{"id":37293,"date":"2022-12-01T09:04:16","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T14:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=37293"},"modified":"2022-12-01T09:04:16","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T14:04:16","slug":"1136138_lightyear-one-solar-car-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=37293","title":{"rendered":"Lightyear 0 \u201csolar car\u201d enters production, promises over 300 miles of range"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was in 2019 that Dutch EV startup Lightyear first revealed a concept<\/a> for a sleek hatchback with in-wheel motors and solar panels spanning the hood and roof. On Wednesday, production finally got underway at a plant in Uusikaupunki, Finland.<\/p>\n

The new EV is called the Lightyear 0, and its production is being handled by Valmet, the contract manufacturer that at one time built the Fisker Karma extended-range EV. Valmet is also contracted to build the Sono Sion<\/a>, another EV that features solar panels.<\/p>\n

The 0 is also an extended-range EV, in a way. There’s roughly 53 square feet of solar panels lining the hood and roof, and with sufficient access to sunlight they can charge at a rate of 1.05 kw, or enough to add 6.2 miles of range in an hour, according to Lightyear.<\/p>\n

It means that with a full charge of the battery, a 0 as a commuter car could potentially drive for months without needing charging, depending on the length of the commute and access to sunlight.<\/p>\n

The 0 features a 61.2-kwh battery which the company claims will deliver a range of 388 miles on the WLTP test cycle used outside the U.S. This should still result in close to 300 miles on the stricter cycle used by the EPA.<\/p>\n