Lightship Begins Production of AE.1 Cosmos $250K Electric RV

Lightship, an American electric RV company founded in 2020, has reached a major milestone. Production of its AE.1 Cosmos officially began last week at the company’s facility in Broomfield, Colorado. The first editions are being hand-built with precision and are expected to be ready for delivery later this summer, marking a significant step forward in Lightship’s mission to redefine the electric RV experience.

The AE.1 Cosmos is pictured below.

This launch brings the company one step closer to putting customers behind the wheel of its groundbreaking electric RVs and out on their first adventure.

Prospective buyers can now explore and configure the Atmos or Panos models at lightshiprv.com.
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Lightship’s $250K Electric RV Turns Range Anxiety Into Opportunity

Taking a road trip in an EV is no easy feat, as two EV industry veterans discovered firsthand. Range anxiety already looms large for EV owners on long drives, but add the weight of a heavy RV and battery drain accelerates dramatically.

That hard lesson inspired Toby Kraus and Ben Parker, both former EV industry employees with five years of experience each, to launch Lightship, a startup now producing its futuristic $250,000 AE.1 Cosmos electric RV. Unlike traditional trailers, the AE.1 features an onboard electric motor designed to boost the range of electric and gas-powered vehicles that tow it.

The idea was born out of frustration during the founders’ cross-country road trip in the early days of the pandemic. Meeting in Boulder, Colorado, they set off toward California for their first investor pitch, only to find themselves stopping to charge more often than they were driving.

The breaking point came outside Salt Lake City, Utah, when a strong headwind drained their EV’s battery just as night fell. With no options, they considered limping forward by charging their EV with a tiny 1,800-watt gas generator, adding range just one mile at a time. Instead, they abandoned the trailer at an exit ramp and “crawled” to the nearest charger.

“That nightmare experience of trailering with an EV was a key moment for us,” Parker recalls. Since its founding in 2020, Lightship has raised over $60 million and now employs about 100 people at its Broomfield, Colorado, factory. Alongside the limited-edition $250,000 Cosmos, the company is developing more affordable AE.1 electric RVs, priced between $151,000 and $184,000, with deliveries slated to begin in Spring 2026.

AE.1 Trailers Shown at GoPro Mountain Games

Recently, the company brought two Lightship AE.1 trailers to the GoPro Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado, turning the weekend into a hub for adventure, creativity, and connection.

Hundreds of visitors toured one AE.1, experiencing its spacious interior, the panoramic views, and solar power that make off-grid travel comfortable and easy. The second AE.1 was planted in the heart of the CoLab Studio, transforming into a live music venue, tattoo studio, and podcast space.

A Bold Commitment to Sustainability

The company’s website describes its bold commitment to fighting global human-caused climate change:

“The global travel and tourism industry is responsible for about 4.5 billion tons of equivalent carbon dioxide emissions a year. We believe that sustainability and joyful outdoor travel experiences can go hand in hand. We’ve built the all-electric AE.1 to enable zero-emission road trips so that you can explore nature while preserving it for generations to come.”