Even if you're not the matchy-matchy or particularly fashion-savvy type, you have to agree that the latest Tesla vehicle, the Cybertruck electric pickup, comes with a styling that makes the choice for a towable very difficult, if not even impossible. Living Vehicle has a solution.
Living Vehicle is a boutique-style manufacturer of luxury travel trailers based in sunny California, U.S. LV trailers aren't your standard towable, though: they're the most impressive mobile habitats around, complete with extended off-grid capabilities, multi-functionality, and premium materials. They're lavish without dipping into excessive, elegant, and high-quality homes on wheels for high-earners who also happen to care about the environment.
Indeed, LV trailers are also priced to match and are made in limited numbers, which ensures entry in an exclusive community. With a focus on sustainability that doesn't compromise on aesthetics or comfort, LV trailers promise – and deliver – unplugged luxury in an array of different sizes and configurations.
Sustainability being the key word here, it was only a matter of time before company founders Matthew and Joanna Hofmann turned their attention to the hottest, if also somehow controversial, arrival on the market: the Tesla Cybertruck. They had previously designed and built units that doubled as mobile charging stations for Teslas (and other EVs), so we assume the move was organic and not a spur of the moment fad-like kind of thing.
Photo: Living Vehicle
The Cybertruck, introduced by Tesla CEO Elon Musk in November 2019, only started initial deliveries late last year but production is ramping up. In a matter of months, there will be more reservation holders at the wheel of their "apocalypse-ready" e-truck, stuck for options for a matching trailer. After all, you don't pay at least $60,000 on an electric pickup truck styled for the apocalypse to attach just any box on wheels to it.
Towing with an EV is an issue that goes beyond matching in exterior appearance because a trailer will reduce the range of the towing vehicle. The heavier and larger the trailer, the bigger the impact on range – but a trailer with its own power source and the ability to charge the towing vehicle would do away with all that.
The CyberTrailer has been in the works for some time now, and LV is lifting the veil off it for a teasing glimpse. It's just that, though, a teaser. The CyberTrailer is described as the "ultimate" travel trailer for your brand new Cybertruck, not just because it matches the angular e-truck in styling but also because of its LV-patented features that make it a good match for it from a functional perspective.
Photo: Living Vehicle
It goes without saying that the CyberTrailer is also compatible with other electric trucks like the Rivian R1T or the Ford F-150 Lighting, and standard half-ton gas and diesel trucks. The latter can double as backup power source for the trailer, while the former can use the trailer as a mobile charging station when traveling to areas without a (super)charging network.
But the design and the name, as well as the first official renders of the exterior, make it crystal clear: this one is tailor-made for your Cybertruck.
Details and photos are scarce, but we do have this: the CyberTrailer will sit on a dual-axle chassis and feature a styling that will match the exterior of the Cybertruck. You'll get a stainless steel shell partially wrapped in solar panels, but we're assuming more will be placed on the roof to allow "weeks, even months" of off-grid autonomy.
Photo: Living Vehicle
LV says the CyberTrailer will be "in a class of its own" and unlike anything else on the market right now. It will feature redundant power sources so that it will be able to run all appliances onboard but it will also double as a mobile charging station for the Cybertruck when off-grid. "Range anxiety, I don't know her," to paraphrase Mariah Carey when asked what she thought about Jennifer Lopez's music.
Because you can't really speak of off-grid functionality without taking water supply into consideration, the CyberTrailer will also be capable of making its own water, in addition to whatever it will carry in holding tanks.
All recent models of Living Vehicle trailers feature a patented water generation system, which extracts moisture from the air and transforms it into drinking water. Advanced water and waste recycling, as well as water purification, will be on the features list.
Photo: Living Vehicle
"The CyberTrailer is crafted for adventurers who desire freedom from the constraints of conventional camping setups," Living Vehicle says in the official introduction. Freedom will be had next year, which is when LV estimates the units will go out to customers, but can reserved today. The company is taking pre-orders on $100 fully-refundable reservations, but 80% of available slots are already allotted.
MRSP will be $175,000, with LV promising more details into the full list of features soon.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News