Image: Lightyear
Dutch electric vehicle maker Lightyear has officially launched the world’s first production-ready solar car, the Lightyear 0, unveiling its final design and specifications, and promising first deliveries in November of this year.
The launch, which was livestreamed on Thursday – you can see a video here – comes six years after the solar car maker was founded, and started working towards the goal of having the world “drive one light-year on solar power by 2035.”
Inspired by “nature’s careful balance,” the Lightyear 0 unveiled this week promises up to 1,000+ km driving range between the battery range of 625km (WLTP) and up to 70km of additional daily solar range – in European summer conditions.
Lex Hoefsloot, Lightyear’s co-founder and CEO said at the launch that while EVs were a step in the right direction, they had a scaling problem, with access to charging stations unlikely to keep up with uptake.
“To minimise plug-charging and maximise range, the industry’s strategy, so far, has been to add batteries. That increases the carbon footprint of production and, in turn, boosts weight and the need for high-power charging stations,” he said.
“Our strategy flips that approach. Lightyear 0 delivers more range with less battery, reducing weight and CO₂ emissions per vehicle.”
Lightyear says the integrated solar roof of its first production car means it can “drive for weeks, even months, without plugging in to the grid to recharge.
“In cloudy climates, based on the average commute of around 35km per day, you can drive for up to two months before you need to think about charging. In sunnier countries, that could be up to seven months,” it says.
More conventionally, the Lightyear 0 can be plugged into a regular home socket and charge 32km of range per hour. Public destination charging can deliver 200km/h of range and fast charging 520km/h, it add.
Other specs unveiled include a verified “highway range” (110 km/h) of 560k, an annual solar yield of up to 11,000km (based on an average workday commute of 35km in southern Spain spring and summer), a 60kWh battery pack and top speed of 160km/h.
Image: Lightyear
Inside, the Lightyear 0 has a light – of course – and minimalist interior, with seating for five, vegan and naturally sourced trim and 10-inch display with touch screen. The boot offers 640 litres of space.
Lightyear’s outer body panels are also made from reclaimed carbon; residual carbon fibre materials that would otherwise go to waste.
As for when you might see these on the roads, in parts of Europe it could be as soon as June, with Lightyear promising offer first test drives this month.
This will followed by production starting in the northern hemisphere’s “fall” – so sometime around about September – and the first cars reaching their drivers in November.
What does this mean for Australia? Well, don’t hold your breath. But you can subscribe to a mailing list, at the bottom of this page here, to get updates on when and where the Lightyear 0 will be rolling out.
Keyword: “More range, less battery:” Lightyear launches world first solar car