Lightyear 0: World’s First Production-Ready Solar Car, Enclosed With 5 Metres Of Solar Panels

Claiming to be the world’s first production-ready solar car, a Dutch-based company, Lightyear, presents their first innovation, the Lightyear 0.

The Lightyear 0 is a family sedan with 5 metres of solar panels built in, capable of generating up to 70 km (44 miles) of charge-free driving a day.

Outstandingly, this four-door fastback electric sedan has enough onboard battery to deliver 560 km (348 miles) of freeway driving at 110 km/h (68 mph), even without the sun shining.

In WLTP testing, the Lightyear 0 delivers 625 km (388 miles) of range, that’s nearly 4 percent more than Tesla's Model 3 Long Range AWD.

According to the automaker, these range figures come from a battery pack holding just 60 kWh. Whereas, the Model 3 Long Range AWD only runs an 82-kWh pack.

Although the WLTP range is not what was expected initially, the Lightyear 0 still has more range out of a smaller battery than the Tesla.

At which, it remarkably uses just 10.5 kWh per 100 km (62 miles), while going as fast as 110 km/h on the highway.

This is courtesy of the low drag the 0 has, as its drag coefficient of 0.19 makes it the most aerodynamic family car ever built.

On top of that, part of it comes from specially developed Bridgestone tires designed to reduce rolling resistance.

However, because of that factor, the acceleration is fairly slow. The 0 takes a full 10 seconds to dash from 0 to 100 km/h, and will top out at just 160 km/h (99 mph).

Regardless, that is not the focal point of the 0, as it primes on the lesser time needed charging-wise. Efficiency is what it’s all about.

As aforementioned, it has a massive solar panel and even though it can’t fully charge the battery, it certainly can make a contribution.

Under ideal conditions, the solar panels covering the hood and the fastback roof can chip in up to 1.05 kW of constant charging.

Specifically, over the course of a very sunny day, the company says that the solar generated energy can power up to 70 km of driving.

Add in a fully topped-up battery, and if the daily commute is less than 50 km (31 miles), the 0 can run for months and thousands of kilometres, before needing another juice up.

Plus, the solar charging gives up to 10 km (6.2 miles) of range per hour, and on a household plug, it'll charge at 32 km/h (20 mph), and outside stations, it'll fast-charge up to 520 km/h (323 mph).

Lightyear’s chief executive officer, Lex Hoefsloot, remarked, “To minimise charging and maximise range, the industry’s strategy so far has been to add more batteries. This increases the carbon footprint of production and in turn increases the weight and need for high-capacity charging stations. Our strategy reverses this approach. Lightyear 0 offers more range with less battery, reducing weight and CO₂ emissions per vehicle.”

Interior-wise, nothing fancy. Seats for five, plenty of luggage space, and the vegan interior, made out of plant-based leather, recycled PET bottles and rattan palm, looks adequate.

Besides that, there is also a 10.1-inch touchscreen to handle navigation and infotainment, and overall, the cabin is pretty cushy-looking.

Pricing-wise, it’s ridiculously expensive. It costs up to EUR 250,000 (RM 1,165,595) and only 946 will be built, with deliveries to start in November.

Fret not, Lightyear says, around the start of 2025, they plan to present a second solar electric car, which is designed for the mass market with a starting price point of EUR 30,000 (RM 139,850).

All in all, Lightyear's hyper-efficient car undeniably proposes some benefits, and it's an intriguing first offering from a company that is genuinely giving solar motoring a proper shot.