Before joining Pebble, I spent years reviewing electric vehicles and pushing them across long distances. On more than one occasion I’ve even held the EV Cannonball record from New York to Los Angeles. I enjoy proving what electric vehicles can do with minimal planning and a flexible mindset.
After seeing Pebble Flow prototypes at CES and XTakeover, I knew I wanted to be part of the team. During my interview, I was asked how I would help Pebble stand out at the upcoming Electrify Expo in Arlington, Texas. To me the answer was simple. Deliveries of the Flow only started a few months ago, so most customers and fans still have not seen the Pebble Flow in person. Many wouldn’t be able to travel to the show or visit our showroom in Fremont. So I suggested a different approach. Do not ship the Pebble Flow to Texas. Drive it there, tow it behind an EV, share the journey in near real time, and invite fans to meet us at “Sunset Social” charging stops along the way. Let the road trip be the product experience.
Pebble agreed. After joining the team last month, I was given the chance to bring that idea to life. On Friday, November 7th, I hitched one of our newest production units to a dual motor R1S with the Large Plus pack and left our Fremont HQ. This would be our longest continuous road trip, and while I was one of the two people hitting the road, the real credit belonged to the engineers and designers who shaped the hardware, software, aerodynamics, and towing systems. They built a platform I trusted from the first mile to the last. I also kept one element of the original plan intact. There would be no detailed charging plan. With work stacked up before departure, I never had the time to make one anyway. Our only fixed commitments were our Sunset Social stops. Everything else would be improvised.
To kick things off, I drove north across the Golden Gate Bridge the next morning for a sunrise photoshoot. The fog sat low, but left the bridge clear, with golden light cooperating perfectly. As a small easter egg for eagle-eyed viewers, I remote controlled the Flow into a parking spot with the jack pointed toward the curb, creating an image that wouldn’t be possible with a traditional trailer. After a quick charge back in the city, I met up with my colleague and copilot, Nuh. There we loaded up, and headed toward our first Sunset Social in Santa Clarita. After several hours on the road and a couple charge stops, we rolled in just after sunset and met up with several fans who had already been following our trip.
The next morning, after cleaning up we stopped at one of Electrify America’s flagship stations in Baker, CA. This was our first pull-through site, our first chance to charge both the Rivian and the Pebble without unhitching. While disconnecting the Flow is quick and easy, I’ll still take any chance I get to plug both vehicles in without unhitching. From there, we met our colleague John at the Dumont Dunes OHV area, with his van full of camera gear. After lowering tire pressure and dropping the aero box, we drove the Flow into the dunes to capture the Sand colorway in “it’s natural habitat”. The footage and photos turned out incredible, and we cannot wait to share more from our quick shoot soon.
After looping back through Baker, we met up with a few fans in Las Vegas, answering questions and giving a brief tour before driving to Henderson to boondock on my cousin’s driveway for the night. The following days turned into a steady rhythm of driving, charging, and stopping for photos when the light or landscape demanded it. We shot photos at the Lake Mead overlook, remote controlled up to the Route 66 sign in Kingman, and made a surprise stop in New Mexico when a red glow on the horizon caught our attention. At first, it looked like brake lights reflecting on fog, but with only a few cars around, we quickly realized it wasn’t that. It was the northern lights, and we pulled over to capture one of the most unexpected moments of the entire trip.
Somewhere along the route, we stayed at a KOA where Auto Dump made its first appearance. It worked as designed. Quick. Clean. Straightforward. Later, in Oklahoma City, we arrived a bit behind schedule, pulling in around 8:30. Even so, a small family waited for us at the Electrify America site. They greeted us with our specified code word “S'mores,” earning hats and stickers for the whole family. While their Model Y is not capable of pulling a Pebble today, judging by their enthusiasm, they seem to be starting to look for a tow vehicle and are checking out electric and gas powered options that can tow 6,800 pounds.
The final push into Arlington was pretty straightforward, as planned, we arrived a day early, with plenty of time to top up both vehicles, reset, and prepare for the show. The trip reinforced something important. Long-distance electric towing works when the platform is built for stability and smart energy use. Easy Tow helped dramatically reduce range loss as we drove but I found myself frequently switching us into Recharge Mode to capture energy from our tow vehicle each time we approached a charger with excess energy in the Rivian. Generally we made quick charging stops every 3-4 hours, plugging in for 30-40 minutes and getting back on the road.
What started as a suggestion in a job interview turned into a cross-country demonstration that connected us with fans across five states and showed the Pebble Flow in real use. Now I only need to convince my manager to let me do this again for our next trade show in Florida in January.
- Ryan L.
A few notes from my copilot Nuh A.
The memory of the Northern Lights is still vivid—I'm honestly in awe. I feel so grateful for this trip, as it gave me the chance to witness something so phenomenally beautiful. That breathtaking spectacle was definitely the pinnacle of the entire journey.
What makes this journey even more significant is that I had never towed anything in my life before setting out! Adding to that initial anxiety, the range of an EV was a significant concern for me before the trip. However, towing the Pebble proved me completely wrong, effectively dissolving all my range anxiety and making the drive seamless. Successfully navigating this adventure was a huge milestone for me!
Equally wonderful was meeting all the kind people who specifically came to see the Pebble. Being able to share this excitement with others through volunteering has been incredibly rewarding. It wasn't just about sharing my experience; it was about hearing their amazing stories and learning about their own adventures in the RV world. Those connections made the trip truly unforgettable.
