Lightyear and Granstudio — A pioneering collaboration to redefine vehicle design through solar integration
How cutting-edge solar innovation and creative design research are shaping the future of vehicle typology.
Lightyear, the pioneering solar technology company, and Granstudio, a leader in innovative automotive design, have unveiled a collaborative design research project exploring the transformative potential of solar technology integration in vehicle design and typology.
This partnership builds on their groundbreaking work on the Lightyear 0 project, which delivered the world’s most efficient and energy-independent vehicle. Together, Granstudio and Lightyear have taken the next step by researching how solar integration can benefit users and exploring its application across diverse vehicle typologies, from urban commuters to high-performance long-distance vehicles.
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An overview of various vehicle typologies that were part of the research
An overview of various vehicle typologies that were part of the researchUnlocking the user benefits of solar technology
The research reveals how Lightyear’s solar technology addresses three critical barriers to electric vehicle adoption—range, cost and charging infrastructure—by offering freedom of movement. Solar-enabled vehicles can travel farther with less reliance on charging stations, combining Lightyear’s advanced solar cell efficiency with aerodynamic vehicle design.
Exploring vehicle typologies
Granstudio and Lightyear translated user insights into innovative vehicle concepts that highlight solar’s adaptability. This included:
Mass production vehicles: Solar designs optimized for everyday use, combining aesthetics, efficiency, and accessibility.
Off-the-grid racers: High-performance vehicles achieving up to 95% energy independence with aerodynamic shapes and extended solar surfaces for long-distance travel.
Using tools like DigiPHY, a mixed-reality platform, the teams tested and validated solar applications in real-world contexts, refining designs to balance aesthetics, performance, and practicality.
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Testing and validating solar applications in real-world contexts
Testing and validating solar applications in real-world contexts“This collaboration allowed us to push the boundaries of automotive design and explore solar’s potential across multiple vehicle types, combining creativity and advanced tools to deliver new design solutions,” said Lowie Vermeersch, Creative Director at Granstudio.
Making solar accessible for designers
Lightyear developed a solar calculation tool that quantifies the added value of integrated solar technology using precise data. Offered as a service, this tool lowers the barriers for designers to adopt solar integration. It enables quick and accurate energy yield calculations while helping designers optimize solar cell placement, seamlessly balancing performance, efficiency, and aesthetics in vehicle designs.
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Lightyear makes solar integration accessible to automotive designers by offering solar calculation
Lightyear makes solar integration accessible to automotive designers by offering solar calculationKey takeaways for the automotive industry
The collaboration highlighted the importance of early design integration, practical design strategies for solar application, and the potential of solar technology to revolutionize the automotive industry by enabling energy-independent, sustainable mobility solutions.
“By combining our solar expertise with Granstudio’s innovative design approach, we’ve demonstrated how solar technology can unlock sustainable mobility without compromizing performance or design,” said Bonna Newman, CEO at Lightyear.