Dutch electric vehicle manufacturer Lightyear is entering into a partnership with Royal DSM. The companies will commercialise and market Lightyear's solar roof. With this, the two parties aim to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.
Lightyear is a Dutch company that developed the Lightyear One. This electric car has solar panels on its roof, which the car uses to generate its own electricity. The vehicle has a driving range of 725 kilometres, making it one of the most efficient long-distance solar cars at its launch in 2021.
Yield depends on location
The range on self-generated solar energy does, however, depend to a large extent on the amount of sunshine and therefore depends, among other things, on the geographical location. The solar energy is used to power about four motors integrated in the wheels. On average, 70-90% of the kilometres travelled with a Lightyear One can be covered using solar energy. In the Netherlands, for a distance of 20,000 kilometres per year, this percentage is estimated at 40%.
The Lightyear One's solar roof measures five square metres. The integrated solar cells are protected by double-curved safety glass. The solar roof continuously captures sunlight and therefore generates energy continuously, regardless of whether the vehicle is moving or idling. Incidentally, the solar roof covers not only the Lightyear One's roof, but also the bonnet and tailgate.
Is the Lightyear One's battery unexpectedly flat? Then the driver is not necessarily stranded. The vehicle can drive at 15 to 20 kilometres per hour on solar energy, without having to store it first. Even with a flat battery, it is therefore possible - depending on the location where the vehicle is stranded - to reach a charging station.
Individual solar cells
The roof features solar cells that operate individually from each other. "Unlike conventional solar panels, our solar panels operate independently. This means that even if part of the roof or bonnet is in shadow, the other cells continue to efficiently collect solar energy," Lightyear reports on its website. This approach is said to make the company's solar cells about 20% more efficient than conventional solar panels.
DSM has long been involved in Lightyear's solar roof; a conductive backsheet from the company is an integral part of the solar roof. This backsheet allows all solar cell connections to be placed on the back of the panel. This ensures efficiency; the entire front of the module can thus be used to capture sunlight. This reduces the electrical loss between the cells and the module, allowing 3% more power to be delivered.
Unleashing a revolution
So now the parties are joining forces to bring the Lightyear One's solar roof to market. Martijn Lammers, Chief of Strategy and co-founder of Lightyear: "We want to revolutionise the way people travel. By working with DSM to make our solar technology more accessible, we can accelerate a mass transition to electric vehicles by using the sun as an energy source."
By commercially marketing the solar roof, Lightyear and DSM aim to bring development to a wide range of electric vehicles. These include passenger vehicles and vans, as well as city buses. The solar roof can extend the range of these vehicles and also make them less dependent on charging infrastructure. As vehicles are not charged through the regular energy network, the solar roof can also provide financial savings. The parties will start a pilot project with customers in the automotive and public transport sectors.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
