Pebble All-Electric RV's R1S Towing Data & kWh Consumption Projections

[rancur]

So I got to spend some time with the Lightship L1 cofounder and team this past week and I was super impressed. I don’t think Lightship are getting as much coverage as Pebble because they are soooo focused on shipping soon that and aren’t trying to prove demand by getting more reservations.

I’d recommend look at their stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a long time before the Pebble hits the market compared to Lightship.

https://lightshiprv.com/

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[rhumbliner]

I’d recommend look at their stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a long time before the Pebble hits the market compared to Lightship.

Looks super interesting but, again, I’ll reserve judgement until I actually see one in person. It’s another RV designed by folks who have no experience building RV’s. Like them, I spend a lot of time living in a travel trailer and exploring the mountain west but that doesn’t make me qualified to build one. I wish these guys well but will definitely be watching from the sidelines.

 

[Tr4ckD4ys]

So I got to spend some time with the Lightship L1 cofounder and team this past week and I was super impressed. I don’t think Lightship are getting as much coverage as Pebble because they are soooo focused on shipping soon that and aren’t trying to prove demand by getting more reservations.

I’d recommend look at their stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a long time before the Pebble hits the market compared to Lightship.

https://lightshiprv.com/

$150k for the motorized version. That’s just insane.

 

[pricedm]

I might never be able to convince my wife. To her, camping is staying at a Marriott. A towable is not even in the discussion. I might get her in a 45 foot pusher with multiple slide outs though. The best argument is "we can bring the dogs".

Exhibit A in why "Dogs are a man's best friend."

Sounds like you have good partners in crime. GLWS!

 

[HaveBlue]

I'll be sticking with what I have 1.6 mi/kWh at 60-65 mph

 

[Dark-Fx]

Looks super interesting but, again, I’ll reserve judgement until I actually see one in person. It’s another RV designed by folks who have no experience building RV’s. Like them, I spend a lot of time living in a travel trailer and exploring the mountain west but that doesn’t make me qualified to build one. I wish these guys well but will definitely be watching from the sidelines.

Should mean they don't have preconceived notions and bad habits most RV makers have.

 

[Hillbilly]

Should mean they don't have preconceived notions and bad habits most RV makers have.

In some ways, yes. But if there's only a single floorplan, then they had better get the layout right. It's not easy staying in such a small space if there's inadequate storage, poor ventilation/ac, limited black/grey/fresh water tank capacity, etc. plus there's going to be overarching concerns about weight and weight distribution that matter.

We're on our second trailer and it's a bunk model since we have kids (first was a heavily discounted premium line that we got pre-covid) For the first model we had, setting up that sleeping space daily for the kids sucked, as it just gets in the way of doing much of anything in the RV until they're converted back into tables. You also run into interior and exterior storage issues. Once the kids are gone, we'll definitely be ditching the bunk model, but for now it'll take one hell of an impressive trailer to cause the wife and I to switch while we still have young ones underfoot.

Anyway, point is that they had better get a lot of things right to pull people away at that price point from established manufacturers that have multiple floor plan options.

 

[jemkewl]

So I got to spend some time with the Lightship L1 cofounder and team this past week and I was super impressed. I don’t think Lightship are getting as much coverage as Pebble because they are soooo focused on shipping soon that and aren’t trying to prove demand by getting more reservations.

I’d recommend look at their stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a long time before the Pebble hits the market compared to Lightship.

https://lightshiprv.com/

The open concept is great until the average family of 4 tries to sleep...

 

[SSteveEV]

So I got to spend some time with the Lightship L1 cofounder and team this past week and I was super impressed. I ....
I’d recommend look at their stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a long time before the Pebble hits the market compared to Lightship.

https://lightshiprv.com/

Looks cool, but how do you open and close that door quickly to keep the bugs out? Or even just reach the top part to close it from the outside. Is it powered? Stuff like that will make or break those designs.

As for others waiting on a critical mass of Hilton hating dogs/kids to grow up. My memories of family trips in rental RVs are still some of my favorites ever, so get out there and enjoy it! Even if you need a rental gas guzzler
To quote the RV song my mom came up with: "oh the RV life is the life for meeee....and you can pee!"

 

[JamuJoe]

Looks pretty interesting but I’ll reserve judgment until I can actually touch the finished product. Why? They advertise they have execs from Apple and Tesla but I don’t see any mention of experience from Airstream. It’s hard for me to imagine that a group of, even intelligent, folks can build a usable RV with absolutely no prior experience. We’ll see.

