The first car to be charged with solar energy on the go, the lightyear orIt is already in production. However, its current price is a bit “high”.
This electric sedan is covered by almost 5 square meters of solar panels on the hood and roof. These batteries give up to 69 kilometers of movement on a single charge.
Dutch startup Valmet Automotive has started production of the first version of the vehicle at its factories in Finland.
“Starting production of the Lightyear O, the first solar-powered car, brings us one big step closer to our mission of clean mobility for everyone, everywhere,” said Lex Hoefsloot, Lightyear’s CEO and co-founder, in a statement. “We may be the first to achieve this, but I certainly hope we won’t be the last.”
This will be the price of the first Lightyear O
Valmet Automotive expects to produce five cars a week by the end of 2023. Solar car prototypes don’t come cheap, however. This first iteration will sell for $262,000, about 5 million Mexican pesos at current exchange rates.
The company wants to bring this car to the masses, so it hopes to introduce a more affordable model, the Lightyear 2, by 2025.
“Because of the reduced need for charging stations, Lightyear offers a solution that can be adopted around the world and can scale faster than current electric vehicles. We can reach much of the global market years before any other automaker,” the company said on its website.
Editorial Team The editorial team of EMPRENDEDOR.com, which for more than 27 years has worked to promote entrepreneurship.