossover SUV has EPA-estimated range of 253 miles.
The 2024 EV6 may be worth considering at just $179 for 24 months ($3,999 due at signing). In California, the EV6 Light Long Range RWD is only slightly more than the Niro Wind.
In most other parts of the country, you can still find the EV6 for under $200 a month. The Light Long Range RWD trim offers up to 310 miles of EPA-estimated range.
| Lease Price | Term (months) |
Amount Due at Signing | Driving Range | |
| 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range | $199 | 24 | $3,999 | 245 miles |
| 2024 Kia EV6 Light Long Rang RWD | $179 | 24 | $3,999 | 310 miles |
| 2024 Kia Niro EV Wind | $129 | 24 | $3,999 | 253 miles |
| 2025 Nissan Ariya Evolve AWD | $129 | 36 | $4,409 | 272 miles |
| 2025 Nissan LEAF S FWD | $149 | 36 | $2,629 | 149 miles |
| 2024 Fiat 500 INSPI(RED) | $199 | 24 | $2,999 | 149 miles |
And don’t forget the 2024 Fiat 500e, which is now listed at just $199 for 24 months with $2,999 due at signing. The electric hatchback offers a range of up to 149 miles.
If you are looking to spend a little more, check out our list of EVs you can lease for under $300 a month.
Ready to snag the savings while they are still here? At under $200 a month, some of these EV lease deals are hard to pass up right now. Check out our links below to find deals in your area.
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![The US’s first solar panels over canals pilot is now online [video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/Project-Nexus-solar-canal.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Project Nexus, the first solar panel canopies over irrigation canals in the US, is now online in California, and there are plans to expand the project to other areas.
Project Nexus is a $20 million pilot in central California’s Turlock Irrigation District launched in October 2022. The project team is exploring solar over canal design, deployment, and co-benefits using canal infrastructure and the electrical grid.
India already has solar panels over canals, but Project Nexus is the first of its kind in the US.
The Turlock Irrigation District was the first irrigation district formed in California in 1887. It provides irrigation water to 4,700 growers who farm around 150,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley.
Project Nexus will explore whether the solar panels reduce water evaporation as a result of midday shade and wind mitigation, create improvements to water quality through reduced vegetative growth, reduce canal maintenance as a result of reduced vegetative growth, and, of course, generate renewable electricity.
The California Department of Water Resources, utility company Turlock Irrigation District, Marin County, California-based water and energy project developer Solar AquaGrid, and The University of California, Merced, are partnering on the pilot. Project Nexus originated from a 2021 research project led by UC Merced alumna and project scientist Brandi McKuin.
Solar panels were installed at two sites over both wide- and narrow-span sections of Turlock Irrigation District canals in Stanislaus County, in various orientations. The sections range from 20 feet wide to 100 feet wide. University of California, Merced has positioned research equipment at both sites to collect baseline data so the researchers can decide where solar will work and where it won’t.
In February 2023, Project Nexus announced it would also deploy long-term iron flow battery storage in the form of two ESS 75kW turnkey “Energy Warehouse” batteries.
You can learn more about Project Nexus here:
Read more: In a US first, California will pilot solar-panel canopies over canals
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