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Elon Musk’s former staff rival their ex-boss by creating ‘Tesla-killing’ all-electric camper

A START-UP making zero-emission recreational vehicles with former Tesla staff has unveiled its new versatile L1 Lightship camper.

The model redefines the traditional RV trailer experience with improved aerodynamics, a battery-powered drive for low-powered towing, and a sliding roof.

A Rivian R1T electric truck shown hauling an L1 Lightship camper

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A Rivian R1T electric truck shown hauling an L1 Lightship camperCredit: LIGHTSHIP
The L1 Lightship camper contains a sliding roof instead of pop-out sections

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The L1 Lightship camper contains a sliding roof instead of pop-out sectionsCredit: LIGHTSHIP

Ben Parker, CEO of Lightship, had previously spent five years as a Tesla battery engineer working on the company’s Model 3 sedan, Electrive reports.

Parker founded Lightship alongside the company’s current president, Toby Kraus.

Kraus similarly worked at Tesla in the company’s finance department before transitioning into Model S development.

But ex-Tesla staff aren’t the only minds looking to inject some life into the currently quiet electric RV market.

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The L1 Lightship is also being made alongside Rivian, Proterra, Lucid, and Zoox electric vehicle (EV) veterans, MotorTrend reports.

L1 Lightship comes with three times more aerodynamic capabilities than a traditional trailer.

A vehicle with improved aerodynamics provides drivers with more electric range during towing.

This advanced camper also features a proprietary propulsion drive component with up to 80kW of onboard battery capacity, MotorTrend reports.

The drive results in the trailer propelling itself to achieve near-zero range or efficiency loss for the front tow vehicle, according to Electrive.

This drive works alongside the camper’s battery system, backed by up to 3 kW of power to supply a week of off-grid energy without charging.

Instead of traditional camper slide-outs, the L1 Lightship’s entire roof is sliding, so you feel less trapped inside the trailer.

While Tesla doesn’t yet have a camper to compete with the L1 Lightship, fans of the electric car manufacturer have published their own ideas for a competing product.

Tesla fans unveiled mods of the company’s upcoming Cybertruck turned into a wild camper van.

The company manufacturing this mod is named Space Campers.

Space Camper’s site describes their camper: “Our robust and resilient build utilizes aerospace-grade composites and manufacturing processes to put strength, precision, and durability first,”

The futuristic camper’s pre-sale price is $24k.

L1 Lightship production will launch in 2024, with models starting at $125,000.

An interior view of the L1 Lightship’s sleep area

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An interior view of the L1 Lightship’s sleep areaCredit: LIGHTSHIP
Former Tesla, Rivian, Proterra, Lucid, and Zoox electric vehicle staff collectively created the L1 Lightship

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Former Tesla, Rivian, Proterra, Lucid, and Zoox electric vehicle staff collectively created the L1 LightshipCredit: LIGHTSHIP

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