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Electric RV power, towing, and cold-weather heat pump experiences

9 months ago

Competition goes live this morning at CES: Evotrex. But can they actually deliver at the estimated price and time frame? Some Pebble-matching features and some unique standout features—some I've seen on Living Vehicles trailers. It is 28 feet and 9,900 pounds gross for the fully loaded unit, so a beefy beast, with manufacturing set to start in Q4 2026?

Electric, or extended-range electric like this one with a built-in generator to accompany a Pebble-size battery, seems to be the future of RVs.

electric-rv towing battery heat-pump boondocking

20 comments

8mo ago

A lot to like in the Evotrex. Interesting choice to have DC out for charging an EV, which would be great for my Rivian R1T, but no option for DC in. At the gross weight, sadly not towable by a Rivian R1S, and marginal on the planned Scout truck.

I love all the storage. I really love the drop-down deck—I was looking hard at Living Vehicles because of that feature, but theirs are just way too heavy and expensive. I'm a tech guy and love all the tech features, but there are also more possible points of failure. The option for extended power and range is a great feature.

But time marches onward. There will always be something on the horizon that looks better. I can't keep waiting forever. Will Evotrex actually deliver at the stated price point, feature set, and delivery date? We will see. Pebble debuted at CES, and they delivered, so it can be done.

8mo ago

The lowest ambient temperature we have experienced in the Pebble thus far was 21°F, and the heat pump worked beautifully. It was much quieter and maintained 68°F without the disruptive cycling of the propane furnace.

Yes, it used quite a few kW overnight, but BTUs are BTUs, and kW are easier to replace than propane. For boondocking in winter with low solar gain, we’ll temper the power consumption using an electric blanket for sleep.

8mo ago

Propane is such a pain. I had one night camping in the Lightship last April in Colorado down to 20°F, and it was comfortable. But below 20°F, the heat will probably need to be supplemented with resistive electric heaters or electric blankets with these heat-pump-based HVAC systems.

Tesla handles the problem with “lossy” electric motor and battery heating tricks, then recovers the heat with the ethylene-glycol cooling system. RVs have a lot more cubic feet to heat for these kinds of solutions.

8mo ago

I dug into this a bit yesterday. There is a lot to like. It feels more cohesive and better throughout: overall cleaner design, more storage, and more premium. The integrated generator is a huge benefit, as many are already saying 45 kWh is not enough for real-world living.

Hate that you have to wait. This will be an interesting alternative. Wish some things from the Evotrex would come over to Pebble.

8mo ago

The generator is innovative, but the last thing you want in a towable is a generator banging away on the other side of a thin wall where you sleep. At 10,000 pounds GVWR it is very heavy, taking it out of the 1/2-ton pickup towing range.

You can tow a Pebble or a Lightship with an F-150 PowerBoost HEV with the 7.2 kW Pro Power generator and have over 230 kWh of electricity available from the truck plus the RV internal battery. PowerBoost can produce 7.2 kW per hour using 1 gallon per hour of gas with a 31.5-gallon gas tank.

8mo ago

This is exactly what I plan to do.

8mo ago

Replace “Airstream project documented on an Airstream forum.” with “I documented the project on an Airstream forum.”

8mo ago

Looks like a fun project with your Airstream! I converted our Airstream FC28 to all-electric, with the exception of the propane furnace, using an Ecoflow power center for 6 kW of storage with 700 W of rooftop solar, plus an 800 W DC-DC alternator charger in the RAM 2500HD. Must say, I really like the Pebble heat pump versus that propane furnace.

The RAM has now been sold and the Airstream is in consignment. We are now fully electric with the Pebble and R1T.

8mo ago

I solved the heating issue with two Espar diesel heaters and a 5-gallon tank in the old battery box. Works great and is much more efficient than propane. But I do look forward to the high-voltage heat-pump HVAC system in the Lightship.

My major concern with a heat pump was low-temperature efficiency. I was pleased to experience overnight camping in the Lightship down to 20°F with good heat. They are doing this by scavenging heat off the ethylene-glycol battery/motor cooling system. Do you know how Pebble handles the low-temperature performance issues with heat pumps?

