According to recent announcements, the Lightyear 0 could actually run up to seven months. It can without any charge for that long in a country with strong sunlight. According to the company, the vehicle could last up to two months without any charge in the Netherlands. This is being considered by taking 35km are estimated daily range requirements. While there are certain strings attached to the possibility, it is still a notable vehicle with the design and possibility to last much longer.
The analysis mentioned above is applied when the vehicle owner parks the car under sunlight. As the onboard EV panels draw energy from the sunlight and send it to the batteries, it is an essential part of the usage. In a way, once a user understands how to use the vehicle, or how the vehicle works. It is easy to ensure that the range lasts longer without any trouble.
It was claimed that Lightyear 0 can have up to 11,000 km per year with a solar yield. The vehicle has 54 square feet of patented double-curbed solar arrays. So the vehicle could be charged easily anytime with the sun anytime by parking under sunlight. The manufacturer states that using only its solar-sources energy, the vehicle can have a range of 70km. As the vehicle could also charge with the traditional plug-in method, in case of emergency one could always charge it as well.
Production
“Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for since us five co-founders sat in a kitchen sketching out our dream of building the most sustainable car on the planet,” says Lightyear’s co-founder and CEO Lex Hoefsloot. “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.”
To start with, Lightyear has attempted to make as efficient an EV as possible. The shape of the vehicle gives it a drag coefficient of 0.19, which compares well to the Mercedes EQXX concept and should make it the most aerodynamic family car on sale when it comes out. All of the features do come at a price. The automaker said today that the Lightyear 0 will start at €250,000 ($263,243 USD at current exchange rates). It will also produce just 946 of them per year. It does plan on making a related model, though, that will be aimed at mass-market audiences with a starting price of €30,000 ($31,589 USD). Production of that car will start in late 2024/early 2025.