Lightyear One
The Lightyear One is a upcoming all solar-electric car. Production was scheduled to start in 2021, with a starting price of €149,000 incl. VAT ($170,000 USD). First units are to be delivered in 2022.
| Lightyear One | |
|---|---|
 Lightyear One at Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2019 | |
| Overview | |
| Type | Solar car |
| Manufacturer | Atlas Technologies |
| Production | from January 2022 (estimated) |
| Assembly | Uusikaupunki, Finland (Valmet Automotive) |
| Designer | Granstudio[1] |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 5-door Liftback |
| Layout | wheel hub motor, four-wheel-drive |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Electric, 80 kW |
| Electric range | 725 km (450 miles) (WLTP) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 5057 mm[2] |
| Width | 1898 mm[2] |
| Height | 1426 mm[2] |
| Curb weight | ~ 1,300 kg (2,866 lb) |
Description
The Lightyear One is a large fastback, with the bonnet, roof and boot clad with 5 m2 (54 sq ft) of solar panels, with a WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure) range of 725 km (450 miles) and designed with a drag coefficient of Cd=0.20. The company Lightyear claims there are 1,000 solar panels across the car that can add 50–65 km (30–40 miles) of range per day during summer.[3][4]
The car is all-wheel drive, with four in-wheel electric hub motors powered by a low-mounted battery.[5] It seats five adults and luggage.[4]
History
The solar panel design was born out of the Solar Team Eindhoven's solar-powered cars for the World Solar Challenge. Design work on the One was carried out together with GranStudio in Italy.[6]
Price and availability
Announced on 25 June 2019, production was scheduled to start in 2021,[5] mentioning a starting price of €149,000 incl. VAT ($170,000 USD). In September 2021, Lightyear were reported to have raised $110 million to bring the vehicle to production, and delivering the first units in 2022.[7]
References
- "Lightyear One (2019) – Designing a super efficient family car that charges under the sun". Turin: GranStudio. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- "Lightyear One | The electric car that charges itself with sunlight". Netherlands: Lightyear. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- Potts, Greg (26 June 2019). "The Lightyear One is a long-range solar-powered EV". Top Gear. UK. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- "Lightyear One: Hands-on with a solar-powered car with 440-mile range". Venture Beat.
- Wilkinson, Luke (25 June 2019). "Lightyear unveils long-range solar-electric car". Auto Express. UK. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- Vijayenthiran, Viknesh (25 June 2019). "Dutch EV startup". Motor Authority. US. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
- Lightyear raises $110 million to bring its $170,000 'solar' electric car to market - Electrek (archived)
