Lightyear is a fledgling Dutch electric car manufacturer that shook the industry by announcing its Model 0, billing itself as the first production vehicle to be powered directly by energy taken from the sun.
After a pre-sale period where 150 people reserved their vehicle in advance, now the brand announced the start-up of its production in Finland, at a rate that will be slow (one unit per week) but that during 2023 it will increase fivefold to reach one vehicle per day and begin deliveries to customers who have opted for this technology. The company plans to produce a total of 946 units of this model before moving on to the next.
The car’s curved solar panels on the hood and roof absorb enough energy from the sun to add up to 70km of range per day. It seems little, but this is usually much more than enough for most users of this type of vehicle in cities.
According to company reports, In cities like Amsterdam, in summer the Lightyear 0 can be driven for 2 months without visiting any charger. And in places with a lot of sun like Portugal, this time without recharging can be extended up to 7 months.. Of course, for people who live in cities where there is little sun (as usually happens in the United Kingdom) there the batteries will surely need to be connected to the electrical network to fill up, reaching a total autonomy of 620 km. Likewise, Who in their right mind would buy a solar car in a city that is almost always cloudy?
Having a solar car is not cheap, since the price for the Lightyear 0 is no less than USD 259,000. If you want to own a car with solar panels but can’t afford that price, there’s good news: the company is already developing the lightyear 2, that not only it will be a larger vehicle, but it will have a starting price around USD 31,500 and from which it is expected enter production in 2025.