This Electric Car Will Run For 7 Months With Single Charge! Solar Power Is The Secret & This Can Change Everything!

Solar cars have been around for quite some time now and there are solar car races too. However, they have been mere prototypes and shown in exhibitions and competitions.

But a Netherlands-based company Lightyear has now unveiled what it claims is the world’s first production-ready solar car.

A family sedan, which goes by the name Lightyear 0, comes with 5 sq m solar panels built in capable of generating range up to 70 km a day.

The Lightyear 0 is said to have delivered 625 km from a battery pack holding just 60 kWh in the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) testing.

Due to the optimized solar roof a yield of up to 11,000 kilometers a year is possible in this vehicle and the users of this car can use this car for daily commute for months in the summer period before needing to plug into a public charger or household outlet.

The company said that “Even in climates such as the Netherlands, it would be two months and, in Spain or Portugal, as much as seven months.”

Six Years For Lightyear!

A total of six years of sweat and toil in the form of research and development, design, engineering, prototyping, and testing of the vehicle were spent. The first car will be set for delivery in November as the company is all set to go into production. 

Priced at $263,000, a total of 949 vehicles shall be produced by the automaker.

Speaking on the car, the Co-Founder and CEO Lex Hoefsloot said that “In 2016, we only had an idea; three years later, we had a prototype. Now, after six years of testing, iterating, (re)designing, and countless obstacles, Lightyear 0 is proof that the impossible is actually possible.”

With its four in-wheel motors, the car is claimed to be the most efficient electric drivetrain available today with an energy use of 10.5 kWh per 100 kilometers (at 110km/h). At highway speeds (110 km), Lightyear 0 can drive for 560 kilometers on end.

The environment-friendly cred are taken seriously by the company. Its dashboard has a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system that permits cloud-based updates, and the interior is composed entirely of vegan and naturally-sourced materials such as ecological microfiber suede seats and rattan palm detailing.

In regards to the to solar vehicles, the industry which once was alleged for showboating has not got its act together. 

There are others as well, which are on the brink of making solar vehicles that are scalable in production. 

This includes the likes of Aptera Motors, Atlis Motor Vehicles, Fisker, Sono Motors, Hyundai, Tesla and Toyota. 

What is exactly a Solar Vehicle?

Essentially an electric vehicle, a solar vehicle is a vehicle that uses self contained solar cells to power themselves from sunlight.

A rechargeable battery is there to help regulate and store the energy from the solar cells as well as to capture kinetic energy from the vehicle during braking.

In order to supplement the power of sunlight, these cars can also be plugged into external power sources.

Safety, reliability and cost effectiveness are the main issues that have plagued the solar vehicles design. 

By choosing to concentrate on efficiency rather than on performance, the company has addressed these issues as it focuses on daily commute!

Under ideal conditions, the solar panels covering Lightyear 0’s hood and the fastback roof can pick in 1.05 kW of constant trickle charging.

Of course, the car is pricey, but when you consider its long-term benefits it might seem justified. We just need to wait till November to see Lightyear 0 perform on actual roads by actual commuters. As of now, things look sunny, in more ways than one, for Lightyear 0.

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