Success in the automotive electrification push relies on one thing - accessibility - and solar EV carmaker Lightyear is looking to build this into its DNA, aiming to have its first model on Europe's roads by the end of the year.
Lightyear cars have solar panels on their roofs and bonnets; the Lightyear One has been conducting tests for the past year. Credit: Lightyear
In a post detailing its road to production, the firm revealed it has "validated [its] core technologies," meaning it is now ready to hit the assembly lines and bring its radical new type of electric vehicle to the roads.
Read more: Lightyear closer to launching solar EVs with NXP partnership
Since its inception in 2016, the Dutch company has tried to do things a little differently. The use of integrated solar panels into the vehicle's bodywork forgoes the need for charging infrastructure, which is still lagging behind demand.
Instead, the vehicle's batteries are charged directly through solar absorption. This, reportedly, allows for a smaller battery pack needed inside the car, which means the vehicles are more lightweight than many current EVs and ultimately leads to overall emissions reductions during production.
The Lightyear One Validation Prototype has already been testing for longevity for the past year. On average, these four-door vehicles are able to travel around 69km (43 miles) per day by absorbing the sun's energy.
The firm claims to have travelled 710km (441 miles) on a single 60kWh battery, travelling at 85 km/h (52 mph) while also conducting other tests in poor weather conditions and at higher speeds.
However, even before this hit the streets, the firm used simulation software to test the specifications of the car in a bid to optimise its design, which also provided it with a comparison once physical tests began.
The frame of the Lightyear One. Credit: Lightyear
“Some other tests we did - that are probably not as well known - included validating the entire solar yield our panels can achieve. In other words, to what extent our technology can harness the sun and recharge vehicles with its power," the firm's Vehicle Project Manager Patrick Creevey said.
“There’s also continuous validation going on in the background on top of track testing, as each component and system is continuously put multiple iterations. For example, this year we released the fourth production-intent iteration of the inverters powering our in-wheel motors," he added.
The next phase is to produce Production Intent Vehicles (PIVs), which will test several safety features and systems - including crash tests - and then chalk them up to the consumer's needs.
It will also continue to run simulations and make comparisons to Lightyear One's tests.
Read more: DSM & Lightyear partner to roll out solar roofs for EVs
"Our mission is simple, to provide clean mobility for everyone, everywhere, and it goes beyond engineering a solar-powered vehicle. We’re forging new possibilities, driving change and inviting pioneers to make history with us, as we put truly clean mobility on the road for the first time," the firm added in the post.
It will achieve this by not just selling the vehicles to consumers - they are all about accessibility. The firm will also be delivering Lightyear vehicles through car-sharing, ride-hailing and ride-sharing services.
While some Lightyear cars are set to hit the roads of Europe by the end of the year, the firm has said in the past it will not commence mass-market rollout until 2024/25.
Some European countries have either suggested or enshrined into law, petrol bans, which will prohibit the sale of new vehicles entirely powered through internal combustion engines. Instead, only hybrids and low-carbon vehicles will be an option.
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