The Lightyear 0 (formerly the Lightyear One) is an upcoming all-solar-electric car by Lightyear. Production was originally scheduled to start in 2021, with a starting price of €250,000 incl. VAT (US$296,000). The first units are to be delivered in 2022.
Lightyear 0 | |
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![]() Lightyear 0 at Motorworld Munich in 2021 | |
Overview | |
Type | Solar car |
Manufacturer | Lightyear |
Production | starting 2022 (to commence) |
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 | 4 electric engines in the wheels |
Power output | 130 kW (170 bhp) |
Battery | 60 kWh |
Electric range | 625 km (388 miles) (WLTP) |
Dimensions | |
Length | 5,057 mm[2] |
Width | 1,898 mm[2] |
Height | 1,426 mm[2] |
Curb weight | ~ 1,575 kg (3,472 lb) |
The Lightyear 0 is a large fastback, with the bonnet, roof and boot clad with 5 m2 (54 sq ft) of solar cells, with a WLTP range of 625 km (388 miles) and designed with a record drag coefficient of Cd=0.175. The company Lightyear claims there are 782 solar cells across the car that can add 70 km (43.5 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]
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]
Announced on 25 June 2019, production was scheduled to start in 2021, mentioning a starting price of €119,000 incl. VAT (US$141,000).[5] In September 2021, Lightyear were reported to have raised US$110 million to bring the vehicle to production, and delivering the first units in 2022, for the price of €250,000 incl. VAT (US$296,000).[7]
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