Many people today are consciously making greener choices to play their role in saving the planet. This is what made way for electric vehicles. Though electric cars helped tackle climate change, and are a far better solution than fossil fuel powered cars, they have certain drawbacks. For starters, there is a lot of pressure on the power grids that power them. This is where the concept of solar electric vehicles, SEV, comes into play.
Lightyear 0 plays a major role in this regard, being the first-ever production-ready car that will be powered by solar energy. SEVs will not need power grids to charge, they will get all the energy from the sun. Let’s get into the details.
Get Moved by the Light with Lightyear 0
Lightyear is an EV startup based in the Netherlands. After six years of being in the development phase, the company officially introduced the “Lightyear 0 sedan” to the world in 2022. Previously, solar cars were not available but that changes with lightyear 0.
This is the world’s first-ever production-ready solar-powered car. Lightyear 0 has five square meters (16.4 feet) of highly effective solar cells double curved array installed onto the hood and roof of the car. These cells are going to make up for an additional 43 miles of range daily.
Moreover, the solar car charges on the go in daylight and gains up to 70 km of range per day just from the sun, taking range capability, energy consumption and charging to a whole new level. Light year zero has an annual solar yield of 11,000 km.
The company claims if a driver only takes a short commute daily, lightyear 0 will potentially drive optimally for up to seven months without charge. You literally get moved by the light.
The Incredible Specs and Features of Lightyear 0
The solar car is the actual representation of clean mobility, all thanks to its incredible features. The car has a practical range of over 1,000 km driving range between two charges. The battery range is 625 km (WLTP), and the highway range (at 110 km/h) is 560 km.
Lightyear 0 has a battery pack too that offers 60 kWh, the vehicle can accelerate from 0-100km/h in just ten seconds, and the top speed for the world’s first solar car is 160hm/h. These were general technical lightyear 0 specs. Let’s go through other Lightyear zero features in detail.
A Massive and Bright Range Capability
The sun is Lightyear 0’s power source. Imagine returning to your Lightyear 0 car after two hours and clicking on the intuitive infotainment system, just to discover that range was boosted by 20 km while you were not in your car, all thanks to the sun. It would feel amazing. Lightyear 0 solar cars will be able to yield between 6,000 to 11,000 kilometres of free, unproblematic, and clean range every year, but this will naturally depend on the climate.
Sockets and Cables are a Thing of the Past
For Lightyear 0, sockets and cables are a thing of the past. The dependence level of lightyear for these items is minimal. That said, one can expect an easy ride with a charger plugged in. You can use any outlet as a power charging station. Even the home sockets used to power the toaster can be used to charge the range overnight.
Charging speeds considering the amount of range in 1 hour of charging is as follows
- Home charging (regular plug in your house) 32km/h
- Public charging 200 km/h
- Fast charging 520 km/h
The Light is Limitless and So is Lightyear 0
Electric vehicles drivers have to plan their routes based on the availability of EV charging stations on their route. But with Lightyear zero, the car will be charged while you are commuting.
Moreover, it is also going to be limitless while off-roading thanks to 640L trunk space with seats folded and 183mm of ground clearance.
Sustainable Interior
The interior trim utilises sustainable materials, including palm wood and vegan leather. Lightyear 0 has a seating capacity of 5 people and a luggage space of 640L(with seats up) in the boot and 12L in the centre console.
As for infotainment, the solar car has a 10.1-inch touchscreen (android automotive OS), and there are cameras on the side and rear view.
Sustainable Exterior
The body panels, chassis and frame are made by using residual carbon fibre materials and reclaimed carbon, aluminium. The car is 1575 kg in weight, it has a 5 m2 double curved solar array on top and a ground clearance of 183 mm.
Lightyear Could Soon be Seen in The UAE
You may soon spot the world’s fist ever solar electric vehicle on the roads in UAE. Case in point: Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park, SRTI Park, announced a collaboration with Lightyear – the Netherlands based solar electric vehicle producing company. Both the companies, are going through different activities to drive sustainable mobility.
Lightyear and SRTI Park, may also establish testing facilities and sales, support centres for the first long-range production ready solar electric vehicle in the UAE. Both companies acting as incubation hubs for tech ventures and startups are also aiming to establish university research exchange studies and programmes pertaining to solar-powered EVs.
That is all about lightyear 0. The car will write history with every solar-powered clean kilometre driven. If you wish to buy a lightyear zero, you need to pre-book on their official website. On the other hand, if you wish to use electric vehicles, till the use of solar cars becomes common, following EVs are available on dubizzle:
Moreover, here is a list of electric cars to look forward to in 2023.
Stay green, stay clean and stay tuned to UAE’s top auto blog for more revolutionary automotive technologies.
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