Lightship AE.1: TrekDrive real world towing data (electric truck edition)

[Rory (Lightship Team)]

The lab is the lab and the real world is the true test... so.. how efficient is the Lightship AE.1 in real world conditions?

We believe that our proprietary TrekDrive propulsion system and vehicle aerodynamics pair to produce the best performing trailer on the market.

But - the numbers should speak, so Ben (cofounder, chief product officer) and I ran two real world loops over the past week... below is the raw data. This data, along with qualitative observations, will allow us to keep improving performance and feel so that customer Lightships get better all the time.

We ran these two loops with electric trucks - and will do the same with diesel, gas, and hybrid trucks over the months to come.
In the meantime, see the TFL review for diesel towing data, at the bottom of the post.

Maps below, full real world video recaps to come.

Sat Dec 6, 2025: Ford F150 XLT Lightning Flash - Extended Range (2024 Model) + 2026 Lightship AE.1 Atmos
Route: Ben towed the below loop up to wine country, leaving from our office in South San Francisco. 196 miles. Combination of city, winding mountain roads, highways.
Weather: 50s and 60s. Overcast. Mild crosswinds.
Speed: stop and go thru SF; speeds of 25-50 mph on the coastal / mountainous section; 50-60 mph on the river road section (connecting to 101); 60-65 mph on the freeway back to SF with some traffic coming over the bay bridge.

Goal: Demonstrate the performance of the AE.1 in rolling and mountainous terrain, and show the potential of the Lightship to unlock a camping destination (Russian River) that would otherwise be unreachable for EV trucks without charging stops.

Benchmark: Lightning (extended range) ~90 miles towing with large travel trailers.

Departure: Ben left around with the Lightning at 100% SOC and the Trailer at 96% SOC.

Result: We returned to the office with 29% SOC on both the Truck and the Trailer. Running the math, the Truck consumed 93 kWh over the course of the route and the trailer consumed 47 kWh. This means the Truck saw efficiency of 2.11 mi/kWh average over the course of the route (vs ~0.69 mi/kWh towing other trailers).


Tues Dec 9, 2025: Rivian R1T Dual Motor Max Pack (2025 Model) + 2026 Lightship AE.1 Atmos
Route: I towed the loop out into the planes east of Denver. 266 miles. Outbound losing `1000 ft of elevation and gaining it back while climbing back into Denver.
Weather: 40s and 50s. Overcast. Significant swirling winds, with gusts up to 40 mph.
Speed: Highway speeds of 70-80 mph; backroads of 60-70 mph, and in and around the city of 30-50. Average 57 mph.

Goal: Demonstrate the performance of the AE.1 in adverse conditions - cold and windy - and run both the truck and the trailer to completely empty for a true range test.

Benchmark: Rivian R1T dual motor max pack ~140 miles towing with large travel trailers. In these kind of conditions and at 70+ mph driving speeds, perhaps closer to 100 miles of range.

Departure: We left at 9am with the truck at 100% and the trailer at 98%.

Result: We completed the loop without charging stop. It was super close returning to the factory and arrived with the truck at 3% and the trailer at 0%... we continued looping the factory lot until we hit zero on the Rivian at 270 miles all told, amounting to an efficiency of 2.03 mi/kWh (vs ~1.00 mi/kWh towing other trailers). This was a good result in these conditions, and support previous range testing we have done in warm and flat conditions where we have gone beyond 300 miles of range. On shorter routes with TrekDrive active the whole time, we would expect efficiencies approaching and even eclipsing 3 mi/kWh.

TFL review:

 

[turbopilot]

Rory, thanks for some real world results. The learning curve, for even some experienced RV owners is steep, as we begin to explore the world performance of electric RV's and tow vehicles.

There is one more variable that has to be considered when comparing performance: density altitude. In your comparison above the Rivian had a 14% advantage in efficiency over the Lightning because it was operating at 5,000' MSL, while Ben was pushing the air at sea level.

Somehow we need to find a way to standardize these measurements accounting for all the variables at play when comparing different tow vehicles. When towing, speed and density altitude at highway speeds are the major players and constantly changing.

drag force F_d = ½ × ρ × v² × C_d × A

Where ρ = air density and v² = speed.

 

[Holdmybeer]

The lab is the lab and the real world is the true test... so.. how efficient is the Lightship AE.1 in real world conditions?

We believe that our proprietary TrekDrive propulsion system and vehicle aerodynamics pair to produce the best performing trailer on the market.

But - the numbers should speak, so Ben (cofounder, chief product officer) and I ran two real world loops over the past week... below is the raw data. This data, along with qualitative observations, will allow us to keep improving performance and feel so that customer Lightships get better all the time.

We ran these two loops with electric trucks - and will do the same with diesel, gas, and hybrid trucks over the months to come.
In the meantime, see the TFL review for diesel towing data, at the bottom of the post.

Maps below, full real world video recaps to come.

Sat Dec 6, 2025: Ford F150 XLT Lightning Flash - Extended Range (2024 Model) + 2026 Lightship AE.1 Atmos
Route: Ben towed the below loop up to wine country, leaving from our office in South San Francisco. 196 miles. Combination of city, winding mountain roads, highways.
Weather: 50s and 60s. Overcast. Mild crosswinds.
Speed: stop and go thru SF; speeds of 25-50 mph on the coastal / mountainous section; 50-60 mph on the river road section (connecting to 101); 60-65 mph on the freeway back to SF with some traffic coming over the bay bridge.

