Lightship has completed a $34 million Series B financing to accelerate production of its all-electric Lightship L1.
The round was co-led by Obvious Ventures and Prelude Ventures and joined by Allegis Capital and THOR Industries and its investment partner TechNexus Venture Collaborative. Returning investors Congruent Ventures, HyperGuap and Alumni Ventures also joined the fundraise.
The company said the financing brings Lightship to a new chapter as it builds the manufacturing system and supply chain to produce the L1 beginning with pilot manufacturing at its new production facility in Broomfield, Colorado, this year. The company anticipates the creation of numerous high-tech engineering and manufacturing jobs as it scales up production to meet high demand following its launch.
“The Lightship team has been hard at work designing, prototyping and testing the Lightship L1 – a new class of aerodynamic, battery-powered travel trailer propelled with an electric drivetrain that enables near zero range or mile-per-gallon efficiency loss for the vehicle towing it,” the company said.
“The electrification transformation doesn’t stop at passenger cars. What Ben, Toby and the team are bringing to life will revolutionize the road trip forever,” said Andrew Beebe, managing director at Obvious Ventures. “We’re thrilled to co-lead this round with Prelude Ventures and partner with Lightship to bring the L1 to campgrounds around the country.”
The L1 is built with a telescoping vehicle design which minimizes the trailer’s frontal area to create the most aerodynamic trailer of its size. The all-electric RV features a massive battery energy storage system, electric propulsion and enough solar to power the vehicle for a week off-grid. The L1 debuted this spring to “rave reviews and a growing waitlist.”
“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,” said Lightship co-founder and CEO Toby Kraus. “We have a bold vision for the future of recreational travel, and this is just the beginning of what’s to come from Lightship.”
More information about the Lightship L1 is available here.