Less than a year after officially unveiling its all-electric L1 electric RV trailer, Lightship has announced it is now flush with funding to accelerate its production. Here’s the latest on the promising young startup.
Lightship is a startup with roots in San Francisco and Boulder, Colorado, founded in 2020 by Ben Parker and Toby Kraus – two industry veterans with impressive resumes that include notable contributions at Tesla.
The company first caught our eye in the summer of 2022 before officially stepping out of the shadows in March 2023, declaring itself the first all-electric RV company. The startup designs unique battery-powered trailers for an impending all-electric age, hoping to bring refreshing and more sustainable options to a stale trailer and RV segment.
That journey begins with the L1 – Lightship’s flagship product, whose telescoping aerodynamic trailer design caught the attention of many electric mobility enthusiasts (myself included). Capitalists also caught wind of the L1 and have opened their checkbooks to help the startup accelerate electric trailer production.
Lightship gains funds to begin electric trailer production
Early this morning, Lightship announced details of a successful Series B funding round totaling $34 million co-led by Obvious Ventures and Prelude Ventures with additional financial support from Allegis Capital, global RV manufacturer THOR Industries, and TechNexus Venture Collaborative. Congruent Ventures, HyperGuap, and Alumni Ventures also joined the Series B round as returning investors.
With tens of millions of venture capital now at its disposal, Lightyear says it can expedite scaled production to get its electric trailers out to American families sooner. That next milestone begins with the establishment of the L1’s manufacturing infrastructure and supply chain to establish pilot production at its new facility in Broomfield, Colorado. Co-founder and CEO Toby Kraus spoke:
We take pride in what we’ve created at Lightship and have been humbled with the reception of the L1. Building an all-electric RV from the ground up and a brand-new U.S. based manufacturing company around that product has taken the hard work and dedication of an incredible team with outstanding support from our network of investors. We have a bold vision for the future of recreational travel, and this is just the beginning of what’s to come from Lightship.
When its pilot manufacturing lines start humming later this year, Lightship expects to bring several high-tech engineering and manufacturing jobs to the Centennial State as it (hopefully) scales L1 electric trailer production.
The Lightship L1 trailer is available to reserve for $500 down and currently starts at $125,000 (without the electric drive motor). Learn more in the L1 launch video below:
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