Goal: Demonstrate the performance of the AE.1 in rolling and mountainous terrain, and show the potential of the Lightship to unlock a camping destination (Russian River) that would otherwise be unreachable for EV trucks without charging stops.

Benchmark: Lightning (extended range) ~90 miles towing with large travel trailers.

Departure: Ben left around with the Lightning at 100% SOC and the Trailer at 96% SOC.

Result: We returned to the office with 29% SOC on both the Truck and the Trailer. Running the math, the Truck consumed 93 kWh over the course of the route and the trailer consumed 47 kWh. This means the Truck saw efficiency of 2.11 mi/kWh average over the course of the route (vs ~0.69 mi/kWh towing other trailers).


Tues Dec 9, 2025: Rivian R1T Dual Motor Max Pack (2025 Model) + 2026 Lightship AE.1 Atmos
Route: I towed the loop out into the planes east of Denver. 266 miles. Outbound losing `1000 ft of elevation and gaining it back while climbing back into Denver.
Weather: 40s and 50s. Overcast. Significant swirling winds, with gusts up to 40 mph.
Speed: Highway speeds of 70-80 mph; backroads of 60-70 mph, and in and around the city of 30-50. Average 57 mph.

Goal: Demonstrate the performance of the AE.1 in adverse conditions - cold and windy - and run both the truck and the trailer to completely empty for a true range test.

Benchmark: Rivian R1T dual motor max pack ~140 miles towing with large travel trailers. In these kind of conditions and at 70+ mph driving speeds, perhaps closer to 100 miles of range.

Departure: We left at 9am with the truck at 100% and the trailer at 98%.

Result: We completed the loop without charging stop. It was super close returning to the factory and arrived with the truck at 3% and the trailer at 0%... we continued looping the factory lot until we hit zero on the Rivian at 270 miles all told, amounting to an efficiency of 2.03 mi/kWh (vs ~1.00 mi/kWh towing other trailers). This was a good result in these conditions, and support previous range testing we have done in warm and flat conditions where we have gone beyond 300 miles of range. On shorter routes with TrekDrive active the whole time, we would expect efficiencies approaching and even eclipsing 3 mi/kWh.



View attachment 30727View attachment 30728


TFL review:

Rory, my question is, if the real world test is to reach a camping destination -300 miles away with as you say “no charging stops”, which you could only do with TrekDrive, (which is the point for the demonstration), what do you do when you get there and TrekDrive has drained the towed vehicle’s ( Lightship’s) battery while the towing vehicles battery is likewise at or near zero soc? Isn’t it the case that the Lightship’s solar panels would require nearly a week to restore the 77kWh battery, provided nothing in the RV is pulling off the battery in the interim? Not to mention how would you charge the towing vehicle?
[/QUOTE]

 

[Rory (Lightship Team)]

Great points!

Lots of variables at play, a quick summary for electric trucks:

Altitude (drag) - better
Altitude (drivetrain efficiency) - minimal change
Cold - worse
Wind - worse (provided no prevailing tailwind)
Speed - worse above 25 mph

 

[Rory (Lightship Team)]

Rory, my question is, if the real world test is to reach a camping destination -300 miles away with as you say “no charging stops”, which you could only do with TrekDrive, (which is the point for the demonstration), what do you do when you get there and TrekDrive has drained the towed vehicle’s ( Lightship’s) battery while the towing vehicles battery is likewise at or near zero soc? Isn’t it the case that the Lightship’s solar panels would require nearly a week to restore the 77kWh battery, provided nothing in the RV is pulling off the battery in the interim? Not to mention how would you charge the towing vehicle?

[/QUOTE]
Also a great question. Really how you use trekdrive and the trailer battery depends on the situation.

One relevant example. You travel to a destination 180 miles away. You tow for 3 hours with trekdrive. You drop the trailer at the site with 120 miles left on both trailer and truck, or roughly 40%. On the Lightship that is still around 30 kWh, enough to last you several days even if not plugged in to shore power (conditions dependent). Meanwhile, 40% on a Rivian Max unladen is close to 200 miles. So you have 200 miles to go adventure around the area! Yes, you will need to stop at a fast charger with the truck before towing home, but that is potentially the only stop you need to make the whole trip. A Rivian fully charged towing an AE.1 should make it 180 miles home without trailer trekdrive, due to the aerodynamics of the trailer (lowered canopy). Depending on how much battery you used camping, you can also engage trekdrive to burn the remaining battery and make it easier!

 

[turbopilot]

There is one additional advantage towing with an EV that has vehicle to load plug capability. If your destination is at a site without electrical hook ups for the LightShip, you can unhitch and take the EV to the nearest charger then "tanker" back the EV charge to the LightShip and then charge the LightShip using the EV's vehicle to load feature via a portable NACS adapter.

This is one feature that gives an advantage to EV's towing a LightShip. With a pure ICE truck there is no easy way to bring a charge to the LightShip except with a gas generator.

The F-150 HEV Powerboost tow vehicle covers both bases with the ProPower on Board 7.2 kW generator since it can convert gasoline to electricity at the campsite then transfer the electricity to the LightShip using the PPoB generator vehicle to load plug in the bed.