Lightyear One solar car delayed, price increased, assembly moved to Valmet

Dutch startup Lightyear is set to launch the One Electric Liftback, which can charge batteries from sunlight, a year later than promised. The first serial copies will be shipped to customers in mid-2022.

The Lightyear One prototype debuted in the summer of 2019, when its creators promised to start mass production in 2021, but the coronavirus slowed down business processes, so the schedule shifted. Lightyear has no problems with money: this year alone, the startup has attracted 93 million euros of investments, including from the international insurance and funeral company DELA, as well as the Dutch entrepreneur and art collector Joop van Caldenborg.

Lightyear One is a large liftback (length 5057 mm, width 1898 mm, height 1426 mm), all horizontal panels of which are covered with solar panels. Lightyear decided to produce these panels itself, for which it bought a plant in Venray (Netherlands) with all the necessary equipment from the manufacturer of automotive sliding sunroofs and panoramic roofs Inalfa Roof Systems. The total area of ​​the panels is 5 m2, with good sunlight they can give up to 70 km of “free” run per day, which more than covers the needs of the average European. That is, in theory, you can not connect an electric car to a power outlet for weeks and months. The maximum socket charging power is 60 kW.

The electricity generated by the solar panels is stored in a battery with a capacity of 60 kWh integrated into the bottom of the machine. The estimated range on a single charge is 725 km on the WLTP cycle. In practice, last summer, the Lightyear One prototype managed to drive 710 km on a single charge at an average speed of 85 km/h on the ring of the test site in Aldenhoven, Germany. It is clear that on public roads with frequent acceleration and deceleration, the mileage will be less.

Lightyear One is driven by four motor-wheels, the power of which the developers still do not name. Up to 100 km / h, the liftback will be able to accelerate in 10 seconds – not fast against the backdrop of Tesla electric trains. Top Tesla Model S Plaid with 1020 hp it reaches the first “hundred” in 2.1 seconds, has a certified range of 637 km on a single charge and costs 129,990 euros in the Netherlands. Lightyear wants €150,000 for its One liftback, up from €119,000 two years ago.

The Lightyear One body is made of aluminum and carbon fiber, designed for five people (including the driver) and boasts excellent aerodynamics: declared cx = 0.20. There are no outside door handles, cameras are used instead of mirrors. Trunk volume – 780 liters, with the rear seat folded – 1701 liters.

The interior design is quite traditional, without giant monitors and with a “normal” steering wheel, textiles and natural wood dominate in the decoration.

In the summer, it became known that Lightyear would not produce the One liftback on its own, but at the Valmet plant in Finland, which now assembles A-class Mercedes and GLC crossovers on a contract basis. In the 90s, this plant, we recall, made Euro-Samara of the Lada brand.

By 2024, Lightyear plans to develop a more compact and affordable electric vehicle.

In Germany, meanwhile, rival startup Sono Motors is developing a low-cost Sion solar car that will cost 25,500 euros, but production at the former Saab plant in Trollhättan, Sweden will not begin until 2023.