Pebble Flow: all electric RV trailer with powered drivetrain

New California company called Pebble has announced an all electric RV trailer called the Pebble Flow with a 45kWh battery pack that uses two motors to power the wheels as needed to reduce tow vehicle energy usage and when unhitched maneuver it at low speeds at the campsite. 1kW of solar panels on the roof. Can be charged by AC or DC (CCS plug). 25 ft long, can sleep up to 4, “full size” fridge, oven, microwave, induction cooktop. Found one article stating the GVW is 6,200 lbs, pretty heavy, but the aerodynamic shape should help with towing energy efficiency even when not using the onboard motors to drive the wheels. I assume those motors can be controlled to provide varying amounts of assistance.

Has some fancy features including automatic positioning of the trailer tongue onto the tow vehicle hitch ball, powered levelers, bathroom walls that can be changed from opaque to clear to opaque at the touch of a button (when clear they make the interior of the trailer seem larger, cool idea).

Trailer is shown hitched up without safety chains, which is odd. No mention of any kind of dynamic sway control to obviate the need for a weight distribution hitch but it mush have automatic anti-sway capability given it has dual motors on a single axel.

Video from Pebble describing the trailer. Base price is $109K but if you want all the fancy features (including the powered drivetrain) its $125K. Available late 2024.

You can see it IRL at the LA Auto Show this November. I’ll be watching to see where else it is going to show up, as I’m intrigued.

 

[BayAreaCelt]

Does not look overly robust... these things go wrong enough as it is, recommend hanging back till a few years have passed - get an RV from RVs of America for that much money, one with a lot of solar and battery, without the complexities..

 

[ecarfan]

The Pebble Flow approach is roughly similar to a few other trailers I’ve posted about in this sub forum; Airstream eStream concept (which shows no signs of going into production) and the Lightship. Powered wheels, all electric, solar, big batteries, emphasis on aerodynamics.

The objective is to increase the range of an EV tow vehicle. I’ve been towing a 17 ft Safari Condo Alto trailer with an X for 6 years. I’ve added additional battery capacity and over 700W of solar on the roof. But the trailer is still stuck in the past; it isn’t very aerodynamic, it can’t power itself on the highway, and it can’t hitch and unhitch automatically. The Pebble Flow looks like a solid attempt to move RVs into the future. Will be interesting to see how it develops…

 

[MLXXXp]

Any bets on whether or not they announce they are going to use NACS? (Photos show CCS.)

 

[ecarfan]

Any bets on whether or not they announce they are going to use NACS? (Photos show CCS.)

Trying to position a 25 ft trailer so that it could be charged at a Supercharger or a CCS station like Electrify America would be impossible in almost all situations. I’ve used a lot of Superchargers over the past decade and can only think of a few that could accommodate it.

The DC charging capability of the Pebble Flow is, for now, more of a sales gimmick than a useful feature. I would charge the trailer at a campsite with AC power.

 

[MLXXXp]

The DC charging capability of the Pebble Flow is, for now, more of a sales gimmick than a useful feature. I would charge the trailer at a campsite with AC power.

Well, with most vehicle manufacturers switching to NACS, the majority of destination, home and portable AC EVSEs will also likely use NACS (eventually).

 

[ecarfan]

Well, with most vehicle manufacturers switching to NACS, the majority of destination, home and portable AC EVSEs will also likely use NACS (eventually).

Agreed. My point is that whether the Pebble Flow has a CCS or a NACS connector doesn’t really matter because charging stations are built for passenger cars and trucks, not 25 ft long RV trailers. It isn’t possible to position a trailer into a charging stall space so that it can plug in. The Cybertruck is around 19.5 ft long and over 6.5 ft wide and it is going to be very difficult to fit into EV charging spaces.

The companies that build charging networks, such as Tesla and Electrify America, are not going to design charging stalls for 25 ft RV trailers or motorhomes because there are so few of them and will be very few of them for the foreseeable future compared to the millions of EV cars on the road.

So the Pebble Flow will be charging at campgrounds on 30A or 50A AC. Which is fine. I’m excited about this new all-electric RV and hope to get a look at it in 2024.

 

[Dracaris]

Agreed, EVRV trailers will likely have to charge via 30 or 50 amp outlets in campgrounds, not at DC fast chargers. That's already the norm for RVs with lithium batteries onboard to run the coach while camping - campground outlets, generators, and solar charging.

Regardless, this seems a pretty cool concept, and if you consider Airstream trailers to be its competition their pricing is in line with that anyway.

 

[ChooseFreedom]

Agreed. My point is that whether the Pebble Flow has a CCS or a NACS connector doesn’t really matter because charging stations are built for passenger cars and trucks, not 25 ft long RV trailers. It isn’t possible to position a trailer into a charging stall space so that it can plug in. The Cybertruck is around 19.5 ft long and over 6.5 ft wide and it is going to be very difficult to fit into EV charging spaces.

The companies that build charging networks, such as Tesla and Electrify America, are not going to design charging stalls for 25 ft RV trailers or motorhomes because there are so few of them and will be very few of them for the foreseeable future compared to the millions of EV cars on the road.

