Lightyear cars make the impossibly vast, accessible; and the unimaginably wild, explorable. Without tailpipe emissions or relying on any charging infrastructure, imagine driving through a tropical rainforest, over highlands dotted with sheep or along never-ending coastline. Why not? The more we explore and indulge the imagination, the better.
We designed our car for curious minds, adventurers and explorers. Because, after all, humans are nomads. We've been travelling for most of history; movement is written into our nature.
We began with our feet, leaving nothing behind but our prints in the sand. But the world moved on, and today it demands cars capable of exploring the earth without taxing it.
That's exactly what we’ve built Lightyear One to do.
Constrained by charging
There are over one billion cars on the road today, and less than 5% of them drive without emitting CO₂. Electric cars are an important step in the right direction, but they rely on electrical infrastructure. Taking an electric vehicle off-grid and into the heart of the wilderness would throw up some challenges. Could it be done without running out of charge?
Combustion cars can take us off-grid to remote corners of the earth, but they can't do it cleanly.
The question for us has always been: how do we preserve the earth and give everyone the chance to explore it?
Designing beyond boundaries
Lightyear One was formed at the cross-section of technical innovation and raw imagination.
We had to wipe the slate clean, start from scratch and design a revolutionary product that pushed the boundaries of possibility. Design and production had to be considered down to the finest detail to create a truly clean car that would last, able to venture into vast and rough terrains.
Building beyond boundaries
Lightyear One is the world's first long-range solar electric vehicle (SEV). You might be familiar with its capability of harnessing the sun, but you might not know that it's built for more than smooth roads and predictable surfaces.
Lightyear One has All Wheel Drive (AWD), courtesy of four independently-controlled in-wheel motors that deliver improved traction control on all types of surfaces.
We added ground clearance of 183mm to the mix, ensuring that Lightyear One goes on where other electric vehicles must stop.
Lightyear One also has a trunk space to rival most mid-size SUVs. That leaves ample room to pack camping gear and head off the beaten track for a night under the stars.
A mission everyone can drive
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution" -- Albert Einstein.
This year, Lightyear One will make its debut on roads across Europe. And although we'll make an exclusive number of our first car, our mission is not exclusive.
We're working closely with visionary car-sharing, ride-hailing and ride-sharing services to include both Lightyear One and Lightyear Two in their fleets.
You can access the future of clean solar mobility as early as 2023, with MyWheels recently confirming Lightyear One will be included in their fleet next year. And that's only the beginning.
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