Arushi Sakhuja
Conversations around climate change are taking the forefront in the world today. On June 9, Dutch company Lightyear unveiled the online premiere of the world’s first production-ready solar car – Lightyear 0.
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Lightyear believes in clean driving without emissions, unrestricted by plug-charging. So, in 2016, they began forging a new, radical automotive reality. Six years later, the brand has launched the world’s first production-ready solar car. This is a first, a big step towards their mission and philosophy of clean mobility for everyone, everywhere.
The name of the solar car Lightyear 0 symbolises a vehicle that will take us back to where we began, following the essence of all life on earth — the sun — and the aim of a zero-emission future.
The Lightyear 0 is designed like no other thanks to its radically-efficient design ethos. It is created with a lightweight battery pack, and in the initial testing, the Lightyear 0 production model drove 560 km at highway speeds on a single charge.
Powered by the sun, the solar car has five square metres of patented, double curved solar arrays on the car’s roof and hood, giving it the potential to charge itself.
The company further said that in cloudy climates, based on the average commute of around 35 km per day, you can drive for up to two months before you need to think about charging. While in sunnier countries, it could last up to seven months without charging. Further, with new techolonogy used in the solar car, any power outlet in the world can be a charging station. Plugged into a regular home socket, Lightyear 0 can still charge 32 km per hour.
Designed to be as visually striking as it is efficient, it takes inspiration from the harmony of nature to balance technology with aesthetics. Lightyear 0’s interiors are vegan, featuring a tapestry of recycled and ethically-sourced materials including high-quality plant-based leather; fabrics made from recycled PET bottles; wooden art deco elements from sustainably-restructured rattan palm; and ecological, breathable micro-fibre suede. The solar car’s outer body panels are also made from reclaimed carbon, thus, sustainability is stitched into every seam.
Being pioneers in clean mobility, the car is fitted with solar panels and will start production in the fall of this year.
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