The Electric Lightship L1 Camper Practically Tows Itself

• Lightship's L1 integrates an electric drivetrain and a large-capacity battery pack.

• Integrated solar panels help the L1's battery pack maintain a charge.

• Deliveries of the approximately $125,000 L1 begin at the end of 2024.

There are many questions that keep us up at night. Does extraterrestrial life exist? Is peace on earth possible? How will we be able to tow a camper long distances with an electric vehicle?

The latter question is one that may soon have a solution, as various recreational vehicle manufacturers work to integrate battery-electric propulsion into their products. The latest company to throw its hat into this ring is a startup called Lightship.

Founded by Ben Parker and Toby Kraus, both of whom spent a half-decade working at Tesla, Lightship intends to kick off production of its solar-powered battery-electric L1 camper trailer in late 2024. With an available 80.0-kWh battery pack (that's usable capacity, per Lightship), the L1 can motor itself about without taxing the electric motor(s) or internal combustion engine of the vehicle it's attached to.

In theory, this means the EV or ICE vehicle the L1's hitched to would see no reduction in energy efficiency or driving range. We won't truly know how this plays out in the real-world until we get our hands on an L1 of our own, though.