Why clean mobility matters
We believe that mobility is a fundamental human right, that’s why we’re working towards a future that brings clean mobility to everyone, everywhere.
The mobility challenge
The Paris Agreement states that transport contributes up to 23% of current greenhouse gas emissions, and requires at least 20% of all road transport vehicles to be electrically driven by 2030. On our current trajectory these goals are challenging, to say the least. It’s clear we can no longer rely on existing mobility principles and must turn instead to new, revolutionary ideas to breathe fresh life into our planet
Clean mobility, bright future
At Lightyear we aim to achieve world-class vehicle efficiencies with zero emissions to protect the future of free movement — a fundamental human right. This requires innovative new mobility solutions, like Lightyear 0, the world’s first production-ready solar car. Together, all cars on the planet drive the distance of one light-year, every year. We intend to drive the same distance on clean solar energy by 2035.
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Your mobility questions answered
Clean mobility is achieving world-class vehicle efficiencies with zero emissions to protect the future of free movement. Clean mobility doesn’t start and finish with the car you drive, it deals with a broader shift towards sustainable forms of movement and transportation, such as car-sharing and ride-hailing. Electric vehicles are a great step toward achieving clean mobility, but they depend on the power gird, which is largely fossil-fueled. Currently, types of clean cars that directly utilise renewable energies include solar electric vehicles (SEVs) and hydrogen vehicles.
Solar cars are built, from the beginning, to harness the power of the sun. They have an integrated layer of solar cells that capture energy and convert it to electricity. That’s not all that makes solar electric cars special, because their radical focus on efficiency drastically minimises energy consumption, meaning an economical car that can drive for much longer between charges.
Absolutely! Lightyear is living proof. The technology for solar-powered cars has been around for years, but we were the first to mature and develop it; launching the world’s first production-ready solar car in June 2022. Discover Lightyear 0 and its unique capabilities here.
Yes, but drastically less than a regular electric car. How often depends on your habits and location. For instance, with a daily commute of 30 km, and in cloudy climates like the Netherlands, our solar car can drive for around two months without plug charging. But that shoots up to seven months in sunnier countries, like Spain.
We don’t think so — but it depends on your definition of performance. For us, efficiency means greater performance where it matters most; everyday life. For example, our car’s ecosystem of efficiency requires give and take: so where Lightyear 0 isn’t best in class for acceleration, it does stretch every joule of energy to reinvent range and drive months without charging.
A solar is just like an electric one, but with one critical difference: it doesn’t depend on plugs and sockets alone. A solar car has an outer layer of integrated solar cells, and with them, can charge itself. That also reinvents the traditional idea of range. Battery range is what most of us are used to: range achieved from an electric car's battery alone. But solar cars deal in driving range, which is battery range plus the solar range collected between plug charges.
About Lightyear
We design for independence and convenience. We create clean solar electric cars that can drive off-grid and into all of life's adventures.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 848620