The Lightyear 0 entered production less than two months ago.
The company says it has no choice other than to stop production to ensure it can launch the more affordable Lightyear 2.
The Lightyear 2 is only planned for 2025.
About two months after production started, Lightyear is shutting down the production of the Lightyear 0 solar/electric sedan to put all of its efforts into the upcoming Lightyear 2.
Announced in 2021 and teased earlier this month at the CES, this new model seems to be very similar to the Lightyear 0 despite its expected cost of around $40,000 in the United States.
This is surprising since the Lightyear 0 comes with an asking price of 250,000 euros, which is over $270,000 US.
The company states that this was a difficult decision to make and that no other choices were available to ensure the launch of the Lightyear 2 will go ahead as planned in 2025.
This suggests the start-up company ran into financial problems, as happened to many new automakers that have developed their first vehicle in the last few years.
Lightyear differentiates itself from other EV start-ups due to its commitment to solar energy, which can generate up to 70 kilometres of range per day via solar panels installed on the upward-facing surfaces of the car.
The Lightyear 2 will also have this technology and despite few details being known about this model at the moment, the company announced it will be able to drive for up to 805 kilometres before needing a recharge.
If the company pulls through its likely financial hurdles, it should release more complete specifications for the Lightyear 2 later this year.
Stopping production of its first vehicle so soon after it started will likely cause frustration among those who had expressed interest in this solar-powered EV and this could create further problems for the small Dutch manufacturer.
Time will tell if this sudden change of plans was the right decision to take for Lightyear.
Lightyear 2 | Photo: Lightyear
Source: Carscoops