I differ, and have a deposit down on a Pebble Flow. (just as I placed an early order on our R1T). Of course, I also want to touch the final product before purchase. Airstream (and I’m sitting in our Flying Cloud 28 which we towed here with our R1T) has little experience or expertise to contribute to the Pebble Flow development. Airstream technology is seriously outdated. Their eStream prototype was not impressive, and went nowhere . I welcome a new approach using automotive engineering.

 

[rhumbliner]

I welcome a new approach using automotive engineering.

I sincerely hope you’re right. Keep us posted!

FYI, we also tow an Airstream 28’ Flying Cloud with our R1T. Anywhere from Vancouver Island down to Tucson. Love the truck.

 

[JamuJoe]

I sincerely hope you’re right. Keep us posted!

FYI, we also tow an Airstream 28’ Flying Cloud with our R1T. Anywhere from Vancouver Island down to Tucson. Love the truck.

I’m sure you get ‘interviewed ‘ as often as I do in campgrounds and charging stations. We’re currently in your area, in Olympic National Park.

Here I squeezed into the RAN in Forks. Fortunately, it was empty.

 

[EVtowing]

From Pebble: “The preliminary data reported by the R1S towing a 6,200 lbs Pebble Flow engineering prototype however show that at a constant speed of 55 mph, the average efficiency stands at 1.4 miles per kWh without active propulsion assist. This increases to 1.8 miles per kWh when the active propulsion assist system is activated. While the initial results are promising, we at Pebble are committed to further testing and enhancing performance ahead of production commencement later this year.”

I’ve been following Pebble since they announced the Flow and was very disappointed to see that their trailer powertrain had such a small impact on tow vehicle energy usage.

Instead of spending so much on a powered trailer, perhaps a better investment is the R1S Dual Motor with Max Pack.

It's neat, but the propulsion assist, Magic Pack I believe they called it, makes me wonder how many miles of propulsion assist that's good for. Are you stuck pulling into a charger, dropping the trailer close to a dispenser to plug in, then pulling your truck up to another to charge both simultaneously? That's lame, but I suppose the only option.

As intrigued as I am with powered trailers (Pebble, Lightship, Airstream eStream) my preliminary conclusion is that they are not worth the extra cost unless they can at least double your towing range.

As near as I can tell, Airstream has decided not to go into production with the eStream which is a bit disappointing; I think they are scared of the extra technology. The Lightship strikes me as too mechanically complicated and sacrifices interior storage space so that the roof can be lowered, plus I don’t want a trailer that long. The Pebble Flow is interesting but in a 25ft trailer I would hope for a larger main bed and the front seating area is bigger than I need; but the whole trailer is bigger than I need (just myself and my spouse). 20 to 21 ft would be ideal. It certainly has a lot of cool features. I hope the company is successfull.

I’ve been towing a 17ft Safari Alto F1743 with a Tesla Model X for six years and over 12,000 miles. Thinking about an R1S. Lots of advantages over my Tesla but some disadvantages. Going to start a thread about it so no need to discuss that here. Thanks.

 

[mkhuffman]

I’ve been following Pebble since they announced the Flow and was very disappointed to see that their trailer powertrain had such a small impact on tow vehicle energy usage.

Instead of spending so much on a powered trailer, perhaps a better investment is the R1S Dual Motor with Max Pack.
As intrigued as I am with powered trailers (Pebble, Lightship, Airstream eStream) my preliminary conclusion is that they are not worth the extra cost unless they can at least double your towing range.

As near as I can tell, Airstream has decided not to go into production with the eStream which is a bit disappointing; I think they are scared of the extra technology. The Lightship strikes me as too mechanically complicated and sacrifices interior storage space so that the roof can be lowered, plus I don’t want a trailer that long. The Pebble Flow is interesting but in a 25ft trailer I would hope for a larger main bed and the front seating area is bigger than I need; but the whole trailer is bigger than I need (just myself and my spouse). 20 to 21 ft would be ideal. It certainly has a lot of cool features. I hope the company is successfull.

I’ve been towing a 17ft Safari Alto F1743 with a Tesla Model X for six years and over 12,000 miles. Thinking about an R1S. Lots of advantages over my Tesla but some disadvantages. Going to start a thread about it so no need to discuss that here. Thanks.

I am disappointed there are no slide outs. And do any of them have a king-sized bed? To get my wife to ditch the Marriott, I need a king-sized bed.

Can you post the link here for the thread you are going to start?

 

[EVtowing]

Can you post the link here for the thread you are going to start?

Sure, see https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...y-an-r1s-could-be-a-better-tow-vehicle.31096/

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