The first production unit of the Lightyear 0 rolled off the assembly line yesterday.
About 150 pre-orders have been received according to the company.
This car can reportedly drive every day without having to be plugged in for up to 7 months.
The Lightyear 0 became the first production vehicle to be powered by solar energy when the first unit came down the assembly line yesterday.
Equipped with solar panels on the roof, and the hood, Lightyear says the 0 can add up to 70 kilometres of range per day in the sun, depending on where it is located.
Indeed, the total solar range of the car varies depending on where it is used, which means that it can drive for around two months in the Netherlands without having to be plugged in while moving to Portugal means the 0 can go for about seven months on solar energy only.
Unsurprisingly given that it is the first car of its kind to reach production, the Lightyear 0 will not be affordable for everyone, with a starting price of 250,000 Euros ($352,700 CAN).
Despite this, the Dutch start-up automaker says it has received around 150 pre-orders to date and it plans to build a total of 1,000 units of this model in a Finnish factory run by Valmet.
Also expected is the very low production rate of only one car per week, which should be increased to five cars per week by the second half of next year.
In order to generate more business, Lightyear is working on a smaller and much more affordable model to be called “2”.
Starting around 30,000 Euros ($42,300 CAN), this model should enter production in 2025 and it already has pre-orders from a few car-sharing companies in Europe.
This second model could compete with the upcoming Sion solar-powered hatchback unveiled by Sono Group which promised its starting price would stay close to $26,000 US ($34,800 CAN) despite inflation. It is worth noting that a release date has yet to be scheduled for this vehicle.
