We teamed up with the sun to build better cars. For centuries, humans have lived in balance with nature. When we set out to design Lightyear One, we decided to use the laws of nature as a guideline and complement them with today’s technology for an ultra-efficient design.
Tuesday, 25 June 2019 was a special day for us. Two years of hard work, determination and persistence culminated in the unveiling of the prototype of the world’s first long-range solar car.
It was a huge milestone and a defining moment on our journey towards clean mobility for everyone, everywhere. More than 800 guests and journalists made the trip to join us in Katwijk at the break of dawn to welcome this new era of driving.
We at Lightyear are a group of engineers who saw a way to combat climate change. It’s one of the biggest problems human beings have faced and it’s so frightening that it can be almost paralysing. We saw something that could be done and we’re doing it.
We teamed up with the sun to build better cars. For centuries, humans have lived in balance with nature. When we set out to design Lightyear One, we decided to use the laws of nature as a guideline and complement them with today’s technology for an ultra-efficient design.
We prioritised what it would take to build this solar car and honed our main focus to optimising efficiency and safety. This resulted in the in-wheel motors, the solar panel and the reduced weight.
We use light, high-tech materials to optimise aerodynamics. The car has four independently driven wheels, so no energy is lost in transit from the engine to the wheel and the solar panel ensures exceptional range which reduces range anxiety.
Lightyear One is the first long-range solar car and has staggering specifications. Production is planned to start in 2021 and we are thrilled that more than 100 cars have already been reserved.
With Lightyear One, we wanted to prove to the world that we can build one of the most sustainable cars on the market and also offer great convenience.
As the sun dawned on 25 June, its rays lit the Lightyear One prototype driving onto the stage. Truly, a new era of clean mobility has begun.