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The team at Pebble aspires to transform the recreational vehicle industry with their new electrified fifth wheel camping trailer and showcased it at CES this year in Las Vegas. To do this, they started with what’s basically an electric vehicle, slapped an aerodynamic automotive grade exterior that would fit right in at a high-end automotive dealership on top, then kitted it out with the latest and greatest mobile living tech.
CleanTechnica met up with their team at CES 2024 in Las Vegas to see their electric fifth wheel first-hand and to learn about what sets it apart from their team of experts. Right out of the gate, Pebble clearly set themselves apart with a focus on efficiency and aerodynamics that lay the foundation for what they stand for: fun.
Fully Charged
It’s stunning to look at, but the real magic happens under the hood of the Pebble Flow where its twin electric motors and 45 kWh battery pack enable it to essentially propel itself when it’s being towed. It’s like an electric vehicle that intelligently provides boost to all but eliminate the weight and drag range penalties that typically come with pulling a trailer behind any vehicle.
Under normal operation, the battery can power the integrated motors or push out power to the home-oriented functions of the vehicle. That’s things like the electric induction cooktop, lights, and coffee maker. The Flow doesn’t stop there though. It can also park next to your home and push power out to it, serving as a battery backup for your home via the integrated NEMA 14-50 outlet.
Having a generic 14-50 outlet on it means you can use the Pebble Flow to charge up your own electric vehicle, push power out to power a tiny house, or any other external device that uses anything less than 240 volt at 50 amps. It’s an impressive feature that’s sure to have many homeowners wondering why they should buy a battery for their home when they could use the cash as the downpayment on something that’s far more fun — the Pebble Flow.
Of course, the 45 kilowatt-hour battery in the Flow needs to be charged before the fun can start. When on the road or off-grid, the Flow’s battery can be charged with the integrated rooftop solar system. It pushes out 1kW which is more than enough for just about any camping adventure and even enough to legitimately add more miles of driving range. If you’re looking for more power while on the road to your destination, the Pebble Flow can also accept a charge from a CCS charging outlet located on the side of the vehicle.
Electric Assist
The Pebble Flow is offered with or without electric motors to give owners the ability to get it their way. They can decide if they want to simply tow the vehicle or if they want the Pebble Flow to help propel itself, essentially negating any range or fuel efficiency impact from the drag you otherwise experience with a hefty fifth wheel on the road.
When kitted out with electric motors, the Pebble Flow uses its motors to reduce the amount of drag on the towing vehicle. The majority of the heavy lifting to move the Pebble Flow to its destination is taken on by the vehicle doing the towing as it cuts through the air. Being behind the tow vehicle, the Flow benefits from that initial push through the air and Pebble’s team went even further to optimize it for aerodynamics.
The Flow’s front hitch cover is where the mini split AC unit for the interior of the cabin lives. It’s parked inside a hard black shell that packing an innovative new solution for fifth wheel aerodynamics. When the Flow is being towed somewhere, the upper shell of this storage area actually lifts up vertically to redirect the air flowing over the towing vehicle to either side of the flow. This air would otherwise smash directly into the flat front window of the Flow, wreaking havoc on towing efficiency.
Of course, towing any fifth wheel does come at a cost to the front vehicle so there will still be a range hit when towing an electric Pebble Flow. What’s great is that they’ve packed it with tech to reduce the range impact. As a result, towing the Flow should be far more efficient than the 60-70% range hit we’re seeing on some of the electric Ford Lightnings, Rivians, and Cybertrucks that are adventuring with traditional block shaped fifth wheels behind them.
Pebble is also building some autonomous driving technology into the Flow that will allow it to connect up to a vehicle’s hitch by itself and perform other functions. We’ll wait until it’s in production to fully unpack this fully because some things just have to be experienced.
Interior
Inside the vehicle is fully air conditioned thanks to the aforementioned ductless mini split system. It keeps the interior nice and cool for the up to four occupants if that’s what you’re looking for. The interior is what you would expect from a large fifth wheel vehicle with a bed at the back and a table for 6 up front. The table converts to another smaller bed for a total sleeping capacity of 4 for the vehicle. The front bed is the smaller of the two but still comfortably sleeps people up to 6’3 or even a smidge taller.
The rear bed is a Murphy style queen-sized bed that flips up and out of the way when it’s not needed. When it’s flipped up, the bottom of the bed reveals a desk and a space for a computer monitor or TV that can also be used with a projector. Panning back towards the front of the vehicle is a bathroom that’s likely larger than what can be found in most European homes.
A full-size shower, a toilet, and a sink live in the fully glassed in enclosure, which feels extremely awkward the first time you see it and enter it. Imagine showering and doing other bathroom business in a glass cube. Yeah they weren’t trying to put you through that either. They opted for the clear glass to ensure the interior of the vehicle feels as open as possible when privacy isn’t needed. At the flip of a button, the electrochromatic glass around the restroom space turns opaque, providing privacy whether you’re showering or otherwise making use of the space.
Opposite the bathroom is a kitchen counter setup with a dual burner induction stove. The stove can actually be removed and pulled outside, thanks to the expansive flip up window that lives behind the counter. There’s plenty of storage surrounding all of these areas: above the Murphy bed, opposite the Murphy bed, under the countertop, and in the closet-style space between the restroom and the table. While it’s not the most exciting part of the vehicle, the Flow is a fully functional living space that just happens to be bolted to one of the most innovative electric vehicle platforms we’ve ever seen.
Overall
The Pebble Flow breaks some serious new ground with its center-mounted, self-propelled motorized axle, its 45 kWh battery, and its one kilowatt rooftop solar system. It feels like it’s ready to go whether you’re looking for a vehicle to support your next adventure or even an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to park out front of your house and rent out when you’re not out on the road with it yourself.
The amount of functionality they packed into it is impressive and it’ll be exciting to see them bring this to market later in 2024 as they firm up the production model over the next few months. For more information about Pebble and the Flow, head over to their website or check out the video below which walks through some of the features we walked through.
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