LightShip 4 Now Starting Customer Evaluation

[turbopilot]

More on the topic of water being some kind of limitation for length of say off grid. Here is a version of the same approach I have taken to eliminate water as a limitation.

 

[Blackstone]

More on the topic of water being some kind of limitation for length of say off grid. Here is a version of the same approach I have taken to eliminate water as a limitation.

Now we just need to know what pump the Lightship has so we can get a spare

 

[turbopilot]

Now we just need to know what pump the Lightship has so we can get a spare

Seaflo SFDP1-055-060-55

 

[Porterhouse]

We also need to consider the effect of weight transfer from the fresh water tank to the gray and blackwater tanks. I assume the gray and black are behind the axles, and that would decrease the tongue weight of the trailer, which will increase the propensity for the trailer to sway.

 

[sanda]

I completed a 300 mile trip to day in Arizona towing the LightShip 4. For this trip I used the LightShip battery only with the air conditioner running while in motion. For this leg I did not hook up the NACS port to the Powerboost, I just ran on battery alone. The solar panels were active satisfying all 12 volt demand while taking the 12 Renogy battery up to 100% SOC.

I departed with the high voltage battery at 93% SOC and arrived at 84% SOC, so I consumed about 7 kW on the trip over the 300 mile trip, mostly supporting the HVAC unit that was set at 73F. I was seeing nominal demand around 600 to 900 watts. Outside temperatures were in the mid 70's during most of the trip.

On a 100 mile segment beginning and ending at sea level, with light winds and a speed target of 62 MPH the fuel economy was 16.7 MPG. I never used TrekDrive on this trip.

The LightShip tows very well. Compared to the Airstream it feels like you always have a strong wind at your back. When I let off the accelerator there is no sudden deceleration like a feel with the Airstream because of all the wind resistance pushing on the Airstream

I also feel much more comfortable towing at higher speeds with the LightShip. With the Airstream I felt uncomfortable going more then 62 MPH. Today with the LightShip I found my cruise speeds feeling natural up to around 70 MPH.

And the heads were turning at the gas stations. It is interesting to watch people when they first see the LightShip. I think many people are trying to process what the machine is at first glance.

Can you show your fuel economy in hand calculated numbers. Most computed mpg's are usually inaccurate and overly optimistic. Hand calculating should show numbers to a hundredth of mpg.

 

[turbopilot]

Can you show your fuel economy in hand calculated numbers. Most computed mpg's are usually inaccurate and overly optimistic. Hand calculating should show numbers to a hundredth of mpg.

I don't use the Ford dashboard mileage calculations. I use an OBD reader and OBDLink IOS App to measure fuel economy and many other parameters not available on the standard Ford instrumentation. I have independently verified OBDLink calculations to be accurate down to two decimal places.

Below is the 100 mile run I made and reported in an earlier post.

 

[turbopilot]

Canopy Modes - The Differences

Most coverage of the LightShip has centered on the its use and functions in a "Canopy Up" mode. Nobody has talked about the usability of LightShip when the canopy is down. When the canopy translates to the down position it retracts about one meter. But what happens inside the LightShip when that happens? That was a question I never asked until the LightShip was sitting in my hangar with the canopy down.

When you step inside the LightShip with the canopy down you step into a new experience with the LightShip. The big windows have disappeared. You have to bend over to get around. However, the ceiling is just high enough that you can sit comfortably on the bench seats with your head just brushing the ceiling.

You can also get to all the appliances and storage areas without any problems. The water works. And in "Camp Mode" the air conditioning and 110 volt appliances work. So everything is an available to use but you can't stand up. There is one exception. The bathroom door is locked closed, canopy down.

Before you retract the canopy you have to positively close and lock the bathroom sliding glass door. Once you retract the canopy the slot available to slide the door goes away as the glass panel in back of the kitchen retracts into the position normally occupied by the sliding bathroom door when it is open.

When I discovered this situation I said "No way" this will not work. One of the nice things about making long road trips with an RV is that your personal needs can be met on your own terms without using the facilities along the way, including rest stops. Rest stops can be dangerous places particularly the bathroom facilities. I never use them.

So I commenced to do my first significant modification of LightShip 4. The bathroom door must go.

Removing the bathroom door was not hard but it did have a lot of little pieces. The design and engineering of the door is not at all on the same level as the rest of the LightShip.

With the door removed, the bathroom is revealed with the canopy down. The bathroom ceiling and wall tapper to allow for the narrow boat tail of the LightShip.

All the tappers conspire to lower the head room over the toilet more than the rest of the cabin. But with a little practice the toilet still can be used, as well as the sink.

The next challenge was to find a way to provide a barrier between the cabin and the bathroom when in use. This is a work in progress. For the first version I just bought an inexpensive black out doorway curtain on Amazon for $40.

It seems to do the job. But will need some modifications.

The bathroom door height is 83" but these curtains only come in a 78" length. I actually think it looks better than the original sliding door. It also saves about 32 pounds of weight and there is no worries about canopy retraction as the curtains just fold up on the floor when the canopy retracts.

So now all the important services are available en route.

Some will say just raise and lower the canopy when you stop. Of course you can to that but it involves the normal routine raising and lowering to making sure everything is secured and in the proper position for canopy actuation, so round trip to stop for a pee you are looking at 5 to 10 minutes of fooling around with the canopy. And then there is the extra wear and tear on the canopy motors.

For quick breaks to get some food or use the toilet on a long trip, I prefer to keep it simple. This works for me.

 

[Holdmybeer]

I'm thinking Lightship logo kneepads. Rory probably needs a project anyway.