Dutch company Lightyear's solar car is definitely coming and will drive on Dutch roads in 2020 if all goes well. The start-up has completed a successful first investment round, has signed a partnership with a major German automotive company and the first orders for the solar cars are already in. An extraordinary product made in the Netherlands.
Dutch company Lightyear is going to build a family car that runs on energy from the sun. At the Hannover Messe earlier this year, the company announced this week that it had attracted 5 million euros from investors for this purpose. The startup is working on its first prototype, the Lightyear One. It should be ready in 2019, with the first series production scheduled to follow in 2020.
The car
The Lightyear One is a four-wheel-drive electric family car. Like other electric vehicles, the Lightyear One is equipped with a battery, which allows it to store energy generated using the solar panels. Thanks to this battery, the vehicle can also drive during the night, for example. Because the Lightyear One's solar panels generate energy using the sun, the range depends on where you drive and what season it is. For example, Lightyear states that in sunny Hawaii, the vehicle can drive 20,000 kilometres a year on solar power, while in Amsterdam it will be around 10,000 kilometres.
The young company thinks the Lightyear One could be a good start to accelerate the development of electric driving. In doing so, it thinks very carefully about its design. "It is not an electric car with solar panels on the roof," Tessie Hartjes, head of marketing & sales, told Omroep Brabant. "With the Lightyear One, the solar cells are integrated into a beautifully designed car. Furthermore, we use lightweight materials and the car has no transmission system with a shaft, which means we can make the motors smaller and smaller.
CEO Lex Hoefsloot previously told Link Magazine the following about the realisation: "The car will be an independent entity because the energy source is integrated into the car itself. To make the concept technically feasible, the car has to be incredibly efficient. This requires redesigning the chassis, powertrain and aerodynamics. This is why we have developed a fully native solar-electric platform over the past few years. With this platform, we achieve energy efficiency that is up to three times higher than current EVs in the market. This efficiency, combined with our solar PV technology, makes a solar-electric car a viable solution for millions of users around the world."
Investments
It was previously announced that Lightyear, founded by five students, has raised almost 5 million euros in equity capital since its launch in late 2016. Recently, 2.5 million euros was dragged in within seven weeks, raised by over 60 investors.
The funding round for the production round is now also underway. By 2020, the first cars should then be on the road. Lightyear previously announced that the company needs 30 million euros to build the first cars. Currently, Lightyear's production facility and office are also being built. These will be located on the Automotive campus in Helmond
Production
Lightyear's production facility and office should be ready by early August 2018. These will be on the Automotive campus in Helmond. This is where the Lightyear One prototype and the first commercial series will be made, with series production expected to start 2020.
The selling price of the car will be 119,000 euros. Those who want to be among the first drivers can already sign up now. The first 100 riders will immediately pay 119,000 euros for the 'Pioneer Edition'. They will be delivered in 2020, according to information on the site.
You can also subscribe to the Lightyear One, the down payment will be 19,000 euros. You then pay another tonne when the Lightyear is delivered. That is expected to be in 2021. Mentioned purchase amounts do not include tax. Lightyears have already been ordered. Among others, Sioux, a company that is also involved as an investment partner, has ordered a Lightyear One.
Birth of Lightyear
CEO and co-founder of Lightyear Lex Hoefsloot comes from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). He competed as a student with a TU/e team in the World Solar Challenge. This is a biennial competition to travel 3,000 kilometres through the deserts of Australia. TU/e managed to win the competition many times.
In a Lightyear company film, Hoefsloot said he realised in 2012 that building a solar-powered family car would be possible with the technology already available at the time. With four other Solar Team Eindhoven alumni, former TU Eindhoven students, Hoefsloot then started the startup Lightyear.
They had built the revolutionary Stella & Stella Lux cars for the challenge. These four-seaters managed to win the competition twice. In September 2016, Lightyear presented itself to the outside world in Silicon Valley. Lightyear then announced its intention to launch a commercial solar car in 2019.
By: Kelly Bakker
Source/photo: Business Insider/Link Magazine/Omroep Brabant/Lightyear