So the Pebble Flow will be charging at campgrounds on 30A or 50A AC. Which is fine. I’m excited about this new all-electric RV and hope to get a look at it in 2024.

Ooh, what about an adapter for the new mega chargers?
They'll be spaced for semis, and that network will be growing in the near future.
I really like the idea, concept, and philosophy of this Pebble RV. Time will tell on their follow through.

 

[ecarfan]

oh, what about an adapter for the new mega chargers?
They'll be spaced for semis, and that network will be growing in the near future.

The Tesla MegaChargers for the Semi commercial truck will almost certainly be restricted access and just for the Semi. They won’t be open to just anyone, even if they have an adaptor.

 

[ChooseFreedom]

The Tesla MegaChargers for the Semi commercial truck will almost certainly be restricted access and just for the Semi. They won’t be open to just anyone, even if they have an adaptor.

Initially, but we said the same thing about the SC network years ago. Now that's being opened to all NACS. So you never know. If they can charge for it and make a profit, they'll do it.
The megas are so new, as is the semi, that they have to make sure they can get ahead of demand before being able to allow anyone else to use them. But I don't see why they wouldn't do the same as the SC's in the future. Who knows about timing, but can't say never.

 

[blue y]

A single axle 6200lb gvw camper trailer is pretty heavy? That's barely out of crossover territory comfortably half ton, if it's reasonably aerodynamic someone will buy it to pull behind their Rivian, Lightning, CT, etc. I think they'll struggle to hit their price targets and make money though.

 

[BayAreaCelt]

Yay. Stuck in an RV site beside 50 other rvs on a concrete pad with a bunch of retired people. On an rv park. This is why overlanding is a thing. **** that.

 

[Dracaris]

It is certainly a lot more fun camping inside a National Park with no hookups, leaving all the RV Park people far behind. I suspect this trailer will work well in that scenario as well.

 

[ecarfan]

It is certainly a lot more fun camping inside a National Park with no hookups, leaving all the RV Park people far behind. I suspect this trailer will work well in that scenario as well.

I agree. The Pebble Flow provides exceptional power reserves and can stay off-grid for a long time, even a week or more if the campsite is mostly unshaded and days are sunny. Of course you still need access to water and you have to manage your gray and black water tanks carefully. I like to shower outdoors when possible and that leaves more room in the gray water tank. And if the campground has even basic toilets that helps a lot for long stays.

My only negative with the Pebble Flow is that it is longer than I need. My preference would be 20-21 ft so it would fit into more campsites. But with the precise maneuvering provided by the powered wheels that makes it easier to use smaller sites.

I do agree with @blue y that Pebble likely faces significant challenges in achieving their sale price target. Annual production volumes are likely going to be in the low double digits, meaning that parts costs will be high.

 

[doghousePVD]

I agree. The Pebble Flow provides exceptional power reserves and can stay off-grid for a long time, even a week or more if the campsite is mostly unshaded and days are sunny. Of course you still need access to water and you have to manage your gray and black water tanks carefully. I like to shower outdoors when possible and that leaves more room in the gray water tank. And if the campground has even basic toilets that helps a lot for long stays.

My only negative with the Pebble Flow is that it is longer than I need. My preference would be 20-21 ft so it would fit into more campsites. But with the precise maneuvering provided by the powered wheels that makes it easier to use smaller sites.

I do agree with @blue y that Pebble likely faces significant challenges in achieving their sale price target. Annual production volumes are likely going to be in the low double digits, meaning that parts costs will be high.

The Pebble has a single gray-black water tank. That’s a problem in managing waste tankage and rinsing the dump hose.

I’ve never run out of black water storage boondocking, but do fill the gray. Usually one can dump some excess gray water in the bushes, but sure don’t want to do that with black water.

 

[ecarfan]

The Pebble has a single gray-black water tank. That’s a problem in managing waste tankage and rinsing the dump hose.

Thanks, I didn’t realize that. I did note that the Pebble has a “macerating toilet” which I had to look up as I was not familiar with them.

But how is that a problem? You only have to monitor the level of a single tank as opposed to two, the dumping process would be simpler, and either way you still have to flush the dump hose.

And with a macerating toilet you can use regular TP and flush it.

 

[doghousePVD]

When I run out of gray water there are options: wash dishes at a common location, take showers in public restrooms, and possibly drain a little water out in a bucket for alternate disposal, such as into a public toilet.

I really always want my toilet available for nighttime use, especially for solids. On our last trip I misjudged our gray tank and the water from washing dishes flowed back into the shower floor. It would have been much less pleasant if it was combined black/gray.

 

[ThomasD]

In the future we are going to need wider and longer charging stalls to accommodate longer wider vehicles.
https://gmauthority.com/blog/2023/10/grounded-g2-electric-camper-van-is-based-on-brightdrop-zevo/

 

[doghousePVD]

In the future we are going to need wider and longer charging stalls to accommodate longer wider vehicles.
https://gmauthority.com/blog/2023/10/grounded-g2-electric-camper-van-is-based-on-brightdrop-zevo/

Or extension cables.