Automotive

Solar-powered Lightyear One EV promises 500-mile range

Solar-powered Lightyear One EV promises 500-mile range
The Lightyear One in render form
The Lightyear One in render form 
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A shadowy look at the Lightyear One
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A shadowy look at the Lightyear One
Solar panels are clearly visible on the roof of the Lightyear One
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Solar panels are clearly visible on the roof of the Lightyear One
The rear of the One is tapered
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The rear of the One is tapered 
The Lightyear One in render form
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The Lightyear One in render form 
The rear of the Lightyear One
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The rear of the Lightyear One 
The Lightyear One is headed for launch in 2018
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The Lightyear One is headed for launch in 2018
Distinctive venting on the rear of the Lightyear One
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Distinctive venting on the rear of the Lightyear One
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The idea of a solar-powered car has been floated a number of times over the last few years, but past attempts have generally fallen into the basket of good ideas that just don't work in the real world. According to the Netherlands-based Lightyear, that's all set to change. The company says its first car, called the One, will be an electric four-wheel drive with a range of 800 km (497 mi) .

At the moment, details about the Lightyear One are incredibly thin on the ground. The company is planning a complete reveal in 2018, ahead of its market debut in 2019. All we have to work with at the moment are a few (very bold) claims about potential range and a selection of shadowy renders, so everything should be taken with a massive grain of salt at the moment.

According to Lightyear, owners who live in warm, sunny climates will be able to drive their car for months on end without ever plugging into a wall socket. Of course, if there's no sun owners will be able to charge up with a regular wall plug. Lex Hoefsloot, Lightyear CEO, says the One will be able to operate effectively when there isn't any sunlight – think cloudy days or night time – thanks to the largest battery option offering that aforementioned 800-km range.

Distinctive venting on the rear of the Lightyear One
Distinctive venting on the rear of the Lightyear One

Compared to current capabilities, that range is absolutely huge. The Tesla Model S with a 100-kWh battery pack has a maximum range of 613 km (or 315 mi under EPA testing) on the EPA drive cycle, and Lucid Motors is quoting (644 km) 400 mi from its 130-kWh model. Unless it's sitting on some incredible unseen battery technology, Lightyear will need to use a seriously big battery pack, which means the One will be a seriously heavy car.

Should it reach production, the car itself will be a sedan with four-wheel drive. Its silhouette looks similar to that of the Lucid Air, while the taillights could have been lifted from a Hyundai Elantra. Solar panels clearly run to the back of the car's roof and boot lid, and there are some distinctive vents cut into the rear bumper.

Despite a distinct lack of detail behind its claims, and the fact solar-assisted cars like the Sono Motors Sion haven't exactly caught on, Lightyear seems incredibly confident in its One. A limited number of pre-order slots have been opened up, but anyone who wants to get their hands on the car will need to spend €119,000 (US$137,000).

The company is planning on delivering the first cars to the US and Europe.

Source: Lightyear

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10 comments
10 comments
usugo
I am assuming that the range claimed is in ideal conditions. i.e. with the photovoltaics cover pumping out the maximum energy, hence producing most of the energy used while moving (presumably at a leisure pace). The battery will likely be in the 100-150 kwh range. Being from Netherlands, it is probably based on Stella technology
habakak
Vaporware. Not going to happen. You simply cannot power a car from solar panels/cells with the surface area available. Even with 50% efficient solar cells it would be a stretch.
BrianK56
Sounds like super capacitors that charge within minutes, and a battery pack.
mjr1007
If you look at current EVs it takes something like > 20 KWH per 100 miles. At 50 mph you would need a 10 KW solar array, which would be significantly larger then a car. You might be able to average 25 mph with the most efficient cells but that would probably be a stretch in real world environs. Something like a minivan for city use might be a better place to start because of the larger surface area and stop and go nature of the travel cycle.
Douglas Bennett Rogers
You will need about 20 hrs. of charging under full sun for each hour of highway driving.
Bob
I'll park this right next to my air powered car.
Leonard Foster Jr
There are a few regen techs being overlooked one being flywheel storage and another I am working on people are thinking too much on just battery storage ;-)
JimFox
What are claims like these hoping to achieve? And how many similar EV's do we see on the roads? Seriously, I can't deduce the motivation.
S Michael
Beyond vaporware. I will ride on the back of my pink flying elephant.
YouAre
It’s natural to call something a vaporware if you’re stuck in stereotypes: if Stella is any indication, this car will be ultra-ultra light, not so comfy and given how much an average car rides a day it won't need much of a battery or many NASA-like cells. I think the 800 km range is for the biggest battery, while the base model will offer much less. The odds are high we'll see this beauty after a few delays.