Battery electric Pebble trailer

[HABBERDABBER]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news...ialshare&ei=14

It's got a pretty big battery.....45 kWH. My Chevy Bolt EUV has a 60 kWH battery which gives it a Summer driving range of about 300 miles. This rig would have extended boondocking capability.

It ain't gonna be cheap, that's for certain. $109K for starters, but robotic hitching sure looks practical.

Gee whiz! Now when do I get my jetpack?

[rubicon327]

$125K start with the dual-motor drivetrain

[Mike G]

Camping has never been more electrifying.

[sofmerc]

yeah, no thanx...

[bborzell]

I think it is a solution in search of a problem.

Most folks who would like to tow a trailer with an electric TV know that today is way too early to expect anything but significantly limited range, even with lightweight trailers.

The real solution is in improved battery technology that will allow 250-350 miles. That will come soon enough to render this “solution” obsolete or inefficiently redundant.

[7Gentex]

Aluminum frame (and shell frame?) 45kWh of batts (wonder @ what voltage), 37 gal. fresh, 50 gal. combined gray/black, heat pump HVAC. Wonder what the exterior panels are?


BTW - I wish ETI would do a schematic type drawing of the E23 like pic #1 below with multiple views/angles - plumbing and wiring runs......

[HABBERDABBER]

Originally Posted by bborzell

I think it is a solution in search of a problem.

Most folks who would like to tow a trailer with an electric TV know that today is way too early to expect anything but significantly limited range, even with lightweight trailers.

The real solution is in improved battery technology that will allow 250-350 miles. That will come soon enough to render this “solution” obsolete or inefficiently redundant.

This trailer has electric motors on it and a large BEV (battery electric vehicle) sized traction battery to power itself down the road and then power itself at camp. By your numbers, a Ford EV truck could likely meet your range requirements with this rig.
Batteries are based on chemistry and physics, and hope doesn't enter well into that mix.

Good luck on waiting for much better batteries. They do advance 3% or more each year, but there's no breakthroughs on the near term horizon. It's about battery cost reduction thru different chemistries, not more energy density (size /power to propel).

[MrLynn]

I like the auto-hitching feature!

[HABBERDABBER]

Originally Posted by MrLynn

I like the auto-hitching feature!

Me too.
But it's way too rich for my taste. Innovative, at this time ; tomorrow, it may be "old hat".
Heck, I'm almost living in my van, down by the river, eating dog food to get by. $109-125K? No way.
Unless I can get a successful Escape forum, "Go Fund Me" campaign to get going BIG time to acquire a Pebble, it's only of casual interest.

OK. So who's firstest, with the mostest, with that Go Fund Me pledge?

so long,

[Iowa Dave]

If you like van camping down by the river I have a source for government cheese. You’ll have to use your rusty Boy Scout knife to scrape the grey fuzz off but it’s sustenance and you’ll like it. Otherwise you’ll need to forage for food in the woods. Lots of mushrooms, a few feet of cable or monofilament line and you can snare rabbit trails, crack black walnuts and hickory nuts with a couple flat rockss, and pick up a road kill squirrel now and then. The coons are getting fat and with one #2 coil spring trap you could catch a few coon, eat the meat, burn the coon fat for heat and make garments out of the brain tanned hides. Who needs go fund me when natures bounty provides? Good luck on your “pebble” funding project, I’ll stick with my government cheese and day old bread store bread.
Iowa Dave

[SageRpod]

Not interested although I do think it is pretty neat to see stuff like it. I do think the tongue fairing has an after market application for those that fret about fuel mileage.

[MrLynn]

I wonder about towing a vehicle with its own power to the wheels. I assume you’d need more of a connection than the standard 7-pin, to control throttle. I’d also want a hitch more secure than a simple ball, more like a truck trailer (5th wheel).

[WillyB]

Interesting ideas for the future of EV but we'll stick with our old fashioned 2022 21C for a while.

[sunrisetrucker]

The idea of the trailer doing some of the work scares me. What happens if there is a failure in the controls and the trailer doesn't stop pushing when it should. Even with a conventional system going down a long steep hill can be a white knuckle experience if you're not careful.

[HABBERDABBER]

Originally Posted by sunrisetrucker

The idea of the trailer doing some of the work scares me. What happens if there is a failure in the controls and the trailer doesn't stop pushing when it should.

Isn't your scenario the same as with electronic brakes and break-away switches & brakes on your existing rig?
It's 2023. What could possibly go wrong?

[JohnK]

The control technology has been used successfully for decades on the railroads. How many trains do you see today having only one locomotive? Virtually none. Similar technology would obviously need to be adapted to this particular application but that is eminently possible.

The "long pull" here is traction battery technology and regeneration. For starters I would think such technology could be held in reserve for when it is most beneficial during a trip. I would have been more than happy to be able to save traction battery power the entire trip only for the climb up Wolf Creek and Monarch Passes on October 12 and 17, then benefitting from regeneration braking going down the other side. It will possible someday, but maybe not during my trailering days.

My entire professional career was inspired by and made possible by Orville and Wilbur Wright. I remain in frequent communication with both of them who tell me virtually anything along the lines of developing technology is possible, even probable.

[sunrisetrucker]

Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER

Isn't your scenario the same as with electronic brakes and break-away switches & brakes on your existing rig?
It's 2023. What could possibly go wrong?

Having been a truck driver for 35 years, I can tell you from experience, you do not want to be pushed from behind.

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by JohnK

The control technology has been used successfully for decades on the railroads. How many trains do you see today having only one locomotive? Virtually none. Similar technology would obviously need to be adapted to this particular application but that is eminently possible.

True, though distributed-power by multi-unit or radio connection had to wait for diesel-electric locomotives. Double-header and pusher steam engines required their own engineers.

That said, a distributed-power truck-trailer combination will require sophisticated controls, as I suggested earlier, lest the problems that Sunrisetrucker mentioned occur. I'd be interested to see if these Pebble people have worked out the controls. Certainly can be done, but it will require a lot fancier technology than a simple brake controller.

[JohnK]

Originally Posted by sunrisetrucker

Having been a truck driver for 35 years, I can tell you from experience, you do not want to be pushed from behind.

No one is suggesting being "pushed" by a trailer from behind. What I was suggesting in my post was that some help propelling a portion of its own weight while climbing Wolf Creek and Monarch could be helpful. There were no doubt several truckers climbing those grades last week with us who would have been happy for some help as well. And then what would be more welcome going down the other side than some controlled regenerative braking from behind to keep that tail from wagging the dog?

John

[Selkirk]

I think the concept has merit and it probably represents the future of EV towing.

As others have noted, some form of technology necessary to reliably and safely manage distributed power has existed on railways for 70+ years. I don't suspect that it would be too difficult to create something appropriate for an automotive EV application that allows the propulsion/braking systems in the TV and trailer to communicate with each other and function in an integrated fashion.

However, I would think that it would require some sort of standardized hardware/software control protocol to be developed and integrated into the EV Tow Vehicle by the OEMs.

I have no idea if such a protocol already exists...or not. The article doesn't provide much info in this regard. I would sure like to know more details.

I also think that the the pricing and delivery date are a little ambitious. My guess is that the final product won't hit the market until much later...at a significantly higher price.