LIGHTYEAR ONE
“We looked at the market and
realized there is huge demand
for super-efficient cars”
Lex Hoefsloot, CEO, Lightyear
This huge amount of free energy is based
on the average distance driven by Dutch
drivers who lease their cars, at 20,000km
(12,400 miles) per year, and means even in
more inclement countries, the Lightyear One
should provide 8,000km (almost 5,000 miles)
of zero-cost, zero emissions motoring.
“There’s a big diff erence, of course, between
a sunny day and a cloudy day. That’s also why
we have quite a large battery in the car, so we
can take the energy you get from the sun one
week, then use it another week,” He adds.
The panels are covered in safety glass,
allowing a fully-grown adult to walk over them
without making a dent. Lightyear cannot name
its solar panel suppliers, but reveal it has two.
While space-grade gallium arsenide panels are
available - and used in a limited capacity on the
3. Silicon cells were
chosen for the 53ft²
of solar paneling, and are
covered in safety glass
4. Every part of the car,
from its underside to
door mirrors, have
been optimized for
greater aerodynamics
5. The fi rst deliveries
of the One will arrive
to customers in 2021
normally be. Despite the panels dictating much
of the car’s design, the upside of the technology
is potentially enormous.
The panels act like a trickle charger for
the car’s circa 70kWh battery, with the ability
to continually self-charge at a rate of around
10-12km of range per hour, whether while
driving or parked up at the shops or o ce
during the day. Lightyear claims it could
generate around 50-70km (30-43 miles) of extra
range on a summer’s day. For some users who
might only drive shorter distances, the solar
panels could provide enough energy that
owners might hardly ever have to plug it in.
“In the Netherlands in the summer, you
won’t have to charge for about two months.
It really adds to the experience of driving an
electric car,” Hoefsloot says.
86 // July 2019 // www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com
new Toyota Prius - the One opts for more
aff ordable panels with silicon cells.
Power ahead
E ciency is also found when the One is
plugged in, as Lightyear claims it can suck up
to 400km (250 miles) of range from a domestic
230V plug socket each night, negating the need
for a high-speed home charger, or reliance on
public charging infrastructure.
But that doesn’t mean Lightyear is focused
exclusively on domestic charging, as Hoefsloot
says the One will work with the Ionity network
in Europe. When asked if the car will reach the
350kW charge rate Porsche says is possible, the
Lightyear boss revealed: “We’re still looking at
the battery requirements for that. We want
people to be able to charge as much as possible
in half an hour. 300km is where we are at now,
I think a 350kW charge rate is more of a
marketing tool at the moment than reality
for a lot of cars.
“Maybe compatible vehicles will be able
to do that for the fi rst 5% of charging, like
we are seeing now with the Model 3, which
is 250kW but only for the fi rst 10%, then it
goes down quite quickly afterwards,” he
Lightyear says the One will be delivered to
buyers in 2021, but admits there is still a long
way to go. It only drove for the fi rst time in
June and is yet to clear the signifi cant hurdles
of hot and cold weather testing, and crash
testing. Hoefsloot is right when he says this is
no small mission, but its impact could be huge
for future generations of electric mobility.
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