Lightyear to start delivering world's first solar-powered car this year

According to foreign media reports, Dutch company Lightyear will start delivering the world's first mass-produced solar car to customers later this year.The company promises that the vehicles will be able to drive without a charge for months on end during the summer.

Founded in 2016, Lightyear will build 949 vehicles with curved solar panels on the hood and roof.With solar charging, the vehicle can add up to 70 kilometers per day.

The company's new model, called the Lightyear 0, is priced at 250,000 euros (about $263,000).Speaking at the vehicle's launch, Lex Hoefsloot, CEO and co-founder of Lightyear, said: "Electric vehiclesare a step in the right direction, but they are reliant on the grid, which is still largely reliant on fossil fuel energy. Increases A new source of energy, solar, increases the certainty of the vehicle that you can use the solar energy all the time, thus reducing the number of recharges."

Image credit: Lightyear

The company revealed that the new model will be manufactured in Finland by Valmet Automotive.During the summer in Amsterdam, the aforementioned models can be driven without a charge for two months, and in Portugal for seven months.The Lightyear 0 has a battery capacity of 60 kWh and has previously managed to travel more than 700 kilometers on a single charge.Cars powered by the sun have previously struggled beyond the prototype stage due to the large area required for solar panels.

After achieving low-volume production of the Lightyear 0, the company plans to launch a lower-priced model with a starting price of $30,000, with production expected in late 2024 or early 2025.