Dutch start-up Lightyear plans to bring a commercial solar car to the market in 2019.
The first vehicle, the Lightyear One, is an electric four-wheel drive car that can handle rough terrain and has a battery range of 800km, charged by the sun.
Production of the car will start from 2019 onwards. Of this first version, a limited number of models will be produced. Pricing starts at EUR119 000 excluding tax; reservations start today.
"You can think of the Lightyear One as being an electric car redesigned from the ground up to combine the best of solar cars and electric cars," says Lex Hoefsloot, CEO of Lightyear.
"It's a revolutionary step forward in electric mobility because we are able to combine a great look with extreme efficiency. This first model makes science fiction become reality - cars powered using just the sun."
The start-up company says at night or on a cloudy day, the Lightyear One can drive up to 800km on a fully charged battery, depending on the battery configuration.
In sunny climates, Lightyear One is able to drive for months without charging, the company claims.
It explains the integrated solar cells on the roof of the car will generate enough power to recharge the battery during the day and will render charging virtually unnecessary. In sunny climates, the car can drive for months without charging. For very long trips, it notes, an overnight-charge using an ordinary power socket will suffice - no need for electric car charging infrastructure.
"The Lightyear One is a statement to show that electric cars are ready for every corner of the planet," Hoefsloot says. "It is the first step in our mission to make electric cars available for everyone."
The company says since the car does not require any charging points, it is especially well-suited for areas where the adoption of electric cars is held back by the lack of these facilities.
Ready to go
Meanwhile, Tesla's high-volume Model 3 electric sedan passed all regulatory requirements for production two weeks ahead of schedule, CEO Elon Musk tweeted on Sunday night.
"[Model 3] production grows exponentially, so August should be 100 cars and September above 1 500," Musk said. "Looks like we can reach 20 000 Model 3 cars per month in December.
"Expecting to complete SN1 on Friday," Musk added.
SN1 is the first car off the assembly line for sale, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters.
Musk said in May that Tesla was on track to begin production of the $35 000 Model 3 in July.
Tesla had said earlier it expected to produce over 5 000 Model 3s per week by the end of this year and 10 000 vehicles per week "at some point in 2018".
Reuters reported in February that the electric carmaker had shut down production at its California assembly plant for a week for production of the Model 3 sedan, to meet its target of starting production in July.
Tesla's previous launches for its Model S sedan and Model X sports utility vehicle were hit by production delays and initial quality issues.
That track record meant some analysts were sceptical about the model's July launch.
Share