Lightyear, an electric vehicle startup, has launched the world’s first production-ready solar car.
The Lightyear 0 is aimed at a very specific buyer who prioritizes efficiency over performance and is willing to pay a premium for it. Is it going to sell? We’ll have to wait and see.
The Lightyear 0 is the culmination of six years of research and development. Lightyear first caught our attention in 2019 when it unveiled the Lightyear One, a $169,000 electric vehicle with built-in solar panels.
Since then, the project has been renamed Lightyear 0 and has changed slightly (and is also a lot more expensive).
The Lightyear 0 will have a range of 388 miles, according to the manufacturer, thanks to its 60 kWh battery system and four individually controlled in-wheel motors.
In addition, the vehicle’s solar panels can only generate roughly 43 miles of range each day in ideal conditions.
Here, too, don’t expect average EV performance. The Lightyear 0 takes a stunning 10 seconds to accelerate from a standstill to 60 miles per hour, with a top speed of only 100 miles per hour.
A Tesla Model S Plaid, by comparison, can hit 60 mph in less than two seconds and has a maximum speed of 200 mph. It’s also much less expensive.
On the other hand, scorching performance isn’t the goal here; efficiency is.
The Lightyear 0 weighs just 3,472 pounds and has a drag coefficient (Cd) of less than 0.19, which is a world record.
Its body is made partly of recovered carbon fiber, and much of the interior is made of naturally sourced materials.
Interested persons can place an order for a Lightyear 0 on the company’s website, but expect to pay a whopping 250,000 euros ($263,000) for the privilege.
According to the firm, the first cars will arrive in November.
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