8mo ago

I've given up on the idea of using an EV to tow the Pebble. I know that is the grail, but battery limitations are the obstacle, so it is not worth trying to force it.

My setup will be very similar to the Evotrex, albeit through a very different path. I'll use an F-150 PowerBoost with its 7.5 kW onboard generator as backup power. It gives me ultimate flexibility for power options like the Evotrex. I know it's not the most green thing, but technology still limits what is possible by going fully electric.

I would have loved to see a larger battery, more like Lightship's capacity, as I think we are seeing that real-world unconnected usage is higher than the 48 kWh capacity can handle. With the PowerBoost, I can hook up the Pebble to the truck and charge it, which extends my power range considerably. I've seen tests of running traditional RVs continuously for 24+ hours, and they are not as efficient as the Pebble.

8mo ago

With respect to those who declare that an EV cannot tow a Pebble, I differ. I quite enjoyably towed our Pebble from Fremont, California, to Durango, Colorado, with our R1T in late November, with sub-freezing nights and a mix of campgrounds and boondocking. We will adventure much further with this combo next summer.

I also towed our 28' Airstream for over 14,000 miles with our R1T quite satisfactorily, preferring it to my RAM 2500HD, which I have recently sold. We prefer 250–300-mile days, and one charging stop in a day's travel is not a problem for us; it is generally a convenient meal or rest break.

There are many choices available in recreational travel. What one can do is very closely tied to what one wants to do.

8mo ago

I do love the extended deck, and the platform that the Evotrex sits on seems really beefy and looks good, especially with those large brake calipers on the trailer wheels.

8mo ago

Forgive the less knowledgeable, but when you say “high-voltage heat-pump HVAC system” are we talking 120V versus 24V, 240V, or 400V off the high-voltage battery?

8mo ago

For Pebble, all I know is what is on the website. I recall they said there is a heat-pump-based HVAC system. For the Lightship, the heat pump operates on the 400-volt DC bus and is located in the AeroHub.

Modern EVs such as Tesla and HEVs such as the Ford F-150 PowerBoost also have heat pumps that operate on the high-voltage system. That is why they are so efficient. The HVAC system on the Lightship has an architecture similar to the one used on Teslas in recent years. The high-voltage heat pump, evaporator, and condenser are tightly integrated with the ethylene-glycol-based battery and drivetrain cooling system. This allows heat scavenging between the systems.

8mo ago

None of this might matter in two years or sooner! Stop here and Google Donut Labs.

Lots of great suggestions here, and I'll definitely use something to dramatically extend my Pebble's boondocking range: non-water toilet, black-water tank converted to fresh water, additional water tank in the truck bed, and then there's the power issue. Evotrex offers a lot, but the battery is the same size. Without the generator, that is one heavy unit and not enough differences to make me second-guess my Pebble yet.

Bottom line, all of this is moot if Donut Labs solid batteries work. As they are in several vehicles already, it looks like everything will change within 1–3 years.

In the meantime, I'm not waiting, and I like the look and practicality of the Pebble much better. Aesthetically there is Pebble, Bowus, and Airstream. I also have zero desire to buy a massive pickup truck. If I use a diesel or gas generator to extend my time off trail, so be it. When I'm on hookups, it's all good. My delivery is soon!

8mo ago

Happy upcoming delivery! We look forward to another owner sharing experience, solving minor issues, and generating ideas for DIY improvement. Please remind Pebble staff that we are still awaiting camera functionality.

8mo ago

Sounds cool. Maybe a solid-state battery retrofit on the Pebble and my Rivian will be an option in years to come. Pebble is my choice as well. Life goes by and I'm tired of waiting, so I'm excited to see it show up.

8mo ago

Pebble staff said the team would be available once the show opened.

8mo ago

I meant the following week. Thanks.

8mo ago

Much better 🙂 Looking forward to meeting you.

Electric RV power, towing, and cold-weather heat pump experiences

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