In the same Sunnyvale, California, town that birthed Yahoo, Pebble founder and CEO Bingrui Yang is prepared to disrupt the RV industry, one electric travel trailer at a time.
Yang’s company is pulling the curtain back today on the Pebble Flow, a 25-foot travel trailer with a 6,200-pound GVWR. The vehicle entirely runs on electricity and sleeps four.
Yang came to build the Flow after a career spent in hardware development at Apple and working for the autonomous vehicle industry. When the pandemic began in 2020, Yang took his first RV trip.
“I always wanted to go on an RV trip and I finally (did),” he said. “At the same time, I realized RVing is complicated. RVs come with a whole host of issues that no one wants to deal with. That really sparked the idea for Pebble. We want our customer to have this new way to live, work and explore from anywhere without any of the hassles.”
The RV’s white, curved exterior is separated by large tinted windows. The windows in the rear around the bedroom/office provide a 270-degree view outside. The aerodynamic design helps improve gas mileage and towability. Another factor affecting towability is the trailer’s electric motors.
The Flow has two motors built into the trailer’s frame. The motors enable the Flow to be remotely controlled by a tablet. The movement and control resemble the prototype electric trailer frame Lippert unveiled in January 2022.
“The Pebble Flow is essentially self-propelled,” Yang said. “As it is being towed, it is generating propulsion so your tow vehicle does not have to put in that much work. When you are towing it, this makes you feel like this is towing a 2,000-pound trailer.”
The automation also eases hitching and parking.
By controlling the Flow with the remote, consumers can position the Flow right behind the tow vehicle’s hitch. With a button push, the Flow docks onto the hitch automatically.
Pebble uses a proprietary computer vision system and robotics algorithm to control the hitching process. The technology positions the Flow over the hitch box and automatically drops once it is in the correct place.
The remote also eases parking into a campground space, as the consumer can be outside the tow vehicle, unhitched, and controlling the RV’s movements through the remote.
The Flow has an auto setup feature, enabling the stabilizers and securing the RV. The RV also has an electric parking brake to engage with the tires and keep the vehicle from rolling when parked.
The single-axle trailer has a 45,000-watt-hour lithium ion battery in the middle of the RV. The battery is powered by 1,000 watts of solar panels atop the Flow. Between the solar and the battery power, the RV can operate unplugged for up to a week.
Inside, the rear bedroom has a queen size Murphy bed that folds up to reveal a desk the width of the bed. The bed folds and lowers with a one-hand operation.
The dry bath in the Flow has transparent doors to entry. When the bathroom is in use, a button push turns the glass opaque so privacy is available.
“When we are inside the Flow the physical space is limited,” Yang said, “but we want people to feel as open as possible. So you do not see this wall right next to you, you see this generous amount of space. When you want to have the privacy, you have the privacy.”
The galley includes a full-size refrigerator, a convection microwave with an air fryer and a removable induction cooktop.
The RV’s front has a U-shaped dinette that seats six and converts to an RV queen bed.
The Flow prototype unveiled today is fully functional. Pebble will begin taking deposits on orders today with plans to start production by the end of 2024.
Yang said the prototype was built with a mixture of in-house components, automotive supplier components and RV supplier components. He said Pebble is interested in working with quality RV suppliers where it can.
“Does this meet our standard when it comes to bringing this level of experience and quality to the customer?” he said. “If it does, that is where we use these components.”
The Flow initially will be sold directly to consumers. Yang said Pebble will consider partnering with a dealership or showroom as manufacturing grows.
As far as servicing the Flow, Yang said partnering with automotive suppliers brought parts and components able to survive harsh automotive environments, eliminating some servicing concerns. Other plans remain in the works.
“Service is a key area we are in the process of figuring out,” he said. “We are not the first company to do this in a direct-to-consumer model. A lot of EV companies already have a full playbook when it comes to how to do these things. We are going to follow that playbook but most important, we want to make sure customers are taken care of.”
